Living the Dream

It's so hot, there's nothing to do but hang out at the pool. Hope you enjoyed our adventure!

PS. One of us has to go back to work. I wish we could keep Chinooking.

Comments from the Internet:

Facebook:

• I'm proposing a Tour de Cities in September, lead by you of course...
• I heart your blog & I don't want it to end.
• I just read every post. Love it!
• I just gave your blog props! It's da bomb!
• Must visit Twin Cities ASAP!
• Your blog is a great reminder about all of the exciting possibilities in the city.
• These two are not only clever, but quite awesome. Follow their blog about their adventures with the Chinook Book. Love it.
• Just found it today... it's great! What a cool idea. Now I'm looking into getting our Local First coupon book to try something similar
• I heart the blog and only wish it included recipes because I'm strangely hungry after reading it.
• I applaud your creative way to play-keep it up
• I can't find words to express how much I love this!
• Although I do not like the shutdown and what it is doing, I have been enjoying your adventures. What a great thing!
• Hey, you're famous! a great blog, you two...clever and fun!
• Holy crap!
• Your blog is makin' me smile. So Kate & Pippish! Where are we going later this week? I want to see you two in action. :)
• What's the blog address? I'd love to read it.

Twitter

• Glad you're making light of a bad situation. I'm gonna pass your blog to a couple @KSTP reporters...it'd be cool to feature
• RT @ChinookBookMSP Check out this awesome blog. They're using @ChinookBookMSP to save money during the shutdown.
• @CatRichert thanks for the blog coverage today and for all your coverage of the #mnshutdown
• @grinnelldan Read blog by #grinnell alumnus @plannerdeacon as he staycations during the #mnshutdown
• That's me... RT @MPRnews #mnshutdown blog: For one laid off gov't employee, a silver lining http://mprne.ws/1dEsJ
• @katherineemoss Hold on to your hats, @plannerdeacon just got a call from the news. @ChinookBookMSP #staycation #MNShutdown

What's in a Blog: A Review

When we decided to do a blog, I knew the most important part would be to start. I have thought about starting a blog several times but, you know, too many other great ideas to pursue.

This has been a very positive experience for us and here are a few bullets that I think led us to success:

• Don't over think it. Picking the blog title was the hardest part. No proofreading just post. We both wrote and editing was only allowed post post. This allowed us to retain the confidence to keep writing.
  
• Keep it simple. We used blogger, a pretty easy and standard tool. We tried to limit each posts to 2 paragraphs and a few pics. We didn't concern ourselves with blog design, though I suppose that's personal preference really.
  
• Go Social. Though it was hard at times to be so exposed, Twitter, Facebook and Email helped us spread the word and reconnected us with both Minneapolis as well as friends and family.
  
• Stick to the Theme. We talked about our staycation and reviewed our adventures. Not a lot more. This made it easier to decide what to write about and prevented writers block.
  
• Little bit of discipline. We blogged for 2 hours each night, mostly in our front porch with limited distractions. Gave us time to think and a bit of personal space during a week of togetherness.

The results? 60 some posts, a dozen FB posts and a few more tweets. A zillion comments from friends and strangers. Oh and a little press. Just about 3000 hits folks, in 9 days. Not bad.

We recommend blogging during your next adventure.

Staycationonomics: It's all about the Benjamins

I've already covered chinookonomics (part 1 and part 2), but the point of our staycation wasn't to save money per se. We were on vacation and using the Chinook Book gave us a great theme for the "trip."


However, even though we spent more than we normally would have in a week here in the cities, we still saved a ton of money. Here's the run down on our 8 night staycation:

• We didn't buy plane tickets. Savings: $450 - $700
• We didn't have to stay in a hotel. Savings: $700 - 900
• We didn't have to rent a car. Savings: $200 - $350

Also, like any week-long vacation, we didn't buy groceries (Savings: $100). Here's where the coupons come in...on dining and entertainment (excluding bike and home improvement purchases) we saved $120 plus our two discounts for laid-off state employees of $58.

To sum it up, by opting for a staycation, we saved close to $2,000. How do you like them apples?!

Chinookonomics Pt. 2

In an earlier post, I outlined some of the economics of the Chinook Book. As we wrap up, I thought I'd add a few more thoughts.

There are many ways to pay off the cost of each Chinook Book ($20 each) with savings. For example, each book contains a coupon at Patina for $20 off a purchase of $50 or more, which we've used for wedding presents. During our trip to the Guthrie, we saved $34. Grocery store savings in each book for us equals easily close to $35. You get the point.

This week we used 27 coupons from our Chinook Books, which saved us a total of $168.93 and we spent $500. On average, each coupon saved us $6.25 or 30% off the purchase.

