[Air-l] places uniquely Minneapolis
brian carroll
human at electronetwork.org
Mon Sep 17 16:41:29 PDT 2001
from memory i am trying to compile two lists of things
that are relevant to a visitor to Minneapolis. one is
a list for 'internet' related things, electromagnetic
culture, if you will. the other, other things...
________________________________________________________
1: 'internet-related'/elecromagnetic-culture list
________________________________________________________
the Bakken
A Library and Museum of Electricity in Life.
http://www.bakkenmuseum.org/ (location, phone, hours)
founded by the inventor of the (EM) pacemaker
has a museum of electrical artifacts, including
a theremin instrument, electric eel, and other things.
by Lake Calhoun in south mpls... (on the west side)
---
Ford Lock & Dam
on the mississipi river, around the bend from the U of MN,
is a great (architectural) dam that has a unique observation
deck, outdoors, and is almost park-like. one can go up above
the dam and see it from a walk way, or get up next to the
low rise dam and hear the water roar, with plants and
tranquility (if it is open at these unpredictable times).
else, one can see it from the parking lot, or the Ford
Bridge above. the Ford Factory is up across the river,
opposite the visitor area, and makes light-duty trucks.
for those unfamiliar with why this is internet-related,
this dam provides hydropower via putting falling water
through turbines, rotating generators of magnetics, to
produce electrical current, which is sent to the city
dwellers to power up their home computers to surf. it
is likely this dam is under security guard right now.
(Aldous Huxley's Brave New World has immense irony here)
http://www.wildernessinquiry.org/mnparks/parks/Ford118.html
http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/navigation/locks_and_dams/1/
---
Upper and Lower St. Anthony Falls, Dams
these dams work together, and there is an 'old stone bridge'
that was renovated i believe which is now accessible via
walkway, that allows one to oversee the whole immense
complex of the dams. there is a visitor platform, inside
which has info and one can look into the locks, and also
tours, possibly. one thing about this place is that it
had an island, i forget, i think it was destroyed, that
was sacred to the Native Americans whom lived here prior
to the city's founding. this dam is, as far as i remember,
related to the flour industry, and the growth of the urban
area and the wealth of the city, via the Mississipi River.
also, it seens that the industrial archaeologists at the
U of MN have done some work on this area (link 2), and
may have more information to provide... (location is
right in downtown minneapolis area) [of note is that
there is a park on the far side of the dam/river, which
has a nice water-level access to the area. sometimes
people fish or whatnot there, so it is advised to visit
in groups, but is a nice retreat, as i remember] [so
too, there is a greatly unique transmission tower,
high voltage, besides the paperclip-like fiberglass
ones, which arcs in form much like a giant sculpture.
it is where the cultural/art/humanities aspects of
the e-infrastructure can be seen via e-aesthetics)
http://www.nps.gov/miss/maps/model/stanthony.html (info)
http://www.wildernessinquiry.org/mnparks/parks/st105.html
http://www1.umn.edu/marp/dig/site3.html (background)
http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/navigation/locks_and_dams/up_st_an/
http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/navigation/locks_and_dams/lo_st_an/
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Lake/1916/anthony.html (photos)
---
Supercomputing Center
nearby the St. Anthony Falls, proximity to U of MN west-bank.
in 1994 or so i asked for a tour but they didn't have them
then i think. there may be nothing to see, i don't know. but
it might be worth checking out. probably would need to send
an e-mail to see if tours are available and for scheduling\
in advance, if they have them. [from my understanding this
was one of the initial internet backbones, in the days of
'gopher', which is/was an internet protocol for accessing
content online, in a file/folder paradigm. when there was
no graphical web (then came Mosaic..). 'gopher' by the way,
is a name used by the U of MN sports teams, as a mascot...]
http://web.msi.umn.edu/
[note: there is also the U of MN Geometry Center which has
had an impressive web presence for a long time, but today
i cannot access their url. they may have something locally
to demonstrate or tour... http://www.geom.umn.edu/ ]
---
Science Museum of Minnesota
i think there is a new building for this museum, but as
i remember it, it was worth visiting more than once, as
i think it had natural and other sciences together, and
must have some electronic aspect today.... it seems it
may have (co-)developed from the work done at the San
Francisco Exploratorium center, interactive exhibits
to learn about scientific concepts, but i am not sure...
http://www.smm.org/
---
Walker Art Center, Sculpture Garden and Museum
outside, on the edge of downtown, a great sculpture park
for large scale work, and smaller rooms made by landscaping
for collections of different works. a greenhouse with a
carp fish by Frank Gehry. for years, in the museum itself,
they had a claus oldenburg softsculpture of an electrical
socket or plug hanging above the interior atrium/entrance.
also, they still may have part of a Jenny Holzer electronic
sculpture which was so intense, when it was several works.
also, some work by artists using fluorescent lights, and
now, i'm sure, digital technology by the dumptruck load.
used to be a great museum, but when i last visited they
had a horrendous exhibit with VR goggls and whatnot that
seemedmore about the technology than the ideas, the ebb
and flow of art (and related influences, such as money).
also, well known online, is Steven Dietz's digital art
curating, and might be well worth a looksee as maybe
they have an offline collection to browse as well...
