2014-12-31

*** Sidewalk Yearend! ***

Sidewalk Rating: Greatest Of All Time

A city sidewalk by itself is nothing. It is an abstraction. It means something only in conjunction with the buildings and other uses that border it, or border other sidewalks very near it. The same might be said of streets, in the sense that they serve other purposes besides carrying wheeled traffic in their middles. Streets and their sidewalks, the main public places of a city, are its most vital organs.





[A well shoveled sidewalk in Saint Paul's Mac-Groveland neighborhood.]


***  CLICK ON IMAGES FOR LINKS! ***
http://stuffaboutminneapolis.tumblr.com/post/106545254999/neverever-land-metropolitan-tundra-of-mpls

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http://stuffaboutminneapolis.tumblr.com/post/104724285054/carterwdick-washington-avenue-and-nicollet


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http://atlasobscura.tumblr.com/post/105916192286/winters-effigies-the-deviant-history-of-the


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http://www.boredpanda.com/house-of-books-majestic-photos-of-libraries-around-the-world-by-franck-bohbot/


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http://www.clickhole.com/article/everything-you-need-know-about-dangerous-teen-tren-1138?utm_campaign=default&utm_medium=ShareTools&utm_source=facebook


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http://littlebrumble.tumblr.com/post/106016218096/some-things-never-change


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That's illegal," she yells, and wags a finger toward the driver, who doesn't notice McArdle, or her admonishment. "Oh, that was scary," she says, and pats her chest.
[this]

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http://gawker.com/chart-brut-how-the-ms-paint-graphics-of-conspiracy-too-1651851261


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http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/four-charts-defined-global-economy-2014


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http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/12/22/14-striking-findings-from-2014/


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http://vanishingnewyork.blogspot.com/2014/12/smiths-neon.html


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https://twitter.com/puresilva/status/540951384599044096


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http://www.bicycling.com/blogs/thehub/myth-debunked-cyclists-are-way


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http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=3545#comic


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http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/12/07/opinion/sunday/exposures-detroit-by-air-alex-maclean.html?smid=fb-share&_r=1


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http://www.perfectduluthday.com/2014/12/28/balloon-view-duluthsuperior-harbor-river-natural-breakwater/?utm_source=feedly&utm_reader=feedly&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=balloon-view-duluthsuperior-harbor-river-natural-breakwater


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http://bldgblog.blogspot.com/2014/12/immaculate-ecologies.html

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http://www.wsj.com/articles/in-uganda-out-of-nowhere-there-is-baseball-1419525901


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http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2014/12/animorphic-graffiti-letters-and-characters/


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http://carrielizabethompson.tumblr.com/post/106011937568/tuesday-night-grooming


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http://atlasobscura.tumblr.com/post/106102388871/furtho-dimitri-john-perivolariss-photograph-of


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http://atlasobscura.tumblr.com/post/106102630036/thomaslowrysghost-no-other-christmas


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http://news.yahoo.com/jesus-birthplace-grapples-modern-traffic-challenges-073043042.html


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http://www.minnpost.com/data/2014/12/map-gentrification-least-twin-cities-worries


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http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2014/12/land-and-ocean-temperature-percentiles/


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https://twitter.com/dhmontgomery/status/549587320748662785?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=fb&utm_campaign=dbrauer&utm_content=549591903063130113

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http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/12/07/style/in-los-angeles-a-nimby-battle-pits-millionaires-vs-billionaires.html?_r=1&referrer


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http://bicyclopolis.blogspot.com/


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http://curbed.com/archives/2014/12/31/in-st-paul-minnesota-artists-find-home-in-a-former-brewery.php


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http://stuffaboutminneapolis.tumblr.com/image/105644298164


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http://carrielizabethompson.tumblr.com/post/105657284273/friday-night-laundry


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http://thomaslowrysghost.tumblr.com/post/105656588538/you-have-a-wonderful-city-often-as-i-have-been

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https://twitter.com/perfectIytimed/status/541721712090312704



2014-12-30

Reading the Highland Villager #121

[Basically the problem is that the best source of Saint Paul streets & sidewalks news is the Highland Villager, a very fine and historical newspaper. This wouldn't be a problem, except that its not available online. You basically have to live in or frequent Saint Paul to read it. That's why I'm reading the Highland Villager. Until this newspaper goes online, sidewalk information must be set free.]