I work for You!

When people ask me what I do, I often say "I work for you," which often creates a brief moment of confusion before I explain that I work for the state. Kate thinks I should I just say, "I work for the state, so I guess I work for you."

Anyways, with the Government shutdown entering week 2, I'm not working for you, at least not formally. However, when I am working, my job is to help plan the future of transportation in the state. I'm planner in MnDOT's office of statewide multimodal planning, and we both lead planning efforts and help improve planning in general at the department.

Some of my projects have included a report examining lots of options for sustainable funding and an overview of how we plan for various types of transportation, but my primary role at the moment is managing a visioning effort called Minnesota GO.


Minnesota GO is an effort to create a long-range vision for transportation in the state. It's the first step in updating our 20 year transportation plan. Transportation projects last a long time (20 years for a typical road and close 100 for some bridges), so looking out into the future is kind of important. Yes, there are plenty of pot holes that do indeed need to be fixed today, but we also need to anticipate and prepare for major changes in the future:

• Aging of the Baby Boomers: will they all continue driving into their 80s?
• Rising and erratic fuel prices: will we continue to run on oil forever?
• Economic shifts: what will our economy look like in 15, 20, 30 years?
• Climate Change: will we have more floods, extreme heat days, etc?
  

You get the point.

You can help shape the vision at: www.minnesotago.org Hopefully, this budget crises will be resolved before too long and we can get back to planning for the future.

Sunday Morning Stroll, Blue Moon: A Review

Despite what you may be hoping for, we kept it low key this final day of adventure. It was like 90 degrees when we woke up. Even though rain and thunderstroms were predicted all weekend, it's been nothing but sunny and hot. Champagne problem in MN, I know.

This morning we walked to 39th and Lake for a coffee and a pastry at Blue Moon Coffee Cafe. Super friendly neighborhood joint with a colorful welcoming interior. We reminisced about our week and wished for more days of adventure. An Iced Latte and Cherry Chocolate Scone for me and Coffee and Cinnamon Twist Muffin for Pip. Oops, looks like we enjoyed ourselves so much, we forgot to take a picture before it was all gone.

The coupon was for half off an organic coffee drink. Yes, recommended especially if you live in the zone. With two, total savings: $3.50

PS. The day lilies are in bloom! I hope you enjoyed the flowers I passed along the way as much as I did.

Wait an Hour for the Magic: St. Paul Cheese Shop 2

We posted earlier on our trip to the St. Paul Cheese Shop on Grand to get their Signature Chevre. Tonight we got our chance to enjoy the cheese with Jeff and Maureen.


The chevre came with various dried fruits and nuts and some olive oil drizzled on top. Our instructions were to lit it sit out at room temperature for at least an hour, at which point the magic happens, and serve with warm bread. I picked up a baguette from New French Bakery (which are on sale after 1pm on Saturdays!) and we dutifully took the cheese out of the fridge half an hour before we left the house.


The chevre was truly magical - smooth and creamy with a little sweetness from the dried fruit. This is definitely the start of a long relationship!

We enjoyed our chevre with homemade margaritas - thanks Mo!

We said it before, but we definitely recommend the St. Paul Cheese Shop.

Cactuses and Tiny Puppies, Seward Cafe: A Review

Keeping it local this morning with a stroll down Milwaukee Ave to Seward Cafe. We drive by this joint most days, stare at it from the windows of Luce, and think of it when at the Coop. Despite all this, we've never been. Jacob also gave me lots of coupons, so we better figure out if we like this place.

When we walked in, I was immediately struck by the decor on the window sill...

An interesting selection of cacti and porcelain dogs, all with a layer of dust indicating love and neglect simultaneously.

Anyways, at the Cafe we were greeted with a smile and instructed to take a menu and fill out our order. "This place is more deli style than restaurant style" the dude behind the bar said. We hit submit on our order, and waited at our table for our name to be called over the intercom. The food was good but basic. I created my own omelet with Spinach, Mushroom, and Feta. Pip got Super Green Earth breakfast: Cheddar, Broccoli scramble melted over Hash. We liked the 2 egg and half order options respectively. Remember we are pretty full these days.

Really, the food was just fine. I don't really think a food photo will add anything to this post. This dirty hippy spot was much more of an experience. With its wobbly, rickety picnic tables in the pleasant tree- filled back patio and the above child art adorning the walls, on the right occasion we would definitely return.

Our coupon was buy one get one 1/2 off. Total Saving: $3.75

PS. The Birchwood still wins.

