Archive for June 2010

1

Mary Tyler Moore in the Crowd

The immortal Mary Richards on Nicollet Mall in front of Macy's.

3

Mary Tyler Moore Statue

The famous TV Land Statue of Mary Richards Throwing her tam o'shanter cap in the air. This photo made the cut for MPR's Minnesota Today site!

0

Gateway Park Fountain

Lights in the Fountain near the George Washington Flagpole on Hennepin. Nicollet used to go through where the ING building is and met Hennepin in a point. This was the home of Minneapolis City Hall at the turn of the century. After that, the city built The Gateway Park with a beautiful stone building that had restrooms in it for the visitors that just arrived at the Great Northern Train Station (where the Federal Reserve is now) and the Milwaukee Road station that is still standing. This is the area that became 'skid row' in the 50's and the Gateway Park (which included the restroom building, the flagpole and a fountain that is now in the Lyndale Rose Garden. The city demolished the entire area including what became to be known as the piss-house. On a personal note, my mom moved to the big city as a young woman. She walked across the Hennepin bridge all dressed up for a job interview with new clothes and white gloves. She walked past Gateway Park when it was known as the piss-house and inhabited by drunk bums. They hassled her as she walked passed and she never forgot that awful moment. It's a place with a complex past, that the city keeps trying to change.

0

Calhoun Square Deconstruction with Women Bikers

A year ago, I would have been standing in front of the Uptown Bar looking at Kitchen Window. Now I am standing in front of the new Apple Store looking at this. Uptown is undergoing a huge change.

4

Nature Valley Bike Festival Women's Pro Starting Line

The Nature Valley Bike Festival was in Uptown Friday. This was the Women's Pro race. They raced for 25 laps around the Uptown course. This was the beginning of lap 22.

3

Nature Valley Bike Festival - Women's Pro Race

Friday was the Nature Valley Bike Festival right here in Uptown! It was very cool, fun to see all the activity in town. The best part? It tied up the neighborhood for only a few hours. Thank you to the organizers for minimizing the impact on the community. They were removing all the stuff Saturday morning; very unlike the occupying armies of the Loppet and the infernal Uptown Art Fair.