Minneapolis - tell me what to do

I'm heading to the Twin Cities for a few days in August, on a little vacation with my better half. What should we do, aside from the obvious museums, parks, etc.? Any particularly good stores, places to eat, live music, odd museums, etc. etc.

If you're here on August 3 or 10, Loring Park on the edge of downtown has a Monday music/movie series that is a summertime tradition.

August 27 through Labor Day: Minnesota State Fair

I often bring out-of-towners to the funky and fun Eagles Club #34 in south Minneapolis for the Butanes blues revue (often featuring soul singing legend Willie Walker) and/or The Front Porch Swinging Liquor Pigs -- Wednesdays and Fridays, respectively. A little slice of life you might not find elsewhere.

My favorite restaurant these days is Ngon in St. Paul. Upscale but reasonably priced Vietnamese fusion food. Awesome pho, and a nice, all local beer list.

odd museums, etc. etc.

The Museum of Electricity

http://www.ax-man.com/

dr. mambo's combo on sunday and monday nights @ bunkers, a bunch of awesome ex-Prince musicians jamming on r&b and pop standards.

Today marks the 15th anniversary of the day I moved to Minneapolis. I was gone less than a year later, but damn I sure do miss that city.

I used to hit Loring Park, go to that bookstore in Uptown off of Nicollet, run around in the skyways like a crazed hamster, hang out at Schindler's, drive to the dog track in St. Croix (not really proud of that one), eat at the diners, drink at the Cromwell, walk around Dinkytown, window shop downtown, drive to Mall of America on Bloomington Ave starting from Franklin, walk around the state capitol in St. Paul, eat plates of potatoes and onions at Uptown Diner... even trips to the downtown post office were fun.

Shinder's and Cromwell = long gone.

I didn't even mention the record shops for the same reason.

places i, a wisconsinite, like to eat in minneapolis:

brasa
qang (awesome banh mi)
zakia deli
midtown global market

both of these places are great:

http://www.112eatery.com/

http://www.craftsmanrestaurant.com/

never been here but i'm dying to go:

http://www.tedcooks19thholebbq.com/

all of Jordan's suggestions are A+

the twin cities are spoiled with RITZY ICE CREAM too, so, get dessert at some point:

http://www.izzysicecream.com/

there's also Sonny's on Lyndale & 34th and Sebastian Joe's in a few different places (can't believe they don't have websites!)

something else i've been meaning to get to:

http://heavytable.com/tinga-de-pollo-at-el-taco-riendo/

...tho my sense is chicago is better for mexican than we are

outdoor fish place in a big park:

http://seasalteatery.wordpress.com/

for shows, def check the calendars at the triple rock, the turf club, first avenue/7th street entry.

Do you drink? If so I can rail off a bunch of bar suggestions. For awes comfort food i am a big fan of the Highland Grill, also if you are on the St. Paul Side, Boca Chica is gr8 mexican food.

Stores (recordwise) - The Electric Fetus is great, Cheapo in Uptown is immense.

could also fap, just sayin

Sea Salt recommendation above seconded. There is a bandshell in the park with music most nights (my band 8/5!) and a place that rents pedalcars to tour the parkway system, which is pretty goofy fun.

I often bring out-of-towners to the funky and fun Eagles Club #34 in south Minneapolis for the Butanes blues revue (often featuring soul singing legend Willie Walker)

woah do they do that regularly??? willie walker is a goddamn treasure.

yeah sea salt is great!

btw goole thanks for posting that mexican place...looks awesome.

also i can vouch for ted cooks as being the best BBQ place that is not big daddys (and therefore open for more than 8 hours a week)

(x-post) Willie's there most every Wednesday night! Maurice Jacox fills in some weeks. I don't think there's any schedule. First set is Butanes quartet, then they bring the featured vocalist up for the second set. Yeah, Willie Walker is sweet.

moviewise the Parkway theater has been getting some buzz (well mostly in my crowd because you can bring in margaritas from next door.) Also, if you can make it to the Riverview, its cheap and worth the trip just for the architecture.

Find a way to at least wander through the new Guthrie too.

xpost crazy i didn't know that at all...

yeah willie...it's like people always say "man i wish i coulda seen otis [insert classic soul dude here]" and it's like you basically CAN at a eagles club in south mpls for peanuts

that's awesome to hear

For those who aren't hip to the Willie Walker love:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qam_nQMma0Q

In the same vein, I used to see Spider John Koerner sit in with the Liquor Pigs at the late, lamented Viking Bar and just think: damn, this guy's a living legend and I'm hearing him in a dive bar for free...

ha speaking of which, the Hard Times is "landmark" but i've never really had a good time there, or enjoyed the food

yeah i should go out to see spider more often....take stuff for granted.

esp thought of that since micheal yonkers just announced he has to retire from performing

ha speaking of which, the Hard Times is "landmark" but i've never really had a good time there, or enjoyed the food

― goole, Friday, July 24, 2009 4:33 PM (19 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

haha cosigned x10000000, right down the block from its sister "totally unenjoyable local landmark" the 400 Bar.

btw, if there's a show you want to see, The Turf Club in St Paul is a totally rad rock bar, pretty much everything a rock bar should be IMO.

partial take-back: i had a turkish breakfast at the hard times that was ok, but i dunno how you fuck up hard boiled eggs and cucumber

yeah i just always got the stink eye when i went there back in the day

Suffice to say The Hard Times is not on anyone's must-do-in-Mpls list.

cosign entire thread

+ you may also want to indulge in a little grease and try either Matt's (Mpls) or The Nook's (St Paul) juicy lucy burgers. Some swear by the 5-8 just south of Matt's, but I'm not a fan.

matts > 5-8 by far

sleeper museum - museaum of russian art in that church on diamond lake road

wow, thanks dudes! this is a ton of good suggestions. i would FAP, but the lady is a bit weird about meeting strangers from the interwebs. i know, i know, i've done it a million times. sorry, i hope i don't seem rude!

what's sad is that so many of these restaurants have awesome, yet seemingly greasy and meaty food, yet i'm dating a vegetarian! i will probably drag her to one BBQ place nonetheless.

any good (hip but not too hip) clothing boutiques -- ones that sell used/consignment?

any good stores for (old, not new) vinyl?

WHERE IS MATOS?

also -- any really nice state parks/natural wonders that would be good day trips?

For vintage clothes, there's an intersection in St. Paul (Snelling at Selby) with Up 6 (a personal fave) Lula and Everyday People.

i would FAP, but the lady is a bit weird about meeting strangers from the interwebs. i know, i know, i've done it a million times. sorry, i hope i don't seem rude!

That's cool, though I should stress that I live directly across the street from the Sea Salt, so if you feel like arranging a fabricated "oh hey, didn't know you were here!" (j/k)

Do you still live in Iowa?

no -- i'm in wisconsin for the past 3+ years....

That's what I get for hanging almost exclusively on the gay threads.

well, i haven't peen posting much...

how are you liking madison?

Not a public park, but if you and your better half are bicyclists, you can ride around parts of or the entire city.

http://www.minneapolisparks.org/grandrounds/home.htm

for a fancier place that is pretty organic and not totally vegetarian but def veggie friedly...cafe brenda downtown is supposed to be great

you can check out the menu online...a little on the spendier side but looks nice, ppl have recommended it to me

http://www.cafebrenda.com/liveMenu.html?liveMenu=D&z=37846

Matt, that's 50 Minnewegian points for using any form of 'spendy'. Well played.

Cafe Brenda has always been good and any vegetarian will be happy with the Vietnamese and Mexican food. Even though I chipped my tooth on a pork chop there once, Quang is my favourite for Vietnamese.

lol that was totally unconscious i swear

As I often tell my mom, 'expensive' has three syllables and it's even in English. j/k

has anyone found pineapple bread like Qang's at other places?

