urbanMSP

Thanks for the updates. Good to hear about the other side of the river.

The NEIC press release touts the end of the yellow façade. I would love to see what’s under there.

Well, its uh, different- http://neic.coop/for-lease

This different is good. Definitely better than what is there now! Stands out and brings attention to the organization.

Yeah, I really like it, cutting out some of the height lightens it up, gives the area a more playful feel, and totally activates the street.

Do others think N.E. is becoming the new a "Uptown/Lyn-lake" from years past - I mean in terms of being community driven with a huge artist/anti-conformist demographic. Already prefer St. Anthony/Nordeast to Uptown - less chains, etc. but Central is a bit more blue-collarish. St. Anthony is already becoming "trendy".

...St. Anthony is already becoming "trendy".

I'm not sure if that is even remotely possible.

Do others think N.E. is becoming the new a "Uptown/Lyn-lake" from years past - I mean in terms of being community driven with a huge artist/anti-conformist demographic. Already prefer St. Anthony/Nordeast to Uptown - less chains, etc. but Central is a bit more blue-collarish. St. Anthony is already becoming "trendy".

I'd very much agree that NE is like Lyn-lake was 10-15 years ago. The area of Old St. Anthony may get more Uptown, but Nordeast will be more like the current Lyn-Lake area. I'm still waiting for Riverplace and St. Anthony Main returning more to their original concept of more retail. But I think that is at least 5 years or more down the road.

Do others think N.E. is becoming the new a "Uptown/Lyn-lake" from years past - I mean in terms of being community driven with a huge artist/anti-conformist demographic. Already prefer St. Anthony/Nordeast to Uptown - less chains, etc. but Central is a bit more blue-collarish. St. Anthony is already becoming "trendy".

I really like Northeast, but for me its always felt isolated with limited accessability to public transporatation (as compared to living downtown or to the southwest towards Uptown). I think that's always going to be an issue for that area as far as being a truly urban part of Minneapolis. What you really need is high population density with a large amounts of multifamily housing clustered around a retail district . That creates the critical mass of people necessary to create a bustling retail node like Uptown or Lynn Lake. Most of Northeast just doesn't have it (with the exception of the St Anthony neighborhood on the riverfront).

16th And University, by the Ritz is emerging as a cool little corridor.

16th And University, by the Ritz is emerging as a cool little corridor.

13th*

Right. Thanks!

Cool enough for a streetcar connecting it to the U, North Loop, Downtown, and Northeast? http://goo.gl/maps/FVqD2

Definitely!!!

My band plays at the 331 all the time, and the restaurants over there are top notch. It's a bit of an island as is and would make a better stop than Uni and Broadway for sure!

Joining the newly opened Maya restaurant is the new Mill City Cafe location where Falafel King was and will be Mill NE: breakfast,lunch, and dinner with a full bar and patio. Definitely a game-changer and brings the 13th Ave flavor to Central. Those vacant spots on the southern end are finally getting filled in, but before it gets over-run with more brunch spots and cocktail lounges can there be a corner dive bar that caters to the artists in the several warehouse buildings and soon-to-be artist housing development? Please?

In any case, this is more proof that the outerlying areas of NE are getting much needed attention, but what about the old Mill City Cafe location? And how is NE too far removed from Downtown transit-wise? The #10 is a high-frequency route that takes you up Central and the #4 is also a HF route which goes up Hennepin. The #11 could be better since it's the only frequent line that goes through the heart of 13th Ave (damn half hour intervals), The #17 also serves the southern stretch of Central. St Anthony Main and OldSt Anthony is a short bike ride from the Hennepin Bridge, Central Bridge, and Stone Arch Bridge. And there's the 5th St bike boulevard and bike lanes on Main/Marshall. I say stop being lazy.

I've thought of that statement that NE is cut off from transit a few times since reading it, too. I live in NE, and feel like there's always a bus just a few minutes away. It's a very convenient place to live for frequent trips into downtown - by foot, bike or bus.

The new Mill NE will be interesting, designed by Smart Associates, which is behind a lot of cool spaces in the Twin Cities. The old Porky's building is unusual, but I bet all that glass opens up a lot of possibilities.

I've been spending a lot more time at the small Central Ave restaurants, and they are mostly awesome. And if you haven't had breakfast (with pork!) at Chimborazo, you haven't lived.

