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.

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...

Pedals, Wheels + Chains: Bike Day - 4 Bike Shops

We bike. We've been biking as one of our primary modes of transportation since 2008. We have been a 1 car + 2 bikes household for a while, but recently became a 3 bike household thanks to an amazing spontaneous gift from my uncle Max.

One of the great things about the Chinook Book is that it has coupons for practically every bike shop in the Twin Cities. As I had some differed maintenance on my bike to do and we needed to get a few things for our new bike (it needed a front wheel, pedals and a lock), our staycation seemed like a great opportunity to hit up several bike shops. Four to be more precise (actually we went to five, but one didn't have the item we were looking for). Here's the run down:

Behind Bars - 208 13th Ave. NE Mpls
Agenda: buy pedals for the new bike.

As we were headed to Red Stag Supperclub in NE for lunch, it seemed appropriate to go to at least one NE bikeshop. They have smartly put out sandwich board signs at various nearby intersections. The shop is set pretty far back from the street and would be easy to pass by unless you knew it was there.



The shop was spacious and fairly typical, but I did appreciate the couch/waiting area. We were greeted warmly and given good advice on our options, the tradeoffs, value for money, etc. Kate settled on a pair of stylish red pedals to match the red cog on the back wheel of the bike. Coupon got us $5 off.



Behind Bars location isn't particularly convenient for us, so I don't know when/if we'll go back, but I'd recommend it if you live in or near NE Mpls.

The Hub Bike Coop 3020 Minnehaha Ave Mpls
Agenda: drop my bike off for serious repairs.

The Hub is one of the closest, if not The closest, bike shop to us. This is our typical go-to place for bike stuff unless we happen to be somewhere else. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only coop bike shop in the cities. Technically, if we knew what we were doing, we could use their space and tools to work on our bikes for a small fee.



Anyway, my front crank has been bent for a while and my brakepads were worn down to almost nothing. The plan: to fix those issues and remove two of my three front gears converting my bike from a 24 speed to an 8 speed - I really only use 4 gears anyways. What I didn't know was that I also needed a new chain and cassette. Turns out, a typical chain is good for about 1,500 miles and a cassette for maybe up to 3,000. Based on my calculations, I'm pretty sure I've easily put more than 2,500 miles on my bike.

I got great advice and service. The bad news was that I needed to spend more than anticipated and my bike won't be ready until Monday. It's a good thing we now have 3 bikes. Coupon will reduce the cost of my repairs $10.

Overall, we definitely recommend the Hub.

Grand Performance 1938 Grand Ave. St. Paul
Agenda: purchase a front wheel for the new bike.

Next, we headed over to St. Paul to Grand Performance, which is a shop that tends to cater more towards high end racing bikers. Nevertheless, we used to live close by and have used them for some emergency repairs in the past.



We've had some mixed experiences with customer service at GP, but this time we had stellar service. Our bike dude was super nice and was happy to explore different options, at several points he consulted other staffers to make sure we had all the info we needed. We also found a tire for 50% and left with a complete assembled wheel ready to ride. Our coupon netted us $10 in savings on top of the $17 discount on the tire.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend Grand Performance for commuter or mountain bikes, but for racing/road bikes they seem to be one of the best shops. It's not that they can't help with other things, but there are other shops that specialize in those areas. Nevertheless, we had a fantastic experience there today.

Boehm's Cycle 1592 Selby Ave St. Paul
Agenda: lock for the new bike.

Boehm's is a funny place. It's half bikeshop and half hockey store. They are down to earth and very friendly. They have a solid selection of products.


We found what were looking for, got some good insights and were in and out quickly. Coupon got us $5 off.
Having gone to 4 shops in one day with a positive experience at all of them, it's hard to offer recommendations of which one to visit. The prices were all pretty comparable and our coupons were generally the same $5 off $25 or $10 off $50. The differences seem to be in two areas: the products carried (more specifically the brands) and location. Unless you are looking for a specific item that your nearest bike shop doesn't carry, I'd just go to the shop that's the most convenient for you.

Total saved from coupons on bike-related purchases today: $30

Ride on!

Taking in a Show...the Guthrie: A Review

For those of you who haven't been, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis is really quite a beautiful place to visit. Interesting architecture includes a cantilevered bridge that extends out towards the Mississippi. Neither of these shots are very good but they give you an idea of the view, or just consult the internet...

On a whim, we decided to take in a show, God of Carnage, as the coupon was only good on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Funny, 1.5 hour show about two couples discussing a playgound fight between their two sons. I am in no way shape or form a theater critic but I will say, I did not fall asleep. If you know me well, you should assume that speaks volumes. After I fell asleep at Rent, Maggie has since refused to be my broadway date. We definitely laughed.

Our coupon was buy one get one free. Total savings: $34. Total miles biked: 5

Location, Location, Location - Spoonriver a Review

As we were headed to the Guthrie to see God of Carnage, dinner at Spoonriver was the logical choice.


We jumped on our bikes, rode the Hiawatha Trail downtown and were there in no time. Spoonriver is right next to the Guthrie and the Mill City Museum. It's a great location - one that affords the chefs primo access to the fresh produce at Mill City Farmers Market (actually, I believe the farmers market was founded by Brenda the owner of Spoonriver).


We opted for two types of mojitos instead of wine or beer. Kate had the Moroccan with cardamom and I had the Minnesota with cranberries. The Moroccan was better - it had a more traditional flavor profile for a mojito, but an added spice that I liked.


