Secrets of the City

“What’s the Difference between South Minneapolis and Midtown?” asks a South 12th reader.

“The short answer, of course, is branding.”

A few years ago, the stretch of Lake around those [Powderhorn and Phillips] was rebranded as “Midtown” — the global market, the LRT stop and the bicycle greenway were all included in this effort. It’s not an officially defined term, but if someone says “Midtown Minneapolis,” most people think “Oh, yes, Lake Street.”

“Rightly or wrongly, the area has a reputation for being kind of rough.”

The comments on this post are delightful. One reader in particular, madgemc, comes up with a doozy: “We need a midwestern term for arridonsments, cause that’s what we’ve got. If I was clever, I could make some sort of Dante-esque reference.”

Bonus question: Is Uptown part of South Minneapolis?

More branding.

Minneapolis now has a cable stay bridge. So what, you ask? In a cable-stay bridge the deck is held up from above rather than below so the engineering becomes the aesthetic. And a spectacular look it is too, with nine pairs of steel cables flaring out from the 115-foot-high mast on the west flank of the bridge. URS of Minneapolis developed the $5.1 million design for Hennepin County.

Also, it’s lovely. It’s been up for about a week now. Anyone use it yet?

Some of the merchants at the Midtown Global Market seem to be on thin ice.

Lack of coherence and retail organization along with near non-existant marketing are mentioned in the Strib article.
If you’re the type who would shop there and don’t, why not? If so, what keeps you going back?

More importantly, what can be done to improve things?

It’s been a dark six months since the tragedy, with neighbors scattered in a sad diaspora, far from their former home. Of course, we’re referring to the PiPress’s Eat section, which made its triumphant return this week. Finally, recipes and dining news are rubbing elbows again! Usually, reading reviews by the metaphorically-challenged Kathie Jenkins leaves us indignant, as in, “she did not just describe something as being “as sweet as candy.” But Jenkins has proved to be a super trooper this week, surveying 24
restaurants in the dense wilds of Frogtown. Surprise: A heavy diss on palatial Mai Village. Delight: “With the red, white and blue awning out front, Tai Ho could easily pass for the Democratic National Headquarters.” Wonder what colors they are using down at Republican HQ?