Traveling Fool

CORRECTION AHEAD: This is the last group of pianos. I'm calling it 100% because I could not see any sign of the piano near the YWCA, and I even reached out to the Minneapolis Downtown Council for help. Still no word. Ahoy, I did receive an email (two actually) from Mark at the Minneapolis Downtown Council regarding the YWCA piano. Sadly, Mother Nature does not always appreciate our efforts, and the humidity and rain were not being very nice to the piano near the YWCA, so it was removed. Grrr. It has been a wet June, but luckily the rest of the pianos are out. Thanks, Mark. Does anyone else go looking for the pianos? I cannot be the only person. When I have mentioned it to friends, they're like, oh, yeah, I've seen a couple. Sometimes they don't know what I'm talking about, which indicates to me they don't read the blog. Really? That hurts my feelings.  The first piano shown here is near the Stone Arch Bridge along the Mississippi River. This is probably the

We've had a few rainy days, which makes it hard to hunt pianos, but persistence is rewarded. I think I have five more pianos to go, and I feel confident that with the better descriptions of locations, sometimes including an actual address, I will hit 100% before the end of the month. Last year, I had to miss out on two (I think) because I could not figure out where they are. There are a lot of nooks and crannies in the city. I hope you enjoy the pianos; perhaps I could do a better job of showing the surroundings, but sometimes, it's not that spectacular. There have been at least three, possibly more, Prince-themed pianos, which I totally dig, but there is a lot of music that is Twin Cities based or maybe some outstate Minnesota themes (Judy Garland is from Grand Rapids, MN or the Jolly Green Giant, or something). I have come across a lot more people playing the pianos than in the past. Hopefully you'll get a chance to see them for yourself if you are in the area.

Thursday was a beautiful summer day in Minneapolis. A great day to walk around, maybe check out a food truck or a stall at the farmer's market, or maybe find someone playing a piano. I love the lid on the piano at the Hennepin County Government Center; many of the pianos have designs on the side, but I don't recall seeing too many with such a bold design on top. I love this. There are several new locations this year, and one is in the little park at St. Olaf's Church. There was someone playing, but there was horrible construction noise all around, so there was no sense in trying to record him. Of course Prince is on a piano (and actually more than one in some fashion or other), and I love the one at Kieran's. I think I have roughly half of the pianos accounted for, perhaps a little more. Maybe a trip to Loring Park tomorrow for the three or four out that way. If it doesn't rain. Hennepin County Government Center Thrivent Financial St. Olaf Churc

The pianos are back!!! In case you missed the last couple of years, beautifully designed pianos appear in Minneapolis in what's called Pianos on Parade. They are throughout the downtown area, from the Stone Arch Bridge (haven't made it there yet) to past Loring Park, along Nicollet, near Target Center. It's a great way to get in your steps, visit those corners of the city you forget during winter time, and maybe catch someone playing one of the pianos (see below video). It's a fun scavenger hunt . You have until the end of June to catch them (there are 24, I think). Marquette and 4th Hennepin & 5th Under cover at Hennepin County Government Center Chilling at First Ave

You know how you see something, sometimes every day for years and just keep going? That's how my friends and I were regarding The Foshay Tower (8th & Marquette) in downtown Minneapolis. The Art Deco tower, finished in 1929 just in time for the Great Depression, was commissioned/built by Wilbur Foshay, a businessman/entrepreneur, and designed after the Washington Monument. The building is now W Minneapolis - The Foshay, and you can get tickets in the lobby ($10 at the time of writing) and then you take the quasi-express elevator, with a special card key, to the 30th floor. There is a little museum, with artifacts from the golden days of the Foshay, including gold plated bathroom fixtures, the sheet music from a composition that Foshay commissioned from John Philip Sousa, the directory of tenants, and the pardons from two U.S. Presidents for Foshay himself, who had his own pyramid scheme going. We spent maybe around 20 minutes just walking through it and looking at 'old'

My brother and I finally made it to A Christmas Story House in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland. It's something we've talked about for a few years, and now that he has Zelda (his beloved Jeep), we did it. Please tell me you have seen, or are at least familiar with, the holiday classic movie, A Christmas Story , although my brother has not. The house, museum and gift shop are all within a few yards of each other in a residential neighborhood, old style, not those new housing developments with homes that all look the same. You buy your tickets in the gift shop and tours leave from there at quarter past the hour. The house is set up like in the movie, with Ralphie's Little Orphan Annie decoding ring in the bathroom; the Red Ryder BB Gun by the fireplace; and of course, the Old Man's Major Award, the Leg Lamp. The guide is there to provide information on the house, the exhibits and the movie, but you are free to wander about as you choose and take photos. I think w