Pineapple bread? Sorry, I was busy eating the rest of the menu.

Apart from banh mi - there is always liverwurst on those and I *cannot* eat that so argh.

Also, make sure to get drunk at a Nordeast bar.

It's probably passe but I always liked Bryant-Lake Bowl.

the pinapple bread is amazing (up in the deli case with the a+ banh mi...i usually don't have time to eat in there, so i pop in and grab those)

To be a dissenting voice I like the Hard Times, but I wouldn't say it's a must-go unless you need vegetarian food at 2am.

Fireroast Mountain Cafe is really nice - has good cheap tamales and excellent baked goods.

So many things seconded -- Quang, 112, Matt's...

Vinyl: Treehouse Records (formerly Oarfolkjokapus), the Uptown Cheapo (if you don't mind sifting through scratched stuff)

Mpls is an awesome breakfast town: Al's, Hell's Kitchen (get the wild rice porridge!), Victor's 1959 Cafe, the Band Box, the Triple Rock, Bryant-Lake Bowl's granola pancakes...

I love Minneapolis -- and I'm moving back next month!

oh victors is an A+++++ recommend!

For vintage and secondhand I suggest Tatters on Lyndale (friend owns); around the corner at Lake and Bryant (right next to the Bowl) is Corner Store, which although expensive for Mpls. (but really cheap for me when the pound/dollar exchange is in consideration) has mint-condition dresses from the 1920s onward plus...oh just go, it's good. Your GF will love and the men's section is interesting.

The ace in the hole for Twin Cities shopping is NO SALES TAX ON CLOTHES OR SHOES.

^^^example, Corner Store has been there since 1980, in '86 I paid $35 for a black/electric blue '50s smoking jacket with sales tags still on. This place is particularly good at little black dresses of the ages; if you're like me and don't like the possibility of turning up in the same nice dress as some other person, it's easy to grab a few there without busting the bank.

fun fact: Eric Clapton was in the corner store this summer and i guess spent $5000 on vintage motorcycle gear

I would add to the vinyl/record shopping:

Roadrunner on Nicollet is great, not as big a selection of new indie/punk, but if you are looking for older classic rock/jazz/random past stuff....it is WAY cheaper than Treehouse and a great store.

I bought a pair of Vans there once, and the cashier said, "They're $29.95". I said, yes, I know they are, but how much do I owe you? and she just grinned and said THEY'RE $29.95.

thanks suzy et al!

corner store sounds up my GF's alley -- she likes big poofy dresses from the 1950s/1960s.

LOL PP that must have been your first shoe/clothing purchase in tax-free Minneapolis.

Matt, that's a great fun fact. I'll feel so much better when I'm trying to get a discount for buying two dresses knowing Clapton has paid their rent for the year. BTW everything is cheaper than Treehouse. Costs a fortune to feed the current owner.

Am, there's nothing that Hairspray/poodle skirt there; more to the Audrey Hepburn/Dita von Teese side of 'which postwar looks do I channel?' Tatters around the corner has always been more the home of the Lily Allen prom dress.

aha, thanks.

I have fond memories of Treehouse because I used to live above it and my old roommate still manages the place most days. :)

Lula in St. Paul is also great for poofy vintage dresses. Once I was scoping out this near-perfect 1960s silk-satin cocktail dress that was priced at $45. The woman at the counter saw how well it fit me and knocked it down to $35.

I have fond memories of Treehouse because I used to live above it and my old roommate still manages the place most days. :)

d@N? he is a great dude!

(btw i do like treehouse, but i buy records everywhere, there's plenty of me to around, record buying wise)

Yep, he's awesome!

Treehouse is the closest thing to the Mpls. record stores I grew up with; my friend was asst mgr when it was Oarfolk.

never really liked treehouse /challop

treehouse is unfortunate mpls home of record 'tude - hahaha well with the exception of extreme noise i suppose

oh hey there is also some bizarre retro chic rennaisance going on in midway, tons of super cool weirdo furniture/doodads/gizmos.

also if you are looking for unique shopping experiences, i need to throw in a shout out to robot love (vinyl toy stuff but also art/books and such, and owned and managed by the nicest people on earth) - plus the soovac gallery next door is always interesting. and another stellar breakfast place the sunny side up is across the street.

Oh Eclipse Records in St Paul is good and there's a retro old furniture place next door that is HOOOTTTT

yeah thats one of the ones i was talking about!

now if you want to buy yerself a nice guitar while you're in town, i know this place...

sunny side up is crap!

U MAD

mad meaning crazy not filled w/ire

no, it is terrible. i had steak and eggs one morning when i was hung over and felt i needed to be even more disgusted with myself, and, success

i forgot to mention al's diner, love that tiny place

oh yeah, if you can get there on a weekday, do it. although school is out so weekends might be a little calmer!

lol no way

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al%27s_Breakfast

yeah thats one of the ones i was talking about!

now if you want to buy yerself a nice guitar while you're in town, i know this place...

― wax onleck, wax affleck (jjjusten), Friday, July 24, 2009 8:10 PM (19 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

willies?

*runs and hides*

(j/k homie...is it cool if i bring the rig in on monday?)

yeah sounds good

When I had a college-radio shift on Friday mornings, I'd always bring the unmistakable scent of Al's into the booth with me. Their pancakes are my all-time favorites, huge but light. I'll have a short-short buttermilk stack and a two-egg Spike, please.

jj ty for the tip, am straining to overcompensate for the time there were 6x Eames chairs in Broadway Antiques for $120 and I failed to buy and ship because of the shipping expense (if they had tried to charge duty in UK it would've been a pittance). I reckon the prices for doing that are a bit more competitive now. If you can find 4x chairs that would go with a black-legged '50s diner table with white/gray patterned top (similar to chrome/formica tables) let me know, will prob be cheaper than Ikea and more likely to arrive on time.

LOL own Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al's_Breakfast

what clubs should i check for shows?

any hotels (inexpensive but not sketchy) or B&B's anyone can recommend? (i know, i know, if you live there, you don't stay in hotels)

This is in Uptown, a good neighbourhood, close to all sorts:

http://www.lanierbb.com/inns/bb1509.html

My favorite hotel is the Normandy Inn downtown--a Best Western, nothing fancy, but not too expensive and it has a nice old-school feel to it. I often stay at nicer places (my sister works for a chain and gets me a fantastic discount), but when I went there for July 4 weekend the Normandy's where I stayed. (I may do so again for Labor Day weekend--a friend is getting married--but we'll see how my finances are.)

Matt's is an absolute must. And while this is not a recommendation for the food, per se, I never miss a chance to go to Little Tijuana. It's total fake Mexican but that fakeness is somehow perfect Minneapolis-ana to me.

The many suggestions upthread are really helpful! It's been a decade since I moved away and I don't know much about the changes that have taken place so now I have an armful of new stuff to try. Thanks for helping me rediscover my home city, everyone.

If you're looking for vegetarian or gluten-free, it's hard to do better than Cafe Agri.
Then take a walk by Lake Harriet.

from upthread:

for shows, def check the calendars at the triple rock, the turf club, first avenue/7th street entry.

some people enjoy the 400 bar, but i do not

I do not enjoy it either. Must add: last time I was at Little T's, I was with Matos, the chips were greasy and hot, and the waif-punk waitresses ruled. Drunks have gone there to draw on the tablecloths since forever.

It's total fake Mexican but that fakeness is somehow perfect Minneapolis-ana to me.

at any given time there's probably a girl named Ana working there

yeah man, i dunno Little T's is legendary because it's open at 3am when ppl are drunk, if it's not and you're not, don't bother

btw goole

went to this place twice already:

http://heavytable.com/tinga-de-pollo-at-el-taco-riendo/

that tinga de pollo taco is the TRUTH.

btw the 501 Club on Washington is a fantastic new addition to the bar/show/club scene...booking good stuff, it's a nice bar and never cover.

