Delta on the Mississippi

So, I was thinking about the class of 2000 reunion, which is June 3-5. Brandon Guthrie and Kevin Shively will be in town. BLodge and Mr. Shively were runners at Macalester and each has an appreciation for urban development. I thought they would enjoy a tour of the cities because a lot has changed. That got me thinking about all the changes that have occurred since I came to Mac in the fall of 1997. Running high mileage gives a person a chance to escape the Macalester bubble and tour the city. Geographers also get a chance to learn more about the Twin Cities too.

First, there are the changes at Macalester: the razed Cultural House, the new Internaional Center, the new President’s House, the new Campus Center, the remodeled Kagin Commons, the renovated Wallace attic, the renovated and expanded Turck Hall, the median on Grand Avenue. Then there are the changes in the Macalester buffer zone. The Grand Café, where I bought my first illegal beer, is gone. Pad Thai is new. Red Fish Blue came and went. The Hungry Mind became the Ruminator, which choked while trying to masticate its debt. Coffee News is new. Eclipse Records came and went, RIP. Soul Flower now exists only on the ethereal internet. Domino’s moved closer to campus. The Old City Café was replaced by the Breadsmith and Jamba Juice replaced the Crazy Carrot. Spudza was replaced by Khyber Pass. Home Video burned down, much to the dismay of locals with prurient interests. Victoria Crossing welcomed Pottery Barn, Bound To Be Read, and J Crew. Chipotle moved in too. The Bonfire Grill replaced Ciati’s, which was the place where Marye and I went on our first date, Valentine’s Day. This is flowing. Let me break it off into St. Paul.

St. Paul

Remember the Stop Campus Sprawl signs? Well, they didn’t work. The University of St. Thomas is having thyroid problems and continues to grow up and out. Let’s run down Selby. You will see new housing, businesses, restaurants, and streetscape improvements. I would like to give a shout out to La Grolla, Solo Vino, and Box Office Video on the Cathedral Hill. Now we’re down by the Cathedral. By the way, what does the church ban from their premises? Hint: four letter word that begins with g and ends with s. Guns. When I arrived for mass wearing a sleeveless shirt, I found out they also don’t allow pipes. But I digress. Let’s go down Kellogg. Remember the enormous old brick house that stood prominently and absurdly in the middle of the parking lot facing the Xcel Center? It’s gone. Every man, woman, and child in St. Paul paid $4 to relocate the JM Armstrong House. Speaking of the Xcel Energy Center, it’s new. So are several bars that popped up to warm up the fans. So is the Holiday Inn and the Science Museum. The beautiful Central Library is reopened after renovations. A new Biomass Energy Cogeneration Plant generates power for most of downtown by burning wood waste. The Ramsey County Jail, which offers inmates a calming view of the Mississippi River, has failed to reduce recidivism and therefore will be moved to another location, leaving the riverfront property to circling developers. The Wacouta Commons development is new. Law enforcement has a new facility, the Public Safety Building. Lowertown has loft fever. There is a new library by Metropolitan State University. US Bank has a new home across the Robert Street bridge on the West Side. The Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center broke ground and will be the new home of the Neighborhood House, an organization where the cross country team volunteered during preseason my freshman year. Now, let’s run along the river high-bridge-right style. Harriet Island Park is finished and serves as the venue for fireworks and Irish Fair, among other activities. The most luxurious new development in St. Paul is the Upper Landing Urban Village on Shepard Road. The Xcel Energy power plant next to the Upper Landing will be converted from coal to gas. Further down the river we come to Island Station, home to an abandoned power plant - just north of the railroad bridge that crosses the river and just west of Pickerel Lake by Cherokee Regional Park. There are plans to renovate Island Station to housing units that provide sizeable contributions to property tax coffers. Schmidt brewery on Seventh Street has recently been zoned residential; Gopher State Ethanol has ceased operations in the structure and will auction off the property later this March. Ayd Mill Road was reopened in June 2002, increasing connectivity with the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood and triggering outcries of NIMBY. Ayd Mill currently terminates near Selby and Snelling. St. Paul Mayor “Really” Randy Kelly wants Ayd Mill to connect with 94. The Met Council bus garage at 94 and Snelling was torn down and petroleum-contaminated soil is being removed. The Midway said goodbye to Kmart and hello to Wal-Mart. There is talk of a Home Depot and a Best Buy in Midway too. That’s a long list. I was going to talk about Minneapolis but I’ll wait until another day.