Wescott Station Antiques

The sign on the door says: "Fairly cool Inside"  Thanks for making me smile.  Wescott Station is located at 226 West 7th Street in beautiful St. Paul Minnesota. 

At least it isn't a dry heat. 
 

Nice Ride

Nice ride started last year in Minneapolis.  In June they started installing Nice Rice Kiosks in St. Paul.  This one is on Sherburne Avenue near University Avenue just outside of Checkers pizza.  The bikes can be rented by the hour and the first 30 minutes are free . . kind of.   The details and pricing can be found on the Nice Ride MN web site.

I talked to some people who have used the bikes.  They are easy to adjust and the kiosk accepts credit cards. There are going to be maps at each station soon and of course more stations.  The bikes are pretty heavy duty which is probably a good thing.  

No one has asked me if the bikes will cause property values to rise but I will go out on a limb and say they can't hurt. 

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

Fleur de Lis  516 Selby Avenue

Thanks to all the St. Paul businesses that put flowers in front of their stores.  

 I think last spring was last weekend.  It was nice to be outside.  While the college  hockey tournament was going on at the Xcel center I was out enjoying the street party.  

Burger Moe's on West 7th

I am going to stay inside until it feels like spring outside again. 

by G. Sax, @gsax

Tonight I make my annual pilgrimage to Mancini's, a restaurant and nightclub staple on West 7th in Saint Paul. I'm really looking forward to it, not so much because of the food (which is lovely), but because I'll be eating with 40 good friends and celebrating good times. Because there are still good times to be had, despite this wretched economy and stagnant housing market. We're all still doing things; we're just doing them differently.

Last week, both Teresa and I were in New Orleans for a real estate conference. I even saw her once, but we mostly ran in different circles. I traveled to Louisiana with an extremely bare bones budget. I took advantage of hospitality, I stayed in a less-than-stellar hotel, I ate local authentic rather than tourist trappery. I refused to stand in line at Cafe Du Monde. I did things, yo.

The real estate conference was great, and I bet Teresa came back as invigorated as I am. We don't share the same kind of career in real estate, but the reason I squat here from time to time is to share a deep-seated love for the city of Saint Paul.

In honor of my home city, I'm going to offer up the first seven restaurants in Saint Paul that come to mind that I think you should visit. I hope you have a list that you'll think of sharing in the comments or on your own blog. I hope your list has something on it that I haven't heard of that I can go check out.

Increasingly, I look to you for inspiration rather than to the fancy magazines that promote food more as artwork than as a comfort. Particularly, your Yelp reviews have helped me find some real gems.

7 Places Worth Eating at in St. Paul (More Than Once)

1. Schroeder's Bar & Grill - The best little neighborhood bar in the North End that you haven't heard of unless you listen to me talk about it. Filled with locals and a pull tab booth common to the region, serving food that should make more top ten lists. Try the dry rub chicken wings.

2. Manana - Salvadoran restaurant on the East Side. Simple setup and totally to the point. Great service, relaxed locals mostly eating what you should eat: pupusa.

3. The Muddy Pig - Drink delicious beers from around the world (especially Belgium). Eat most anything on the menu. I like the pastalaya.

4. Señor Wong - This downtown spot tucked inside an apartment complex off of Kellogg Blvd holds some of the most interesting ambience and happy hour specials in the Twin Cities. It's also wonderfully diverse both in clientele and menu. I love, love, love the firecracker shrimp.

5. Fabulous Fern's - There are so many cool spots on Selby Avenue that it's easy to forget this veteran of the scene. Just because it's not in a turn-of-the-century building doesn't mean it's not worth your while. I always seem to order the calamari, and I can do just as well with a tall Summit, some free popcorn and free wi-fi.

6. Grumpy Steve's Coffee - Yes, it's a coffee shop, but this little spot by the Wabasha Caves serves up a bunch of good little food things and is especially adept at serving Belgian waffles.

7. Mai Village - Taking up a lot of real estate at Western and University and well worth a night of dining. I have never been disappointed with what I get here, because what I get here tends to be spicy beef lo mein.

The corner of Selby and Snelling. I love the way they always have such nice plants and decorations on the corner. Remember to shop local when ever you can.