Headline: Downtown divided over advantages of proposed bike plan; some fear the loss of parking, others say it will revitalize city
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Report on the December 5 public hearing before the Planning Commission on the bike plan. [Note: I'm on the Planning Commission, and sat through the whole thing.] Article outlines the basics of the plan and lists its [many] supporters. Article includes quote from prominent bike advocates who spoke [though spelling their names incorrectly] and goes over some of the back-and-forth between people who wanted to retain [free] on-street parking instead of build a downtown bike loop. Article includes the phrase "Jim Ivey scoffed..." [Versus the parking defenders who "urged"... For the record, I am far more likely to "scoff" in public than Mr. Ivey, who at least appears to be respectable. See my previous statement on the Villager's slant. Honestly, this piece is a disappointing recap of a hearing where 90% of the testimony was in favor of the bike plan. Dinner on me at Cecil's to whoever gets Jane on a bike ride.]


Headline: UST's request for parking lot extension prompts call for more campus housing
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The University of Saint Thomas (UST) wants to keep using a small surface parking lot for a few years despite past promises to build residential housing on the site. UST would like a few more years to prepare plans. Neighbors want to see residential built soon because they dislike students in neighborhoods. Article includes quotes from neighbors, UST officials. Resolution of the matter will be delayed for a few years.


Headline: Council admits slip-up, grants variance for converted garage
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A couple may keep the ADU (accessory dwelling unit) built without permits without having to [magically] create an extra parking space. Article includes claims about cars parked illegally in the alley. CM Lantry would like to see enforcement deal with the situation. The property was re-zoned last year, and has been bought and sold since the ADU was built. [Why can't we see more ADUs all through the city, especially in the Grand Avenue area? Minneapolis has done this, haven't they?]


Headline: Prince Street project cost doubles
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A new road that will be built to handle additional traffic near the under-construction Saints stadium will be more expensive than originally promised. Includes quote from CM Tolbert about cost overruns. Money for the street project will come from other street projects [zero-sum game style].


Headline: Council overrides mayoral veto to expand library hours
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The Cit Council passed a budget but included an over-ride of a line-item veto of an allocation for library hours at branch locations. Many of them will be open until 8:00 instead of closing at 5:30. The money comes from a "parking meter repair fund," which will now come from parking revenues. [Brilliant idea to raise parking revenues? Actually start charging for on-street parking downtown instead of giving it away after 5:00.] Only CM Thune voted against the funding shift. Article includes [obligatory] quote from CM Bostrom about the Como Park café settlement. [Boy he must really hate Mike Hamm. Article also includes other budgetary factoids.]


Headline: Commission grants permit for next phase of Victoria Park apartments
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Another large building in the Victoria Park area [a former oil storage facility] will be built. It will be taller than the previous ones. The neighborhood group voted against the building because of height concerns and "the potential for traffic problems." [There aren't even any buildings or neighbors in this area yet! How can we have NIMBYs already?] There will also be a large parking lot. [Naturally.]


Headline: Gerber Jewelers appeals BZA denial of setback variance for Grand store
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A jewelry store may or may not get to expand its building all the way up to the sidewalk. Grand Avenue has special zoning because many of the shops are set back [being ex-single family homes]. OTOH the store did get a parking variance. [Hooray! A rare day in Saint Paul.] Article includes quote from BZA member about the "snowball effect of other similar variance requests."

2014-12-29

TC SIdewalks Live!: The Saint Paul Coney at the History of Hip

[Keenan's coney is the middle one.]
Hey Twin Cities, coney dogs are catching on. I'm excited to be giving a short talk / interview / demonstration / song and dance / coney dog and pony show next Tuesday at the Bedlam Theater. After my wildly popular Saint Paul Coney Quest, the History Center invited me to help out with their History of Hip series, which explores the hidden history of everyday life in the Twin Cities. How perfect!

This is exciting to me because one of my goals in doing sidewalk tours is to trace new connections throughout our often overlooked urban landscape. Vernacular food -- things like Minneapolis' Jucy Lucy -- are one of the most delicious ways to do this, and in the Saint Paul coney, we have a gem. The Saint Paul coney, with its distinctive grilled bun, cannot be found anywhere else that I know of, and it's rare to be able to so clearly trace the evolution of food through space and time.

Come on down next Tuesday, and hear me chat with Bill Keenan (owner of Keenan's Bar) about the coney dog, running a bar, and the future of Saint Paul's working class culture.

Please note: There will be authentic Saint Paul coneys. Price of admission gets you a free Bedlam drink.

What: The Saint Paul Snack: A Brief History of Coney Dogs
Time: 7:40, Tuesday January 6th
Place: Bedlam Theater
Cost: $15 ($12 MNHS members) with drink included

Facebook event details follow:

Saint Paul’s ultimate vernacular bar food is like but not the same as its Michigan-based namesake, and its story is as cranky, weird and unique to the city as the bars and bartenders that carry it. Geographer and author Bill Lindeke shares the history and stories of Saint Paul coneys with Bill Keenan, whose legendary secret sauce keeps regulars returning to his namesake bar on West Seventh Street. Stop in for a beer and a bump and stay awhile. 

