All in Neighborhoods
What Makes a Street Friendly
A few weekends ago I held a garage sale to cut down on the amount of stuff I have to move to my new house. After living on my street for the last year and a half, I have spoken to five neighbors total. The only neighbors I got to know live next door to me or across the street. I have seen a few others, picked up on their daily habits, but I could not tell you their names. The day of my garage sale I talked to more neighbors than I had the entire length of my residence.
A Journey to the Underrated Neighborhood: North Minneapolis
An increase in my weekend long run mileage meant I could journey farther into Minneapolis yesterday and take advantage of the gorgeous spring weather. I decided to use my 20 mile journey to venture into North Minneapolis, a neighborhood that has so much to offer, but is commonly disregarded because of high crime rates.
Running Down Memories: a Return to Lincoln, NE
This past weekend I drove home to Lincoln, Nebraska to host my little sisters bridal shower and bachelorette party. I spent weeks planning the events to make sure they went off without a hitch and for the most part they did. I even managed to bake themed cookies that turned out mostly like the Pinterest post I saw.
Boom Island or Bust
This week's training plan outlined my first sixteen mile long run which meant I could take the girls for their run to Silver Lake Beach and have enough training miles left to make it to the southern portion of the Mississippi River. Most people might look at a sixteen mile run and think its crazy, but I saw the opportunity. It has been a long winter and I was ready for a nice long run on a beautiful Saturday spring morning.
Running in a Second Ring Suburb
Last month I came across the Chanhassen St. Patty's Day Half Marathon race in Chanhassen, Minnesota. The race timed nicely with my training plan and offered a technical zip up and beer glass for entering so I signed up. I also thought it would be a good opportunity to explore one of the Metro areas second ring suburbs.
Heights Theater: screening of Rear Window
One of the gems of Columbia Heights is the 1926 Heights Theater, the longest continuously running theater in the Twin Cities metro (as stated during last weeks screening of Rear Window). The theater was designed as a neighborhood movie house for local talent during the explosion of neighborhood theater construction. After many years of unsympathetic alterations, it was purchased in November 1998 by Tom Letness and Dave Holmgren and restored to its former glory.
14 Miles: General Mills, Trains, Public Works, and the Mighty Mississippi
My training schedule for the June Grandma's Marathon has me out on long runs every Saturday, giving me plenty of time to think and analyze my surroundings. I used to rely solely on headphones to help get me through the miles, but for safety reasons stopped using them when I ran with my dogs. Now I have dropped them altogether whether I am running with my dogs or not because I can connect with my surroundings better.
The City in 6 Miles
I am a runner. It began as a way to stay in shape, but I have realized I can use my running to learn from cities. The past few years I moved often, following my career from one planning job to the next. I'm a Nebraska native, but moved to Lubbock, Texas, after finishing college. After a few years I moved to Rochester, Minnesota to be closer to home, but desiring an urban environment I now live in the Twin Cities metro. Each new city has taught me invaluable lessons about how they function and how regions differ.