http://www.walkerart.org/
________________________________________________________
2: other things to experience in MPLS list
________________________________________________________
the Minnehaha Falls and Path to the Mississippi River
follow a trail to see the Minnehaha creek fall into
a torrent of sound and white water some 30 feet below,
and eventually gently meld into the Mississippi river
about 1/2 mile below the top fo the falls. if you go,
make sure to take the walk, via trails, from the bottom
of the falls to the river. recommend travelling with
others. then, you will come out onto a view of the
Mississippi River, almost as if nothing else were
around. a large green space (i hope still) is across
the river's waters, flowing smoothly by, and one can
stand on the shore, sand and rocks, and contemplate
civilization, as they see the Ford dam to the left,
as the Ford bridge. greatest is seeing a barge and
tug come through the locks, quite impressive.
http://twincities.citysearch.com/profile/11357167/ (info)
http://www.seniornet-mpls.org/slides/slide3.html (photo)
http://www.d.umn.edu/tma/MungerSite/Pages/ID154.html
(painting)
---
the Lakes, memorial garden to the Nuclear Bombing
south Minneapolis, but everywhere. lake harriet,
calhoun, and lake of the isles (and brown lake
or something such towards downtown, and also,
hidden lake, too, i think) are where people go
to get away and walk and talk and do things. earlier
it was the locals, but in later years people from
all over would come to drive and walk around the
lakes. not sure what they are like now in this
regard, but worth seeing (isles is nice. harriet
has a great rosegarden/fountain, and a memorial
to the WWII nuclear bombing in a Japanese garden.
it is one of the most impressive landscapes i have
experienced, in its conveyence of peace. also, a
bird sanctuary is a few steps away).
also, there is an electric trolley that transits
between lakes harriet and calhoun, on the west
side by the bandshell, should anyone be interested
in riding the electric streetcars that used to
be the transit infrastructure for the city. worth
the nostalgia and going through some trees. peaceful.
http://www.phototour.minneapolis.mn.us/streetcar_boarding_5-14-00.html
--
the Minnehaha Parkway
between Lake Harriet (southermost in the chain of city
lakes) and the Mississippi river runs the Minnehaha creek
(or crik, as i grew up calling it). suggested, if one wants
to enjoy a great landscape, is to walk from the Crik around
Penn Street and 54th, for several miles. all the way to the
Falls and the Missippi, but that would take a while walking.
there are some beautiful old bridges of concrete and metal
and wood, and a nature inside the city that still has a
sense of wilderness that many who live in the area cherish,
protect, and are very proud of. there are bike and walking
trails, and then, other trails of dirt on the other side
of the crik which one can go up and down along the crik
on, when one finds a little dirt trail. truly beautiful....
---
Fort Snelling, park below
Fort Snelling is an early fort which protected the area
for development however many years ago. it has the fort,
and reenactments sometimes, i believe, or tours with
actors, i am not sure. once there were settlers and
indians' tents pitched. there is a small gift shop inside
i think, or musuem even, i forget. but below is an
expansive park on the Mississippi River, and it is awe
inspiring to get near the water, if one can. i remember
cattails all over last time i was there, in the bogs.
lots of trails to walk and bike. few people. can get
away from the noise a bit and enjoy the land... there
may be a new bridge there now, so it may be noisy, but
it is nearby the mall of america, but a totally different
experience of the local environment, given local culture.
---
notes:
heard of good food places south of lakestreet in south
minneapolis, Nicollet Ave area, where there are many
different cultures and foods...
there is a Native American Museum on Franklin Ave or
nearby, which is well-worth a visit. they have a gallery
and also artifacts of Native Americans in US pop culture.
[could not find URL, but is in the Phillips neighborhood]
Minneapolis Institute of Arts- the best general museum i
have been in, an extrordinary collection of artifacts
from ancient to everyday. and still think it is free.
it is an immense collection. well worth seeing if you
enjoy great museums...
Gehry Museum/Weisman Art Museum, U of MN. okay museum,
small, and have not seen many shows there. but it is
a 'postcard museum' by a world-famous architect, contracted
out by the University to make a world-class museum. and it
is, in appearance. stunning at sunset, across the bridge
connecting the University's east and west banks. but, if
the drama of the outside metal curves moves you, note
the experience inside, which has some of it going on
above, but on the floor one remains unaffected by all
the facadal aestheticizing of architectural images.
still, worth seeing from the outside, and learning
about why architecture is not just about beautiful
buildings by experiencing the space and light, inside.
IDS tower: not sure, i think they yanked it, but this,
one of the first skyscrapers of its kind, by Philip
Johnson, architect, i believe, used to have a UFO
exhibit on the top floor. that went away with the
unique weirdness of the people in this land of lakes,
but if you say 'weather ball' to many there, they
will call you their own.... (there used to be a
weather ball on a building which would light up
in different colors, given the forecast for the
city, 'when the weather ball is green... when
the weather ball is blue... etc'.)... many think
about the movie "Fargo" about minneapolitan culture.
accurate in its vernacular to some extent, but this
is also home to some of the oldest computer works
in the country... such as Unisys, Control Data Corp
& also Cray Computers, (maybe that was in wisconsin).
and others, too. including Honeywell (electronics)
and other major EM research and development co's,
like 3M (Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing).
in any case, some ideas for the visitor.... hope
you enjoy your time in the area and get to see
some of the unique aspects of this area, especially
the parks and lakes and river... brian
--
.. . . . . . .. .. . . . . .... .. .. ... . . . . . . .
brian thomas carroll the_electromagnetic_internetwork
electromagnetic researcher matter, energy, and in-formation
human at electronetwork.org http://www.electronetwork.org/
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