Basically for shows all these places are cool just depends on whose playing...all these places regularly have shows worth seeing:

First Avenue

7th St Entry

Turf Club

Triple Rock Social Club

Uptown Bar

The Hexagon Bar

Varsity Theater (bigger shows like First Ave mainroom)

Kitty Cat Club

Big Vs (a little rougher but still fun IMO)

501 Club

Fine Line Music Club (a little antiseptic but good sound)

The Nomad World Pub

331 Club

Lee's Liquors (more country/roots stuff)

Dakota Jazz Bar & Grill

Artist's Quarter (jazz as well)

Cedar Cultural Center (os mutantes coming there in sept!! usually kinda hippie though but some good jazz)

400 Bar (um....kiiiinda...i sorta hate the owners and staff but you know if it's something you HAVE to see it's okay)

Sauce Soundbar (new and goddamn if "Soundbar" doesn't make me puke but have actually heard good things and they seem to be booking good bands)

The Cabooze (old school place lots of times it's biker stuff or hippie jam bands but have the odd good show like X or Digital Underground or Greg Ginn for some weird reason)

jesus CHRIST we have a lot of venues...

Well Greg Ginn IS a hippie biker jam guy, so.

Well Greg Ginn IS a hippie biker jam guy, so.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, August 5, 2009 10:34 PM (10 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

haha yeah i guess now he is...guitarist that's in the backing group for this hip hop band with me on bass actually got up and jammed with ginn. he said backstage he'd never seen anyone smoke more weed....which...believe me...is really saying something.

also forgot:

Eclipse Records - cool little indie store in St Paul that has a separate all ages show space, they do good stuff

Memory Lanes - bowling alley where bands actually play in the middle of the lanes on this weird platform...

i kinda hate the uptown bar. bad layout, uncomfortable if there's more than 25 ppl in there. i hear everyone say they looove the food and i think it's crap too, esp breakfast. don't get it.

400 bar is problematic but the sound in there has always been good imo

First time I went to the 501 Club I totally won the drunken spelling bee. It was pretty sweet.

And there's teh m3dus@, mentioned on another thread. Last time I was there I got invited to a queer makeout party at the Mall of America. Couldn't make it though.

This thread is reminding me how many awesome-sounding places in the twin cities I still haven't been to.

any more st paul-centric suggestions?

what about bookstores?

Best used bookstores, as a rule, seem to be on the U campus.

where should i eat if i'm in st. paul?

Mickey's Diner

http://www.scenesalongtheroad.com/images/places/mn/stpaul/IMG_2262.JPG

400 bar is problematic but the sound in there has always been good imo

I played here once and it was sort of this weird booking nightmare because they thought we were an entirely different band called Sk1rt (wtf 400 bar). Who they put on the bill instead of us, and insisted we call ourselves Sk1rt for that one show because it was already advertised and...man it was just weird. On top of that weirdness, my dad, aunt, uncle, a bunch of my cousins, and our singer's parents t'boot all showed up--and on top of that I was really sick and could barely play. But anyway, yeah, the sound was good! And we got paid!

Lol and oh yeah it was also my birthday.

http://images.publicradio.org/content/2008/09/02/20080902_mickeys_teargas_33.jpg

hey! this city rocks!

quick -- what can i do in dinkytown (or that side of the city, generally) aside from the weisman?

Sorry if I'm late, but the Kitty Cat Klub (or however it's spelled) is great most nights, the Loring has salsa nights, and the Varsity has shows. Sadly, the Dinkytowner is closed. Al's Breakfast in the morning. Used book stores. Over in Stadium Village, go get a glimpse of Oak Street Cinema before it's not there anymore.

Sadly, the Dinkytowner is closed.

o_0

: (

(#$^&*W#

in '94, how did I miss a nabe called Dinkytown?

Hi, I am the cracked IDS.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2530/3865540097_880bb17fd7.jpg

I'll very likely be visiting in summer 2012

(fair warning)

Awesome! Drinks!

I am here! I was too busy eating in San Antonio and forgot to make plans or read about neighborhoods, restaurants, bars, etc. Oops.

I have a job offer here so am sort of checking out the job and the town as potential places to move to (and maybe even figure out where to live). So I am looking for neighborhoods to hang out in rather than touristy stuff to do or anomalously amazing upscale dining experiences. Apparently it is going to snow tomorrow night so I want to make tomorrow count. I have a bike and I am going to try to check out the U, NE, downtown and uptown. Is this a bad/good/ludicrous idea?

Also is there any way to get the city public wifi without, uh, paying?

http://www.bookhouseindinkytown.com/

in dinkytown just off from the east bank campus of the U

lol weather

Let me guess, it's snowing. But I have to say, I get more SAD symptoms from London life than I ever got in Minneapolis - in wintertime, when it isn't SNOWING, the sun's out a lot. If I were to settle in Minneapolis I'd try to be by the lakes because of bike trails/parks and nearness to good cheap restaurants/most things but there's a lot of INCREDIBLE housing stock in St Paul proper that is best viewed while doing an impression of someone's dog panting out the window of pickup truck.

it is pissing it down UK style, which is the one thing i didn't pack for.

haha i am finding it weird how it is clearly winter, but it is not pitch black from 4pm until 10am.

Ha, my mom phoned up yesterday and said it was going to snow, not rain. Failmom.

The 45th Parallel North cuts across MInneapolis, as shown here: http://www.wurlington-bros.com/Museum/45th/Mpls.html so that's why you get all the light compared w/the UK.

Go shopping. NO VAT on clothing in the state of Minnesota.

yeah i figure i will scale back my plans for today and just wander around downtown, maybe go to the lol white bread museum and some shops. i am in an area called seward, which is just over the river from the main u of m-mn campus.

Seward is a nice little neighborhood, handy to many areas, lots of my friends live there. The Birchwood Cafe is reliably good for breakfast or lunch. Or Raja's mahal for Indian.

http://www.birchwoodcafe.com/
http://www.rajasmahal.com/

If you're downtown tomorrow night come and see my band play at Lee's Liquor Lounge!
http://leesliquorlounge.com/

Hmmm, seems Raja's Mahal has become an Ethiopian restaurant since I was there last.

i had lunch at the birchwood. it was delightful!

now i am i the skyways of downtown. it is like dubai but opposite world!

I think the Twin Cities skyways are one of the coolest things in the world.

so i am leaning towards eating/drinking at the triple rock (no show tonight, but 241 drinks) - heres a link http://www.triplerocksocialclub.com/

i'll be there at 8. if you're reading this you should be there too.

i am in a coffee shop that is done up like the great northern hotel.

haha i'm trying to think of what that might be

the birchwood is great, i go there quite a lot

wanted to drop by and see you guys this week, but it's not in the cards.

Hit up the Wienery.

Also the Mayday Cafe is pretty much my ideal neighborhood cafe if you're into that sort of thing. Doesn't stay open very late though.

You guys get to engage with RUIN at the Triple Rock *emits jealous vibes* waaaaah....

the twin peaks cafe was "caribou" (?) i think. it was v twin peaks except for the fact it was in the skyways of opposite-dubai

oh yeah, that's a chain. they're based here tho!

http://www.cariboucoffee.com/page/1/company-info.jsp

caribou is a chain! kind of ironically, there was a chain email going around a few years back alleging the majority of the stockholders were some arab investment group!

sort of the Target to Starbucks' Wal-Mart

wait that probably makes no sense to you. not yet anyway :)

xp wait really?

oh hey btw caek considering i just went outside and now realize its fucking awful out there K and I would be gald to pick you up on the way to the triple rock if otherwise yer going to freeze to death at a bus stop/on a bike

haha yeah, shit got real in the last hour or so, right? i may well take you up on that offer. i am trying to get around under my own steam if poss (for the local colour, etc.) but if it stays like this then screw local colour. is it ok if i let you know either (via text) around 7?

p.s. not one person in this town has understood me when i say the word "water".

