The651.com

I’m originally from North Dakota.

Although I grew up in a small town south of Fargo, I’ve always felt a connection to the Twin Cities.  The first zoo that I experienced was during a family trip to Como Park.  Our Lutheran church had a progressive (but short-lived) program called “Journey to the City”.  Impressionable youth were transported into the inner city to eat at missions, meet A.I.M. leaders, attend gospel celebrations and pick up on the vibes of psychedelic night clubs.

Later years found me visiting friends and classmates who had “made the move”.  Several trips were made – seeking out jazz, folk and blues in the Cities.  The timing of my move to the Cities was the result of circumstance.  I mistakenly received a rejection letter for graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin Madison, the result of an administrative error.  When UW-Madison discovered their blunder, I had already accepted a position at Saint Mary’s Hospital (now Fairview University) in Minneapolis.  It was 1980.

My first residence was in South Minneapolis for six months, followed by a move to the Seward neighborhood for almost two years.  I remember the first time I really “went to Saint Paul” to visit a friend’s sister.  The experience was quite disorienting as I left the comfort of the “grid system”.  However, I returned with a strong sense and appreciation of “neighborhoods”.  I left the homogeneity of Minneapolis.  I crossed the river and settled in Desnoyer Park in 1982.  In 1994 I purchased an 1889 row-house in the Summit University neighborhood.  Saint Paul is definitely home.

Beyond North Dakota and the Twin Cities, I have lived in Perth, Western Australia, Denver, Chicago and Marine-on-St. Croix.  When asked to describe Saint Paul, I often use the words; historic, quaint, hilly, drowsy, tipsy, clannish and cozy.  Minneapolis can be very cliquish.  Saint Paul, on the other hand, can be downright tribal!  I tease fellow citizens that I would not have assimilated into the social matrix so “quickly” if I hadn’t started a brewery!

So when friends and relatives visit, I focus on Saint Paul’s natural orientation toward neighborhoods.  Here are some highlights and suggestions from my “neighborhood”.

Day One: A bicycle trip.  Park the car near the Saint Paul Cathedral.  Ride on in to downtown, cross the Wabasha Bridge, wheel through Harriet Island Park and continue along the river until you turn north and cross on the Mendota Bridge, pedal through Fort Snelling, turn east across Highway 5, north on Mississippi River Boulevard to Summit Avenue and west all the way to the Cathedral.  (A sixteen mile trip.)

Day Two: Tour the Saint Paul Cathedral.  On the front steps, look north.  Remember Bishop Ireland’s position that the church must be on higher ground than the government.  Meander over to the Minnesota Historical Center and check out some exhibits.  Purchase Larry Millett’s AIA Guide to Saint Paul’s Summit Avenue and Hill District in the gift shop.  Cross I-94 and tour the State Capital.  Go down to the restored Ratskeller and contemplate how Minnesota politics would be less polarized if beer where served.  Have dinner at a neighborhood joint in Dayton’s Bluff and watch the sun set behind the downtown skyline.

Day Three: Pull out that book you bought yesterday.  Start a walking tour of Ramsey Hill, Crocus Hill and eastern Summit Avenue.  (Keep in mind that the Ramsey Hill Association hosts a historic home tour in this area every other year in September!)  Before the sun goes down, go south to Grand Avenue and Lexington.  Proceed east on Grand Avenue, turn north on Dale Street until you reach Selby Avenue.  Turn east and continue until you arrive at Virginia Street.  Check out that Swedish Church across the street.  How many restaurants and pubs did you pass?  Twenty-six?  How many outdoor beer/dining gardens did you pass?  Eleven?  Check my math.

Day Four: Organize your own personal pub crawl through the district from yesterday.  If you are walking, be responsible with your consumption.  Otherwise have a designated driver or chauffeur.  Be responsible with your consumption.  Check out if the “Pedal-Pub” is cruising through the neighborhood this day.  Locate the Penumbra Theatre Company, get a date and see a play for the evening.

Day Five: Slide on down to the West Seventh area.  Move toward downtown, discovering the pubs and restaurants along the way. Have your picture taken with “F. Scott” in Rice Park.  Spend time in the Landmark Center.  Check out the lobby of the original Pioneer Press Building.  Be overwhelmed by your choices for dinner within three blocks.  Be certain to check out a subterranean jazz spot.  Now, where should we venture?  Lowertown?  Frogtown?  Midway?  Rhythm and blues on University Avenue or alternative tunes just past Snelling?

After you have completed these neighborhood journeys, call me.  We have yet to find the best juicy-lucy and sushi.  Or, I could introduce you to a regionally focused chef with a very maniacal laugh?  It’s the weekend after all.

Mark O. Stutrud is the Founder and C.E.O. of Summit Brewing Company in Saint Paul.  He has been restoring his house, on and off, for the past fifteen years.  He stopped feeling like burning it down three years ago.