austin

Austin

chicago

Chicago

denver

Denver

lasvegas

Las Vegas

madison

Madison

nashville

Nashville

philly

Philly

pittsburgh

Pittsburgh

portland

Portland

saltlake

Salt Lake

seattle

Seattle

twincities

Twin Cities

We make podcasts and newsletters that connect people with the cities they love.

City Cast Twin Cities

Sean McPherson

Kirstie Kimball

Farmers markets change! That’s one of the best things about them. The best things to nab in May are quite different from what might be peaking in October. But don’t worry! We connected with restaurant critic and City Cast contributor Kirstie Kimball of 

. to find out what you need to grab this weekend from the market to make the most out of your trip. Bon appetit!

Ramp season is short and it’s right now! For the uninitiated, ramps are a wild allium that many Minnesota farmers will forage around their property. If you’re on a ramp hunt, visit the 

Ramp lovers should show up early. These things fly off the shelves. And don’t stop at a fresh ramp! There’s a vendor at Mill City who also hawks ramp salt. Yum!

Morels are a luxury food item. They cost money, but for the flavor enthusiast, they are well worth it! Right now you can enjoy the first-of-the-season luxury of a foraged morel.

Kirstie Kimball recommends preparing them in a soft scramble or dropping them in with a pile of noodles. There have been morel sightings as of late at the 

If you are ready to expand your cheese selections, there are a bevy of options on offer at most farmers markets. We have a seasonal suggestion if you’re looking for an alternative to cow’s milk that keeps it artisanal. 

 specializes in sheep milk cheese and they have some award-winning varieties. You can find LoveTree at the 

Lilac season comes and goes quickly but don’t let it slip by without sinking your teeth into a lilac mini bundt cake from Eat Me Bakery. This well-regarded bakery doesn’t have a brick and mortar location but they are a fixture at farmers markets across the metro and also do a brisk delivery and pick-up business. Kelsey Endres, the proprietor of Eat Me Bakery, reports that the first appearance for the mini bundt cakes this year will be at the 

 for vital updates on where she’ll be as well as when she inevitably runs out of baked goods at the markets.

Don’t waste your tulip season waiting with bated breath for peony season. That’s a rookie mistake. Tulips are here, they’re in bloom, and there’s no better spot to grab some of these seasonal delights than at a local farmers market.

Tulips are the cheat code to bring early summer energy directly into your home. Grab a bouquet for your table and you’ll feel the season even when you can’t be outdoors.

Farmers markets change! That’s one of the best things about them. The best things to nab in May are quite different from what might be peaking in October. 

Twin Cities Farmers Markets are Back – Here's What to Buy This Weekend 

The Farmers Market is Back – Here's What to Buy This Weekend 

Twin City Guides

Anna Weggel

Tiffany Bui

Adam Sage

James Napoli

Tane Danger

It doesn’t get better than May in the Twin Cities. It doesn’t snow in May, and the mosquitoes aren’t quite ready to ruin an evening on a patio. The theater scene is in full swing, outdoor concerts start popping up every weekend, and people stop looking at you weirdly for getting ice cream. It’s been a long winter and a spring peppered with mornings fit for a parka and evenings fit for a tank top. But the warm weather is here to stay, and it’s time to enjoy it. Here are our recommendations and pro-tips to make the most out of your May.

Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women at Guthrie Theater

I have seen dozens upon dozens of shows at the Guthrie, and “Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women” was in my top two of all time. The set, the script, the actors, the costuming, the jokes that brilliantly blended between then and now – it was a perfect, perfect show. At intermission, I leaned over to my husband and asked him how many times he cried thus far. “Four,” he replied, lifting up his glasses and wiping his eyes. When we got home, we literally called people we knew, late at night, to rave to them about this show. Isabella Star LaBlanc, whom you might recognize from HBO’s True Detective Season 4, will forever now be “Jo” to me. This show will stay with me for a very, very long time. Now playing through June 21. 

The Wizard of Oz at Children’s Theatre Company

I had a phenomenal time with my four-year-old seeing “The Wizard of Oz” this past weekend. The staging was magical, the cast, including Aniya Bostick as Dorothy, was brilliant and incredibly talented, and the potentially horrifying elements of the story were masked with smart humor and lots of levity, making it accessible for all ages. Reed Sigmund as the Lion and Autumn Ness as the Wicked Witch of the West were gobs of fun, and Dean Holt as the Scarecrow did moves with his legs that I’ve never seen on a stage before. And if you get the chance to go, keep an eye on Brendan Nelson Finn – one of my favorite ensemble members. I don’t know anything about him, but he stole nearly every scene he was in, sometimes without even moving or talking. What a talent! Now playing through June 14. 

I always bring these essentials to the theater with me: glasses, cough drops, a mask in case there are any errant coughers around me, my phone 

and for those that might have an ouchie tailbone, like I do, I turn my coat into a little tailbone pillow. It really helps! 

