Vince Mpls
@vincempls.bsky.social
Minneapolis urbanist, Saint Paul enthusiast, transit nerd, #localangle fan, called "an amateur historian" by Fox News.
🏳️🌈📍Twin Cities, Mni Sóta
🏳️🌈📍Twin Cities, Mni Sóta
It's a pleasant warm and foggy midnight in the great Purple City. Some bicyclists are on the east river trail. By all accounts by this time tomorrow it will be winter.
November 25, 2025 at 5:55 AM
It's a pleasant warm and foggy midnight in the great Purple City. Some bicyclists are on the east river trail. By all accounts by this time tomorrow it will be winter.
At the urging of @vthorstenson.bsky.social I offer this museum piece stored at our office. I dunno who Dick Griffis is, seems nice tho.
November 24, 2025 at 8:53 PM
At the urging of @vthorstenson.bsky.social I offer this museum piece stored at our office. I dunno who Dick Griffis is, seems nice tho.
This is the situation at East Bank (in green), the highest volume rail station on the entire network, and the 13 bus lines which "interconnect" with it but stop blocks away (red), also with high transit usage. The people who designed this need to be sent to a re-education camp.
November 24, 2025 at 7:15 PM
This is the situation at East Bank (in green), the highest volume rail station on the entire network, and the 13 bus lines which "interconnect" with it but stop blocks away (red), also with high transit usage. The people who designed this need to be sent to a re-education camp.
#OnThisDay Nov 24 1940: The vast expansion to Northern Pump Company in Fridley MN nears completion. During World War II the plant would become famous for the Mark 12 5-inch 38-caliber naval gun and one of a just a handful of factories in the nation to earn a remarkable 7 "E" stars for efficiency.
November 24, 2025 at 4:45 PM
#OnThisDay Nov 24 1940: The vast expansion to Northern Pump Company in Fridley MN nears completion. During World War II the plant would become famous for the Mark 12 5-inch 38-caliber naval gun and one of a just a handful of factories in the nation to earn a remarkable 7 "E" stars for efficiency.
#OnThisDay Nov 23, 1973: Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey appears on NBC's Dean Martin Celebrity Roast as the Man of the Week "who never took a bribe and never committed a crime, which is why he's here tonight and not in the White House."
November 23, 2025 at 5:20 AM
#OnThisDay Nov 23, 1973: Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey appears on NBC's Dean Martin Celebrity Roast as the Man of the Week "who never took a bribe and never committed a crime, which is why he's here tonight and not in the White House."
#OnThisDay Nov 22, 1938: Christmas decorations go up along Nicollet Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. At the time it was the busiest shopping street between Chicago and LA. The Great Northern Railway station can be seen in the far distance.
November 22, 2025 at 6:08 PM
#OnThisDay Nov 22, 1938: Christmas decorations go up along Nicollet Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. At the time it was the busiest shopping street between Chicago and LA. The Great Northern Railway station can be seen in the far distance.
#OnThisDay Nov 11, 1937: Nicholas Pederson, oldest employee of the Twin Cities Rapid Transit streetcar system, retires. He is honored at the 17th annual company banquet at Masonic Cataract Temple on Central Avenue and 4th Street Southeast in @eastbankmpls.bsky.social
November 22, 2025 at 6:02 PM
#OnThisDay Nov 11, 1937: Nicholas Pederson, oldest employee of the Twin Cities Rapid Transit streetcar system, retires. He is honored at the 17th annual company banquet at Masonic Cataract Temple on Central Avenue and 4th Street Southeast in @eastbankmpls.bsky.social
Interesting! Before this cute retail iteration it was a garage/loading dock. Which leaves the question to/for who, Northland Florist to the left or Hooker to the right. I had to go to the fancy old maps! It connects through to 21 3rd Ave, not next door, so must've been delivery for the florists
November 22, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Interesting! Before this cute retail iteration it was a garage/loading dock. Which leaves the question to/for who, Northland Florist to the left or Hooker to the right. I had to go to the fancy old maps! It connects through to 21 3rd Ave, not next door, so must've been delivery for the florists
#OnThisDay Nov 22, 1963: Throngs of enthusiastic spectators greet President Kennedy along Main Street in downtown Dallas. Minutes later the motorcade enters Dealey Plaza.
November 22, 2025 at 3:27 PM
#OnThisDay Nov 22, 1963: Throngs of enthusiastic spectators greet President Kennedy along Main Street in downtown Dallas. Minutes later the motorcade enters Dealey Plaza.
#OnThisDay Nov 21, 1967: Nicollet Mall, the first transit-oriented street in the United States and Lawrence Halprin's landscape design masterpiece, is dedicated. Subsequent renovations of this space have never equaled the elegant modernism of the original.
November 21, 2025 at 10:10 PM
#OnThisDay Nov 21, 1967: Nicollet Mall, the first transit-oriented street in the United States and Lawrence Halprin's landscape design masterpiece, is dedicated. Subsequent renovations of this space have never equaled the elegant modernism of the original.
Just picked this up at the Prospect Park little free library. Any good? Who's @ezraklein.bsky.social?
November 21, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Just picked this up at the Prospect Park little free library. Any good? Who's @ezraklein.bsky.social?
The Empire Strikes Back
November 20, 2025 at 9:10 PM
The Empire Strikes Back
They were all sorta like that back in the day. That's it in the distance when it was Standard Oil, 1956.
November 20, 2025 at 4:26 PM
They were all sorta like that back in the day. That's it in the distance when it was Standard Oil, 1956.
#OnThisDay Nov 20, 1979: The first artificial blood transfusion in the United States takes place at University of Minnesota Hospital in Minneapolis. A perfluorocarbon solution "Fluosol-DA" is given to a Jehovah's Witness who had refused a standard blood transfusion. The procedure is successful.
