John's Week in the Twin Cities

The Week's Weather & Air

Thu 16

🥵

96°

feels ~100°

Patchy smoke; rain possible 5–7 PM

AIR: RED O'NIGHT ~162

Fri 17

🥵

95°

feels ~99°

Smoke till ~10 AM, then clearing

AIR: SMOKY AM → CLEARING

Sat 18

🌦️

92°

lo 70°

Storms before 1 PM; breezy, gusts 30

AIR: PATCHY SMOKE PM

Sun 19

🌤️

85°

lo 74°

Mostly sunny, cooler

AIR: SMOKE O'NIGHT — CHECK

Mon 20

🌦️

~88°

Storms Sun night into Mon

AIR: CHECK AIRNOW

Tue 21

✈️

Travel day

Saturday shifted overnight: a 50% chance of showers and storms mainly before 1 PM, then partly sunny and breezy (west-southwest 15–20, gusts to 30) with 92° and patchy smoke sneaking back after 11 AM. The afternoon ride window still works — let the morning line clear, then check radar + AirNow before rolling, and expect a headwind one direction. Sunday cools to 85° and mostly sunny, but widespread smoke may drift back overnight — check before morning plans. Storms are likely Sunday night into Monday (marginal severe risk) — the watch item for Monday's Stillwater ride. Pulled Saturday 7/18, 8 AM, NWS; latest here.

Today & Ahead

SaturdayJuly 18Breakfast club

🍳

Breakfast club at Egg and I — doneDone

Guest of honor delivered; the whole crew turned out under the neon EGG

The Saturday breakfast club at Egg and I

🚴

The ride — done: 15.4 mi easy loopDone

"Sat Ride with Deluca" ridden as planned — ~1 hr 25 riding, 275 ft of climb, downtown and out west past St. Louis Park, back through south Minneapolis. Nancy joined the crew; Dan was missed (family event). First clean-air ride since Wednesday

🏮

Aquatennial Floating Lanterns & Night Market, Bde Maka Ska, 3–10 PMOption

Lanterns on the water at dusk, street food, local makers

🎪

Rondo Days, St. Paul, noon–7 PMOption

One of Minnesota's largest celebrations of the historic Black Rondo neighborhood

🫐

Hopkins Raspberry Festival — Marketplace Fair, 9 AM–4 PMOption

300+ vendors on Mainstreet, Lions Club raspberry sundaes; ~25 min west

🎻

Minneapolis Pops Orchestra, Lake Harriet Bandshell, 7:30 PMOption

Free, on the water — pick one or two of these, not all

SundayJuly 19Quirky & light

🛶

Milk Carton Boat Races, Thomas Beach at Bde Maka Ska, morningOption

Real rideable boats built from milk cartons — peak Minnesota folklore

🗼

Highland Water Tower open house, 9 AM–5 PMOption

151 steps, panoramic views of St. Paul; open to the public only a few days a year

🎉

Hopkins Raspberry Festival — Grande Day Parade, 1 PMOption

92 years of small-town parade on Mainstreet, ~25 min west; pairs fine with the morning boat races

🚴

Or a lazy lake loop and a patioOption

MondayJuly 20The big ride

🚴

Brown's Creek + Gateway Trail from Stillwater (~20 miles)Option

Coolest day of the week; shaded rail-trail along a trout stream and the St. Croix, with downtown Stillwater to poke around after. Want to try an e-bike? Herman's (at Greenbridge Coffee on Main St) rents them right by the trailhead

🎷

Evening: Nova Jazz Orchestra, Lake Harriet Bandshell, 7:30 PM, freeOption

Last night in town — easy close-out

TuesdayJuly 21Departure

🚗

Car back to Cottage Grove — 7400 Iden Ave S, morningTiming TBC

Return's booked for 10:00 AM but the flight's at 10:14 — checking with the host about an early drop (~7:40) + rideshare to MSP

🛫

Fly home: UA 1637 departs MSP 10:14 AMSet

The Trail So Far

FridayJuly 17Minnehaha evening

The smoke finally broke. The alert ended at 11 and the heat peaked one last time (95°, heat warning to 9 PM). Dinner was John's pick and it delivered: Lulu Ethiovegan — fully vegan Ethiopian, good food.

🥘

Dinner at Lulu Ethiovegan — Menu

Veggie combos, lentils, injera — John's pick, a good one

⚡

On the day's menu: Watt Cycleworks e-bikes at 11, the ride take-two at 1

ThursdayJuly 16Ross day + St. Paul

Smoke day, played smart. The morning went gilded-age — touring the James J. Hill House on Summit Avenue, from the gold-leaf dining room ceiling to the 1891 plumbing. Lunch with Ross at Turtle Bread at 1:00. With the ride smoked out, the day's miles happened indoors instead: a walk through the Mall of America with Nickelodeon Universe roaring below. Outdoor evening skipped — Friday's front clears the air.

