Bob's Java Hut

Franklin Ave LRT Maintenance Facility visit

Another field trip today for my transit class, this time to the LRT maintenance facility just north of the Franklin Avenue Station. I rode my bike there, following the Midtown Greenway and Hiawatha Avenue. Once I arrived at Franklin Avenue station, I was a little confused how to get to the building. I was running late, so I said screw it and crossed the LRT tracks illegally and walked around a fence. It wasn't the safest thing to do, but it was the most direct path. Luckily for me, many other students were late so the tour hadn't started yet. The tour was great, and I was impressed by the technology it takes to operate LRT. Those trains are much bigger up close. We got to go up on a catwalk and look down at the roof of a train, very cool. I informed my instructor, Frank, that I got an internship with Metro Transit. As a former Met Council/Metro Transit employee, he was definitely happy for me and offered his congratulations and a firm handshake.

On the ride home, I had a few minutes to spare, so I stopped into the Midtown Bike Center. It basically a smaller version of Freewheel Bike on the West Bank, where I bought my helmet. They also had a small coffee shop and a few food offerings. It was a nice day and the Greenway was quite busy. What a great location for this place to be right along the bike path!

A visit to the local barbershop

First Bike Spill...how embarrassing!

I guess it had to happen sooner or later. I'm glad I wasn't seriously hurt, but my bike took a little damage though. I was riding through Dinkytown on the way to a classmate's house and took a corner a little too quickly and wiped out. Damn sandy roads! Luckily I managed to land in grass/mud rather than pavement, which is probably why I didn't get hurt. I was dirty though...both of my arms were muddy as hell. I was meeting up with a classmate, Andrea, to work on a group project. I had to use her bathroom to clean the mud off my arms...the shame did not come off so easily. It was a little awkward, to say the least. We threw our bikes on the #4 bus and headed up to Saint Anthony Village. We rode around for a while, and after not accomplishing much, back to Minneapolis. I opted to go directly downtown, as our class was meeting at the instructor's office in the warehouse district. I was starving, so I grabbed a couple slices at Pizza Luce before heading over to our class meeting. I was completely exhausted after class and probably should have taken the bus home, but I stuck it out and pedaled home with what little energy I had left.

One heck of a Tuesday

A little bit of a hangover this morning. Before I explain why, I should run through the events earlier in the day. I went to my morning class as usual, riding the express bus #113 for the first time. It was pretty slick, a huge convenience for all of the students living around here. The alternative is to take the #2 bus, which is a steaming pile of ghetto that stops at every block. I returned home for some lunch and decided to ride my bike to night class. This was the first time I had ever gone home from school mid-day; it wasn't really an option while living in Saint Paul. It was a beautiful evening and my first experience on the Midtown Greenway was great. It's a nice smooth ride all the way to Hiawatha Avenue, which also has a dedicated bike path. Things get a little dicey from the Cedar-Riverside LRT station to campus, there is neither a dedicated path or even a remotely direct route on city streets.

OK, on Sunday I listened to The Local Show on the Current and heard this hip-hop duo called Spyder Baybie Raw Dog and 2% Muck. They came off as hilariously arrogant and actually quite talented. It just so happened they were playing a show Tuesday night at Cause (formerly Sauce) in my new neighborhood. I talked Ali into joining me...the show was free after all. She brought over some Sailor Jerry's (Captain Morgan on steroids, if you're not familiar) and we got pretty gnarled up, to borrow a phrase from my dad. We arrived at Cause just in time and Spyder was pretty frickin' raw, as the name implies. I had a good time and hope to see them again, albeit maybe less drunk so I can remember it a little better. Ali is still not convinced they were that good...she'll come around.

Oh yeah, after the show we walked across the street to Caffrey's, the best damn sandwich shop in town. We both got the #1, a vegetarian sandwich and added "vegan chicken" whatever that is. Frankly I didn't care, because I was drunk and that shit was delicious.

