Dubiousask

 [Winnipeg, MB.]  [Winnipeg, MB.]  [Winnipeg, MB.]  [Duluth?]  [Downtown, Saint Paul.]  [Downtown, Minneapolis.]  [Seattle, WA.] [Seattle, WA.]

[Via Fred Melo's Twitter .] This is a bit old news by now, but Hot Rod's, one of the dives in the famed "Midway dive district", has closed and lost their license. The building is currently for sale. When I was working on my Noteworthy Dive Bars of the Midway guide booklet, I mentioned the place to my barber, an old-time Saint Paulite who remembers nearly every bar in the city going back 60 years. "Oh Hot Rods," he said, excitedly. "They used to have the front half of a 1961 Oldsmobile in the window that would rotate around." Wait, what? Well it was a long decline for this old place, that had a very Happy Days vibe to me. Only like if the show had been cancelled, but all the actors had had to stick around on set for another decade, trapped in syndication limbo. Anyway, RIP Hot Rods. I hope someone buys this place and opens up another bar there. It'd be nice to keep the fragile Midway booze reef intact. [Below are my notes on Hot Rods from the ra...

I am tinkering around with different suppliers and have found one that is making what I call a "wall flag." It's 2' x 3' and great for hanging on a wall. The colors on one side of the flag (the front side) is a bit more vibrant than the other (the back side), but you can hang it as well and it looks fine. I've tweaked the colors a bit to try and make them "pop" a bit more, and match the fun coloring you see in this version (at right). I'm not sure if it's better or if it's not, but if you get a flag you can find out. Best of all, they're on sale now for only $14 ! Little, yellow, different, and fun. Get yours today and join the hundred or so people who like Saint Paul enough to fly an 80-year-old flag. The link is here. Only $14 !  Get a flag or move to the 'burbs! [Flags in the West End, near Mayor Carter, and over Can Can Wonderland.]

[Men enjoying fresh Villagers on the patio at Dunns.]  [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: Ward 4 hopefuls seek DFL's nod at Apr. 28 convention; Mayor plies his influence with Nelson endorsement Author: Kevin Driscoll Short short version: [Mitra won the endorsement on the 2nd ballot; Shirley Erstad will remain in the race.] Article has pics and bios of the candidates. Mayor Carter endorsed Nelson and according to a guy in Hamline, it is "the first big political test." [I guess they both passed.] Headline: Merriam Park development moratorium nixed; Survey of historic homes will ...

[From  my big Strib article on the flag .] Like it or not the Saint Paul flag is on the map of vital and trending city flags. Much like the city itself , the Saint Paul flag is on the move ! Setting aside the justifiable hand-wringing over proper flag design principles (aka. vexilology ), I believe the Saint Paul flag is above average. What's more, the Saint Paul flag has a lovely historical pedigree filled with intrigue, mystery*, and changing sensibilities. * more on this in a moment! tl;dr: I just got some new flags in stock. They're on sale at a new low low price! Buy yours today! For more details about the flag's mysterious history, continue reading... The #flagcolorgate conspiracy So the Saint Paul flag, the best official city flag in Minnesota, is good enough to be a useful compelling civic symbol for a great little city that could surely use one, particularly in this day and age when governments at nearly all levels face a crisis of urbanism. That�s why I remain an...

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