Traveling Fool

I put over 15,000 steps on my pedometer today walking out to The Basilica of St. Mary on 17th Street, and Minneapolis Community and Technical College and then all the way over to the First Covenant Church. Of course, it was probably the hottest day of the summer so far, but probably better than rain. I think I have located all of the pianos. I liked the new locations and some of the designs were very creative. In spite of the construction and detours downtown, I enjoyed tracking them down.  Until next year then. At the Basilica of St. Mary, 17th & Hennepin  This piano had it going on all over, the back, the sides, the seat. It is at 1501 Hennepin on the campus of the Minneapolis Community and Technical College. It was quiet and cool, away from the busyness of Hennepin Avenue. Two young people were playing this piano at the Convention Center.  This was the last one on the list. It's on the side of the First Church of the Covenant, a n

The quest continued this past week as I made my way down Hennepin Avenue, and over to the Gateway District and then to the park area near U.S. Bank Stadium. I was a little disheartened to find that some citizens have decided to use the pianos as receptacles for their trash. Are people that lazy that they couldn't turn around 180 degrees and walk less than five feet to the garbage can? Clearly the answer is in the photographs. As a friend of mine says "this is why we can't have nice things". There some things I said, but this is a family blog, so I'll refrain. I covered a lot of ground on Friday, and it was a spectacular first day of summer. People are pigs. Piano on Hennepin.  The yellow piano below was also used last year, this year it's on Nicollet Mall. It's a tribute to Minneapolis bands and artists.  I had to uncover this one myself. I got some weird looks. And trust me, I was not the weirdest thing out that day. 222 Hennepin Avenue

Today was a good day, knocked out three more pianos by taking a walk down to the Stone Arch Bridge and the Mississippi River, and shared information on the pianos with some visitors. That was fun. I'm pretty happy with the progress on the pianos, but I still have around 15 to go (I'm not good at math, so it could be 10). I forgot (see how that happens?), I also got a couple of pianos earlier in the week, one by First Ave, and one on 5th Street and Hennepin. First Avenue Ramp A, a new location this year 5th Street and Hennepin A nice walk to the Stone Arch Bridge American Academy of Neurology MacPhail Center for Music There have been one or two Prince-themed pianos each year. Where's one for my Jayhawks? More to come next week. Don't wait too long to get out there.

For many of us, it was a long, hard winter, with a half-assed spring, so I have been looking forward to the Pianos on Parade since April. Pianos on Parade is presented by Keys 4/4 Kids , a charitable organization that repurposes used pianos. One of the ways is to decorate the pianos and put them throughout Minneapolis and encourage people to sit down and play. The pianos all have a Minneapolis theme, and they are placed in all different corners of the downtown area. It's been like a scavenger hunt for me; it's fun to see the different designs, as well as explore corners of the city I don't usually see. And with the construction, or 'deconstruction', going on right now, it also stretches my navigation skills. These are just the first batch. More to come over the coming weeks. Capella Tower Government Center St. Olaf 's Church AT& T Tower IDS Center (I think) City Center Downtown Library   Cancer Survivors Park