Minnesota Tops the Charts (as per usual)!
I’m not sure if anyone else has google news alerts set up for Minneapolis-related stories, but here are a couple of links to articles that further prove how awesome Minnesota is (at least compared to most of the rest of this ridiculous country).
Forbes thinks you should have babies in Minneapolis!
“So how did New York, last year’s No. 1 city for working mothers, get displaced by unassuming Minneapolis? This year we placed greater emphasis on women’s earnings, which we think play a major role in the best cities for women to work and raise children.
And at only 216 crimes per 100,000 residents annually, Minneapolis has the lowest violent crime rate, which means there are fewer murders, rapes, robberies and assaults than any other major U.S. city, as well as the second-lowest unemployment rate at 6.4%.”
And a children’s advocacy foundation says they will be healthy!
“Minnesota isn’t doing very well compared to itself” a decade earlier, said Kara Arzamendia, research director for the Children’s Defense Fund-Minnesota, which produced the local data for the national report. “We’re not doing better by kids.”
The state showed improvements since 2000 in its rates of infant mortality, child deaths, teen deaths, teen pregnancies and school dropouts. But Arzamendia said that increasing poverty threatens to pull those statistics in the wrong direction. Low family income can lead to unhealthy behaviors, deteriorating living conditions and an increase in crime, she said.
August Happy Hour – Summer Camp Style, part 3
Fellow Minnesotans, you are invited to the August MN Monthly Happy Hour – Summer Camp style. Please join us on Friday, August 6, 2010 from 6-9pm at Lady Jay’s in Williamsburg, BK, located at 633 Grand St.
Click here to find out what our very own Mishka Vertin has to say about this place in her Shecky’s Nightlife review.
…This is a bittersweet MN Monthly happy hour, as it is the last one before I return to the homeland. I’ve got a few surprises up my sleeve for my last event, and I hear Tara’s got some great trivia questions. And fear not- the monthly shindigs will live on after this month with Mishka and Tara as your hosts.
I will be incredibly sad to leave this amazing group of people behind, but the Minnesota tie with you all keeps me from getting too broken up about it – we have a great chance of crossing paths in the homeland! I hope all the wonderful friends I’ve made over the past year and a half of happy hours will be able to make it out!
Friday, Aug 6, 2010
6:00-9:00pm
@ Lady Jay’s, 633 Grand St, Williamsburg, BK
L train to Lorimer St
Click here to RSVP on the Facebook invite.
Returned and Refreshed from the Motherland
Hey there Minnesotans!
So I completely failed to post anything last week, but it was for the only good reason I could possibly imagine: I was relaxing with way too many Grain Belt Premiums on a lake in Northern Minnesota. I’ll be posting a more substantive recap of the trip shortly, but for now I thought I’d just share this picture that I hope reminds you of the wondrous beauty of the heartland.
with love,
Jay
MN Culture Club’s New Video Series!!!
So I realize I’m a little late with this, but our BFFs over at the Minnesota Culture Club have begun a new video series along the lines of London’s Black Cab Sessions and Paris-based La Blogotheque i.e. videos of Minnesotan musicians playing live in NYC environments! Check out the first post here!
Their first video features Minnesotan musician Jeremy Messersmith performing ‘A Girl, A Boy, and A Graveyard’ – here it is:
I hope you enjoy – and I sincerely hope to see more music videos coming out of MN Culture Club!
cheers,
Jay
Btdubs - here’s a neat profile/interview of Oskar Eustis, a successful Minnesotan who’s trying to bring more free theater to NYC!
Rex in the Times
Occasional MN Monthly Happy Hour attendee and fellow Minnesotan living in NYC, Rex Sorgatz, has a fascinating profile in the New York Times today about his success in social media, branding and launching a restaurant. Congrats, Rex!
Click here for the article.