Moving Day & Pizza Luce

And a long day it was. After working until 1pm, I hurried home and took a short ride on the #16 bus to pick up the U-Haul truck. I was a little worried if everything was going to fit. I still had a little packing to do before my helpers started showing up around 2:30. I backed the U-Haul up to my old building with laser-like precision, narrowly avoiding taking out the awning over the back door. My friend Matt arrived, followed shortly by my dad, and the heavy lifting commenced. We chose to move the heaviest and most awkward item first, my couch. This really took the wind out of us, but everything was a breeze after that. After maybe an hour and a half of packing up the U-Haul and my dad's van, we were set to go...with one exception. Kudo, my cat, was being a stubborn little shit and refused to get into a cage or come down the stairs. After much resistance, scratches on my arms and a whole lot of fur shed, we finally shoved his fat ass into the pet carrier and off we went. It was a smooth ride in the U-Haul, actually much easier to drive than it looks. We arrived at my new place and began unloading the small stuff. Matt had to take off, but it was OK because my sister and her fiance met us there to help unload the truck. Getting everything up the stairs at the new place was not too difficult, but an elevator would have been great. After catching our breath and quenching our thirst with a few more High Lifes, we decided it was time for some food. I promised everyone pizza, so we walked a few blocks to Pizza Luce at Lyndale and 32nd Street. There was a bit of a wait, but we were starving and didn't feel like walking anywhere else. The pizza was fantastic and I picked up the tab of course. After my family members took off, Ali and I returned the U-Haul back to Saint Paul and convinced Matt to come out for a nightcap.

Packing party with Ali

I move tomorrow and I had hardly packed a thing...until tonight! With work and school taking up all of my waking hours, it's pretty tough to get anything done. I'm so lucky Ali came to my rescue. After stopping by the U-Haul place to confirm my reservation for tomorrow, I picked up some beer to help the process...well to make it more tolerable anyways. Ali is a moving (and decorating) expert, so it was nice to have her around. She packed up my entire kitchen: pans, plates, silverware, food, etc in record time. Meanwhile I worked on dismantling my TV & audio equipment. I picked up a roll of shrink-wrap earlier too and that came in handy big time. It wasn't part of the initial plan, but we decided to run all the stuff we just packed up over to the new apartment, to lighten the load tomorrow. I'm thinking this was a great idea...as was the beer.

Rural Alberta Advantage at First Avenue

The show was amazing! Easily the best 3-piece band I've ever heard and they were so shocked/grateful to be playing to a sold out crowd. Also, the tickets were only $14, which is awesome. I'd probably go to a lot more shows if they were all priced like this. It can be hard convincing people to drop $25+ for a concert of a band they barely know. I'm glad I got in touch with my old friend Becky and she was a much bigger RAA fan than I was. I tried to study up on their new CD "Departing" as much as I could before the show and I'm glad I did. These guys rocked the house and played two encores, the second one was a complete surprise, especially since they sneaked up to the balcony level and played "Goodnight". It was a very fitting end to a great show. Afterward, Becky and I took a cab to the Lyndale Tap House to have another drink. It was right near my future apartment, literally 2 blocks away. I'm getting more excited about the move everyday...I just need to start packing.

Just signed a lease, moving in a week!

After spending much of my adult life in Frogtown, it's time for a move. I have entertained the idea of moving and looked at different apartments on and off for quite some time now. I always keep coming back to the Lyn-Lake area of Minneapolis, aka the more affordable (and cooler) alternative to Uptown. I've been spoiled by paying only $500/month for rent for the last few years and that is a tough thing to give up. However, I think that this new place is going to be well worth the extra rent expense. The neighborhood is awesome, with restaurants like Caffrey's and no less than 3 pizza places that deliver til at least 2am. I'll also be just a block from the Midtown Greenway, so I expect to save a ton of money in gas by biking and walking everywhere. Anyway, I just signed the lease and got my keys, I'll be moving next weekend! It's looking like Saturday 4/2 will be the big day and I could use all the help I can get. Free beer and pizza for all who lend a hand!