Mudcat Grant

Captured a photo of "Mudcat" Grant at the Twins Fest last weekend. He was a former pitcher for the Minnesota Twins from 1964 to 1967, he also played for six other teams during his career. Unfortunately, after this photo, my camera batteries died and that was the end of my photos for the day....

TwinsFest 2010

Made a trip to TwinsFest 2010 last weekend. It's an event put on by the Minnesota Twins baseball club. TwinsFest is one of the largest team-run fan festivals in professional sports, is an annual fundraiser for the Minnesota Twins Community Fund. Since its inception in 1989, TwinsFest has raised more than $3.9 million for programs and organizations supported by the Twins Community Fund. I attended TwinsFest back in it's first year of 1989 and also 1990, but had not returned until this year to bring my son, he enjoyed the trip to the dome. We rode the light-rail from the Mall Of America to the Metrodome to make the trip just a bit different than driving a vehicle.

Go Go Gophers

Gate E

One of the entrances to the new Gopher football stadium. I have not been inside to a game yet, being as this was the first season, tickets were a bit tough to get. Not that I tried hard to get them this year. It is on my list of places to see a football game in the future years.

Another View From The Gates

It wouldn't be right to post one side of the stadium and ignore the other. This is the south side of the new TCF Bank Stadium. There is a bit more character on this side with a few more levels, the press box is there somewhere and who knows how many of those are suites.

TCF Stadium - View From The Gates

Made a return visit to the new Gopher football stadium. There wasn't a practice this evening, but there were enough lights on inside to snap a couple of shots. If my orientation is correct, this is the north side of the stadium.

Golden Gopher Basketball

Tubby Smith is in his third season as coach of the Minnesota Gopher Basketball team. Tonight's opponent was Steven F Austin. The game was close until around three minutes left in the first half, the Gophers pulled away at that point and never looked back. The crowd started leaving with about five minutes to play, so the place looks really empty. But with a nearly 40 point lead, the game was well in hand.

Britt's Pub

Opened in 1990, started out in a very small portion of downtown Minneapolis, but has now grow to be a very popular establishment. Yes, a British accent can be heard in the building from a few of the workers and guests.

New Home Of Gopher Football

I finally made it over to the University Of Minnesota to see the new TCF Bank Stadium at night. Minnesota Gopher football returns to campus after twenty plus years of playing football games in the Metrodome, several miles off campus. My visit was brief as I was there to see the Gopher Basketball game. I didn't have a tripod with me, but made do with what I could find nearby for this nighttime capture. The stadium is quite impressive and was larger than I expected it to be. The football team was having a practice, so some of the lights were on, just enough for this photo.

Oh The Drama

In 24 hours, I've watched the Minnesota Vikings destroy the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football. The Minnesota Twins play a one game playoff game to decide the American League Champion for 2009. They came back twice to win. Then the Minnesota Wild win their season home opener, another comeback being down 3-0 and winning in overtime. I'm so not used to Minnesota being in the spotlight and coming out on the victorious side of things.

Hanging Art

I've been debating on posting this capture. It's a tad out of focus, the angle is not how I was expecting it to look. I was rushed so I didn't take the time to look in my LCD screen. Depending on how one looks at it, this can be a side profile of a human head, or just a bunch of bent metal if you look at it from the angle of the photo. It's really an interesting piece of art at several locations. Next time I'll do better, I promise.

The Spotlight

Motorhead guitarist, Phil Campbell. This capture is also from the Motorhead show at First Avenue this past Friday during Phil's guitar solo. The single spotlight, from behind stage was a great touch.

Vita.MN Motorhead Photo Gallery

Motorhead

Motorhead performed at First Avenue on August 28, 2009. I managed to capture a few semi-decent photos from the show. You were only allowed to bring in point and shoot cameras into the show. Oddly enough, I drank a couple of pints across the street at a local pub, there was a couple of guys in there with English accents, I thought it was more of an Irish accent at the time. If I would have put two and two together, I would have realized those accents were real and they were roadies from behind the scenes of the Motorhead concert. It was an enjoyable show and as advertised, they put on the loudest show around.

Vita.MN Motorhead Photo Gallery

Lines And Angles

This reflection caught my eye. It is located in just north of downtown Minneapolis, along Interstate 35W.

Careful Construction

I really like that they were able to build a taller building around the historic Porter Frye building. The older building reminds me of a tall castle.

Lines And Shapes

The west facing wall of Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis.

Head Into The City

The skyline view of Minneapolis as you approach from Interstate 35W on the ramp to Interstate 94.

Public Art

An art statue outside the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis.

The Basilica Of Saint Mary

Built in 1914, the Basilica Of Saint Mary was the first Basilica built in America. It was honored Pope Pius XI in 1926 and has been named to the National Register of Historic Places. There is an extensive history on this Catholic based parish dating back to 1655, which can be found on their website.

Golden Pipes Of Minneapolis

A lower angle of the golden pipe water falls in the park adjacent to Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis.

Tall Buildings

The IDS Tower in downtown Minneapolis

Brick Art Water Fall

This brick waterfall is located in downtown Minneapolis near Orchestra Hall.