"wadder?"

now i am excited to hear you say water

also i have been warned that the triple rock sometimes gets a little inundated w/frat jerks around 10 on 241 nights but hey if it does, we go somewhere else so

frat jerks need cheap booze too

that is why god created sallys and stub and herbs tho

should come to a decision on summer visit soon

lol Dinkytown btw

whoa! I would be tempted to go up there for the weekend if you made the effort to make such a trip

On the weekend I would be preoccupied w/ baseball research findings & games, unforch.

pssh, guess I could take a day off, mr. business

drinks will be had

Isn't it sort of a "whole Midwest" trip?

But, yes, count me in if you do swing up. Plenty of dive bars in NE to sample.

stoked for the morbness!

there are cost and shall-I-or-can-I-move factors at play, so curb your anticipation.

the morb giveth, and the morb taketh away

maybe we can apply for a morbs subsidy

I'd try to lure him south but I don't think he needs to see the Cubs farm team

well, I'm PO'd cuz the St Paul Saints are on the road (cuz the Twins are home) during the confab, so I was in fact thinking of making a diversion to see Quad Cities. All theoretical at the moment tho.

I do have to say, for minor league baseball, dsm has a nice stadium

not booked yet, but p sure I'll be over dere June 27-July 2. Ish.

Ha! This is when I'll be moving from Minneapolis to NYC.

well, I would replace you but I can't stay...

I may be able to swing by mpls that weekend if a morbs is around

Great! It would be fun do attend a FAP in Mpls. Because I never have. Been invited.

hey, i'm down. what's the worst that could happen?

damn, I'll be 10 days too early to see a production of The Sunshine Boys at the Guthrie!

Will be based in a familiar sector of downtown, as I went to both Gay '90s and 7th Street Entry in '94.

Will not FAP at the Gay 90s sorry.

That's OK, I don't go to music shows (hardly) anymore either.

not really a good way to get from Mpls to Iowa (Davenport/Quad Cities) unless you're driving or buying a $400 plane ticket, eh?

nope. rent a car. It'll be way cheaper than a plane ticket. I think it's a five-and-a-half hour drive, and taking everything into account, that plane ride will take up a good three hours of your day.

lol, have never driven

new york, new york, a helluva town

A friend of mine biked down to Iowa. It's flat, so it'll be an easy 350 miles.

is there no greyhound route?

There is. 11-1/2 hours, starting at 5:30am!

http://www.jeffersonlines.com/

(there's an 8 hour trip from the Mall of America)

Or it's just a twilight zome episode where you discover you're trapped in purgatory.

hitchhike

I think I checked that bus before, 1:30am arrival time not good. I'll just kidnap a retired Iowa couple at the baseball convention.

What day does the convention end?

Sunday, but my plan is to leave Monday the 2nd.

I hesitate to commit to anything because I'm not sure of plans, yet, but if I come to mpls that weekend I could conceivably get you to at least Des Moines.

Thanks, but I may make alternate plans and go to Chicago by way of Madison. Or just spend 11 hrs on Greyhound.

OK, all booked, and I even got a price dip that lets me fly to Quad Cities.

Sunday will probably be a culture day, Walker and whatever. I should be sorta free a couple other eves too.

Which days are these going to be again?

June 27-July 1. I guess the free Thurs night at the Walker is a possibility, since there'll be food?

http://www.walkerart.org/calendar/2012/kitchen-lab

cool! this will be fun

Cool; it's on my calendar.

Just get this 90-degree stuff over with in the next 2 weeks.

I guess I should go into St Paul for something this time. Izzy's Ice Cream?

Make sure to hit the Trend Bar.

Speaking as someone who used to have band practice in a room above The Trend, hahaha!

amusing Yelp reviews

Did we determine what day will be Morbsday? I am still thinking about coming in for the weekend, at least for a day or so.

Well, I'm abashed that you would, as landmark an event as this is.

I have a Twins game on Friday night (the 29th), otherwise flexible... Sat eve or Sunday late afternoonish? Staying in the heart of downtown but can meet you anywhere walkable or busable.

watch out for Polar bears.

I like sunday afternoon fwiw.

or we could just go see Crumb (semi-j/k)

http://take-up.org/series/63/#509

If you have the time/ability, that's a really cute little (like, really really little) theater!

The Room is also showing somewhere, but you know me and bad movies.

They do that every month, just about. I have to think the crowds have thinned away.

perfect! (in theory)

i can do saturday evening or sunday afternoon i think.

i was planning to be up thatta way w/ some friends for pride stuff that weekend but with my car's timely death probably not. i never get to do stuff.

oh no wrong weekend. lol wedding anyway. see. hope everybody has fun!

Oh yeah Morbs. You're missing pride by a week.

I will be mostly avoiding it here

i can't remember anything about jjj's story about his friend at pride, but it was so funny just started laughing at the memory of him telling it

Will be in town next week, Sunday thru Wednesday morn

might be able to hang but will be in the final stages of shooting AP's corpse into the space that is NYC starship troopers style.

Ah, alright.

it isnt a no go! i just have to figure out what is actually going on. also i feel remiss that you have not met henry.

i mean judging by your facebook feed you hate animals and all, i think he might be able to change your mind.

I dunno; I'm pretty doubtful.

95 on Wednesday? I tol' ya to take care of that, peeps.

Flying in today thru Chicago first, which is editing weird because MSP is a hub, but hey it's more billable travel hours so whatever.

Maybe I'll get a chance to visit Planet Snoopy this time

okay, so nighttime-only tickets to the park are $20, that's doable.

Also, I'm at a Best Western in Shakopee, and they have frickin' pachinko machines in here, operational, only without any balls to play pachinko with.

https://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/166070_10150882206661596_1171560864_n.jpg

I did not expect to find pachinko machines here, to put it mildly.

btw I think you mean Camp Snoopy

nope, they got upgraded when they split from the mall of america, apparently:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/08/Logo_planet_snoopy.png

http://www.valleyfair.com/images/rides/VF_moonBounce_header21.jpg

I didn't know about the split! I stand corrected

No problem. I know this is the kiddie ride-only area of the park, but I love Peanuts to death and wandering around there would probably be fair more fulfulling than Disneyland, barring their two differing levels of park- and production design.

Camp Snoopy has been replaced by Nickelodeon Universe, where you're greeted by a creepy bronze Spongebob at the entrance.

Did you guys decide on a day yet? I'm probably going to be out of town for my mom's birthday or my sister's, trying to figure out which

next few days are going to be terrible for me, it turns out. have fun everybody, enjoy the weather.

People seem to favor Sunday for my stay, mh, and the convention really doesn't wind down til Saturday evening.

okey dokey, I will maybe take Monday off of work

:o

I am not drinking way into the night, I'm flying to Quad Cities Monday morning.

Well, it's a 3.5 hour drive for me, I'd rather have a couple drinks and chill and drive back in the morning!

I have to work really late on Satuday, so Sunday really is the best option unless maybe we're talking Friday night.

Also, lol @ Shakopee hotel accoutrement.

Tomorrow's my last evening in town(or suburb). Lemme know if anybody's up for meeting up

Grrr, I'm totally stacked tomorrow in screenings, or I'd want make a venture back south of the river.