Paul Bunyan as Urbanite (via paper dolls)
I was worrying this morning that it had been almost a week since my first post and I hadn’t managed to update Minneapple folks with any further tidbits of MN ex-pat culture. Luckily, while skimming through my RSS feeds I stumbled across this beautifully crafted paper doll template of every Minnesotan’s favorite lumber-industry mascot (via RadRobot.org):
If you click through you’ll see that even Bunyan himself has apparently spread beyond Minnesota’s borders and has a statue dedicated to him in ‘North Portland’. I think that we can all appreciate how Minnesotans have to camoflage themselves when settling into urban environments across the country – and the artist here has done a beautiful and highly amusing job (my favorite part is the ‘BABE’ tatoo on his fingers).
I know there must be dozens scattered across the heartland, but my quintessential Paul Bunyan statue is located right down the road from where my extended Finnish family vacations in Akeley, MN every year (pictured right). Akeley claims to be the ‘birthplace’ of the Bunyan legend, but if Minnesotans can’t even agree on which is actually the biggest ball of twine, then I’m inclined to take any such claims with a grain of salt.
In fact, starting this Friday I’ll be heading up to the North Woods to visit old Bunyan himself and I can’t wait. I’ll be free to take off the paper-thin costume of a Brooklynite Yuppie/Hipster and change into my jean shorts and Twins tees to laze around in fishing boats on one of our fair state’s beautiful lakes.
Anyone else going back to MN for vacation this summer?
Any suggestions on what ‘authentic cultural artifacts’ I could bring back to NYC?
Do you think Paul Bunyan can be considered genuine ‘folklore’ or is he just ‘obsolete corporate advertising’?
with love,
Last week, after the July Minneapple in the Big Apple happy hour, I came home having confirmed that I would be inheriting this blog. I promptly sat down with my trusty laptop and churned out an introductory post that ran way too many pages and waxed poetic about my upbringing in South Minneapolis and my sundering from the Motherland at a tender age.
But this isn’t a blog about me, this is first and foremost a blog for the Minnesotan and Upper-Midwestern community living in the New York City metropolitan area. To that end, I’ll be taking my stewardship of this domain seriously, and use it to perpetuate a space for Minnesota-related arts, culture, and community to thrive.
I look forward to working with Mishka and Tara to promote and coordinate monthly happy-hours in NYC bars for our ex-pat community of drinkers; and to working with the MN Culture Club to promote Minnesota-based bands and artists coming through NYC.
I also hope to start a weekly or monthly (depending on interest) blog series in which I’ll solicit brief web-essays from fellow Minnesotans in NYC on a variety of midwest-related topics. I hope you will all consider contributing and indulge me in my overabundant love for all-things Minnesota.
On that note, I’ll sign off for now, I’ll plan on writing at a minimum of once a week, and will definitely do more so if feedback is forthcoming.
Time to go order myself an I <MN> BK shirt!
with love,
Jay
Announcing my triumphant return to the motherland
Friends, it was inevitable. I started this group for Minnesotans living in NYC, and realized through meeting such amazing and fabulous fellow Minnesotans that home really is where the heart is. And so I am returning to Minnesota at the end of August after 10 years of trying my hand at living on both coasts (I lived in Seattle for 6 years). This fall, I’ll be attending the Humphrey Institute at the good ol’ U of M (my alma mater) to earn my Masters in Public Policy. And I’ll be living somewhere in Minneapolis, carving out an urban lifestyle for myself. I couldn’t be more excited to go back home to the state I love and be close to the family and old friends very dear to my heart!
But never fear – this group and blog will live on for all you proud Minnesotans living in NYC! Good friends Mishka and Tara, who I met at the first ever MN Monthly Happy Hour, have already taken over the happy hours by planning and hosting the 2 “summer camp style” happy hours of the last 2 months. Infusing their own style and charm already, Mishka prepares fun trivia questions for each event and both ladies create the friendly and welcoming atmosphere us Minnesotans are known for. It’s been awesome so far, and the happy hours will clearly benefit from their friendly hosting skills.