Street Art #2

Sights Of The Skyway

A different take on a skyway walkway in downtown Minneapolis.

AT&T Building

The 464 foot tall AT&T Building was completed in 1991 in downtown Minneapolis. It is the 14th tallest building in the city. It's personally one of my favorites to photograph because of the unusual top and all of that reflective glass.

Lines, Angles, Reflections

Growth In The City

To me, it was an unusual site to see this ivy plant growing on the top level of this parking garage in the heart of downtown Minneapolis. In reality, the spring growing season at the time time of this photo was about four weeks. I'm curious who this will look come the end of summer....

Find The Squirrels

It's not the best of photos, and my camera zoom was at the limits before things really get out of focus, so I did the best I could. As I was walking around downtown Minneapolis, I spotted two squirrels running and chasing each other. One of the squirrels and a big red apple in it's mouth as it ran. It was quite comical to see. I was thankful the pair finally made their way up a tree and posed for me. Seriously, it honestly looks like they are posing for the camera shot, almost as if they knew I wanted to take their photo. Though I suppose they could have stopped to see if I was a predator or not.

Ladies And Gentleman....

The Tubes!

These tubes can be found outside of Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis. And yes, that is me in the reflection.

There Was A Time

There was a time, when the 607 foot tall, Foshay Tower, now called "W Minneapolis - The Foshay" was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River. Today, it stands as the second tallest concrete structure, only to the Empire State Building is taller. Though, from this angle down on the street, to me, it appears as the tallest. If you look closely, the last stepping ring around the top, then it drops straight down, there is an observation deck that remains open. There have been some outstanding photos taken from the observation deck recently by some of the local bloggers. If you get a chance, stop by some of the daily photo blogs featured here on this site and do a search.

Graffiti Or Street Art

I'm conflicted with this one. It's certainly is a painting, it's framed, there is structure to it, it's even signed....and on a wall of a building with a sidewalk, yet I'm tempted to call it graffiti....weird of me eh?

Decisions, Decisions

Oh the places you'll go, when your, downtown....

And Now, For Something Completely Different

Another photo from the same park next to Orchestra Hall. In a different part of the park. These long tubes growing out of the waters below, with water pouring out of the top of the pipe. You really have to strain to see the water on the copper tubing.

Orchestra Hall Park

Just outside the door of Orchestra Hall, located in downtown Minneapolis is a park with plenty of water, pools, waterfalls, and artwork with water flowing out of them. It's quite the scene. Unfortunately, not everything was operational as the weather is a tad on the cool side this spring. There was however, a few things that had water running, this small, man made falls was one of them. I used a manual setting, shutter speed of 1/8, f2.8, no additional lenses. The best part was, I did not have my tripod with me and used my hand as the tripod hoping for the best. I was pleased with the result.

Site Of The Day: Big Ding Dong

Three Year Mile Stone

April 23, 2006 was day one of the Twin Cities Daily Photo blog. [Take a peek back at the first post here] The photo I've chosen for today's photo is one that was taken back in the first couple of months of the blog, while driving along Interstate 94, crossing the Minnesota River, looking north into downtown Minneapolis. Spring was in full bloom at this point, sunny as can be and warm enough to wear shorts and a t-shirt.

Thank you to all who stop by on a regular basis. Looking at the stats for the website, I can tell there is quite a bit of regular traffic during the work week.

One More Tilt Shift Photo

One more of the 'Tilt-Shift' technique photos I mentioned in yesterday's post. Photo was taken on 35W, heading north into downtown Minneapolis.

Where Am I?

I know I was in downtown Minneapolis when I took this photo. I believe I was on Washington Avenue, or somewhere close to there. I can't name the buildings in the reflection though.

Minneapolis Halo

I've heard people refer to the top of this building in downtown Minneapolis as having a 'halo'.

Fogo De Chao

Located on the corner of 7th Street and Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis is a great Brazilian Steakhouse. It's basically an all you can eat steakhouse that offers about 20 or so different cuts of meat prepared in various ways. We've been here a couple of times and have enjoyed the atmosphere and the food each time. The Gaucho chefs walk around from table to table with meat on skewers. If you want to try the particular cut of beef on the skewer, you say yes, or no if you want to try something else. It's a rather unique way of serving an all you can eat type of restaurant. They walk around with the food and you never really have to leave your seat. A tad on the spendy side at $40-43 a plate if you're on a budget, but I highly recommended Fogo De Chao if you're looking to try something new.

Foshay Tower Lights Up The Night

This is a contribution photo by Eric of the Foshay Tower in downtown Minneapolis. The Foshay Tower was built in 1929, modeled after the Washington Monument and stands 447 feet tall, plus an antenna that extends the structure to 607 feet total. It has been credited as the first skyscraper west of the Mississippi. It remains the second tallest concrete skyscraper with the Empire State Building in New York as the tallest.

