Lunch Trucks in Downtown

Every Wednesday during the summer a group of lunch trucks come to downtown. They park across from the Ramsey County Court House on Kellogg Avenue from roughly 11 AM to 1PM. A few Wednesdays back I ate at the Gastrotruck. The decision to choose this little white truck over the lovely purple Magic Bus Cafe or the bright orange Fork in the Road truck was a hard one. All the menus looked great, but the little rack of homemade condiments on the Gastrotruck won me over. I guess I just had to try the marinated spring ramps and the pickled red onions. I only recently discovered what a spring ramp is (wild leek) and you really wouldn't expect a lunch truck to be serving it. I perhaps had more than my share of spring ramps on that black bean and oats slider I ordered. You wouldn't expect that from a lunch truck either. I was so impressed with my slider that I had to attempt to make them at home. My version goes something like this: Mash one 15 oz can black beans with 2 eggs, add 3/4 cup old fashioned oats, 1 cup chopped portobello mushrooms, a little chopped onion and garlic (saute it first), a little salt, pepper, dried oregano. Leave it in the fridge for an hour or so and then form into patties and fry on a griddle in a little olive oil. Awesome. I made a jar of pickled red onions too. Maybe next spring I will try foraging for ramps to complete my slider experience.

Union Depot Rehab

I got a call recently from a friend who said she had just gotten a job on the Empire Builder train that runs from Seattle to Chicago. Out and back is 6 days with a brief stop in the Empire Builder's hometown. I mean James J. Hill of course. I think he would approve of the plan to rehab the old Union Depot and get that train stopping in Lowertown instead of the dreary Transfer Road location off of University Avenue. Work to make that happen started January 2011 and the first train should stop in downtown in 2012. The concourse already looks like it is getting new windows while demolition work is still in progress to the area that will be the train platform. The depot will also serve as an end of the line for the LRT and a hub for Jefferson, Greyhound, and local buses. If we can just get through all the construction in downtown in the next few years we will have some great transportation choices other than getting into our cars. I might just make my next trip to Chicago by train.

Pianos on Parade

Twenty hand painted pianos in locations around St. Paul are waiting for spontaneous concerts. The performer is you and you can play them all day until 10pm. I have found only three of them. This one sits outside of the Ordway across from Rice Park. Yes, it is somewhat sheltered from potential rain. Two more in downtown are located just outside the Travelers Building and the Landmark Center. But where are the other seventeen? Another piano admirer asked me that question in downtown. He wanted to take his son to each and every one of them to play. I guess the answer to that is that it is like the winter medallion hunt but without the clues. You have until the end of July to find them so good luck. The Pianos on Parade is a project of Keys 4/4 Kids an organization which restores old pianos that they receive as donations from folks like YOU!!!

Building Dancers

Today was the last day of activities for the Flint Hills Music Festival in downtown. The weather was perfect all weekend. I'm sure Project Bandaloop appreciated it as they performed their acrobatic ballet on the face of the 12 story Lawson Building. Kids and parents alike were mesmerized as the performers descended from the roof and began their show of graceful jumps and twirls. Their first routine was performed to the music of Caravan Palace and then a short 5 minute intermission...after all they had to get back to the top floor of the building....by elevator I hope. They have performed similar routines all over the world from bridges in Tennessee to buildings in New Delhi and even the rock face at the top of Yosemite Falls in California. I remember hiking up the switch back trail to the top of Yosemite Falls and it was grueling. I hope they had an easier way of getting up there. As with everything today, you can see their Yosemite performance on You Tube.