How to Move a Couch, Central style

We stopped over at Ranisha's garage sale this afternoon. She lives in the Central neighborhood of Minneapolis. Let's call this a colorful location. Not really part of Chinooking, as we have come to call it,  but definitely part of staycation. Here is a clip of what was happening on 3rd ave.

The Color of America: Ace Welna and Abbott Paint

Although we've focused our staycation activities on exploring the cities and enjoying ourselves, we've lined up one home improvement project for tomorrow: painting our bathroom. Today was about supplies, tomorrow will be about actual work. Two local shops: Ace Welna and Abbott Paint.

Ace Welna, 24th and Bloomington, Minneapolis
Agenda: Mirror


We have a wooden frame (courtesy of Tutu) that we wanted to convert into a mirror for our bathroom makeover, so to Ace we go. Welna has two locations, the closer of the two doesn't carry mirrored glass, so I had to go to the slightly further away location. I got immediate and wonderful service. There was even free popcorn.

Coupon: $5 off $20 or more.

Abbott Paint, Grand and Fairview, St. Paul
Agenda: Primer


We had enough leftover paint from previous painting projects to cover our small bathroom project, but we were fresh out of primer. Our Chinook Book coupon got us $6 off per gallon of their Elements, zero VOC paint. As with Ace Welna, we got great service.

While we waited for our tint, Kate decided we needed these stylish painting shirts. Abbot let us know, btw, that they have the Colors of America.


Coupon savings: $6

We'd recommend both.

PS. Before and almost after bathroom shots...

The Blogosphere

Greta came over and tiptoed through the front door, "Can I enter the blogosphere?" This is where we have been setting up shop this week. When you play hard all day, you need a place away from the bugs and any other distractions to make the magic happen.

Veggies and a Whole Lot More: Midtown Farmers Market

Kate has to go back to work on Monday, which means that some of our normal routine is starting to creep into our days. One of the normal parts of our life is trips to the Midtown Farmers Market (Lake St. and Hiawatha) on Saturday mornings.

I got there a little late today, so things were starting to die down some, but there was plenty of food to choose from and plenty of folks browsing.

We love the Midtown Farmers Market, because it has a great mix of veggies, meat, food vendors, other stuff and usually live music. For me at least, it's the perfect size - not too big to be overwhelming and not too small as to limit selection and drive up prices.


Today I only grabbed a few items as we haven't hit peak harvest season quite yet. The haul: red potatoes, baby bok choy and fresh onions.

Seward, is that Where that One Street is?

On our stroll to breakfast, Pip and I passed by a Minneapolis hidden treasure. In between 22nd and 23rd Ave S is this 2 block stretch called Milwaukee Ave Historic District. Just a simple note here to meander this way next time you are in the neighborhood.

Cool street with cool houses. Step right out onto the sidewalk. No streets and no front yards with a park in the middle. Fun to imagine a different way of living.

Along The Midtown Greenway

Of the many reasons to bike the Twin Cities, the Midtown Greenway is pretty high on the list. Especially in the Summer.

I refer to it as the bike super highway connecting to the Mississippi River on one end and the Cedar Lake Trail on the other. Every time I bike the trail, I think about stopping to take pictures. So that is what we did. That's me and the carbon up above.

A Little Shop Along the Bike Super Highway

During yesterday's bike shop tour, we opted not to include Freewheel Bike because the coupon was a free cup of Java with $10 purchase. Having never been there, I imagined buying bike stuff only to get a cup from a thermos of luke warm coffee placed against a wall of Styrofoam cups. As today turned into Midtown Greenway day, and we were again starving on the way to lunch, I decided we should stop in and see if they had something to tide me over. That and I do like the fact that there's a bike shop on the greenway.

Wow this was a great shop! I am now a super fan. They have smoothies, pastries, snacks, and a full coffee bar! Man, I wish I had known. We would have stopped sooner for sure. I had a great chat with the smoothie dude, who recommended the Mango Banana Cinnamon Honey Whole Milk version. Delicious. The service dude also gave great advice on switching out my quick release. If you're on the Greenway and need a wheel trued or a protein fix, check it out.

Can't Forget the Cherry, Lucia's: A Review

In my mind, there are a few quintessential Minneapolis adventures. Lake Calhoun and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Here is a Calhoun pic from Tuesday's adventures. I don't believe any justification is necessary, right?

Believing that today was going to be the last day before the thunderstorms roll in, we thought a picnic in the sculpture garden would be a fitting way to spend the afternoon. This is another one of those things that always sounds like a good idea but something benign like the need to sit around doing nothing gets in the way.

We pedaled up to Lucia's To-Go for our to-go lunch. It's on Hennepin and 31st in Uptown. We'd never been but this is an established joint which comes highly recommended.