Normally the lights on the Foshay Tower go unlit. I believe I heard it had been 15 years since they were last lit up. The reason they were powered on was to mark the opening of a new beginning for the Foshay Tower. It has been converted from an office building to a 230 room 'W Hotel'. Ralph W Burnet and Ryan Companies have spent over $90 million in the renovation process.

This great contribution photo and more can be found found at the authors flicker website.

The Witches Tower

A quick shot from my car window as I wait for the red light to turn green. This odd looking tower, also called the 'Witches Hat' located in Prospect Park is actually a water tower. What you might not know is, this water tower was also designed as a bandstand. Constructed back in 1913, the bandstand, incidentally, only held one concert. Carrying musical instruments to the top of the sixty foot climb proved to be quite difficult for the musicians. I must admit, this is one really cool way to hide a water tower.

City Pages Street Team

A couple of weekends ago, my wife and I went out with a few other couples for the evening. After our dinner stop in downtown Minneapolis, we made a stop at a tavern nearby called Glueck's. While we were there enjoying our favorite beverages of choice, someone from the City Pages Street Team asked if they could take our photo. Everyone in our party agreed with the teams of signing a photo waiver of some sort to release the photo for the weekly local newspaper. [The City Pages is a very popular weekly newspaper with a somewhat different take on Twin Cities news and events] While I did agree to sign the waiver, I also asked if I could take their photo to include on the Twin Cities Daily Photo. I took the verbal agreement and the 'thumbs up' in the photo as a green light. I must give credit for this photo to my wife as I posed with the City Pages Street Team member.

Prepare For Digital Television

February 17, 2009....That is the last day to receive over the air, analog television signals in the United States. The morning of February 18, you should receive 'snow' on your screen without a convert box. While some television providers will continue to broadcast analog signals, the majority are no longer allowed too to make way for future innovative services. If you have cable, satellite or have digital television, a converter box is not necessary. As of now, you have less than 9 months, or 269 days before the switch....

For more information:

DTV Answers
Digital TV Facts
Digital TV Transition

35W Bridge Freeway Ends

In yesterday's photo I was traveling on 35W, as you may recall last summer on August 2, 2007, the 35W bridge crossing the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed. As I rounded the bend in yesterday's photo, I saw the signs for the freeway ending just ahead. Nearly a year later, progress on a new replacement bridge is underway. From what I hear, they are several months ahead of schedule from the expected completion date. Though there are 20? million dollars extra if they finish ahead of schedule. Oh what an incentive will do to people.

The Other Side Of The Twin Cities

Seams like I have posted quite a few St Paul photos as of late. There is good reason, it's rare these days that I get over to Minneapolis like I was in the past. Plus, I do know St Paul much better than Minneapolis as I grew up on the St Paul side of the Twin Cities. It just so happened last week I made a very brief trip through Minneapolis via the heavily construction zone called Interstate 35W. WOW! I have never seen so much construction happening on 35W in my life. If your heading north, it starts at 494 and continues all the way up to the 35W bridge collapse. There was perhaps, maybe five miles of that stretch of highway that was not under some sort of construction.

As for the photo, in all honestly, what I like about the photo is the yellow buses parked on the bridge. It gives the steel and glass downtown some color.

I am thankful for: Not having to drive on 35W on a daily basis.

Electrocardiogram

This odd looking contraption, also from the Bakken Museum, is an early 1900s, historic EKG machine used to track the electrical energy from a heart. Today's EKG machine uses disposable patches attached to wires to read the electrical pulses, the EKG machine in the photo, the hands and feet were placed in sodium chloride baths as a means of conduction. We've come a long way in medicine.

Minnesota Wild vs Colorado Avalanche Update
Series: Wild lead in the series 2-1
Game 4: Tuesday, April 15 @ 9:00 [CT]
Game 5: Thursday, April 17 @ 8:00 [CT]

My Daily Photo Favorites: New York, New York | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Uptown, Minnesota | Duluth, Minnesota

Bakken Museum

One of the more interesting places to visit in the Twin Cities is the Bakken Museum, located on just off of Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis. Earl Bakken is credited for creating the first wearable, batter powered, cardiac pacemaker and is a co-founder of Medtronics. The pacemaker is one of several medical devices and other important electronic equipment that is housed in the museum. If you visit the Twin Cities some day in the future, schedule the museum on your list of places to see.

My Daily Photo Favorites: San Francisco, California | San Antonio, Texas | Brookville, Ohio | Chicago, Illinois | Naples, Florida

Gophers Tubby Smith

The regular season for the Minnesota Gophers has come to a close. New head coach Tubby Smith in his first year brought the basketball team from a seven win team to a twenty win team. It was a very welcome improvement as the majority of the players were leftovers from the previous coach. Tubby was able to get them to play very well together, something the previous coach was lacking.

It's my shameless annual plug for my other website I run this time of the year. It is a free, online office pool that correlates with the NCAA Men's Final Four Tournament. Hope to see you in my final four pool this year. I also have blank brackets and printable brackets if you're in need of one.

My Website: OfficePool64.com

 

My Daily Photo Favorites: returning soon....

Interesting Links Of the Day: Final Four | Blank Bracket | Printable Bracket