Welcome to Saint Paul

Between the dust and noise and stress of building a rail line, there are a handful of days that stick out as milestones. Days when your heart beats fast and you feel overcome with pride for this community. For me those days are (in no particular order) the rail pull, the FFGA signing, the first curbs and then the first asphalt, the first trees to be planted, the opening of the Depot, the first LRV delivered. And today we add one more: the first light rail train on Saint Paul tracks.

I woke up anxious this morning, threw on running shoes and went up to Dunns. I sat there with my bagel and tea, looking west. A train car was on its way, not of its own power (the catenary wires aren't all up yet), but pulled by a fatty truck down the tracks from the Hiawatha rail facility to Lowertown. I waited for a half hour, refreshing twitter every couple minutes. Where is it? Did everyone at the U really sleep through this?

And then a huge clue. A woman walks out to the median of University, sporting a big ole' telephoto lens, and just camps out, looking west.

I ran out the door and walked towards Bedford Street, running into a friend and his son. We walked west, looking down the hill towards Stadium Village. All of the sudden, the train turned onto University at 29th, not at the slow walking pace we expected, but at a pretty fast clip. We jogged back toward Saint Paul. It stopped at the border and honked at us, with happy rail staff on board.

After crossing Berry Street, 206 pulled into the eastbound Westgate platform and the rail workers jumped off. One guy said to me, "I'm dying for a cup of coffee!" as they filed into Dunn Brothers. The question has been: will light rail bring customers? The answer is already yes.

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Location:Berry Street & University Avenue

No biggie

Let's see, not much going this week.

The construction update has the regular stuff: Tom is selling Christmas trees at the Y, overhead wires are being installed (weather permitting), and some clean up work is happening. Slow news day.

It's not like this past weekend marked the end of heavy construction on University Avenue, and the beginning of the rest of our lives. It's no major milestone in our city's history.

This is what I would call understated:

Bus Details
Bus routes on University Avenue will resume to normal configuration. Visit www.metrotransit.org or call the Transit Information Center at 612-373-3333 for the most current information.

Quietly, and without much notice, University Avenue has been buttoned up for good. Sure - there are more lane closures and more guideway work to come, but I'm taking a full minute and a half to savor this landmark moment.



And, hmm, what else is happening this week? Perhaps we could have a little party. For the opening of a $243 million historic depot 40+ years in the making. Whaaat? I can hardly contain myself.

Not one, but TWO random people at the bus stop last weekend were talking to me about this. I haven't heard that much bus buzz about a single event...ever. I was down there on Saturday to meet up with some friends - I can say I knew you when, Depot.





And because I can't manage to show any kind of restraint, I've copied the full list of events and activities happening between 10 am and 4 pm. I will be there early (media event and speeches start at 9:30!)

• Commemorative Poster - Complete a Transit Pass to receive a free commemorative Union Depot poster designed by Twin Cities artist Adam Turman.


• Union Depot History Display – Artifacts and photos that tell the history of Union Depot. 


• Metro Transit Booth – Information on service and bus routes. Download a free bus pass at uniondepot.org. 


• Jefferson Lines – Bringing intercity bus service to Union Depot in January 2013.Tour one of their featured buses and check out their new ticket office in the Kellogg Entry.


• Amtrak – Coming to Union Depot in 2013, Amtrak will be onsite to share the glory of the Empire Builder train that will operate out of Union Depot. 


• Minnesota Transportation Museum/Jackson Street Roundhouse – Learn about Twin Cities train history and view a historic map that depicts the location of the original Union Depot. 


• Operation Lifesaver - Learn how to make safe decisions around tracks and trains.


• Treasure Island Resort & Casino – Meet their mascot Toucan and spin the wheel for a chance to win prizes. 


• Mississippi National River and Recreation Area National Park Service – Explore a giant floor map of the river. 


• U of M Raptor Center – Check out three live raptors perched out on display including a bald eagle!  Onsite 12 P.M. to 4 P.M.


• Mystic Lake Casino – Play Card Sharks for prizes.  Also, tour one of their shuttle buses.


• St. Paul Saints – Play some baseball on the St. Paul Saints inflatable batting tee and get information on the new regional ballpark opening in Lowertown in 2015. 


• One on One Bicycle Studio – Coming to Union Depot early 2013, see their new space and learn about products and services.


• Saint Paul Winter Carnival – Meet the Royal Family and purchase your official Saint Paul Winter Carnival button.


• Counties Transit Improvement Board (CTIB) – Learn how five metro counties are working together to fund new transit lines, and see the vision for our growing regional transit system.


