I spotted these guys on a dog walk near downtown Dallas. Not sure whether these are actually Shetland Sheepdogs or some other mix, but they were cute either way.
Not pictured — Gunter glaring at them from my side.
I spotted these guys on a dog walk near downtown Dallas. Not sure whether these are actually Shetland Sheepdogs or some other mix, but they were cute either way.
Not pictured — Gunter glaring at them from my side.
Ingrid the Labradoodle blending in with the skyscrapers of downtown Dallas.
I recently bought a new lens for my camera and decided to test it out along the Trinity River. These are the first shots.
Shooting along the Trinity River is interesting because you have a gorgeous view of downtown crisscrossed with powerlines. The powerlines don’t necessarily “ruin” the view, but rather complicate it and make for interesting photos.
Fog flowing over the Mississippi River, by the High Bridge.
A view of St. Paul in fog, with a shot of the Cathedral.
Downtown St. Paul, Minnesota in fog.
The temperatures still climb above 20 degrees at least once a week. Anything above 15 degrees means that it is warm enough for a long walk with Hugo. I’m cherishing these walks while we can still make them.
Last winter was the 9th coldest on record for the state, and we missed the global warming train:
And yet I live here on purpose…
I discovered that there is an express bus that takes me directly from downtown St. Paul to Thomson Reuters campus in the suburbs.
The cold is less bothersome now that I no longer have to sit in a frozen car twice a day. There is something strange about spending 95% of my time indoors. I hear that this is only surpassed by hoarders and the people who work in the Minneapolis skyway.
It’s a few blocks from my house, and one of those buildings that has an inordinate presence on my Instagram account.
A picture of the neon sign atop the First National Bank Building in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota.
The First National Bank Building as seen from the Robert Street Bridge.
A picture of the First National Bank Building from Kellogg Boulevard.
A picture of the First National Bank Building from Kellogg Boulevard.
Boaters on the Mississippi River outside of downtown St. Paul.
A close up of boaters on the Mississippi River outside of downtown St. Paul.
I’d own a boat if I wasn’t so price sensitive and grossed out by non-chlorinated fresh water.
So I wouldn’t own a boat.
I pass the Holy Mackerel tattoo parlor on most of my dog walks, and I love the mural on the side of the building.
The mural reminds me a lot of the Wynwood District of Miami, and I wish more businesses in town did this.
Graffiti Outside the Holy Mackerel
Graffiti Outside the Holy Mackerel
Graffiti Outside the Holy Mackerel
Graffiti Outside the Holy Mackerel
Although St. Paul’s Lowertown neighborhood is rapidly developing, there is one building left behind.
Apparently the Lowertown Depot wasn’t a depot at all, but the old Standard Oil Branch Warehouse. The name was just a marketing gimmick for condo developers.
I’m surprised that they haven’t attempted to redevelop the area – it’s a massive undeveloped chunk of land right by downtown.
The Lowertown Depot reminds me a lot of Miami’s Midtown neighborhood. Midtown was just a huge chunk of undeveloped railroad tracks when I was in high school. Developers decided to play Sim City and turned it into a huge residential and commercial complex.
Midtown Miami
It will be interesting to see how much the Lowertown area will change in the next few years. We just got the Amtrak and light rail service, and apparently a stadium is coming soon.
This neighborhood has become increasingly trendy (and expensive) which will likely force many of us to make a buying vs. moving decision next summer.
Rising rents almost drove us back to Minneapolis this summer.
In fact, we had a deposit down on an apartment, but we were rejected because my prior landlord didn’t respond to their reference requests. The guy who took my unit is a little freaked out because he’ll likely run into the same problem.
Exhaustion from the apartment search caused us to sign on for another year in Lowertown, but I suspect future rent hikes will soon turn this area into another Uptown or Warehouse District.
We’ll see.
It was two degrees on this morning’s dog walk, but skidding on the ice with the Rottweiler was hilarious.
This is Logan Park, in Northeast Minneapolis. I love that there’s no shortage of parks in this city – and nice ones too. Not like the First 48 parks we had back in Miami…
I’m intrigued by the pioneers statue at Boom Island Park.
The statue is a reminder that there are many people have greater problems and challenges than I do. It also reminds me that I have opportunities which others don’t have and that there is no excuse not be great. I think it’s time to get an inspirational poster and an Oprah bob. Hallaleu.
So winter finally came.
Well, snow did. We had a few sub-zero days but today we were well into the 40’s. We manage regardless of the temperature.
The colder it gets inside the cozier it feels inside, so it’s not so bad.
I didn’t appreciate it when I lived here, but this place is kinda pretty.
Tader and I decided to spend Christmas week in warmer climates.
Renting a car was a little difficult. After haggling at the downtown Miami Avis we found our rental car parked in.
We eventually excised our rental and gave Tader a quick tour of Brickell.
We then spent some time on South Beach and happened upon the cutest puppy mill.
They are adorable, but I think I like my dogs better. Plus the entire place stunk of puppy piss.
We returned to South Beach later that evening and went to Twist, which was epic as ever. Twist is the massive gay bar in Miami. Never a cover, always a groove.
The next day we went to a hipster club in Miami’s design district called the Electric Pickle. They played the kind of house music you never hear in Minneapolis. The music was great, but not really danceable. It turned into a weird Sims-like line dance.
Oh, and we may have stolen a sign from Walgreens…
The night ended at Twist again. It’s a bad habit, but so fun. They have a beer-serving Burger King next door that’s open 24 hours, which is super convenient when you’re skipping out of a club at 5 a.m.
This is going to be a hilarious, expensive vacation.
Minneapolis had a heat wave this week. Temperatures climbed to the low 50’s. Roadways and sidewalks became visible. It didn’t hurt to be outside anymore – in short, it was gorgeous.
And then we got a President’s Day blizzard.
The newscasters say that this is the coldest week of the year. It’ll reach -20 soon, but we are still jumping around Lake Calhoun.
