June 14, 2011

Looking at the city of Minneapolis from across the river. I liked how all the power lines mixed in with the sky... created a cool effect. The power lines in this picture are actually connected to the hydro-electric dam at Saint Anthony Falls. The dam used to power the entire city of Minneapolis. I wanted to come back here at night and take a picture of the city lights, but some random security guard told me that the river area was not so friendly at night. It seemed ok to me??

From afar, the downtown area looks pretty massive... but it's actually quite small. The buildings you see in this image make up the entirety of the downtown area (doesn't go any further back or to the side). Nonetheless, the suburbs do extend out rather far.

June 13, 2011

Pillsbury A Mill

This used to be the largest and most technically advanced flour mill in the world... sitting along the banks of the Mississippi River. However, in 2003, the mill ceased operations and now sits abandoned (would have been awesome to sneak inside of it!!). A developer recently purchased it with plans to turn the building into a loft-style apartment complex. I hope it works out... and the building keeps its charm.

June 10, 2011

Old mill buildings turned into museums and expensive lofts along the Mississippi River. The Old Mill City Museum (shown in middle) was one of the most awesome buildings I've seen. The front of the museum features a partial shell of the old structure... and the back of it is a modern glass structure. I never thought that the history of grain could be so interesting.

June 9, 2011

"The Jazzman testifies"


Random street shot I took while wandering around downtown Minneapolis.

June 8, 2011

Looking at Saint Anthony Falls on the Mississippi River. It's definitely no Niagara Falls... but it's still rather impressive. This little dam used to power the entire city. Interesting article about it on Wikipedia

Bonus video below!

June 7, 2011

Bridge crossing the Mississippi. My first attempt at adding my own personal texture... thought it came out pretty cool.

June 6, 2011

Minneapolis Skyways

The Minneapolis Skyway System is an interlinked collection of enclosed pedestrian footbridges that connect various buildings in Downtown Minneapolis enabling people to walk in a climate-controlled environment (which is GREAT when it's 15 below during the winter... or 90+ degrees during the summer). The extensive system is renowned as the largest continuous system in the world. It forms a network of pedestrian walkways that link sixty-nine full city blocks over seven miles!!

I have to admit it's pretty rad... you can pretty much get anywhere you want without going outside. It reminded me a bit of Hong Kong's underground MTR network.

June 5, 2011

I took a stroll around downtown Minneapolis last night. It is a very pretty city (during the summer)... and even has some cool skyscrapers mixed in. Here we are looking up at Capella Tower in Minneapolis. This is the tallest building in Minneapolis by 2 inches (see Wikipedia Article for more info). It's a pretty cool building. I like the halo effect on top of it.

June 4, 2011

On the Stone Arch bridge looking toward the city of Minneapolis. Minneapolis is a pretty cool city. It has a nice/clean/safe downtown area... and there are a bunch of old & heavily weathered mill buildings that sit along the Mississippi River. It makes for an interesting contrast.