Perhaps a Boulevard
What do you call the grassy strip between sidewalk and roadway — that area perhaps owned by the municipality but whose care falls to the homeowner? If you said “boulevard” you may be from Minnesota, or from … ‣ more…
Duck Duck Which?
You knew this, right? In Minnesota children play a game called Duck Duck Gray Duck, whereas in the rest of the US they play Duck Duck Goose. I’m just learning about this game; where I … ‣ more…
Four Coffee Establishments
In this installment we visit a pair of St. Paul coffee houses and a pair in Minneapolis. One of the latter offers baked goods from a literally world-class practitioner. (Links to previous reviews in this … ‣ more…
Trio of Coffees
Working down my growing backlog of coffee shop reviews, here are two in Minneapolis and one in St. Paul. (Links to previous reviews in this series are at the bottom of this post.) And before … ‣ more…
Finally Bottle Rocket
[Note added 2017-12-13] Well that was a short run. Bottle Rocket lasted less than 10 months. On Friday December 8, at around 7:30 am, Bottle Rocket changed their hours on their Facebook page; the new … ‣ more…
No Bridge
Past the river end of St. Paul’s Summit Avenue, Riverside Boulevard takes a 3,000-ft. looping detour around Shadow Falls Park. Why isn’t the gorge bridged? A 600-foot span would add captivating views and picturesque charm, … ‣ more…
Bookstore Extremities
The novelty blog BoingBoing recently featured the westernmost bookstore in the US: Talk City Bookstore in Hanapepe, on the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i. It got me to wondering where the other US bookstore extremities are. … ‣ more…
Squirrel Scurry
I never saw a white or a black squirrel back East. In the Massachusetts wilds I would hear, if not always see, fisher cats and coyotes; evidence abounded of deer, beaver, opossums, woodchucks, wild turkeys, … ‣ more…
Coffee Thrice
It’s past time to make a dent in my backlog of coffee shop reviews. Here are two in South Minneapolis and one on West 7th Ave., St. Paul. Without at first intending it, I see … ‣ more…
Arrogant Bastard
In 1997 Stone Brewing Company produced Arrogant Bastard Ale, an improbably influential, nay iconic, brew: though not itself an IPA, Arrogant Bastard helped develop and cement the American taste for hoppy beers. It has maintained … ‣ more…