New Year’s Eve

Happy New Year from the delightfully frozen north.

Gooseberry Falls – MN

David Byrne Live on Two Wheels

The New York Times did this charming video of David Byrne cruising around New York on his bike a few years ago. I believe Byrne and bicycles, as well as this video, are still relevant today.

Nicollet Mall Christmas

December is a fine time for exploring downtown Minneapolis…

7west Update

Located near the formerly-known-as-Holiday Inn in the Seven Corners neighborhood near the University of Minnesota’s West Bank, 7west was designed by Tushie Montgomery Architects and is currently under construction. This $43.4 million project will include 213 units according to an article in the Star Tribune.

 

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St. Paul Union Depot Opening

I wasn’t able to attend the opening of St. Paul’s Union Depot transit hub, so I checked it out on a late-December day off. It’s very impressive, and its historic character has been preserved. Here are a few pics from my exploration.

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High-Speed Rail and Hotels

This is surprisingly interesting… I’ve read that President Obama wants to leave his second term with some sort of major infrastructure achievement. In my eyes, that’s got to be high-speed rail, which his administration has been working on from day one, especially with the funds applied during the stimulus bill.

Written from the perspective of the hotel industry, this is a great read on the many benefits of high-speed rail and some very cool projects that are underway or in planning throughout the United States.

An excerpt:

Nancy Johnson, executive VP of development at Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, said high-speed rail would be responsible for the “evolution of hotel locations,” connecting airport locations and high-speed rail stations to urban centers and suburban or rural locations along the track.

Johnson said hotel development that follows the evolution of high-speed rail could parallel Kemmons Wilson’s creation of the Holiday Inn hotels in the 1950s. By taking advantage of the then-budding U.S. highway system, Wilson put up hotels in areas that were once inaccessible to travelers. Johnson said the she predicts the same could happen for high-speed rail.

“Looking into the future, if the U.S. gets on a kick of revitalization that would be under mass transit, it would be developing airport locations and developing high-speed trains going across America to connect metropolitan areas,” she said.

From the article: “
The 3-million square foot Burnham Place project, which will include 500 hotel rooms, is a 20-year initiative and will be built in multiple phases.”

Bloomberg’s Best 2012 Photos

Year-end stuff can be very boring, but I love Bloomberg and its best photos of 2012 is quite striking. I feel like I’m missing out on what’s happening on cities throughout the world. Please contact me directly to contribute to my Tom About the Globe fund.

A pedestrian passes the BNP Paribas SA office in Geneva, Switzerland, on Oct. 29, 2012. Photo by Valentin Flauraud/Bloomberg

Chasing Ice

After some interesting conversations lately, I’ve been thinking about climate change/global warming more than ever. As a snowmobile journalist, I am very hopeful for a normal, cold and snowy winter. Whatever happens one year, though, is irrelevant in the face of the trends. I’m very excited to see this movie – it looks beautiful and sad.

Most Talked About Buildings 2012

The Atlantic Cities is an excellent site that’s worth a weekly visit, or more. This article is really just a slideshow, but of some terrific architecture around the world. Including my favorite, Beijing’s Galaxy Soho Building.

Rural vs. Urban

I wish this short video wasn’t so short – but it’s still nice.