November 20, 2025 at 3:23 PM
#OnThisDay Nov 20, 1979: The first artificial blood transfusion in the United States takes place at University of Minnesota Hospital in Minneapolis. A perfluorocarbon solution "Fluosol-DA" is given to a Jehovah's Witness who had refused a standard blood transfusion. The procedure is successful.
Worse, the U has just demonstrated for the *second time* that it has no idea how to run a medical center. That makes a shitshow of the proposed $1B MPact hospital project, critically important to Southeast Minneapolis. If it fails that's lost jobs and blocks of empty lots with no economic activity.
November 20, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Worse, the U has just demonstrated for the *second time* that it has no idea how to run a medical center. That makes a shitshow of the proposed $1B MPact hospital project, critically important to Southeast Minneapolis. If it fails that's lost jobs and blocks of empty lots with no economic activity.
#OnThisDay Nov 19, 1855: Minnesota Deutsche Zeitung, the state's first German-language newspaper, begins publication in St. Paul. In 1858 the paper is renamed Minnesota Staats-Zeitung and becomes nationally prominent for its socialist, secularist, pro-immigration and anti-slavery viewpoints.
November 19, 2025 at 1:38 PM
#OnThisDay Nov 19, 1855: Minnesota Deutsche Zeitung, the state's first German-language newspaper, begins publication in St. Paul. In 1858 the paper is renamed Minnesota Staats-Zeitung and becomes nationally prominent for its socialist, secularist, pro-immigration and anti-slavery viewpoints.
#OnThisDay Nov 19, 1864: The Minnesota Valley Railroad, the 4th in the state, is opened between West St Paul and Belle Plaine via Mendota, Savage and Shakopee. The first train was pulled by an usual 4-2-0 steam contraption named "Shakopee." By 1868 the line reached Mankato, by 1869 Saint James.
November 19, 2025 at 1:09 PM
#OnThisDay Nov 19, 1864: The Minnesota Valley Railroad, the 4th in the state, is opened between West St Paul and Belle Plaine via Mendota, Savage and Shakopee. The first train was pulled by an usual 4-2-0 steam contraption named "Shakopee." By 1868 the line reached Mankato, by 1869 Saint James.
#OnThisDay Nov 18, 1985: A 70 mph gale drives the Greek-owned Liberian-flagged freighter "Socrates" aground on Minnesota Point, after the saltwater captain underestimates the power of @lakesuperior.bsky.social. 1000s of tourists come to view the event on buses. She is finally freed 6 days later.
November 18, 2025 at 5:37 PM
#OnThisDay Nov 18, 1985: A 70 mph gale drives the Greek-owned Liberian-flagged freighter "Socrates" aground on Minnesota Point, after the saltwater captain underestimates the power of @lakesuperior.bsky.social. 1000s of tourists come to view the event on buses. She is finally freed 6 days later.
#OnThisDay Nov 18, 1975: Marigold Ballroom at Grant Street and Nicollet Avenue is demolished. Known as "Minneapolis's Smartest and Largest", the venue once hosted WAMD's first radio broadcast in 1925, Duke Ellington in 1957, BB King in 1959, and Billy Joel's first Twin Cities concert in 1974.
November 18, 2025 at 2:14 PM
#OnThisDay Nov 18, 1975: Marigold Ballroom at Grant Street and Nicollet Avenue is demolished. Known as "Minneapolis's Smartest and Largest", the venue once hosted WAMD's first radio broadcast in 1925, Duke Ellington in 1957, BB King in 1959, and Billy Joel's first Twin Cities concert in 1974.
BREAKING: After the Park Board prevented the beavers from successfully felling a tree last year, then again this year, they (the beavers) have started Phase III. May the wind be at your back, little fellas.
November 17, 2025 at 9:44 PM
BREAKING: After the Park Board prevented the beavers from successfully felling a tree last year, then again this year, they (the beavers) have started Phase III. May the wind be at your back, little fellas.
#OnThisDay Nov 17, 1973: During a live press conference in front of 400 @apnews.com managing editors at Walt Disney World's Contemporary Hotel Resort in Orlando, Florida, President Richard M. Nixon utters the most iconic line of the entire Watergate scandal: "I am not a crook."
November 17, 2025 at 4:33 PM
#OnThisDay Nov 17, 1973: During a live press conference in front of 400 @apnews.com managing editors at Walt Disney World's Contemporary Hotel Resort in Orlando, Florida, President Richard M. Nixon utters the most iconic line of the entire Watergate scandal: "I am not a crook."
This long view maybe gives a better impression of the newer design portion. h/t @chaddavis.photography
November 16, 2025 at 10:02 PM
This long view maybe gives a better impression of the newer design portion. h/t @chaddavis.photography
Glad you mentioned water/snow management because that's huge and unsung. Bryant Ave was controversially modified mid-construction to the 2nd photo, but that actually became preferred by most users. Best features still remain: it's *raised* and separated. h/t @lauragmitchell.com for the 2nd photo
November 16, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Glad you mentioned water/snow management because that's huge and unsung. Bryant Ave was controversially modified mid-construction to the 2nd photo, but that actually became preferred by most users. Best features still remain: it's *raised* and separated. h/t @lauragmitchell.com for the 2nd photo
One of the unsung benefits of public transit are the positive social interactions. Here Vikings and Bears fans are living together without human sacrifice or mass hysteria.
November 16, 2025 at 5:36 PM
One of the unsung benefits of public transit are the positive social interactions. Here Vikings and Bears fans are living together without human sacrifice or mass hysteria.