$15 ($12 MNHS members). Ages 21+ only.

[The Coney Tour outside the Original Coney Island on Saint Peter Street.]

2014-12-19

*** Sidewalk Weekend! ***

Sidewalk Rating: Uncanny 
The fear of the other, the poor and the stranger has often fostered the formulation of specific policies, while the history of the European city can be described as a succession of systems of intolerance, removal of the difference and normalisation efforts. The adoption of devices to prevent permeability and accessibility (such as walls, infrastructural and environmental barriers) in the past, has been replaced today by multiple and complex forms of segregation.
[interview with Paola Pellegrini]


[The atrium in the Pioneer-Endicott building in downtown Saint Paul.]


*** CLICK ON IMAGES FOR LINKS! ***

http://acoupleofputts.com/2014/10/31/ahlgrim-family-funeral-services-palatine-il/

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http://grist.org/cities/seattles-unbelievable-transportation-megaproject-fustercluck/


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http://iqc.ou.edu/2014/12/12/60yrsmidwest/

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https://twitter.com/JeffSpeckAICP/status/545031955365236736


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http://existentialcomics.com/comic/58


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http://miguelmarquezoutside.com/


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https://www.flickr.com/photos/mark_allan/sets/72157637197421984/


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http://stuffaboutminneapolis.tumblr.com/post/105308146019/matt-barber58-moonrise-nicollet-mall


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https://twitter.com/TimPostMPRnews/status/544956297485889537


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http://www.metrotransit.org/Data/Sites/1/media/metro/metro_system-map_111114.pdf


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http://www.startribune.com/local/285647001.html


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http://alleycatmn.tumblr.com/tagged/Downtown-East-Project


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http://www.mprnews.org/story/2014/12/17/rochester-expansion-plan

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http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2014/12/the-rise-of-men-who-dont-work-and-what-they-do-instead/


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http://greeneconomics.blogspot.com/2014/12/long-run-trends-in-quality-of-life-by.html


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http://www.newgeography.com/content/004795-two-chicagos-defined


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http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/11/why-its-so-hard-for-millennials-to-figure-out-where-to-live/382929/


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http://www.perfectduluthday.com/2014/12/14/35000-miles-scenic-highway-routes/?utm_source=feedly&utm_reader=feedly&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=35000-miles-scenic-highway-routes


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http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/25140/how-fast-can-you-go-map-of-maximum-speed-limits-around-the-world/


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http://www.minnpost.com/data/2014/12/voter-turnout-minnesota-mapped


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http://atlasobscura.tumblr.com/post/104936815421/our-favorite-scandinavian-yuletide-burning-goat-is


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http://www.streetsblog.org/2014/12/18/this-simple-change-to-truck-design-could-help-get-us-closer-to-vision-zero/


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http://curbed.com/archives/2014/12/11/rolu-various-projects-uncertain-surface-design-miami.php


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http://curbed.com/archives/2014/12/15/artists-create-sidewalk-stagesets-from-discarded-furniture.php


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http://www.citylab.com/design/2014/12/20-years-of-photos-show-just-how-boring-we-all-are/383781/


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http://gizmodo.com/rare-photos-from-1966-show-the-nyc-subway-in-full-color-1671949358


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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/17/detroit-black-owned-businesses-_n_5587466.html


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http://stubblemag.com/2014/12/09/finding-bananas-in-the-snow/


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http://clothesonfilm.com/suit-yourself-elliot-gould-in-the-long-goodbye/33795/


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http://curbed.com/archives/2014/12/12/illegal-nanning-china-corridor-apartment.php


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How many accidents are caused by texting in the U.S.?
At least 200,000 per year.

[this]

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The customer objected to paying the sales tax that raised the price to $1.93, and after Abualzain and the customer argued, Abualzain grabbed a machete he had behind the counter and struck the man twice, cutting his hand and arm, Abualzain admitted in court.

[this]

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http://inhabitat.com/stupefying-hand-knitted-hammock-is-suspended-above-a-400-foot-high-canyon/

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http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/12/08/from_the_bronx_to_the_bowery_21_photos_of_1980s_new_york.php


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http://catandgirl.com/?p=4759


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http://www.thelinemedia.com/features/avidors12102014.aspx


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http://stuffaboutminneapolis.tumblr.com/post/105186776999/teenager-mitzi-holter-on-the-telephone-1947


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http://stuffaboutminneapolis.tumblr.com/post/105239567954/rhythmicity-minneapolis-mn-2018-wow-is