Is That Like a “Target Penguin?” I’d heard of “Emperor” penguins and “King” penguins, but until recently, I’d never heard of “3M penguins.” Apparently, the Minnesota Zoo’s new exhibit is titled “3M Penguins of the African Coast.” Good timing for Morgan Spurlock’s new documentary, “Pom Wonderful: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold,” a satire on corporate product placement (Spurlock’s last effort was...Read More
Guilty Pleasures First, a disclaimer: the reason I picked up a newsstand copy of “The Real Housewives of the Twin Cities” — the July issue of Mpls – St. Paul magazine — wasn’t to find out who the five women were, where they shop, or eavesdrop on any juicy gossip, titillating personal details, etc. No,...Read More
Vacation Exodus: Manhattan vs. Minneapolis In August, Manhattan seemingly departs en masse for The Hamptons, leaving the city empty — and a playground for the (relative) handful who stay behind. In July, people in Minneapolis head in droves to their cabins up North, leaving the city lakes, beaches, restaurants and biking paths (relatively) empty — and a...Read More
Traveling With an “Entourage” You’d think an avowed bargain-hunter such as myself would be a natural for Priceline.com (and other online shopping services). In fact, I’ve never been able to pull the trigger (including while traveling last week). My hesitation? Actually, a couple things, starting with the non-changeable, non-refundable nature of the commitment required by...Read More
Collective Plane Cheers — and Groans As a lifelong Minnesotan (with some interruptions living on the East and West Coast), I can report returning to the Twin Cities when the local temperature was minus 20° (Jan., 1977); during a blizzard (Feb., 1995); and many, many other occasions when boarding the plane to come home required a...Read More
Preventing Runaway’s The first thing any Minnesota driver learns — at least in the winter — is to pump the brakes when conditions are icy (make that “learned,” now that anti-lock brakes are standard equipment on most cars). In San Francisco, the equivalent is to always angle the tires towards the curb when you park...Read More
