The Top 19 Twin City Sidewalk Posts of 2019

Here once again is the annual list of best posts from the past year. There are some good posts, and these are they. If you missed them, enjoy!

[See also, top posts of 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018.] 



# 19. This Week is Your Last Chance to Soak in Big V's Exquisite Dive Atmosphere

An ode to a timeless dive on the eve of its closing. The nice thing here is that the new owners changed almost nothing, other than putting a Big Boy statue on the roof. 99% outcome here.


# 18. The Three Fiefdoms of Saint Paul

This is one I've been sitting on for a while and finally got around to it. Basically, these places that carved boundaries out of Saint Paul are a problem. At least we should be aware of it...

# 17. Another Dive Down as Kelly's Depot Bar Departs the Station

An ode to a timeless dive on the even of its closing. Still sad about this one. This place gave downtown Saint Paul a heart and soul that it's still missing today.

# 16. Another Rant About Cars

A good old fashioned rant. These often form in my head while I bike around the city. Sometimes I print them, instead of cursing to myself.


# 15. Reasons for Leaving the Met Council Chair, Ranked

I forget who asked me to rank people leaving the Met Council Chair position, but I did. It was fun! I need to update this with Chair Slawik, sometime, but maybe I should just wait until Chair Zelle inevitably leaves the post as well. (I think Slawick would rank very low, somewhere around the #6 position.)


#14. A Saint Paul Garbage Prayer

For better or for worse, in Saint Paul, 2019 was the year of the trash wars. What fucking stupidity! I even had a dumb dream about it, and transcribed it for you here.

Oh God, I am glad that's over. If never talk about trash again, it'll be too soon.

#13. Seven Mountains of the Midway

A post where I take pictures of giant piles of things in Saint Paul's Midway and imagine climbing them as if I was a tiny fleck of a person. I even named them for you.

#12. Notes from the Empire Builder IV

I took another ride on the Empire Builder and managed to put together some obeservations. By now, riding the train and thinking about space, speed, and geography is like church for me.

#11.  Best Bike Lanes From Downtown Saint Paul to the West, Ranked

The rankings to end all rankings. This one started as a joke and ended as a joke.


#10. Another Dive Down as Timeless Lee's Liquor Lounge Relinquishes

An ode to a timeless dive on the eve of its closing. Still sad about this one. The details about the mops and the live story of Louis Siriam are one of the most fascinating Twin Cities stories I've ever read. Check it out. (You can also find a chapter on Lee's in my new book.)



#9.  The Mendacity of "Ope"

I really liked this one, but nobody else did. I guess you should never underestimate the desire of Minnesotans to feel exceptionally special, even if they aren't.

Ope. Sorry about your feelings there.


#8. Open Letter to the Saint Paul City Council about Ayd Mill Road

My attempt to lobby the city about Ayd Mill Road. This might be another one that we win this year!


#7. Kassim Busuri's Broken Promise is Worst than Most

A hot take on interim CM Busuri, who was appointed on the promise that he would not run for office, an then ran for office. That really pissed me off, and I tried to explain why here.

Thankfully, he lost handily to incoming CM Yang. Bye Felicia.



#6. Open Letter to a Saint Paul Business Owner on the Trash Situation

An attempt to persuade people politically. Business owners "voting No" were especially backwards about how taxes and municipal cooperation work. Must be just a reflex or something...

#5.Two More Predicable Tragedies on Saint Paul's Deadly Border Streets


Another depressing diatribe post-mortem about how we need to change things. Typically these are followed by nothing actually changing.

BUT WAIT... this time, Ramsey County actually went and changed both streets right away, without a lot of hemming and hawing about traffic and parking, because it was important and because people died tragically.

Now that's progress! Hopefully no more deaths are needed to make changes.


#4. All I Need to Know about Saint Paul Politics I Learned from Joe Mauer

My election-year political post, an attempt to combine local politics and baseball. Basically, the same people that Boo joe Mauer are the ones booing the City each time it tries to plow a street or cancel punitive library fines. While these people can seem like charming cultural anachronisms, in reality, much of the time, they are mean morons. Mauer's going to the Hall of Fame and Saint Paul has organized trash. Deal with it.



#3. Objective and Rational Twin City Suburb Power Rankings 2019

Best rankings ever. Why? This one includes Nowthen, Ham Lake, and Coates, FFS. And the one at the bottom deserves it.



#2. The Worst Thing about Cars is that Nobody is Even Happy

Another rant about cars, only this time, once more with feeling. It struck me that cars make people miserable, myself often included.  That sucks! Let's dive into that feeling and explore it a bit together, shall we?

I did. And it was therapeutic, even if it was melodramatic.

#1. Presenting Ayd Mill Road: The Music Video

Best post ever, even if my singer (thanks!) did not pronounce "Ayd" correctly. This is the kind of thing that makes doing this blog worthwhile for me.