Downtown Minneapolis

The announcement regarding the pending closing and demolition of Nye's Polonaise Room didn't surprise me. Its prime location in one of Minneapolis' budding river-side districts is a coveted location for developers to build yet another cluster of expensive and unsightly condos (though it would take quite the addled architect to unseat the ugliest new building in the Twin Cities); and the current plan is to do just that. The real surprise, for...

The announcement that 2013 would be the last year of the Holidazzle Parade came as a head-scratcher to many (including myself). Why would Minneapolis abandon its event of more than two decades? Didn't it annually attract 300,000 spectators? The official "tough economic situation" line didn't stick. The real answer: the Minneapolis Downtown Council wanted to create a much more...