This week, the weather in Minneapolis has been dangerously cold. The high on Wednesday was -28°F (-33°C). And that’s not allowing for wind-chill: the wind made it feel even colder. I live to move. Every day I need to walk, jog, or ride my bicycle. But this week is different. The snow is so dry,…… Continue reading Steamy Minneapolis
Author: Tom Wilson
The Liberation of Writing for Myself
Every now and then, I receive a request like this: Dear Editor,My name is Jen and I’m the Editor at Jen Reviews. I was doing research on cheese recipes and just finished reading your wonderful blog post: https://www.tomwilson.com/2015/05/zen-and-art-of-casserole-assembly.htmlIn that article, I noticed that you cited a solid post that I’ve read in the past: http://www.cheese.com/sartori-classic-montamore/We just published…… Continue reading The Liberation of Writing for Myself
Underneath the Arches
Sometimes you just have to break the rules. I ignored a warning sign, climbed over a barrier, then walked down a rickety staircase, avoiding gaps where boards had once been. At the bottom, I found myself in a derelict place beneath the Minneapolis Stone Arch Bridge. I looked up at the beautiful lines of the…… Continue reading Underneath the Arches
Edging Toward a Minimalist Wardrobe
This is my complete wardrobe: a total of about forty shirts (mainly tees) and pants, and zero suits or jackets. I’ve learned this is not a minimalist wardrobe. Web sites like The Essential Man (“Style Advice for Grown Men”) recommend fourteen pieces, assuming you do laundry once a week. I’m realizing I can do better.…… Continue reading Edging Toward a Minimalist Wardrobe
Lake of the Isles: Always Something New
I’ve walked, jogged, and cycled around Lake of the Isles over 10,000 times in the 40 years I’ve lived in Minneapolis. Each time I’ve circled the lake, it has been a different experience. For most of the year, walkers take the inner path, while cyclists ride the outer path. In warmer weather, people set up…… Continue reading Lake of the Isles: Always Something New
The Time I Sneaked onto a Night Train from Communist East Berlin to Prague
August 1972. My brother and I stood in front of the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin. We had just arrived from London on our first flight ever. The flight was cheap by 1972 standards: just £14. In 2018 pounds that’s £181 (US$230), a lot of money for us: I was an undergraduate, and my brother…… Continue reading The Time I Sneaked onto a Night Train from Communist East Berlin to Prague
A Motorized Ottoman and Other Specialized Household Items
I like good solutions to household challenges. Take harvesting apples. When we had a house, there was a lovely apple tree in the front yard. Every year it produced an amazing quantity of crunchy, sweet apples. Problem: How do we reach the highest apples?Solution: We used an apple picker. Apple PickerA balding male who attempts…… Continue reading A Motorized Ottoman and Other Specialized Household Items
Don’t Touch the Concrete
Last week my partner and I walked along a Chicago residential street to Wrightwood 659, a brand new exhibition space designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando. The Antithesis The previous day, a wonderful volunteer docent, an elderly woman, went silent when I said that Ando walks on water. Maybe I had offended her religious sensibilities,…… Continue reading Don’t Touch the Concrete
Finding Tadao Ando
This week my partner and I will make a quick trip to Chicago to visit Wrightwood 659, a new art space designed by Japan’s Tadao Ando. We’ll explore the inaugural exhibition, Ando and Le Corbusier: Masters of Architecture. Ando’s signature concrete, 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, Tokyo, October 2018. In March 2014 I was vaguely aware of architect…… Continue reading Finding Tadao Ando
Northern Pacific Bridge Number 9
Northern Pacific Bridge Number 9 is one of the “lesser” bridges connecting the east and west sides of Minneapolis across the Mississippi. The bridge is significant for its configuration as a deck truss, which is a rare truss type in [Minnesota], and innovative reuse of 1885 pin-connected deck truss spans that were reinforced in 1922…… Continue reading Northern Pacific Bridge Number 9