Your Fabulous MN Monthly Hosts, Mishka and Tara
And this blog will live on, as well, with talented writer and proud Minnesotan Jay Ackley taking the reigns. Jay happens to have provided his Minnesota state flag to the summer camp MN Monthly Happy Hours, pictured above. Jay currently blogs about music and culture over at www.jayackley.com, and will happily be contributing his writing talents to this blog where he can represent his Minnesota pride regularly.
Jay is also a musician, and he wrote this fantastic anthem for a new republic of MN, Northstar. Check it out in his video, and look for his first blog post soon…
This group has been more fun and fulfilling than I ever could have imagined, thanks to all the wonderful people I’ve met and befriended over the last year and a half. It will be so hard to part with all the friends I’ve made. But home calls, and the good news is we all hail from the same place – I may get to see many of you back on the homefront soon enough (read: keep in touch!).
And of course, there’s the next MN Monthly Happy Hour on Friday, August 6th. It will be my last happy hour, so let’s make it a great one! I hope to see all your friendly faces there. Location TBD.
It’s been amazing, friends!
xoxo,
Nora
July Happy Hour – THURSDAY, July 1 at Flatbush Farm
Fellow Minnesotans, you are invited to the second installment of MN Monthly Summer Camp. Now you know we have a regular first Friday of the month happy hour gathering of Minnesota ex-pats living in NYC. This month, we are shaking things up a bit.
Join us on the first Thursday of July at Flatbush Farm in Park Slope, Brooklyn (a restaurant which just so happens to be owned by a fellow Minnesotan living in NYC!).
We are escaping the (lovely, yet dark) Le Poisson Rouge Gallery Bar for the summer and going to venues with OUTDOOR options for summer camp/lake cabin style field trips around the city.
Let’s face it, we Minnesotans know how to make the most of all weather types, and summer requires that we soak up as much sun and warmth to hold over and keep us warm during the frigid winters.
Let’s make this happen!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
6:00-9:00pm
Flatbush Farm, 76 Saint Marks Ave, Brooklyn, NY
RSVP on the Facebook invite HERE
Good times this week
This week is full of shows and events by talented Minnesotans, including 3 chances to see Mpls indie-duo Peter Wolf Crier!
TUESDAY, JUNE 15TH
Radio Happy Hour
Radio Happy Hour is back at Le Poisson Rouge, mixing it up by bringing it to you on a Tuesday evening instead of their usual Saturday afternoon time slot. Musical guest is Nick Diamonds of Islands, along with actor Eddie Kaye Thomas, and ubiquitous New York show business star Murray Hill. This live radio show that’s not on the radio always entertains, and definitely surprises those who haven’t seen it before, in a good way!
@ Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker St / 7:00pm / $10 advance, $12 at door
Tix/event/venue info HERE
This is the first of three shows from the duo this week, in town to promote their new album, “Inter-Be.”
@ Pianos, 158 Ludlow St / 10pm / $8
Event info HERE
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16TH
Peter Wolf Crier
Night 2 of this band’s NYC tour, opening for First Aid Kit.
@ Mercury Lounge, 217 E Houston St / 7:30pm / $15
Tix/event/venue info HERE
Minnesota ex-pat duo Hans Erik and bassist Erik Naslund are joined by Chris Stromquist on drums and vocals in the debut of the group as a trio. Be prepared for some great 3-part harmonies and upbeat songs.
@ Bar 4, 444 7th Ave, Brooklyn / 10pm / FREE
FRIDAY, JUNE 18TH
Peter Wolf Crier
The duo hits up Brooklyn this time for another great live show in NYC.
w/ Judson Claiborne, Pacific Theater
@ Union Hall, 702 Union St / 8pm / $10
Workshop Model
Minnesota ex-pats and high shool math teachers Akil Wilson and Nathan Affield make up the punk duo, The Workshop Model. At this show, Nathan’s students’ hip hop project, F.O.S., will be performing. Very intriguing!
@ Bar Matchless, 557 Manhattan Ave, Brooklyn / 7pm / FREE