Friday night ees ballgame for me

I'm here. I just spent close to 90 mins getting the hotel Wifi to work, so the sooner we get a Sunday plan (around 3-3:30 pm?) the better. An outdoor beer gardenish place, if it's not 95 on Sunday?

If I don't fall asleep, my first event is a baseball authors panel at the Nicollet Mall B&N at 6:30 tonight, but I wouldn't recommend it for non-fans. Also is there a good non-ripoff burger somewhere downtown?

McCormick and Schmick's, 9th and Nicollet Mall. It's a chain and all, and crowded after work, but their happy hour burger/fries will set you back 3 bucks.

Hey Dan, I got an empty ilx mail from you a few days ago, so if that wasn't a glitch, you should resend whatever it was.

My wife and I are totally in for Sunday btw.

Me too, gonna do some location scouting for future travels too. So, 3pm somewhere?

assuming that morbs is going to be on the mpls side, so we are looking for patio potential on that side of the river, right?

all my favorite patios are STPL because i am just like that

I have a bus schedule for St Paul.

also I expected u ppl to tell me abt stuff like this:

http://metromag.com/events/punkers-revenge-celebration-speedboat-gallery

i need to go back to MPLS. maybe in august or something. i like your city.

postponing Walker til Sun. If anyone's downtown, may do McC & Schmicks bar burger 5-6:30 on Fri.

any patio votes, other tc peeps? on the minneapolis side theres the black forest, brits and the cc, off the top of my head, also several on the west bank (nomad, whatever is where sgt prestons used to be, maybe town hall).

I was just at Psycho Suzi's for the first time a few weeks ago. Awesome patio, but probably crazy packed.

parking at psycho suzi's is always a nightmare for me

i am sorta eh abt psycho suzis, but not strongly opposed or anything

jeezus, it's sposed to be 94 on Sunday. Inside may be the way to go.

was just talking last night to a friend born in thunder bay who used to drive down to minneapolis for shows. he'd save up his money and blow like $200 on disco records there. we were talking about maybe going next year.

like a detroit-chicago-minneapolis trip. american dance music heartland

you'd have to stop in madison, dude.

(it's on the way from minneapolis to chicago)

sine I'll be coming from the Walker in midafternoon, just pick a place I can make it to w/out bursting into flame.

From the Walker on Sunday? We should probably stick with something close to downtown south side. There is Lurcat near Loring, or else if you wanted to head in the opposite direction, there's Liquor Lyles (dive) on Hennepin.

I defer to the locals... one sounds more FAPpy than the other, admitedly.

you'd have to stop in madison, dude.

― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Friday, June 29, 2012 2:46 AM (7 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

mad men

I keep lobbying for people to take the long way around and stop in Des Moines instead, but nobody wants my free drinks

Only ever go to Des Moines on holidays.

And there are other options, Morbs, if you're willing to hop on a bus.

I am willing, but let's not make it a long bus ride.

I nominate mpls ilxors to give poor Morbs a ride to whatever dive we're meeting at

btw sitting in front of my laptop writing film reviews w/ bad posture has destroyed my spine, so I'm walking like a 70-yo on this trip.

(your joke here)

glad to hear you're feeling youthful morbs!

I nominate mpls ilxors to give poor Morbs a ride to whatever dive we're meeting at

Well, yeah, there's that too. If we wanted to go Nordeast or deeper Uptown or, horror of horrors, St. Paul.

from Hell's heart I spit at thee, slocki

I am not eating a Jucy Lucy no matter what

:D

Have a good time in our city morbs, pity fatherhood has turned me into an asocial weirdo! Got grams seeing her great granddaughter sunday

I can have a great time when it's 75 degrees

OK, you guys have til 9pm to reach consensus and then I'm turning the decision over to Eric. When I leave the room tomw morning I have to know where I'm going to be all day.

Bulldog in uptown? I am also fine with liquor lyles, if we want the windowless bunker vibe. Also, we are looking at 3:00, right?

I will aim to get wherever you give me no later than 3:30 (using Hopstop)

I like Bulldog just fine too.

u got it! 25th & Lyndale?

Absolutely. And if it's crowded, we just have to push it a few blocks in either direction. There's CC Club, Herkimer, et al.

going to fb message mr. justen my phone number in case you guys change the venue when I am en route

got it!

this is going to be fun! i am bottling beer w/peeps at 1, but i should be able to easily make it to the bulldog by 3

btw you fuckers need some restaurants that stay open past 9pm.

Pizza Luce iirc

See you all tomorrow.

I ate at PL the other night!

we call restaurants that stay open after 9 pm bars here

wait hold on what the hell restaurant were you at that was closing at 9?

Wish I could make it to this, I've never met anyone from this board, but my wife's at a bridal shower this afternoon and I'm on Dad duty. Have fun fapping.

I wasn't at any, I had a marathon walk back to downtown from Como, and couldn't find much open.

Wait, you walked from Como Park? Or Como Avenue near Dinkytown? Either way, that's a loooooong walk! And yeah, depending on your route you might not pass much in the way of restaurants.

my family-based business for the day has thankfully fallen through. i'm totally gonna show up for this!! morbs, no hitting!

no hitting?

thx Minneapolitans, what an uncommonly handsome people you are.

A+++ would hang again

xp oh shush

It's true, they have that Nordic tall, blonde hair, blue eye thing, right

They do.

Awesome to meet/re-see you all again!

spent wednesday and saturday in mpls, was v v v happy & content to go to a mn stars fc game, eat at bryant-lake bowl, shop at extreme noise & cheapo and to have new experiences at canterbury park & buster's on 28th

Just went to Busters on Sunday afternoon.

They have the sake-infused Crispin cider there now, but it's $15 for a 22 oz. bottle. No thx.

really liked the place, especially compared to some similar-theme-but-more-pretentious chicago joints

It used to be one of the neighborhoods best rundown dive bars before getting reborn.

Love Buster's. Lake Inn was a 3.2 joint, wasn't it? Wish I could GIS the old signage, and wish they would have kept that, but everything else is a huge improvement imo.

http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users8/mattlogelin/default/lake-inn-minneapolis--large-1122065443-sprint.jpg

No, I found that. Prior to that the building was dark green with a huge script-font sign, and wrought iron near the door that looked like champagne bubbles.

Ah, that was the only Lake Inn I knew. Missed its earlier, awesomer dive version.

I know the Twin Cities aren't the heart of the Bible Belt, but is this going to cause any kerfuffle at all?

http://www.uni-watch.com/2012/07/12/st-paul-saints-to-have-atheist-sponsored-game/

Fkin love the Saints.

Mr. Paul Aint's

man idk

I think that will turn out to be way less controversial than you'd think. But idk, I have a history of presuming things will blow over and then they don't.

maybe people will bus in from out of town to be offended

any ilxors in the cities going to that shellac show over the weekend? a friend got an extra ticket so i may tag along.

OK so tell me about this place. I see that it has Shellac shows at least. Would I like it in Minneapolis?

Like...who lives here and what is it like to live here? And just how cold does it get and what do you do then?

Resist the urge. We don't get summer until three days into fall. And then it's over.

ok

And what urges can be satisfied in Minneapolis?

This:

http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/assets_c/2009/12/Frozen%20Jack%20Nicholson-thumb-250x187.jpg

So civic pride isn't really a thing there

Just March is ... the wrong time of the year to ask.

Minneapolis is awesome, just make sure you visit between April and September

haha yeah ppl in the Twin Cities generally love it there except for March/April when everyone is completely done with cold fatigue and just wants summer to happen

we've had a supremely shitty march.

everybody talks about the weather. you'd figure that out quickly on arrival tho.

Really, there's a ton to do in Minneapolis, no doubt. Weather aside, it's an ideal pocket-sized metropolis.

idk where you'd go to find a nicer city of this size. marseilles or some shit

If you think of it as a city of 400,000, it's amazing.

