Friday Five-ish: A Year in Minnesota

Today marks one year since I boarded an airplane headed from Phoenix to Minneapolis to start a new chapter up here. In this special edition of The Friday Five-ish, here are a few photos from my first year up here.

Airport runway view from the tarmac, showing runway markings with large markings 25R, control tower in the distance, parked aircraft at terminal, and clear blue sky. 21 April 2022: The last photo taken on the ground as a Phoenix resident, from a Delta 757 getting ready to scream down Runway 25R at Sky Harbor

Aerial view of Phoenix, Arizona cityscape showing downtown skyscrapers surrounded by urban sprawl, with mountains visible in the background and train yards in the foreground. 21 April 2022: On climb out from Sky Harbor

Aerial view of a the downtown Saint Paul city landscape with a stadium complex in the foreground and downtown skyline visible in the distance. Surrounding areas show residential neighborhoods, parks, and water features. 21 April 2022: This photo of the downtown Saint Paul skyline seems even more prophetic

Modern apartment living room with a black leather sofa, two brown reclining chairs, wooden coffee table, and large glass door/window showing city view at dusk. Wood flooring, white walls, and a window shade visible. Small side tables and items on surfaces. 11 May 2022: Not quite three weeks in, and severe weather’s already on the menu. A line of severe thunderstorms and embedded tornadoes rolled through Minnesota that night

Office workspace with wooden desk featuring a laptop and dual monitor setup on articulating arms. White walls display several framed photographs including one labeled "Edward Jensen's A Brief History of Midtown Phoenix" and what appears to be an official event photo. 21 May 2022: After converting it from a storage closet, my office at MEDA becomes my own. Photos from Phoenix adorn the walls

Modern city skyline at sunset with tall glass skyscrapers lining a street, sun visible between buildings creating golden light reflections on the pavement, trees along sidewalks, and a skyway connecting buildings. 15 June 2022: Minneapolis-henge in downtown Minneapolis

18 June 2022: And there was arts. The Bach Roots Festival presented the Saint Matthew Passion

Outdoor evening concert in an urban setting. A large crowd sits in chairs watching a performance on a stage with musicians. The venue is surrounded by tall modern skyscrapers with glass facades and trees. City lights are beginning to shine as dusk settles. 16 July 2022: The International Day of Music in downtown Minneapolis culminated with the Minnesota Orchestra playing outdoors at Peavey Plaza, and whose concert concluded with Mussorgsky’s Great Gate of Kyiv accompanied by pealing bells from six downtown churches

A restaurant called City House with a tall grain elevator-like structure marked "MUNICIPAL ELEVATOR" next to it. The brick building has a banner reading "EAT. DRINK. CITY HOUSE" and there are bicycles parked outside. The photo is taken on a clear blue sky day with a small cloud visible. 30 July 2022: City House in Saint Paul - a converted grain elevator is now a lovely outdoor restaurant

Nighttime baseball game in a stadium showing the field with players in light blue uniforms near third base, a scoreboard displaying GUEST: 3, SAINTS: 5, partially filled stands, and concessions area labeled "FRIES AND PIES". 19 August 2022: The St Paul Saints!

View from stadium seating at Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins. In the foreground is a baseball scorecard with pencil and a cup of beer featuring the Target Field and Twins logos. The baseball diamond and field are visible below, with stadium seating and lighting visible in the background. 29 August 2022: And the Minnesota Twins from a perch way up on high

A panel discussion or interview in a modern venue. Two speakers on stage holding microphones - one older man in a suit with glasses on the left and another man in a dark suit with a blue pocket square on the right. They're seated on wooden stools facing an audience. The audience is viewed from behind, seated in rows. 21 October 2022: When I got tickets for this concert, the appointment of Thomas Søndergård to succeed Osmo Vänskä as the Minnesota Orchestra’s music director hadn’t been announced. The first of 3 Minnesota Orchestra concerts I attended this year

Interior of a church with a magnificent pipe organ and stained glass window. The vaulted ceiling has wooden arches with pendant lights. Two people visible at the organ console beneath the colorful stained glass. Several people standing in the doorway and some seated in pews. 5 November 2022: The Twin Cities chapter of the American Guild of Organists organized a “pipe organ crawl” of five instruments of the late Minnesota organ builder Charles Hendrickson. Here is his III/46 op. 51 (1979) from the Church of Saint Mark in Saint Paul

A snowy winter scene showing a parking garage or structure with concrete levels visible, snow-covered ground with partially cleared walkways, several bare trees, a black vintage-style lamppost, and light snowfall. Power lines are visible in the background. 14 November 2022: The first of the many many inches of snow. Driving in it wasn’t fun at first, but it became pretty okay

Winter urban landscape view from a balcony overlooking a snow-covered courtyard with benches and outdoor seating area. Tall residential buildings with many balconies visible on the right side, with a city skyline featuring several high-rises in the background. The scene is captured at dusk with a cloudy sky. 2 December 2022: My apartment in downtown Minneapolis had this view on most winter mornings

Urban skyline of Phoenix, Arizona, at dusk with purple sky, showing lit buildings, palm trees, and distant high-rises. The foreground shows lower structures with illuminated windows while taller buildings shine in the distance. 31 December 2022: It was wonderful to be able to take a trip back to Phoenix over the end-of-the-year holidays. The sun sets on the wild ride that was 2022

Airport terminal corridor with a decorative floor design featuring brown and beige river-like patterns inlaid in blue terrazzo flooring. Large windows on the left show a parking lot and rainy conditions outside. Airport signage visible in the distance. 1 January 2023: While back in Phoenix, I got to see some of the public art at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport that I helped move through when I was on the City of Phoenix Arts & Culture Commission

Car navigation system display showing a map of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The screen also shows outdoor temperature of -10°F and time 7:42. Map has blue background with white streets and a green area. 3 February 2023: This is the coldest temperature I saw this winter. Thank goodness for good winter clothing and lots of layers!

An orange and silver road bike with drop handlebars and brown leather saddle parked in front of a bike shop counter. Behind it is a mint green counter with colorful signage reading "GREAT SERVICE" and "THANK YOU". Above the counter is a sink area with a "WARNING VERY HOT WATER" sign. 17 March 2023: After a few years in storage, my bike is ready to go again. Lowertown Bike Shop in downtown Saint Paul’s Union Depot upgraded the components on the bike so it’s the newest vintage bicycle in Saint Paul

Winter scene of a snow-covered park with trees coated in frost and snow, brick buildings visible in the background, clear blue sky overhead, and park benches visible at the edge of the scene. 1 April 2023: A no-foolin’ April Fools snowstorm dumps 8 inches of snow in downtown Saint Paul

Downtown Minneapolis cityscape in winter with IDS Tower featuring a red WCCO sign, snow-covered sidewalks, a city bus numbered 18, and various office buildings under clear blue sky. 1 April 2023: And later that night, it’s time for a concert back with the Minnesota Orchestra in downtown Minneapolis

Baseball stadium at twilight showing a minor league field with illuminated field lights against a blue evening sky. Visible advertisements include SPIRE HOME RUN PORCH, Coca-Cola, and TREASURE ISLAND. Players positioned on the field with the pitcher's mound and home plate visible. 18 April 2023: Play ball! The first of many Saints games this year, and when you’re not far from CHS Field, of course you’re going to go a lot