A Cyclist’s Oasis

Even my phone overheated while cycling through Nordeast Minneapolis. Finding relief, I took a quick break in Surdyk’s walk-in beer cooler. A six-pack of Bauhaus Lounge Wizard in my backpack kept my back cool on the journey home.

Cognitive Itch*

Spotted an octopus’s garden on my cycle ride. My earworm for the rest of the ride was inevitable: I’d like to be\…\In an octopus’s garden\In the shade. (*Cognitive itch: the cause of an earworm.)

Categorized as Cycle

Plan B

Met a friend over coffee in St. Paul. The heavens opened as I started to cycle home, so I made a beeline for the nearest light rail station. Conveniently, each train car has two upright bike racks.

Categorized as Cycle

Spring Bike Ride

Cycled a loop via the 28th Street Greenway, Chain of Lakes, Minnehaha Creek, then up the Mississippi. Stopped to view the blossom on this section just before Lake Nokomis. In the final stretch, we were ready for a late lunch at Longfellow Grill.

Tulips on Main Street

Spotting tulips on our Sunday morning walk was a treat. Spring bulbs are not as common in our continental climate as in temperate England where I grew up.

Categorized as Walk

River Walk

Walked with a friend who was visiting from the UK. Crossed the Mississippi, still swollen with snowmelt.

Money Machine

On my random cycle ride, the popular Giant Slide at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds was about to get a fresh coat of paint. At $3 per ride, it generates about $600,000 in revenue during the twelve days of the annual fair.

Categorized as Cycle

Good Karma

Fair weather prompts cycling, not walking, and allows me to rediscover faraway cafes. Carma Cafe is across the road from Good Carma Auto Repair.

Categorized as Cycle

Always Something New

On my cycle ride, spotted changes that had occurred over the winter. Apartment buildings were popping up, a traffic circle eliminated the need for traffic lights. Here, a crew is dropping off clips that will fasten rails to railroad ties for the Green Line LRT extension.

Protected Bikeways

Looked for changes that have been made to Minneapolis over the winter. Here, the downtown Hennepin Avenue protected bikeway is now complete. The street that runs past our building will get a similar upgrade.