19th Bloggaversary Post

[Dumb coffee delivery robot on an East Bank sidewalk.]

I started this blog 19 years ago yesterday, and I'm still plugging away about once a week. Writing regularly about the city on my own platform is still the best career move I've made. Even though the blog itself hasn't rewarded me with direct income, pretty much everything I do professionally these days stemmed from it. I'm pretty grateful to have this legacy and trove of information available at my fingertips.

Of course, things online are different in 2024 than they were in 2005. Nobody blogs any more (or do they?), the Highland Villager is online now (or is it?), and there are lots of local news sources on the internet in ways that just weren't true back then.  

One of the best things about having been doing this so long is that you start to really get a sense for long-term trends and storylines. Take for example the CVS store on the corner of Snelling and University. I wrote about it during the construction, criticizing the design of the building and the use of land. Little did I know than that 19 years later I would still be writing about it, now an abandoned post-apocalyptic chain retail carcass draining the life from the Hamline-Midway commercial corridor. It's this kind of perspective that forms the root of wisdom. 

Anyway, thanks for reading. I've slowed down a lot here since acquiring a full-time job and a real-life child, but it's still something I dearly enjoy.