Category: Twin Cities

Friendly Wave

Air brakes hissed at me, but the brakeman gave me a friendly wave as I walked along an unofficial path across the river from our home.

Three-Morning Walk

Completed a three-morning walk along University Avenue (connecting Minneapolis and St. Paul) with a friend, pausing at architecturally interesting buildings. Today, our walk along “Asian Main Street” included wonderful Vietnamese pastries.

The Best Croissants

Continued exploring University Avenue with a friend. Visited a modest Vietnamese bakery for one of the best almond croissants ever. I was experiencing a consequence of a convoluted path from French colonialism to skilled Vietnamese refugees and their offspring.

Tail Races

Walked under Stone Arch Bridge on my way to meet friends for a walk. Paused to look at the remains of mill tail races (water channels). Three rusty upright girders once supported a railroad trestle. The blue Endless Bridge cantilevers out of the Guthrie Theater.

Grain Belt Beer Sign

Walked past the historical (1941) Grain Belt Beer sign on the banks of the Mississippi across from downtown Minneapolis. Los Angeles has the Hollywood sign; we have this.

Fluid Dynamics Laboratory

Visited the University of Minnesota’s St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, across the river from our home. It specializes in fluid dynamics of air, water, etc. Its lower levels are carved out of rock, allowing experiments to take advantage of the difference in height of the Mississippi.

St. Anthony Falls Laboratory

St. Anthony Falls Laboratory. Across the Mississippi from our home, we can see the University of Minnesota’s St. Anthony Falls Laboratory. This week we got a chance to peek inside. The building, pictured at the top of this post, was funded by the WPA (Works Progress Administration), a Federal New Deal program to put people…… Continue reading St. Anthony Falls Laboratory