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.
Category: Nordeast Minneapolis
Mad Max: Nordeast
While cycling in Nordeast Minneapolis, I was stopped in my tracks by a moving art installation that evoked the Mad Max movies. Nordeast Minneapolis is home to hundreds of artists.
Finished or in Process?
Today’s cycle ride took me through the workspace of Nordeast Minneapolis sculptor Zoran Mojsilov. This piece looks finished, but maybe I’ll be surprised the next time I pass by.
In the Heights
Cycled to the highest point in Minneapolis, Deming Heights Park. At one point we dismounted and pushed.
A Blank Canvas
On a cycle ride up one side of the Mississippi to I694, then down the other side: a new riverside park, Graco Park, was taking shape. By many metrics, Minneapolis has one of the best park systems in the nation, helped by property tax levies ($79 million in 2023). We call it our country club.
Five Watt Mouse Door
Finally noticed this mouse door near the entrance to Five Watt Coffee. It’s probably been there for years, so much for mindfulness. The local artist, Mows, has hundreds of these doors with different designs, placed around the world through collaboration and travel.
Nordeast Safari
Giraffe House, spotted on my cycle ride through Nordeast Minneapolis. A baby giraffe is hiding behind a tree.
Honoring Ordinary People
On my cycle ride: Sheridan Memorial Park. Surrounding plaques honor veterans of ten wars while reflecting on the futility of so much conflict. I appreciate how this memorial focuses on the ordinary people called to fight in wars, rather than leaders.
Projecting Calm
On my cycle ride: bollards projecting calm. Presumably originally installed to protect a ramp for launching small boats from barges, it’s now purely aesthetic. This section of the Mississippi is now closed to barge traffic.
Remnant of WWII
On my cycle ride: World War II guard tower built to protect a Norden bombsight factory. Today, tenants of the old factory buildings include a distillery and a company that develops LEGO military model kits. (The LEGO Company has a strict policy against selling military models.)