2023-06-21

Noteworthy Railyards of Minneapolis and Saint Paul Bike Tour, next Thursday

Railroad siding in Northeast Minneapolis.

Hey! It's been a while since the last bike tour, around about two years. (By funny coincidence, I now have a two-year-old.) AS you might imagine, this one has been cooking in my mind of ra while. We're going to bike around and look at some past and present rail yards, ,certainly a negative / blank space in many people's imaginations of the city. And yet rail yards are all around us, and there used to be twice as many, huge swathes of urban land given over to nothing but railroad tracks and 24/7 industrial activity. They're quite interesting and with the help of a local railroad expert, I'll do my best to explain what they are, how they work, and how they've defined the urban geography of Minneapolis and St. Paul. 

You'll learn fun things, such as the existence of "East Minneapolis" (a real thing) and what "humping" really is... I hope to see you there!

[Facebook invite here.]

Who: Anyone who wants to ride bikes and learn about history
What: 2+ hour, 15-mile relaxing bike ride around St. Paul and Minneapolis
When: Thursday, June 29th, leaving at 7pm
Where: We will meet at Insight Brewing and end at Bang Brewing (about a mile away)
Why: Because some of them are still there, and trains are cool


Railyard in Saint Paul.



Railyard artwork by Aydin Büyüktas.

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