Dubiousask

 [Winnipeg.]  [Red Wing.] [North Loop, Minneapolis.] [Linden Hills, Minneapolis.] [Como Park, Saint Paul.] [Duluth.] [Duluth.] [Duluth.]

 [Red Wing.]  [Red Wing.]  [Inver Grove Heights.]  [New Orleans, LA.]  [New Orleans, LA.]  [Como Park, Saint Paul.]  [South Minneapolis.] [Red Wing.]

According to Merriam-Webster, one of the meanings of shibboleth is thus: a   :  a use of language regarded as distinctive of a particular group accent was � a  shibboleth  of social class  �Vivian Ducat b   :  a custom or usage regarded as distinguishing one group from others for most of the well-to-do in the town, dinner was a  shibboleth , its hour dividing mankind  �Osbert Sitwell I think it's an interesting concept in any city, but especially in a parochial place like Saint Paul. In particular, I am interested in the relationship between the pronunciation and name of a place and its relationship with belonging. I still remember the first time I went to New York City and tried to go to "Houston Street," for example. So what are the local shibboleths? What are the places and names that distinguish us from being an insider or an outsider? I write a quick little sentence that had as many of them as I could think of, and gave it to a few folk...

*** Note: Limited space available. Buy your ticket today ! *** [Downtown Minneapolis, c. 1963.] Mark yer calendar! I'm offering another tour of the downtown Minneapolis skyway system.  The skyway is one of my favorite topics and I've written about it on this blog often . I love talking with people about the skyway, even if its usually a frustrating conversation. That's one of the things about architecture and urban design issues. They are so often wrapped up in our perceptions and what we bring to our experience... So why not experience the skyway again for the first time? I've given this tour a few times, and it's always been popular. I've learned, for example, that Saturday afternoon is the ideal time for a good skyway experience, and have a two (2) mile route through downtown Minneapolis all planned out. It's mostly indoors, but there are a few blocks that will be out on the sidewalk. Here's the event plug : Minneapolis Skyway History Tour Guided tour...

Hot off the presses, I have a new Guide Booklet completed. It's a good one, too, featuring all the bars from my North End dive bar tour from the summer of 2016 . The North End is my old neighborhood, and so this one is a lot closer to my heart than many of the other neighborhood's I've written about. It features a short essay about the North End, and descriptions, anecdotes, pictures, and bullshit about at least five existing and vanished bars in the North End neighborhood. Featured bars include: Schroeder's/Geraldine's (now gone), Hoover's, The Foundry, the Half Time Rec, and Ted's Rec up on Larpenteur Avenue. There's even a bonus feature, a "Dive Bar Wine Guide" written by Dana DeMaster. The cover art is a lovely painting of Ted's Rec by Rebecca Silus . Get yours today in the online store ! [The 2016 tour inaction.]

[A Villager occupying a handicapped spot at the Trader Joe's.] [Basically the problem is that the best source of Saint Paul streets & sidewalks news is the Highland Villager, a very fine and historical newspaper. This wouldn't be a problem, except that its not available online. You basically have to live in or frequent Saint Paul to read it. Until this newspaper goes online, sidewalk information must be set free. See also:   Three Reasons Why I Re-Blog the Highland Villager .] Headline: Housing projects proposed for pair of Summit-U sites; Rezonings sought for Boy Scout, Morning Star Church properties Author: Jane McClure Short short version: The old one-story Boy Scout headquarters is probably going to become apartments, and the old one-story church and huge parking lot is probably going to become apartments and maybe a coffee shop or something. Neighbors are concerned about traffic and parking. Headline: BZA denies student rental on Marshall Ave.; Landlord neglected to fi...

 F-Hate only love.com Sick of losing friends to Meth and Heroin?! LOCK the IDIOTS UP SELLING IT! *Micro Chipping* EMPLOYEES Sign my PETITION [Tree. River Falls, WI.] Yes- There's Live Music Tonight c. 9:00 pm [Door. Northeast, Minneapolis.] DOWNTOWN STREET (Bush & Third) Closes at 5:00 IF PARKED THERE YOU WILL BE TOWED PARKING ADVISROY STREET BY DOWNTOWN BUSH-THIRD CLOSED AT 5 [Door. Red Wing.]   Our sign has been beaten & bruised. We will keep replacing this sign by donating to Black Lives Matter. If you care to explain your criminal behavior, please leave a note! [Black Lives Matter sign. Mac-Groveland, Saint Paul.]  MY [heart] STILL HURTS [Television. Seward, Minneapolis.] [metal plate with guy walking arrow and fake button.] [Pole. Winnipeg, MB.] NOT A BICYCLE STAND [Patio furniture. Winnipeg, MB.] If you see a child or a young girl being exploited, please report it, don't regret it. ###-###-#### [Post. Winnipeg, MB.]

[Sign at St. Vincent's.] I love West 7th street. It�s one of my favorite neighborhoods in Saint Paul because of its mix of tradition, historic buildings, dive bars, and small businesses. You only have to look at one block to see the promise of the street. Between Goodrich and Douglas streets, there are five great small businesses in century-old buildings. First, there�s Day By Day Caf� , where people in recovery from addiction make and serve you  healthy breakfasts in brightly-lit booths or the delightful (if occasionally snake-laden ) back patio. Next to that is St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store , a wonderful place where the poor and upper-middle-class alike shop for recycled deals, staffed by the most cheerful bad-joke-telling and accommodating people you�ll ever meat. Next to that is a cute yoga studio (from what I�ve been told), and then Claddagh Coffee , serving excellent roasts and paninis in a former porn video shop. (They have deals for nonprofits and community groups to re...

Thanks to a fortuitous exchange a while back, I have the honor of taking the stage at The Terminal Bar in Northeast Minneapolis to give a brief talk and reading about one of my favorite topics: historic bars in Minneapolis. I gave a talk on local bar history a few months ago over on Saint Paul's East Side and it was a smashing success, and thought it would be fun to present a similar blab that focuses, this time, on Minneapolis history. As you might know, Minneapolis' Terminal Bar is one of the treasures of the local dive bar scene, a tribute to its owners Flem and Annette. Flem died a little while ago , but Annette is still holding the fort down and has forgotten way more about local bar history than I'll ever know. I'll be giving a history talk, then reading from my two booklets, Noteworthy Dive Bars of Inner and Outer Northeast , and then we'll have a Q&A discussion from the stage of the Terminal. I'll also have all of my (in print) booklets available fo...