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.
Category: Nordeast Minneapolis
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.
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.
The golden age of trespassing
One of the advantages of being a senior is that the consequences of being arrested are far less severe than they were when I was young. I no longer have an employer to fire me, and I can comfortably afford a lawyer or a fine. Besides, I look harmless. With that in mind, I secured my bicycle and clambered up a railroad embankment. I carefully crossed two live tracks to get a closer look at a dozen vintage coaches, including these from the North Pole Express. And nobody stopped me.
A favorite perch
Cycled with a friend to a favorite perch overlooking BNSF’s Northtown Yard. It’s huge: 105 miles of track processing 1,500 railcars every day.
Finding anti-fascism in a Minneapolis park
After giving up on finding a local or national Antifa office, I cycled in search of something tangible about the anti-fascist cause. Flags were at full staff at Sheridan Memorial Park when I paused at this sign commemorating American anti-fascist fighters of World War II. I appreciate how this park honors ordinary, working-class people, like Howard Weller (mask, complete with oxygen tubes) from Northeast Minneapolis, without glorifying war.
Praise the Lard: church, flag, and meat pie
Popped into the rectory office of Our Lady of Lourdes, the oldest church in Minneapolis. They have a great side hustle: not only do they dispense religious services, but they also sell French meat pies, handmade by parishioners. I was reminded of this decades-old tradition today while looking for inspiration on the Atlas Obscura website.
Urban safari
On today’s cycle ride with a friend, we were glad to see these Nordeast beauties are still in residence, nicely complementing the carved giraffe we found last week. Next, I need to investigate if a zebra, clearly visible on Google Street View, is still hanging out in the yard of a south Minneapolis home.
“Shop and swap wishing well of free sh*t”
My goals on two wheels today were to 1) photograph an eagle (FAILED) and 2) find new potatoes (FAILED). However, my ride in Nordeast Minneapolis did lead to an interesting discovery: a wishing well outside a home containing a “Chrono Decoder” (a 60-minute countdown timer for a board game), books, a ball of string, and (drum roll, please) a package of fresh bratwurst.
Where do I put my eyes?
Clearly, I tried to fit a lot into this photo today: the modern Pierre Bottineau Library in the foreground, with the former Grain Belt Brewery (now offices) behind it. I do like the ghost staircase. Next is my old hoss taking a breather, and across the road, the former brewery office, now apartments.