Pip got a Salami, Pesto, Spinach, Provolone sandwich with a Veggie Salad, Peanut Butter cookie, and a Root Beer.  I got Brie, Prosciutto, Arugula sandwich with a Cup of Fruit, Chocolate Seasalt cookie, and a Grapefruit Izzy.

The folks at Lucias were helpful, friendly and excited about our adventures. Every thing about our lunch in the garden was fantastic. Relaxing and tasty. The sandwiches were the right size and great blend of ingredients. We very much recommend this place, and suggest the pairing of some fun outdoor adventure.

The coupon was $3 off a purchase of $10 and yes of course we had two. Total Savings: $6. Total miles biked: 12.

Moss Lady Legs

While Pip was otherwise occupied, I spent a refreshing hour at the pool with my mom and sister. I'd say I've got some pretty good genes. Lookin good ladies!

Pizza Frustration: Luce, A Review

The Twin Cities has some good pizza places. There's the old standbys: Punch, Red Savoy, and Cossettas; and the more recent additions: Nea, Black Sheep and Lola. But in the Chinook Book, there are only coupons for two: Pizza Luce and Galactic Pizza both of which offer tasty pizza and good beer.

It's clear that Pizza Luce has committed to the Chinook book-they've taken out a whole page providing 3 coupons each for $5 off $25. Luce is a go-to option for us. They're close and consistently good with some fun options like mashed potato pizza. As we have 9 coupons (3 per book x 3 books), we've actually used a few already. So when we were deciding where to get food for family dinner, Luce was an easy choice.

As we've made the mistake of not reading the fine print before, we checked the coupon to be sure there were no restrictions (none listed), agreed on our order (Spanish Chicken and a Ruby Rae plus a Caesar Salad), and made the call.

At the end of the order, we mentioned the coupon and were informed that it was not valid for delivery. What?! We've actually used it for delivery before, so this was a bit of shock. We were told management sent a memo saying that the coupon could not be used for delivery. We offered to pick it up ourselves - no dice. Frustrated, we placed the order as the prospect of group decision-making on a new plan didn't sound appealing.


Is it even legal to change the terms of a coupon like that?

Anyway, when we informed the family of this wrinkle, Maggie took the matter in her own hands and called Luce. The manager acquiesced (Maggie can be quite convincing when she senses injustice) and credited our card $5, but likely to get Maggie off the phone rather than to admit defeat.


The pizza was good and we had a lovely evening on the porch - an otherwise perfect Friday evening in July. However, the coupon deal left a bad taste in my mouth and given all the other Pizza options, Luce will likely get less business from us in the future.

Total miles biked: 6

Bike Bridge

In recent years, Minneapolis has seen a surge in biking and a corresponding increase in dedicated infrastructure for biking (or is it the other way around?). In fact, biking increased 33% in 2010 compared to 2007! Minneapolis now spars with Portland, OR for top billing as America's #1 bike city having achieved the top spot for the last two years.

On our ride today we took a couple shots of the Martin Olav Sabo bridge - a pedestrian and bike bridge. In addition to being a cool looking architectural piece, the bridge allows bikes and pedestrians on the Midtown Greenway unimpeded crossings over Hiawatha, which is a pain to drive on and a pain to cross on car, foot or bike. Hiawatha is just a pain, so this bridge is really an awesome facility.


If you look closely, you can see me waving.

Before and After: Our New Bike

As mentioned in the earlier post on 4 bike shops in one day, my uncle gave us a new bike in a random act kindness and generosity. He lives in Texas. At family dinner, before leaving town, he turned to Kate and said, "you want a new bike? well how 'bout this one?"

Introducing our Carbon! Tanya said, "well you just went from a Corrola to a Porche." He kept his fancy front wheel and, as we don't ride with clips, he took those too. The bike is absolutely amazing - carbon fiber frame, English leather saddle, oh and a little emergency kit with tools and cab fare fixed to the seat.

Here are the before and after pics:


Thank you Max!

Another Reason to Check Out the Stag...

I'm Full. What Else Can We Do?

I have to admit, one of the hardest parts of this blog business for me is striking a balance between food stuff, personal stuff, and shameless self promotion. After lunch, I needed to blow off a little steam before jumping into Bike Coupons.

On the way back from North East, we pedaled through the U of M TC campus. In addition to The Race, we made some stops. First up, Feat of Strength..

Did I mention, that the weather has been pretty much perfect...

Pip took a brake from his normal bike to try out one of these...

We can't wait for 2014 when the second light rail line (Central Corridor, soon to be a.k.a. Green Line) opens which will go right across this bridge...

I'll close with this beauty to remind us to stop and take pictures of our selves when the flowers are blooming...