• Metropolitan Council Central Corridor LRT (Green Line) – Learn about the latest light rail project and take your picture with a large tapestry of a light rail car.


• U of M Press – View a collection of their railroad books and meet some of the authors.


• Harding High School – Enjoy musical performances  by the Harding High School Marching Band, Drum Line, and Ensemble. Performances at 10 A.M., 11 A.M. and  11:30 A.M.


• Colleen & Bradley from MyTalk107.1 – Meet Colleen and Bradley from MyTalk107.1’s morning show.  Onsite 11 A.M. to 1 P.M. 


• Snoopy Unveiling & Meet and Greet – Meet Snoopy and see our newly redesigned “Doghouse Days of Summer,” Snoopy Statue. Event at 11 A.M. 


• Urban Sketchers – Meet local sketchers, including some of Union Depot’s own residents, to learn about sketching the world around you.


• Taste of Lowertown - Experience the unique foods of Lowertown, with a new restaurant providing samples at the top of every hour.


• Studio Sendero – Demonstrations and free classes in flamenco, belly dance, yoga and Zumba.


• Recess Press – Pick up a pre-made tote, or learn from an artist how to screen print your very own. Totes are free while supplies last.


• Bedlam Theatre Performances - Bedlam Theatre will perform a series of small and large-scale historically referential performances throughout the day. 


• Light Rail Shuffle – Learn to dance the Light Rail Shuffle and other fun dances.


• Train-Themed Photo Stand-Ins – Be the driver of a light rail car or the conductor of the William Crooks steam engine, and have your picture taken.


• Postcards from Union Depot – Choose from several postcard designs created by local artists and send a postcard to yourself or a loved one from Union Depot. 


• Movie night! Elf is being shown at 5:30. Woooo.

I plan to transfer from the 16 to the 21 downtown for the ceremonial joy of riding all the way to the depot on Saturday. You didn't get the notice? It's right here - in the bus route changes.



Understated.

Best and Worst of the Week

Best: Catenary poles and catenary wire-holder-thingamabobs. Can we pause for a moment and look at how good those tapered, tubular, Saint-Paul-Brown catenary poles look? Details matter. (I apologize to those of you that ride Hiawatha everyday and will never look be able to look at your galvanized i-beams the same way.) Special thanks to the traffic engineer who strategically placed that arrow for this photo.




Worst/best: A bus shelter on a cold, rainy day. So awkward. So clammy. And yet, such a sight for sore eyes. There's kind of a strange camaraderie among a bunch of half-soaked grumpy people who need to share a tiny space. And if there's not, some group venting about the bus being late usually does the trick. Everyone loves to hate on a late bus!




Best: Lumbermobile. Something that is so bizarrely American is this idea that cars are irreplaceable. A world without a roof rack? Gasp! I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard something like, "transit is great, but nobody is going to take the bus/train to Menards to buy lumber." You know what? They actually do. Take a seat, haters.




(I should say - Menards is a true superstore and sells virtually everything. We have a game trying to guess things they don't sell - it's impossible. Pudding? Coloring books? Deodorant? Flameless candles? The magic bullet? Hot pink zebra duct tape? It turns out all these things fit on transit! And here we had just written off customers in the Central Corridor shopping for things smaller than a breadbox.)


Worst: Parking fail. Failure. Failed. Fail.




Best: Granite Pavers (aka Paver Watch 2012). From deep below the streets of Saint Paul - reclaimed granite and sandstone pavers are now being reinstalled in the medians of the Raymond historic district. There's more to this design coming east of Raymond...wait for it...





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Stuck in the middle with you

Facts.

1. I have zero tolerance for people that smoke. (If we banned smoking at bars and restaurants, how hard could it be to ban it at bus stops?)

2. I go to great lengths to avoid sitting by smokers on the bus - that includes taking the 16 when I see them get on the 50, and making sure I am the last one to board the bus as to maximize seating distance, and getting off a stop or two early if it means a little more fresh air.

3. If you are carrying a cigarette that is partially used, you will make the whole bus stink. Contrary to popular belief, you can't snuff out something that was just on fire, and then get into a confined space with 40 people. More reasons why we should ban smoking at the bus stop.

This morning I was caught off guard by an unusually full 50 bus - of course, old Smokey McSmokes decided to sit right next to me. Panic ensued. I fumbled awkwardly with the sliding window that was behind my seat. Fail. I held my breath a couple seconds and then tried again. Big effort this time, flailing around to use both hands. Smokey looked at me awkwardly and I gave him the panicked face. Recognizing me as the crazy person on the bus, he quickly switched seats. Sometimes subtlety is overrated.