Joining the newly opened Maya restaurant is the new Mill City Cafe location where Falafel King was and will be Mill NE: breakfast,lunch, and dinner with a full bar and patio. Definitely a game-changer and brings the 13th Ave flavor to Central.

Very good news! Last I heard a liquor store was planning to move into the Porky's / Falfalel King spot. But considering there’s a new liquor store on Stinson & 18th and Central Ave Liquors is expanding their craft beer selection, this is a way better result. And they’re getting rid of the drive-thru! They're also planning a patio, so I'd presume that will reduce the size of the parking lot. Since the building fronts the corner, a landscaped patio and smaller lot could really pull the urban feel of this node further south.

Those vacant spots on the southern end are finally getting filled in, but before it gets over-run with more brunch spots and cocktail lounges can there be a corner dive bar that caters to the artists in the several warehouse buildings and soon-to-be artist housing development? Please?

When I first moved into the area, I circled around the neighborhood in near panic looking for a dive bar, but there were none to be found. I guess we’ll have to ‘settle” for brewery tap rooms or a short trip over to the Deuce or Night Cap. The chances of this neighborhood allowing a new dive bar are nil. Besides, do new dive bars ever open? It seems they require a long history to have the right combination of ripped bar stools, that ashtray smell left over from the days before the smoking ban, and a down-and-out group of grizzled regulars who treat each other as family.

Except for a name/ownership change of an existing dive, can anyone give an example of a bona fide new dive bar opened in the city in recent years?

There was a dive bar on this stretch of Central until quite recently. Sully's, located where the expanded Holy Land is, IIRC.

Because of licensing requirements, new bars--from what I understand--are no longer allowed (except in downtown). It has something to do with minimum food requirements. 60% of a business' sales have to be food, 40% liquor (or is it vice/versa?). The existing dive bars have all been grandfathered in.

I really like Northeast, but for me its always felt isolated with limited accessibility to public transportation (as compared to living downtown or to the southwest towards Uptown). I think that's always going to be an issue for that area as far as being a truly urban part of Minneapolis.

And how is NE too far removed from Downtown transit-wise? The #10 is a high-frequency route that takes you up Central and the #4 is also a HF route which goes up Hennepin. The #11 could be better since it's the only frequent line that goes through the heart of 13th Ave (damn half hour intervals).

I partially agree with both of these points. Northeast is isolated from the rest of the city by the Mississippi River. The street grid in Northeast is frequently interrupted by railroad tracks, massive railroad yards, industrial sites, Columbia Golf Course and the sprawling industrial area south of it, 35W, New Brighton Blvd, Mid City Industrial, large cemeteries, and the warehouses of the Art’s District.

As an example, there’s not one street that connects East Hennepin to 18th between Central and Johnson.

But Northeast is just right across the river from downtown; even much of Columbia Heights is closer to downtown than parts of South Minneapolis.

Central does have frequent bus service. Somehow I get the feeling they could run buses every five minutes instead of 10, and still be packed every time. But even Central, as a main, straight, through-street, seems cut-off by the long expanses of derelict warehouses between the retail sections. Headed north from the Central/Hennepin area the road climbs to bridge over railroad tracks through a no-man’s land without access in either direction. Then when you come off that bridge back to street level, there are a few businesses on Spring Street, but the road again rises above the surrounding neighborhoods to meet Broadway on a lonely-feeling bridge without access to the city below. I love to see The Broadway redeveloped with 612Brew and other businesses, but I think it will have limited ability to liven up that corner without direct access to it.

The 4 through Northeast is not anything close to a high-frequency route. It runs every half-hour with 15 minutes frequencies during rush hour (unless you count the half hour gap from 8:30 to 9:00am).

Also, crosstown bus service is nearly non-existent. Broadway doesn’t have service and Lowry, the only cross-town route, only has buses every half-hour, and nothing after 8:00pm or on weekends. To get from 18th & Central to 18th & University, you’ll have to go down to Old St Anthony to transfer.

So while Northeast is not dense or connected enough to be very walkable or transit accessible, it is very bikeable. Most anything in the neighborhood is less than a (slow) 10 minute bike ride away. If you want to come explore the neighborhood during Art-A-Whirl or otherwise, I’d definitely recommend bringing a bike.

Also, I’m really looking forward to bringing out-of-town guests and aunts/uncles/cousins from the suburbs on biking brewery tours this summer. These out-of-the-way new breweries are too far to walk between, but quite close together if you’re on a bike.