all that's past is prologue...

The place at the corner of Western and Selby has been a lot of things in its life. A drugstore, part of the College of Visual Arts, and in the past few years 3 restaurants in quick succession — The Salt Cellar (steakhouse), Fitzgerald's (basic pub food), and now The Fitz (pizza). The space itself has changed a little in each incarnation, but has generally remained an open, friendly place (though a few too many tv screens for my taste — and partway through our meal the lights dimmed and the music for louder, while the tvs did not get softer). Tonight, our friends CJ and Lauren were in town, so we suggested the Fitz as a dinner spot so we could show off our neighborhood a little. If we were to do it again...maybe not.... We had a reservation and were seated quickly, though I thought it was strange that they put as a high-top when they had several regular tables open. The waitress got us our drinks; though they have quite a good beer list and a lovely cocktail list, I was embarras...

(I'm slow on talking about this one and there are only two more performances, next Saturday and Sunday. The show is a collaboration between Sod House Theater and Black Label Movement. It's free, though donations are encouraged. So RUN, don't walk, and get tickets now:  https://www.sodhousetheater.org/swede-hollow-ghost-sonata ) The minute Nathan Keepers and Sarah Agnew came out as two comic park guides (oh wait, Nathan was the "Assistant Tour Guide"), I knew we were in good hands. But when they had us close our eyes, and then open them to find this magical cast of characters standing on the stones in front of us (all brilliantly costumed by Rhiannon Fiskradatz, I'll add), I knew it was going to be much more than that. And then we as a group followed their echoing voices through a tunnel into the park, to a play that starts with a declaration of love on a chuppah-like bench. That then meanders into the forest to scenes that are different each time ( pro-t...

There's so much good art to see right now! Last night I went to the opening night of the first production of a brand new theatre company, New Dawn Theatre — and it did not disappoint! Regina Taylor's CROWNS was the perfect show to kick off this company with a bang! Everything works together perfectly. The performance is held in a corner church on Summit Avenue, now used as a performance center. It was great to see the people streaming in (and stream they did, there's no nearby parking, so they came from all over!) When we got in, we were thrilled to see Robin Hickman with her Celebration of Soulful Dolls , all in amazing hats! When Austene Van, the founder of New Dawn, gave her curtain speech, though, I got chills, especially when she thanked all of us for being there and being part of live theater, especially this company which is SO needed in the Twin Cities theater ecosystem right now. And then, when the show started, when the perfectly curated projection bega...

Did you drive down Montreal Avenue tonight and see a whole bunch of people looking up in the air? And then slow down to see a man walking a tightrope at the treeline, one-hundred-and-fifty feet along Highland Park? Well, then you saw part of David Dimitri's  one-man circus show tonight, but not even the most amazing part. When we at Circus Juventas discussed bringing the show here, I knew it would be a good way to celebrate our 25th anniversary. L'homme Cirque has an amazing reputation, among circus people who are not easily impressed. It's been wonderful, the past couple of days, to watch our crew put up the tent for the show, the old-fashioned way, driving big stakes into the ground. For 60 minutes before then, Dimitri had everyone in the audience laughing so hard their faces hurt, in awe of his prowess, and half in love with his horse. His artistry is beautiful but also hilarious, tying masterful acrobatics with side-splitting clowning. I don't think I'v...

For my whole life, until last year, I was a daughter. I'm sure many/most of you can relate. You're someone's child — until you are not, and suddenly, that's an enormous change to get used to. Today, we spent much of the day finishing cleaning out my dad's house. It's been a lot of (hard) work. But I also don't want to end. Because sometime, very soon, we'll have to put that house on the market. My dad has owned that house since soon after my parents' divorce, almost 50 years, and letting that go will be losing another part of me. Beatrix has started at SPA. She loves it. I love it for her. Yet losing that part of me the is a SPPS parent is unexpectedly difficult. I've fought, so much and for so many year, for SPPS. Today I even rotated off the Facebook admin duties for Randolph Heights. I'm having a really hard time with losing that part of my identity. There have been a lot of preservation fails in Saint Paul lately — we're losing ...