urbanMSP

Not that is really matters, since the Vikings stadium likely wont be a carbon copy of any previous stadium anyway, but the two that interest me the most from the outside are AECOM and Populous. Both have some experience with really forward-thinking and unique stadiums. Not that either would fit in h...

There's not really a North Loop option, is there? I thought it was U of M, Brooklyn Park or by International Market Square somewhere?

On my way to Menards last night, I noticed an area right by Vandalia where there is briefly a third track. Does anybody know what the purpose of that is?

Little Dearborn and the Caspian Bistro are the kind of businesses that make a unique, urban area.

How many major international cities can you name that have a sports stadium as their defining architectural attraction? Maybe New Orleans? Cardiff, Wales? That's my point. The Vikings stadium will certainly be an important piece in the larger fabric that is Minneapolis; an NFL stadium alone will not...

I think the rhetoric in this thread is getting a little extreme. Yes, Aviva Stadium looks nice, but does it really "create international recognition" for Dublin? Would anybody even know it was there if not for Notre Dame? The reality is that most iconic sports stadiums are not necessarily ...

Have you ever seen the Metrodome's configuration for basketball? Have you ever seen Lucas Oil's configuration for basketball? That's what the comparison is all about. The concept of a multipurpose NFL stadium has changed, and Lucas Oil and Cowboys Stadium are the prime examples. It's starting to fee...

On a more fundamental level, I don't think downtown living will truly be a big thing until you can comfortably do it without a car. If you lived in downtown east, you're living in an area with very few everyday residential amenities, and in order to get to appealing places like Uptown or the lakes—a...

In all seriousness, I hope any new incarnation of Block E involves some change to he roof. With big buildings surrounding it, it would be a really unique location for some sort of patio. But even a green roof would be awesome. Right now if you stay at Graves you get an awesome view of downtown that ...

What a stupid looking building!

As far as the US Bancorp Center, I think that's a pretty good example of non-retail space working well with the overall flow of the street. You can't go in and buy postcards, but you can still go inside. The building opens up to the street and provides one of the more obvious connections to the skyw...

If I had to guess, it's probably prohibitively expensive both in terms of extra square footage and in the additional check-out/security infrastructure that would be needed at the second entrance.

The digital conversion issue is really interesting (for those who didn't see, Star Tribune had a story Sunday). It sounds like Riverview has/is making the transition, but I don't believe it mentioned St. Anthony Main. It would be a shame if it didn't. One of the changes that will apparently come wit...

I think we have to untangle a few things here. First, a movie theater on Hennepin Avenue and a movie theater in a residential area like Mill City aren't really the same thing. Are you guys saying downtown needs a destination movie theater (Block E), or that it needs a movie theater for downtown resi...

I don't think the troubles at Envy and those other First Avenue clubs really have anything to do with my point, to be honest. I just think Uptown (at least Henn-Lake) has been gentrified.

Again I'm not opposed to any of these developments at all.

I don't really have anything to say about Cowboy Slims, but I think the elephant in the room here is that these developments primarily attract well-off white people and businesses that cater to them. I'm not against these developments, per se, but an Uptown with an Apple Store and Victoria's Secret ...

I personally wish we had more of a connection with Canada here. A Tim Horton's would be a good start!

Try going to Izzy's in St. Paul. After waiting in a 20-deep line, you'll see why various groups rank it the best ice cream shop in the Twin Cities. There's plenty of market for Izzy's and Dairy Queen in the same city.

Isn't a major reason they are building this to bring the ice-cream production in house?