As a fan of Minnesota beers, I do have to say that I was disappointed by a restaurant committed to showcasing local food that only had 2 Minnesota beers on the menu - one of which being Summit. Really?

But I digress. Although almost everything on the menu looked good, we decided to split a couple appetizers: the shrimp & avocado salad, shrimp quesadilla, and cheese/fruit plate. The ingredients were fresh and spoke for themselves. Nothing was over-prepared and the quesadilla was piping hot. The cheeses of the day: a blue from Iowa, a french brie and an Amish cheddar. They were good, but rather pedestrian as far as cheese plate offerings.


The dessert tray didn't speak to us, so we choose to skip the sweets. Note: I almost never think a tray displaying today's dessert options is a good idea. The items rarely look appealing, why was the sorbet not melted?, when they've been sitting out on a tray carried to and fro.

The crowd was pretty old and we realized that the location right next to the Guthrie placed some constraints on Spoonriver. Namely, that they need to cater to an older audience and families, who are likely to keep the chefs from pushing the envelope in menu offerings. Location, location, location - but location comes with a specific market.

Overall, we had good experience at Spoonriver. Our coupon was for $5 off.

Good till the Last Pearl, Tea Garden: A Review

Today we decided it was St. Paul day or at least partially. Mostly because it was 80 degrees, not a cloud in the sky and I wanted to go to the pool. At noon we hopped on our bikes and pedaled across the river. Lots of ground to cover to reach our goal of 6 coupons used by the time we got to our 545 dinner reservation. After a tasty lunch at Trotters, followed by an hour of pool lounging, we rolled up to Tea Garden on Grand Ave for some Bubble Tea.

I can't think of a better taste of summer and I can't tell you how much I LOVE Bubble Tea. My friend Wendy and I dream about its deliciousness. Perfect blend of sweet, caffeinated, refreshing, and fun to drink. For me, my standard: large, Iced Jasmine Tea Latte, with tapioca pearls and extra ice. (Yes, I believe it's not actually bubble tea without pearls) For Pip: large, Strawberry Cooler with pearls. Thank you Tea Garden!

Yes, of course, recommended. Our coupon gave us each $1 off, 'cause we had two. Total Savings: $2. Total miles Biked: 10

Right off the Bike Path: A Review of Trotters

For lunch, we biked over to Trotter's Cafe on Cleveland just south of Marshall in St. Paul. I've been to Trotter's a couple times before and have always enjoyed my food, but it's located just off my normal biking routes, so I often roll bye and forget that it's really close.


On a staff recommendation, Kate had the "Grilled 232 Focaccia," which has mushrooms, red onions, roma tomatoes, smoked basil gouda and sprouts. I had a bite and it was warm and delicious. Kate gave it a thumbs up, but did offer a small critique that the bread was a little too soft.

I had a 1/2 turkey sandwich and the Lemon Israeli Couscous Spinach salad. The sandwich was standard, but the salad was outstanding. The lemon added a bright flavor and the addition of golden raisins gave the otherwise savory salad a nice sweetness. We've been making a lot of couscous salads recently and this one has inspired me to explore some new recipes.


Our coupons got us each 25% off an item. Total savings: $3.75

Definitely recommend Trotter's if you're in Merriam Park and looking for a lite lunch.

Fixtation

While in Uptown, we walked past the new "Bike Fixtation" in the transit center above the Midtown Greenway on Hennepin and decided to check it out. There's an air pump to fill up your tires and tons of tools attached to a stand to make adjustments.

Missing a part? No problem. There's a vending machine stocked with tubes, patch kits, lights and snacks. It's pretty sweet.




Definitely need to remember this exists - could be a life saver.

May Day in July: A review

Happy 4th of July folks!

For breakfast this morning, the original plan was Moose and Sadies but unfortunately the coupon was only valid after 3. Boo. Anyways, Plan B turned out to be a big win. We ventured to May Day Cafe which according to Yelp is the quintessential Powderhorn Park cafe.

This hipster joint sure did deliver on the its promise. More pictures would have helped prove the point but this was the best one that I got.

The inside is a no nonsense coffee shop with recycled furniture and long tables for big groups or clusters of strangers. At 10 this morning the line was out the door but the service was fast and efficient. If you like neighborhood community, fixed gear bikes, and mismatched socks, check this place out.

The coupon yielded half off coffee and a pastry and today we decided to each use a coupon. Zucchini Bread and Coffee w/Cream for me. Stawberry Danish w/Cream and Coffee Black for Pip.

Total Savings: $5. Total Miles Biked: 5. Overall highly recommended!

July 1st, 2011

Today, the state of Minnesota shut down. To celebrate we have decided to take some time off. Where to go, we thought. We could go to the San Juan Islands. How about Sonoma? Last minute adventure to New York City? Well, with the threat of financial uncertainty looming maybe such an adventure is not in the cards this year. Time to consider a staycation.

Rewind a few months to the greatest time of the year. October. This is when the latest issue of the Chinook Book is released. Local area establishment coupon book. I really like this book because it has some great coupons to places we frequent. Pip likes this book so much, that I found two additional copies hidden away as backups for the future. 

While considering our options for staycation adventures, a great idea was born. How about a Chinook Book Staycation?

The beginnings of this blog will chronicle the next 9 days of our lives as we journey through the great city of Minneapolis with a coupon in hand. We promise at least one Chinook restaurant review with money saved and important notes for bike transportation to and fro.