Just some random photographs of dining rooms and they are not all in the same home.  Some buyers ask for homes with formal dining rooms and others don't care.  I wonder how many get used for dining?  Sunday dinner perhaps? 

Porches are a city thing.  I would call this wordless Wednesday but I have already written too many words.   In the burbs they have decks. In the city we have decks with roofs over them and we call them porches.  Decks are usually in back of the house and porches are often in the front but I live in a house with a front porch and a back porch but no deck.  I shouldn't have to explain all of this but I just did.  In the city we put the garage behind the house but in the burbs the garage goes in front.  Garages have nothing to do with porches and now I really ruined my attempt at a wordless Wednesday by using way too many words.  I will try again next week. 

porch wm

E. fourth street

E. fourth street in downtown St. Paul is right on the light rail line but the businesses are open.   Small businesses are so important to our local economy.  Don't let the construction stop you from shopping in St. Paul.  

Related Post E. 4th Street – Now And Then

porky's

I wrote this in 2008

Porkys Drive-In, located at 1890, University Ave. W., St. Paul, MN has been a St. Paul institution since 1953. Possibly the last true drive-in resturant in St. Paul.   It amazes me how some businesses live on, and become a kind of tradition. If you have never been to Porkys at least stop by and get some onion rings, even the smell of them cooking is worth the visit. Porkys is very crowded in the evening during the summer months. The night I took this picture the lot was full and every table in the outside seating area was taken.

I am happy that I took pictures. Porky's closed last weekend. The building is being dismantled and hauled away.  It will be sold along with the sign which is already gone.  Light Rail construction has started on that part of University Avenue and the owners decided now would be a good time to pack it in.  

A little St. Paul Trivia from Don Empson's book, "The Street Where You Live".  Don used to me my neighbor.  He moved I stayed and I digress. Dayton avenue was not named after our governor or his family.  It was named in 1854 after a real estate developer Lyman Dayton.  I took the picture near the cathedral.  This part of Dayton Avenue has some fine historic condos and larger homes and right now twenty of them are for sale starting at $69,00 and going up to $400,000 if you are interested in seeing any of them let me know. There are also rental units and a big church close by.  

272 Dayton Avenue

481 Laurel ave. St. Paul MN

More condos on Laurel.  Yesterday I wrote about Riley Row, a beautiful historic row house on Laurel Avenue where the famous writer F. Scott Fitzgerald lived for a year.  The Fitzgerald's moved around a bit but F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in this building in 1896.  The Fitzgerald's lived at 481 for two years. The building is now called the F. Scott Fitzgerald condominiums but it used to be the San Mateo Flats, which were originally luxury apartments.   There are apartments that were converted into condos all over the Summit Hill and Crocus Hill neighborhoods. They are the nicest historic Condos in the city.  

The condos are nice. They have fireplaces, exposed brick walls, built-ins and are about 1450 square feet each with two bedrooms and those wonderful balconies.  There are rarely any units for sale in the building.

There is a plaque on the building you can see it in the picture to the left of the steps.  The building is designated as a literacy landmark by friends of the Library USA. 

There is also the F. Scott Fitzgerald Row house at 599 Summit Avenue. 

599 Summit Avenue - F. Scott Fiztgerald Row House

Riley Row House 286-294 Laurel Avenue, on the corner of Nina and Laurel.  So close to the cathedral that you can see it and close to Summit Avenue.  This building is one of St. Paul's hidden gems and is considered to be one of the finest Victorian era row houses in the country. 

It was built in 1887 and the exterior is made of sandstone, granite, brick and slate.  F. Scott Fitzgerald lived there for a year between 1808 and 1809.  There are other amazing historic homes and rowhouses in the immediate area.  It is one of my favorite areas to walk or bike. 

Riley Row

Riley Row