Speaking of things that aren't so subtle - cough - the bollards and chain for the intertrack fence finally went up. I can honestly say it's everything I thought it would be - which is to say, I'm still not a fan.

Fences are meant to keep people in or to keep people out, right? This one does neither. Somehow I feel that will be its downfall.

And as long as we're stuck in the middle, er, median, I'd like to point out what happens when you get 800 inches of rain in a month. What used to be a gravel placeholder for our median planting area has become a lush forest of volunteers.

The good news is, something is able to live in the middle of University Avenue. I've never been so happy to see a pile of weeds.

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Give me a sign

Forget a case of the Mondays - I've had a pretty crummy week. So by the time I got home today, I needed more than a lift. I needed a sign.

I got two.

The great thing about this project is that these major, mind-blowing things happen on the days I least expect them. As a side note, the "St." Paul looks awfully casual. Who let the Minneapolitans order the signage? Is that how they think we spell it?

I'm also warming up to the army green that they recently painted our station. I had kind of hoped all the stations were going to be a more neutral color (even the same color, boring and practical as it is), but this green and copper duo is already starting to blend in a little for me.

Best and Worst of the Week(s)

Let's face it, I'm a terrible blogger. I've let real life (gasp!) get in the way of me blabbing on about construction this spring. Well, I have a good excuse.

I'm tired of construction. Is there no rest for the weary? But, I haven't stopped taking photos, I just haven't written about them. So let's look way way back at the month of May.

Best: Trash cans. The most beautiful trash can I've ever seen. The new fleet is in (and for a while was shacking up with the old ones). The hubby was pretty embarrassed that I stopped to take this photo. That did not deter me, obviously. The old trash cans are gone now, so it's kinda epic that I have this little piece of history recorded, right?

Worst: KSTP investigates if people prefer traffic. So, I-94 is closed and University is down to one lane. If they talk to people sitting at a stoplight, will say waiting in traffic is A) annoying? or B) the most amazing thing they've ever done? What a scoop! What brave journalism! Eyewitness News investigates...10 feet in front of their studios.

Best: Trees. Yes, I've mentioned it before, but the more that go in, the more obsessed I am.

Worst: Intertrack fence. That is what that is, right? I just have never been into it.

Best: The Bacon Trolley. This new food truck is just pandering to me. Pork and trolleys? Yes, please.

Worst: People not knowing how to use a "T" intersection. Because Berry Street does not go through, drivers seem to have lost all logic for how to use this half-intersection. This gentleman is stopped at a red light. In the far side of the intersection. In the crosswalk. Yeah, you better believe I'm taking your picture!

Best: West Bank station. I don't know if it's the best, but it sure is the biggest. You might say we're buying a Stairway to Heaven. Or something.

Worst: Bus wrapping. I get it, I just don't like it. (Can anyone name this location?)

Best: When you actually get the cushy bus with the spot that holds groceries, AND the seat next to it! This never happens. Sometimes bus karma pays back in wonderful ways.

Worst: Crosswalk tape. I am donating a straight edge and a pencil to Walsh.

Best: Non-confrontational signage. I'll take it! Although I'd still like to purchase the "Blight Rail" sign that used to hang in this spot.

Worst: Parking on the guideway at the Farmers Market. I had a small heart attack, but I am going to have to get over this, at least long enough to shop for produce without hyperventilating.

Best: Tickets! Knowing where to tap the card is of the utmost importance.

Worst: Tagging on my new sidewalk. I suppose if I call the city on them, they'll say it's for construction or something. I've just never been so protective of concrete.

Best: Slabs at 4th and Cedar. I think that train might just come through here after all!

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Location:University Ave W,St Paul,United States

Catching up

Being away has made me feel like I have missed a lot of construction goodies - vacation MDT I suppose. So here's the update.

Somebody has been busy paving - all the way up to Victoria in the last week.

New trees are being installed in front of Gordon Parks High School.

Lexington Eastbound station infrastructure went up in a hurry.

A bunch of rail was moved down towards Marion - perhaps so they can finish up that section where it was being stored at Pascal? Just a guess.

Cedar Street got rail...whaaat? Cedar is such a darkhorse in the completeness competition - I've been busy ignoring it for months! My bus detour helps a lot. [Much thanks to Jess, my Lead Downtown Spy, for snapping this photo!]

And just when I thought my home bus stop was lacking in construction excitement, I got some new neighbors. Hey there, hay. You look delicious.

