NE Mpls

Art-A-Whirl 2015

Art-A-Whirl 2015
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One of the reasons I decided Northeast was where I wanted to live was the vibrant art scene and for that reason, I am excited to share that Art-A-Whirl 2015 is almost here!

Art-A-Whirl 2015

In case you missed it, Northeast Minneapolis was named the Best Art District by USA Today in their 10Best Reader’s Choice poll a couple months ago. It’s Organizations like NEMAA and events like their annual Art-A-Whirl that have helped to shed the light on this great art community.

Art-A-Whirl 2015 is the 20th year of Art-A-Whirl and it’s happening May 15 – 17 in NE Minneapolis (obviously).

There will be over 500 NEMAA Members displaying their artwork in over 50 locations throughout Northeast; studio buildings, art galleries, home studios, and local businesses who show their support by showcasing local artists. Continue reading

Bite Squad

Bite Squad
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Allow me to introduce you to Bite Squad! If you live in the cities and love trying new food from the comfort of your own home, you should know about this service.

Gone are the days of delivery only being Chinese or pizza (and I don’t just mean Burger King), now you can have food delivered from basically any restaurant who offers take-out as long as you live in the one of the following cities: Minneapolis/St. Paul, Seattle, Las Vegas, Miami, or Austin.

*Fun Fact: Minneapolis is the OG of Bite Squad

If you live in NE Minneapolis HERE IS A LIST of all the restaurants that Bite Squad will pick up from. Continue reading

Open Streets MPLS

Open Streets MPLS
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Open Streets MPLS announced their 2015 schedule and although I know it’s extremely early, especially since we just got dumped on with a random snow storm, I need reminders like this to realize that spring, is in fact, here.

Open Streets MPLS is the brainchild of the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition and was organized with the intent of allowing the people of Minneapolis to experience their city on non-motorized wheels.

If you don’t have a bike this would be a great time to check out the Nice Ride MN program, or participate the old fashioned way; on foot. Continue reading

Stanley’s Northeast Bar Room | Minneapolis

Stanley's Northeast
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Places like Stanley’s Northeast Bar Room are what I love about Northeast. A local pub with a fun vibe, weekly events, and great menu.

We happened to go on a Monday night and arrived right as Get A Clu Trivia was starting.

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Lisa, Nellie, and I decided to take Team “Stillwater Runs Deep,” 3 members strong, out of retirement. We started off phenomenally, pulling answers out of our ass that somehow managed to be correct and we were feeling pretty good about representing the team name. Unfortunately, things quickly went south and we somehow scraped by a mere 10 points shy of having the worst score of the night…we probably should have stayed retired. Just call it the Brett Favre complex. Continue reading

Gorkha Palace – Round 2

gorkha palace
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Gorkha Palace is by far my favorite restaurant in Northeast and I’ve already done a full review on the place, which you can read HERE. But, because I am so loyal to my readers (and to my sister), when she wanted to go get dinner I figured I should go back and try something else 😉 Continue reading

The Bulldog – Lowertown vs. Northeast

The Bulldog Lowertown
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Both Bulldog locations (Lowertown and Northeast) are amazing. They both have different menus and from what I understand aren’t fully owned by the same people, but I’m going to review them together just the same.

*The pictures below come from my most recent visit to the Lowertown location.

It all starts with parking. Both places can be a little bit of a challenge.

Lowertown: It’s street parking. I, generally, park in the lot on Sibley and 7th. It’s free to park there after 5pm (or 6pm?) and you don’t have to worry about parallel parking. BONUS.

Northeast: There is street parking here as well, but they do have a couple of lot options which are really nice. One is in the U.S. Bank lot and the other is in front of Gorkha Palace. Continue reading

I Like You – Northeast

i like you northeast minneapolis
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“I Like You” is more than just a really cute photo backdrop.  According to their website the “merchandise changes as frequently as [their] artists’ moods,” and it shows. Jam packed with an adorable assortment of locally made Minnesota clothes, decorations, cards, and crafts, I Like You is a really fun way to buy presents and to just spent an hour of your afternoon.

Product:

The shirt section was my favorite, because of how clever they manipulated the state of Minnesota.

I’m in love with this Unicorn t-shirt, because our sorority in Winona, Delta Phi Epsilon, has a unicorn mascot:

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Besides the shirts, the cards were also hilarious and I stocked up on a couple for some upcoming birthdays… Continue reading

Rusty Taco | Northeast Minneapolis

Rusty Taco Northeast
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I used to work and live down the street from Rusty Taco in St. Paul which was dangerous, because my coworkers and I quickly became addicted. I love that they use corn tacos, because corn tortillas remind me of being on vacation in Mexico AND they’re gluten free!

It may take a minute to get past the name, but it’s so worth it.

Environment:

Rusty Taco

I recently found myself ravenous on the last gorgeous Saturday pre-polar vortex, so instead of getting take-out, which just seemed like such a waste, I ventured over to Rusty Taco. When I moved to Northeast Minneapolis it was a happy coincidence that they had a second location so close to me so I figured it was about time to venture over and be able to cross something off the list of reasons I miss St. Paul.

What I love most about Rusty Taco is that it’s set up cafeteria style, making it an easy place to go to with other people, but also the kind of place you can go and eat by yourself without feeling awkward. I hate the habit I’ve developed pretending I’m on my phone doing important stuff when in actuality I’m just checking a social network just to look busy (you laugh, because you’ve done it before, too!). One of my resolutions this year is to make eye contact and smile at strangers to combat my RBF so I figured this was as good a time as any to start.

Rusty Taco has a great industrial vibe with exposed ceilings and stainless steel tables and counters. The staff also have a pretty great sense of humor as noticed by the note on their tip jar-“Sexy People Tip.” Continue reading

Marina Grill and Deli | Northeast Minneapolis

Marina Grill and Deli Northeast
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Marina Grill and Deli is a few block down the road from my apartment and seemed like the perfect choice for a welcome home meal after my trip of new and exciting food.

Marina Deli Northeast Mpls

Service:

Having no real experience with Greek food, I was at a loss trying to figure out what to order. It probably didn’t help that I was a little jet lagged and running on 3 hours of sleep, so I asked the cashier if there was anything she recommended. While extremely nice, she definitely looked a little flustered and told me that she didn’t feel comfortable suggesting things to people, because you can never guarantee they’ll like it. Understandable, but definitely not helpful, so I ended up falling back on the two items I’ve had experience with before; a Gyro and falafel. Continue reading

Sentyrz Ethnic Market | Northeast Minneapolis

sentyrz ethnic market
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Sentyrz Ethnic Market has been part of “Nordeast” since 1923. One of the cool things about Northeast is the variety of small markets. Having Sentryz within walking distance from my apartment has saved me quite a few times when I’ve needed a last minute ingredient.

Food:

They have a pretty decent selection for how small the store is. You can easily get the essentials and some junk food.

Negative: don’t have a very big gluten free selection

Positive: The small cooler area dedicated to Annie’s Organic and Nut Thins

The meat counter is also pretty rave-worthy. The meat is cut, smoked, and packaged in house, and they make their own sausage recipes with natural casings. Continue reading