James J. Hill House dining room with gilded ceiling

Hill House period bathroom with clawfoot tub

The Hill House dining room and its 1891 bathroom; then the indoor-walk backup plan, Mall of America edition.

🏛️

James J. Hill House tour — 240 Summit Ave, St. Paul

The railroad baron's gilded-age mansion, AC all the way

🥐

1:00 lunch with Ross Savage — Turtle Bread, Longfellow

🛍️

Walk at the Mall of America — the indoor miles

🚫

Ride + outdoor evening skipped — record smoke (metro ~162 overnight); the route moved to Friday ~1 PM

WednesdayJuly 15Neighborhood day

The ride beat the smoke. Rolled at 9:36 and got the creek-and-gorge loop in before the air went bad: 7.78 miles, 39 minutes riding, 11.9 mph average, 200 feet of climb. By evening the wildfire haze had settled in thick — the river gorge and Lock & Dam No. 1 half-vanished from the Ford Parkway bridge. After the Sencha drop it was an iced tea, a Whole Foods stop for John's dinner, and a night in: catching up on the state of the family, plus a good chat with an old friend, Steve Church. The bandshell went unvisited — the smoke can have that one.

Apple Watch ride stats: 7.78 miles, 39:03 riding

Ford Parkway bridge fading into smoke haze

Bridge lampposts against a smoke-white sky over the gorge

Lock and Dam No. 1 under heavy smoke haze

The morning's numbers, then the evening's air: the Mississippi gorge from the Ford Parkway bridge under the smoke.

🚴

Morning ride, done — Minnehaha Creek → river gorge loop · Route on Komoot

9:36–10:22 AM, ahead of the worst of the haze

💻

Noon client visit — 2422 Clinton Ave

🍵

Andraya to Sencha by 3:00 — car stayed with her; John scooped Joe up out front, iced tea while there

🛒

Whole Foods dinner stop for John

🏠

Night in — family catch-up and a chat with old friend Steve Church; passed on the bandshell

TuesdayJuly 14Arrival day

Day one, done. John's in town, and the night closed out with dinner at Heather's — a good meal in the neighborhood. No pictures tonight; the camera comes out tomorrow.

🛬

Landed at MSP 12:17 PM (UA 5684 via Chicago)

🚗

Picked up the Ford Escape — 7400 Iden Ave S, Cottage Grove

🏠

Settled into the Airbnb — 3323 E 45th St, Minneapolis

Maryam's place, right by Lake Nokomis

🍔

Dinner at Heather's — 5201 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis · Menu

The pick over Sonora Grill — good meal, easy first night

Where We Eat

Vegan-first picksJohn's lane

🌱

J. Selby's — 100% plant-based comfort food, Cathedral Hill, St. Paul · MenuThu plan

Burgers, wraps, tacos; the Twin Cities' essential vegan stop

🥘

Lulu Ethiovegan — fully vegan Ethiopian, South Minneapolis · MenuOption

Veggie combos, lentils, injera — vegan and Ethiopian with no compromise on either

🥪

Herbivorous Butcher — America's first vegan butcher, NE Minneapolis · MenuOption

Deli counter: vegan brats, ribs, cheeses — good grab-and-go before a ride

🥞

Reverie Cafe + Bar — all-vegan brunch, bowls & burgers, 1517 E 35th St · MenuNear home base

Powderhorn, a few minutes away; tofu scramble, cinnamon rolls, full bar

🍔

Francis Burger Joint — 100% plant-based burgers, 3900 E Lake St · MenuNear home base

Longfellow, right on Lake St; vegan Juicy Lucy, taco-seasoned Impossible, black bean

🍲

Trio Plant-Based — vegan soul food, 920 E Lake St · MenuNear home base

Longfellow; cauliflower wings, soul bowls, vegan mac — recently relocated to this spot, worth a quick call ahead

🍛

Himalayan Restaurant — Nepali/Indian/Tibetan, 2910 E Lake St · MenuClosest Indian

Five minutes from home base; large, clearly labeled vegan selection — momos, dal, chana masala. Rice-and-lentil forward, so the naan is the only wheat trap. Open till 9:30, closed Mondays

🍛

Gorkha Palace — Nepali/Indian, 23 4th St NE · MenuOption

Northeast Minneapolis, ~15 min; the nicer-night-out version, also strongly vegan-friendly

🍛

Best of India — North Indian, 8120 Minnetonka Blvd, St. Louis Park · MenuOption

Classic curry house west of town; plenty vegetarian — ask which dishes skip the ghee for vegan

🌮

Mexican fallback, minutes from home base: El Norteño (menu) or Sonora Grill (menu), both in LongfellowAnytime

Orale Mexican Eats is the vegan-Mexican standout if that itch needs both boxes checked

🛒

Groceries: Whole Foods for John's staples; Joe's regulars are Kowalski's and the Mississippi Market co-op (strong vegan deli)

The Map

Tap any pin for the name; addresses in the schedule above open Google Maps navigation.