A strange thing happened as I was jogging around a lake a few days before the 2016 US presidential election. In my November 1, 2016 post I wrote:
A diminutive older woman was trying to catch my attention. She announced proudly in a Russian accent that she was voting for the Republican candidate for President. “Very good, very good” she declared to prove her case. By now her right hand was over her heart, and I wondered if she was about to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
Fast forward to this week. The US president is fresh back from a summit with Russian Federation president and adversary Putin. It has been challenging for the US president to verbalize the “adversary” bit.
As a KGB operative, prime minister, then president, Putin embodies the oppressive state.
In recent decades, thousands of Russians have immigrated to Minneapolis and surrounding communities. They came here for a better life and to escape oppression in their homeland.
This week, I built my bicycle rides around the theme “Russia in Minneapolis.”
A local Russian language media company, Zerkalo, and Google Search gave me the information I needed to plot points of interest on a map.
I haven’t included the numerous businesses in second-ring suburbs where many Russian émigrés have put down their roots.
St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral
This 1887 Nordeast Minneapolis church served the first Slavic immigrants.
St. Panteleimon Russian Orthodox Church
This church seems more traditionally Russian than St. Mary’s. Signage and the Web site emphasize the Russian language.
College of Liberal Arts Program in Slavic Languages & Literatures
Russian does not appear to be a high priority at the University of Minnesota. The “Slavic Languages and Literatures” program occupies a small part of this building.
Russian Tea House
The Russian Tea House gets great reviews, but I did not have a chance to find out for myself. It’s closed until November when it will open just once a week on Fridays from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Euro Gourmet Cafe and Deli
I didn’t have a chance to sample the Russian baking at Euro Gourmet in a strip mall in St. Louis Park. The cafe did not open for another hour at 10:00 a.m.
Psychic Cynthia (Синти)
Russian immigrant and self-described prophetess, Cynthia, was not in her consulting room above an alley off Hopkins’ Main Street. It was too early in the morning, which was just as well because I was spared the temptation to take advantage of her $10 special.
The Museum of Russian Art
Today my partner, Dwight, joined me to explore several exhibitions at the lovely Museum of Russian Art. I rather enjoyed their exhibition of Soviet socialist realism art juxtaposed with subversive Russian art. The picture at the top of this post, “Collective Farm Harvest 1959,” contrasted with pieces like “Death of Communism,” below.
