On the way back from a cuppa, my friend asked to be reminded about the red building. I explained it was originally built as a brothel and owned by a woman, which was unusual for the era. Right on the next block, as if to counteract this, we passed a modern building slated for a major remodel to become a Lutheran seminary.
Category: Minneapolis
One block at a time
Walking is very important to me. This morning, I walked to Open Book for a cuppa and an old-fashioned donut, and in the afternoon, I saw my family medicine physician, each about 0.2 miles from our building. For now, walking 0.2 miles slowly is plenty, made possible by Gabapentin until physical therapy hopefully resolves this. I’m so grateful for my compassionate care team.
Gold Medal Park’s origins
Gold Medal Park was looking very fine today from our home, though it’s a reminder of excessive healthcare profits. It was funded by a former CEO of UnitedHealth, the world’s largest healthcare company, headquartered here in the Twin Cities. When he retired, he walked away with an enormous haul, fueled in part by backdated stock options. Even after repaying roughly $600 million, he had plenty left for local philanthropy. Tomorrow, we sign up for our 2027 health plan through a Minnesota nonprofit, definitely not UnitedHealth.
Healing the wound
As I was cycling down this path today, I remembered it was supposed to be a freeway. In the 1970s, a huge swath was cut through Northeast Minneapolis, leveling hundreds of homes and businesses and splitting the historic neighborhood in two. Outraged residents organized and fought back, successfully getting the project canceled. While the homes built in its place lack the character of the originals, they help heal the wound and reconnect the neighborhood.
Joe’s Auto Parts
A friend and I made up a route as we went on a cycle ride through Nordeast Minneapolis. At Casket Arts, a former factory that once mass-produced caskets and other funeralia (a word I made up), we stopped to check out current sculptures by the artists who work there. In one piece, “Joe’s Auto Parts,” salvaged car doors arranged in a grid, capped by three vintage roof ventilators, become a sculpture.
Counterculture cuppa
On my walk to Seward Co-op to pick up veggies for a lamb braise, I stepped back in time to the counterculture 1970s for a cuppa in this worker-owned vegan cafe. The double-shot Americano with a full crema was near-perfect: $3, cash-only. Angry rock filled the air, though a surprisingly sedate rendering of the British national anthem added an unexpected layer of incongruity.
All about the gram
It had been raining, so I went for a walk downtown expecting to see hundreds of red T-shirts worn by Target Corporation employees flown in for their annual jamboree. Instead, I found workers setting up photo backdrops and staging visual elements across several blocks of Nicollet Mall for a photography conference this weekend. Instagram is going to be buzzing!
Stronger together
At Boom Island on our Sunday walk, teamsters were holding a picnic. Amy Klobuchar, our US Senator and hopefully soon-to-be governor, had just given a speech.
Hallowed ground
Walked over to the farmers market. In the shade of the Guthrie, a painting class focused on a red food truck, its faint reflection visible in the windows behind them. This space is special to us. During COVID, we held our spontaneous wedding reception here, complete with lawn chairs, alongside the two friends who witnessed our vows in the judge’s chambers.
A short cycle ride to the 26th Avenue North Overlook
My nephews would’ve enjoyed scrambling on the climbing net at the foot of the beacon… maybe a dozen years ago. The beacon leans out over the Mississippi at this overlook in North Minneapolis, a short ride from our home. This was my first outing in three days: the study treatment has kept me laid low, which means it’s doing something! It felt good to be out among people clearly enjoying the beautiful day.