Nom nom

There are a lot of different people and ideas around here. But at the end of the day, we all want the same thing - food.

Artwork at Dale Street depicts the ancient temple of cutlery, 

home to the god of eats, Nom Nom.

University Avenue is filled with great family-run restaurants, and last night, I had the pleasure of kicking back with old and new friends at Cheng Heng, a Cambodian restaurant between Arundel & Mackubin.

If I was a halfway decent blogger, I would have mouth-watering photos of steamy noodles and ginger beef, along with a shot of the friendly restaurant owner, who was so grateful to have our support during construction. But I am kind of terrible at this, and was basically talking and laughing and chowing down on all those noodles when I should have been taking photos. Luckily, one of my dinner companions was John of Green Line Gems, who can tell you all about food. Perhaps I'll stick to pavers and bus drama.

In any case, you need to check out Cheng Heng, and bring a couple friends. They are really hurting with construction and could use a few more tables of hungry transiteers.

Cheng Heng, at 448 University - business on the outside, party on the inside.

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Location:Mackubin & University

Time Warp

I often suffer from a condition called Massive Distortion of Time (MDT). It's a common problem for bus riders, but drivers are not immune either. 

Drivers tend to experience micro-distortion. Have I been sitting at this stoplight for 15 minutes...or was it only 15 seconds? Or maybe it was 4 seconds. It seems like forever! Sometimes it seems like waiting for the next green light is literally going to kill them. They get jittery and honk. They make big, angry eyes. They pull into the intersection and block cars in the other direction. They wag fingers. They call home to say that they'll be late. Bridge Closed?? You did NOT just delay my commute by 42 seconds. Oh. No. You. Didn't. [Insert crazed commuter face screaming silent obscenities behind a rolled up window.]

Now when bus riders get MDT, it is at a totally different scale. For example, I once decided to drive to a night meeting on the East Side (sometimes I like to come home and eat dinner). Did you know it takes like 4 minutes to get to the East Side on I-94?! I thought it was 85 miles from my house to Conway Rec, based on Bus Standard Time. If I didn't hate driving so much, I might get used to this kind of time travel. Also, this is why I don't wear a watch - it's better not to know.

For this reason, drivers assume that driving is always faster. It's not. That's where the bus space-time continuum gets tricky. My house is a 6 minute bus ride to Oak Street. Ah, but you say, you still have to wait for the bus to come! No. I don't. Bus rule #634 clearly states: "do not wait for the bus like a schmuck." Use real-time information. You should not be waiting more than two minutes at your regular stop, people. I have the trip from my kitchen to the bus stop down to four minutes (three if I'm wearing flats, or four and a half if I'm trying to eat an Eggo while I walk). And, once I get to Oak Street, they let me off right on the sidewalk, near all the food stuffs. While I'm trying to pick out my Blizzard flavor, you are driving in circles looking for parking. And when you can't find it, you retreat to the parking ramp, where you drive around in (upward) circles looking for a spot where an SUV isn't parked over the line. What I'm saying is - try to beat me there - it can't be done.

But the most mind-bending time warp is the stuff you see coming out of the street on University.

Streetcar tracks, piled up at Dale Street, dating to approximately 378 A.D. To be replaced by...streetcar tracks. We'll call them LRT tracks to make us less depressed about it. 

Granite pavers being hauled off in front of the Rondo Library, to be donated to the (yet to be founded) Minnesota Museum of Urban Archeology.

It took us 60 years and a billion dollars to get back to this (It's ok to cry a little or punch something). All I can say is that this LRT better last us for a long, looong time.

Let's see what you're made of: Part 3

University Avenue is a rough place for leafy green things. Heat, salt, concrete. Luckily, we have a secret weapon.

Structural soil. It's a mix of clay, gravel, some sort of high-tech hydrogel - basically, it's solid gold (and priced accordingly). It'll allow tree roots to grow and avoid being compacted under concrete. And it allows us to get a continuous tree trench and pervious pavers to catch water instead of individual tree grates that need irrigation.

[Also, don't be alarmed...the Catholic Charities building is still upright. I am just a little tired this morning.]

And speaking of solid gold, Hamline was paved last week in what I think constitutes record time. First concrete of the season for University Avenue.

I am hoping we see some curbs on the south side by the end of the week. Btw, March, this weather is quite helpful for building rail systems. Keep it up.

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Location:Hamline & University

LRT Pie

It's been a long day. Is it just me, or is the LRT guideway starting to look like a graham cracker crust? Mmm, LRT. Here's hoping they fill this thing with cheesecake.

I think I need dinner.