If you think of it as a metro area of 3.7 million, it's unique and somehow underwhelming.

well jeez, when you put it that way...

Hahaha yeah this time of year is def the time when you are going to get the most seething anger out of people in this state, but eh its because the promise of spring/summer are tangible and thus frustration is high.

idk, its not exactly a secret how pro MPLS/STPL i am on this board, but yeah i think you would like it here. when you plot us out on arts activity vs cost of living vs all that other stuff, i think we grade pretty high. if you live in the cities or the proximal suburbs yer likely to have a good chance of having left leaning peeps around you (there are a couple of exceptions, but lets not jump the gun) - lots of bands/music venues, lots of art, lots of theater, and a pretty high proportion of independent businesses and people that want to dodge all that walmart shit. and yeah, depending on the year, the weather will fuck you up sometimes, but holing up during a blizzard alone or with peeps boozing it up is one of the great pleasures in life imo. also key, if you are down with outdoorsy shit, theres a ton of green space in the city, and srs woods within an easy 45 minute drive. big bike culture. dont move here if you need to stare at an ocean tho, unless you can make lake superior work for you and are willing to put a day trip in to do it.

i think the visual art scene here is crap fwiw

nice people tho

people that want to dodge all that walmart shit.

what about the target shit

holing up during a blizzard alone or with peeps boozing it up is one of the great pleasures in life imo

That's part of the problem for me. The joy of snow days has been robbed by a) home ownership, and b) working in the media.

what about the target shit

― iatee, Wednesday, March 27, 2013 10:50 AM (45 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

that's in plymouth

target has def lost some footing thx to playing both sides on various political donation games, but yeah, peeps do have an affinity for it as a hometown business (although you'll get more daytons mourners than that, and other local juggernaut best buy has pretty much been thrown under the bus by most of us).

The rep-house movie scene here is also about as good as can be expected for a town this size, thx to the competing efforts of Take-Up Productions and what remains of the Film Society of Mpls.-St. Paul (which admittedly used to be a much bigger powerhouse back in the Oak Street days).

yeah the trylon is the shit

have they finished remodeling the uptown theater yet?

i have hilarious entitled go-getter target employee stories if anyone wants

xp yeah and it's GORGE

zomg, just saw the pictures, amazing

fuck i havent been to the uptown in like 8 years

I haven't been since... 1992?

insane airline-style ticket check-in system too.

xps

fuck i havent been to the uptown in like 8 years

― My Chemical Romance did 9/11 (jjjusten), Wednesday, March 27, 2013 10:56 AM (34 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

it were all ragstocks round here

http://www.landmarktheatres.com/market/minneapolis/uptowntheatre.htm

for ref, as this is mind-blowingly not at all what it looked like when I was last there

I sincerely hope the Uptown remodel job wins this year's City Pages "best of" award for Boondoggle of the Year.

btw speaking of things that remind me of ilx, lol lagoon cinema

xp What a travesty that is.

IIRC the last time I was at the Uptown it looked like a vodka blur

they should have a memorial broken taped off seat in the front row to keep the history alive

lol tough year for that (xp re boondoggles)

speaking of which have you dutifully played a round of digital pull tabs yet

i dont know why i dont go to the riverview 4 times a week honestly

I'm already giving that stadium I'll never enter enough of my money.

Would love to see the ILX list of Twin Cities boondoggles of the year, actually. Too preoccupied with Uptown remodeling to consider what else is out there.

incidentally adamrl, why do you ask?

Oh yeah I should mention, I guess - I may have a job opportunity that could bring me to Minneapolis. Still in the early stages of possibility, but I can't say it isn't tempting. I probably shouldn't say much more about it for now but am trying to get a feel.

Obv the visual arts are important to me and yr comments above are a little worrisome. That said I am as much into working my own stuff as consuming other people's product, so maybe this is the sort of place where one can hole up for the winter and create, have studio space? Finally be able to pay my bills?

What is the housing situation like there for people with decent full-time employment who are not looking to live like yuppies OR to hole up in suburbia? Having a decent house/apartment (preferably house) is important to us, I guess.

I don't really have much of a feel for the weather as I'm sure the winters I experienced growing up in London are like paradise compared to whatever subzero hell one endures there. But my wife is from Northern Indiana and knows a little about cold. That said, 6 years in SoCal may have made us a little soft...

House prices are low but rising, and the inventory is sparse.

i think you'll be fine re: housing, given your criteria. TCILX can give neighborhood rec's if/when the time comes.

not east st. paul, not frogtown, no western suburbs

admr1 there's lot of of neighborhoods in south mpls that you would like

dont count out mpls scrappy cousin st paul imo

maybe i spoke too soon about the art here. i go to openings with some regularity but i'm not deep into the scene at all. i feel like it's been a long time since i've been to a good one. maybe that's how it is even in cities where things are more high-powered and popping? idk

again i'm no expert but the regnant style looks like a juxtapoz-y skewed illustration kind of mode, it's been that way forever, and i don't like it!

another way to look at it is that there is a ton of visual art going on and lots and lots of art events/openings/wacky gallery hijinks, but yeah im not about to say most of it is good per se. that also is kind of how art works tho

From what I can tell, I would probably have to live on the North/West side of town, though I've never lived in a city this size, so maybe things work differently? Also how are jobs in general? My wife would be looking for work in tech/marketing/media.

our unemployment is crazy low (5.4?) but glutted in some areas. theres a pretty accessible network of tech marketing types up here tho.

i just went to an opening where all the art looked like it was out of a dentist's office and all the people there looked like 45 year olds about to get on a school bus to burning man. so maybe i have a bad taste in my mouth.

wrt living location, if you have a car and live in either city proper or the close suburbs, yer looking at idk a max 30-45 minute commute to go from one end to the other.

public transportation blows in most cases tho, do not believe the hype

can you name some neighborhoods you are looking at? there are some maddeningly imprecise directional signifiers at play and "north west" would get you some glazed looks if said aloud

also, minneapolis is extremely de facto segregated. north minneapolis is ahem rougher but i know plenty of folks who live there.

Northwest = Maple Grove = don't go there girlfriend

^^^ truthbomb. Most of our suburbs, like suburbs everywhere, are soulless, but MG is some ninth circle of hell imo.

i will stan, mildly, for richfield

roseville is a sack of crap otoh

Northwest = box store hell. Maple Grove is full of meatheads and those awful 'townhouses' where they sleep are more expensive than city accommodation. My sister lived there for two years and she's fairly 'Applebees diner' but even she though it was a soulless pastiche of a small town full of bad chain shops. I could not imagine the kind of mindset it would take to settle there, procreate, and send your spawn to its horrible schools.

St Louis Park is the only decent inner suburb that's not completely up itself - but I would say that, I'm from there. So I will also say FUCK EDINA as per contractual obligation. Love south Minneapolis bordering Edina/St Louis Park but the whole of the south side has tons of beautiful housing stock and people opening up little restaurants. Lots of indie coffee owing to all the rich rehabbers who stayed on to open cafés from the '80s onward.

It's the fake Maple Grove downtown that skeeves me most.

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/.element/img/1.0/sections/mag/moneymag/bplive/2008/snapshot/maplegrove_mn.jpg

*******FLASHBACKS*******

why are you posting pics of robert zemeckis' sets

HA! It is so Disney Main Street USA, it's just bizarre.

Yeah I should clarify - I don't know any neighborhoods, but this job would actually be outside of Minneapolis proper in the general NW direction, I just assumed I would be looking to live in the city.

where are you now, LA? i was about to repeat the truism that a good commute is a major boon to happiness. but by california standards you could probably live in wisconsin and see an improvement

yes I am in LA. An hour commute is considered perfectly acceptable here. I listen to a lot of podcasts.

there are some really nice pockets in north mpls

My current commute is 32 miles

xp

admrl, the reason there is so much art for goole to complain about is because everyone can do it. Studio space is affordable, standard of living is good, and there are hella grants and $$$ flowing out of sucker's hands into artist pockets. There's a lot of great stuff. goole also keeps going out to art-a-whirl which is a city-wide open studio festival. This is a mistake. Everyone with a set of water colors or some junk to nail together will have a table out somewhere. If you go to art-a-whirl, go band-hopping and get drunk, but for god's sake don't go to see art unless you know exactly what you're going to check out and where it is.

so wait, if I put paint on my ass and then sit on some canvases, I could display that at Art-A-Whirl?

Fine art or eine fart?

my current commute is 3.2 miles

another thing that my not from here friends mention all the time is the public school system in MN - idk if you have/think you'll have kids, but private school is def not seen as a necessity here like it is in many places.

^^^^This. Apparently they offer International Baccalaureate at my old high school, which is best in state on the reg, but it replaced a more difficult set of AP courses they offered when I was a student. The best public high schools in the state are in South Minneapolis and the near western suburbs.

http://www.theonion.com/articles/local-man-knows-he-moved-to-minneapolis-for-someth,32034/

http://stuffaboutminneapolis.tumblr.com/post/47928051541/i-left-minneapolis-last-july-and-i-still-miss-it-every

I sincerely hope the Uptown remodel job wins this year's City Pages "best of" award for Boondoggle of the Year.
-----
lol tough year for that (xp re boondoggles)

http://www.citypages.com/bestof/2013/award/best-boondoggle-2779552/

brb going to St. Paul to do crimes

i don't get how that's a 'boondoggle'

Ditto, imo.

Why is the Uptown Theater remodel a boondoggle?

iirc some public money went into it

damn St Paul

yeah that was a huge story. i laughed like a motherfucker when i heard it the first time (drive time MPR iirc)

i'd need to look at the original stories again but i think defense attorneys happened upon this basically by accident?

http://judgmentalmaps.com/image/48615076593

My inlaws-to-be are "hairdressers" apparently.

Proud resident of nothing interesting whatsoever

i want to cunt punt that map

did they call you a hipster?

where i be be dragons

my semi-mpls friends and I enjoyed "that fucking K-Mart"

that was also a source of lolz for my mpls-familiar gf

i do hate that k-mart

also that onion article is kinda otm

yes that fucking k-mart is otm detail

that and 'millionaire democrats'

not enough labels tho tbh, while i'm complaining.

like NE alone needs addition of 'hoodrat wites', 'terrible watercolorists', and 'slavs'

Lake Street missing all sorts of people who aren't BIKERS BIKERS BIKERS BIKERS BIKERS.

saw this thread revived, thought "hey I'm going to Minneapolis in a couple of days", realize it was revived today with a mention of the house where I'll be crashing.

anyway, say you have a completely free Monday and a car and want to eat somewhere good for lunch and see art stuff - what would a person opt to do? I've never actually been to the Walker but it appears to be closed mondays.

yup, says it right on the building.

the MIA is pretty good too but more of a school field trip type art museum

http://www.artsmia.org/

saw this thread revived, thought "hey I'm going to Minneapolis in a couple of days", realize it was revived today with a mention of the house where I'll be crashing.

whoa you are staying at that fucking kmart

dear minneapolitans etc

do this dude's 'prey' novels have like, 'local color'?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sandford_%28novelist%29

apparently one of them is set in wayzata, ha

Never read any of them

how the hell not, there's like fifty

was always pretty sure there were a lot of secret murderers round the way

I read the first one, liked it ok. I understand some of them get very graphic and violent.

Can't speak for the number of secret murderers around, but there ARE a lot of these novels in print.

Yes, they have tons of local color. I read a few of them every couple of years when I'm feeling homesick. Sandford is v good at the whole alternating POVs between protagonist and psycho thing. These are never mystery novels: you always know who did it and how from the get go.

I am loling at the memory of a GenCon joke he slipped into one of them...

Oh, fortuitous thread bump, since I'll be in the Twin Cities a couple weeks from now.

Awesome independent comix show coming up on the 18th btw, called Autoptic. Pretty impressive list of guests.

jaymc i would propose a hangout while you are in town, but i may be shackled to a tiny new human so

Understood! I'll only be there for a couple of days (and accompanied by my wife), so I may not have much time for hanging out with ILXors, anyway.

But if anyone knows of anything interesting happening in town the second weekend of August (I'll be there Sat. thru Mon.), let me know...

http://buxtahooda.com/

I'll be judging one of these events!

all right j i'll keep my eyes peeled

one good resource to check is letoile magazine's weekend what's what

http://www.letoilemagazine.com/whatswhat/

it runs a little more toward art and fashion events given the magazine but there's usually something good on there, the list generally goes up midweek.

Cool, thx!

Will be in the Minneapolis area for Memorial Day weekend to visit my aunt, and would appreciate recommendations for things to do. My interests are along the lines of repertory movie theaters, good used bookstores, and possibly museums.

My sister recommended the Guthrie Theater; I've already spoken to my aunt about getting tickets.

Also, does anyone here know whether SR Harris Fabric is worth going to? The Yelp page is intriguing.

Guthrie is fantastic; it's in a Frank Gehry building now and near enough to the Warehouse District (where there are some seriously nice bars and restaurants). Walker Art Center is a must. I'm not sure about used bookstores, but you've got access to great Vietnamese and Central American food everywhere.

Rep screenings mostly limited to the (very cute) Trylon screening room on Minnehaha. If you're lucky, Heights will be running something that weekend: http://www.heightstheater.com/

not sure how 'good' the selection is here (just popped in to do a delivery once) but it has a... unique feel:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/book-trader-minneapolis

http://www.mpls.tv/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/BookTrader-27.jpg

3/25/2011
Lacey P.
Saint Paul, MN
37 friends
397 reviews
Ugh, this place is nasty. I usually love stores piled with crap, but this isn't good crap, it's crappy crap. Like stuff from people's garage sales that no one wants. There was no heat, so our toes got cold. And too much incense was burning, I think to cover up a gross smell. Everything was at least $25, and a lot of stuff was falling apart. Then there was tons of taxidermy. Tasteless taxidermy. I usually love that kind of stuff too, but it wansn't respectful. Like, why is there a big jar filled with liquid and what appears to be puppy carcasses? Under a big pile of papers? Or a taxidermied dog laying on a pile of junk? I never want to go here again.

I'd second the Trylon and Heights recommendations. Looks like the latter is showing Saboteur and The Trail of the Lonesome Pine on either side of (but not during) Memorial Day weekend.

The Walker Art Center is the most prominent contemporary arts space (they also have theater and cinema events, not to mention the Sculpture Garden); they're doing a lot of retrospective things now for their 75th anniversary (haven't been to the International Pop show yet, but it looks great). The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is more your standard globetrotting historical art museum, but is free for most exhibitions and very much worth the visit.

For used books maybe the Bookhouse in Dinkytown, Booksmart (beneath Cheapo Records) in Uptown — the former is a bit more academic/collectible, the latter more sprawling and remainder-pileish. Magers & Quinn in Uptown has some used books mixed in with the new, and I think you can search their inventory online.

Thanks for the recommendations. My aunt already mentioned Vietnamese food, but since the DC area has also had a significant Vietnamese population for several decades, the food is fairly familiar to me. I may ask her if there are still worthwhile German/Scandinavian/Central European restaurants, since in the Washington area such places are either nearly extinct or in really remote suburbs.

Secon Magers & Quinn and Booksmart!

Some people like Black Forest a lot, but I haven't been there in forever.

Some people like Gasthof's a lot, but they are Nazis.

If your reading tastes run to sf/fantasy on any level you must visit uncle hugo's

(I assume they have survived since last time I visited)

http://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/04/30/books-indie-bookstore-day

Magers & Quinn in uptown is prob the best know/biggest used book store in mpls, and the area around there is worth spending some time in (if pretty commercialized now). around the corner from there is a nice cafe called Lucia, while not de/scando is great

there's a really great nu-scandinavian restaurant called Bachelor Farmer (run by a couple of the governor's kids iirc) in the warehouse district part of downtown (anyone under 30 will call this "the north loop"). it's a little pricey; i've only had brunch there tbh, and drinks at the craft cocktail bar in the basement, the name of which escapes me at this second. not too far from there is the Lab Theater. i don't know what's running there but it's worth checking.

i need to look into how long it's up, but there's a big habsburg exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Art; even if it's gone the MIA is worth a stop if you like museums. not far from there is a strip of nicollet avenue called "Eat Street" which has, wait for it, a lot of restaurants. i don't think any of them are bad. there's a german restaurant called Black Forest along there. it's good. there's a famous avedon print in the bar with a bullet hole in it.

in the seward neighborhood there's a new, tiny used books/etc stored called Dead Media, run by a dude named Paul who is, no lie, one of the funniest weirdos around. i wouldn't recommend the trip just for that (like i said, tiny) but the restaurant across the street, Birchwood, is awesome.

i don't know anything about fabric

the only good slav/russian type place i know is in st paul.

Hey Minneapolis! I have occasion to be in town for a few days in a few days, for the exciting reason that a thing I did is up for this prize:

http://mcbaprize.org/

and it'll be on display at Open Book as part of their Book Art Biennial (also linked from that page) if you're interested in taking a look.

I've read this the thread and it's useful but (given it's a few years old now, od you have any updates or recommendations in terms of:

bars (beer): not desperately bothered about needing 75 different taps serving limited edition barrel aged yuzu-flavoured gose or whatever, but good atmospheric places to have a few drinks
bars (cocktail): always happy to hear about places that mix incredible drinks without being too snooty
bookshops (secondhand): my dream is to find somewhere that'll sell me not-too-pricey copies of editions of Scandinavian literature as published by upper Mid-West University presses in the 1970s, now long out-of print; is Magers & Quinn my best bet?
good places to eat with a cost-conscious Father-in-Law over from Wisconsin?

Also if you had to visit just one record store to maximise your chances of picking up a $3 copy of one of the really good Moe Bandy LPs from the 70s, which would you pick?

I think I'm good for being able to work art listings and whatnot, and we only have a few days, but any recommendations gratefully etc etc.

you'll wanna give the bookhouse a look, probably their website will give you enough of an idea whether a visit would be called for.

Midway Books on University has a reputation for having a surprisingly large amount of old and rare books. It's one of those "big disorganized mess / owner probably has a mental illness" type spots though.

Lovely.

If you end up going to the Bookhouse, Kitty Kat Club patio is really nice this summer, all overgrown with plants. More of a 3rd world decay vibe (in a good way) than sharp and expensive decor (for the latter, Norseman's new-ish converted warehouse space is nice, but the drinks are expensive)

Stillwater MN is not far away and has a good amount of antiquarian bookstores

Roadrunner Records is highly recommended

http://moscowonthehill.com/

jjjusten took me here and it ruled

Roadrunner Records is highly recommended

Yes, best bet for $3 Bandy records. Bought a big country/bluegrass collection recently, lots of small label stuff.

On's Kitchen also has fantastic Thai food and is within a block of Midway Books.

seconding On's, but if you're there for lunch rush it's generally a long wait

Fasika, an Ethiopian place, is excellent and just down the block from Midway.

welp tim i guess yr gonna be enjoying the wonders of the american 'tube', we put ours above ground for your convenience and make it go slower, for safety

I CAN'T WAIT. Slow public transport is my business.

This is all super-helpful, I am excited about these Midway and near-Midway recs because that's also just around the corner from a church I want to have a look at.

I should've added, we're staying just South of downtown in what I think is Powderhorn, or similar.

seconding On's, but if you're there for lunch rush anytime it's generally a long wait

But yeah, it's great food.

i sometimes order takeout before 11am and when i arrive nobody's there and i get it in time for lunch at my desk :)

Don't call the police:

http://jezebel.com/minneapolis-yoga-teacher-fatally-shot-by-police-after-c-1796977034

Oh, the Blue Lives Matter cohort of my high-school classmates have magically discovered that cops who shoot people are bad bad very bad.

I wonder what it is about this case that finally allows them to see this.

it sure is mysterious for sure

Doubly so.

Any further thoughts on this I have are going to go on the police brutality thread.

any hotel/neighborhood recommendations for where i can stay in the twin cities area where the hotel room is not too expensive but there's stuff in the area to do or see, like a nice park or a cool bar or something?

i'm going to be taking my kid to summer camp an hour or two north of the twin cities and will be getting a hotel/motel room after instead of doing 14 hours of driving in one day and i could just stay somewhere boring off the highway and watch cable or i could see something interesting in minneapolis and/or st. paul

The Days Inn by the university could be cool. You can walk around campus and get down to the river, maybe hit up the Weisman, and there's got to be a few interesting things left in Dinkytown these days (maybe? I'm not entirely sure). Plus if the students are mostly gone it won't be too busy around there.

Also FAP at our neighborhood bar patio if you're up for it

Nicollet Island Inn https://www.nicolletislandinn.com/

hey dan, sounds good! i didn't know when you two were moving. i'll send you a message on our other communication platform.

Man it's sad how many things recommended eleven years ago are no longer things.

I'll be in Minneapolis April 21-22. On Thursday I'll be at a memorial service and lunch in memory of my late aunt, but the rest of that day and most of the day on Friday I'll be available. Does anyone here recommend anything? Factors:

1) I will be accompanying my mother.
2) I will have a rental car.

When I was last in town my aunt took me to the MIA and to a Vietnamese place. Wandering near her condo/the university I found what I think was Dinkytown--there was a good used book store and the prototype Target Express.

As a visitor, here are some of my fave restaurants:
-Sun Street Breads (went there for the first time a few months ago for brunch, it was fantastic)
-Quang Restaurant (Vietnamese)
-Midtown Global Market (lots of different stalls)
-Maria's Cafe (breakfast, Colombian)
-Tiny Diner

on's thai kitchen (saint paul, but worth the trip)

21st is a thursday, so free entry @ walker art center.

if it's nice outside you could visit minnehaha falls or walk across the stone arch bridge.

the book house is the used book store in dinkytown. while you're in the area you can see if you can get a seat at al's diner.

all of the best vietnamese food is across the river in st. paul. my favorites in mpls are vo's (tiki, cozy) and pho 79 (dive).

check eagles 34 and cedar cultural center for music and dancing. check the trylon for films.

free walker thursday seconded, normally I would suggest the weisman because it's always free

Amir ElSaffar's Rivers of Sound Orchestra playing the Walker that Thursday.

Another advantage of visiting the Walker or MIA on Thursday is that they're open later in the evening (last I knew the Walker was only free after 5 PM).

If you venture out to St. Paul and On's Thai Kitchen, Midway Books is a block or so down University and is a pretty big/comprehensive used bookstore.

I'll be there two weeks from now.

I'll be there for a few days at the end of May and interested in updated vegan dining tips.

vegan food: trio, cafe racer kitchen, himalayan, modern times cafe

much appreciated!

Thanks for the Walker Art Center recommendation--I may be going there this Thursday (depending on what if anything my mother wants to do). If you see a woman in a black velvet beret, it's probably me.