As an art market enthusiast, Art-A-Whirl is my Coachella. I’m hitting every vendor I possibly can, and going out of my way to visit artists in person. It’s quite a treat to visit the artist studios, but I actually have the best time visiting the pop-ups. If you’re really looking to shop until you drop, definitely drop by Quincy Hall, conveniently located next to major lofts like the Northrup King and Q.arma buildings. Every year, vendors fill out Quincy Hall’s massive venue. –

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of events (and people) at Art-A-Whirl, so I recommend choosing which artists you definitely want to visit ahead of time and staying in that zone. My artist recommendations for some fun and whimsy: 

 at Moth Oddities (maker of the chickens-with-cowboy-boots 

Riding a bike is a great way to get to all of the different arts buildings during Art-A-Whirl, even if you don't own a bike. Recovery Bike Shop on Central Avenue will be 

 all weekend long. Show up to Recovery during Art-A-Whirl, pick out a bike, and return it by Sunday at 6 p.m. for FREE! They'll also have helmets and bike locks available to borrow on a first-come, first-served basis, but they recommend bringing your own if possible. 

The way I fell in love with Art-A-Whirl was not through visual art or jewelry. For me, the first draw was the music. One can pack in a full summer’s worth of outdoor music in a handful of well-curated days each May. I recommend catching your favorite artists at the big stages early in the day and then following your whimsy toward impromptu jam sessions, live DJ sets, and under-the-radar stages as the sunsets. The lineup at 

 on Saturday features some of the best young acts in the Twin Cities, including 

 is a talented songwriter navigating a career renaissance with a set at 

 on Saturday. The Twin Cities’ best grocery store (

) is also throwing a banger of an event on Saturday with sets from 

. If you have enough gas left in the tank for more fun on Saturday, I recommend donning your finest in ironic cowboy gear and racing a “hobby horse” at the 

 because, honestly, when’s your next chance to do that? On Sunday, 

, one of the premier voices of gospel music in town, will get things started at Indeed. And when you are ready to get out of the sun on your final day of Art-A-Whirl hijinks, stop by the 331 Club to catch indoor sets from 

 are an absolutely insane thing to eat when you will have questionable access to a bathroom for the foreseeable future, but the fish is so good it’s worth the risk. When it is time to return the Alaskan cod to the ocean, walk calmly into a fancy restaurant like 

 and pretend you’re about to meet someone, and then make a quick beeline for the bathroom. If they make you buy something, get the charred cabbage – I cannot begin to explain how delicious it is. 

For two days, Cesar Chavez Street transforms into a massive street festival honoring Mexican heritage and the West Side's Latino community. Friday night kicks off with a lowrider car show at Harriet Island. Saturday is the main event: a parade at 10 a.m. followed by live music on two stages, 40 food vendors, 80 craft and merchandise vendors, a Family Zone, and — don't sleep on this — lucha libre-style wrestling. Last year's parade featured Indigenous dance groups in full regalia, folklorico dancers, and the Latin America Motorcycle Association. Over 10,000 people are expected, and it lives up to the crowd.

 Take Metro Transit. Street parking vanishes early, and the neighborhood gets packed. If you do drive, park a few blocks out toward Robert Street and walk in. Come hungry — 40 food vendors mean you're eating well, but the most popular spots get long lines by early afternoon. Get there closer to 11 a.m. and eat first. 

The Mayday Parade started in 1975 — just two weeks after the Vietnam War ended — when a group of 60 people marched with an Earth puppet, a water puppet, two accordions, and a bunch of banners. Now it draws up to 50,000. The parade kicks off at noon at Bloomington and 28th, winds down to Powderhorn Park, and is followed by the Tree of Life Ceremony on the hillside around 3 p.m. Mayday is built almost entirely by the community. After In the Heart of the Beast Theatre released the event in 2023, neighbors took over — constructing giant puppets (some over 10 feet tall) from recycled cardboard, house paint, and fabric scraps in garages and basements across South Minneapolis. You'll see activist street bands, stilters, art cars, dancers, and puppets the size of buildings. Dress up if the mood strikes you — many do. –

 The parade route gets very crowded south of 32nd Street. For a more relaxed view, stake out a spot north of Lake Street, where the route is less packed. There is 

 public parking in the Powderhorn Park lot — it's reserved for disability access only — so bike, bus, or walk. Food trucks are clustered on 35th Street near the park (Taco Taxi, La Perla, Rollin' Nolens BBQ, and more), not along the parade route, so bring snacks for the march and save your appetite for the park. 

On Saturday, May 2, head down to the Minnehaha Creek at 11 a.m. to watch thousands of rubber ducks float toward the falls. If you want to get in on the action, you can pay to 

 (or a whole flock), and you'll get a prize if your duck is one of the first 20 to cross the finish line. The race starts at the 12th Avenue Bridge and Minnehaha Parkway and finishes at 17th Avenue and Minnehaha Parkway. Don't worry, none of the ducks end up polluting the river, as volunteers wait at the finish line with big nets to collect them and use them again next year. 

Give her time and space to buy some GD flowers

In my house, Mother’s Day is synonymous with the start of gardening season. I think everyone’s season of motherhood varies wildly depending on how old your kids are. If you have teenagers, maybe you’re desperate to spend time with them. If you have pre-teens, maybe you want them to cook you breakfast. For me, I have a 2 and 4 year old, so what I’m asking for isn’t monumental. It’s for my husband to sit in the car, DJing Danny Go for them while slowly doling out snacks, so I can spend a glorious 12 minutes alone wandering the outdoor aisles of 

. Bonus points? Play with the kids inside the house for 20 minutes while I plant them in my outdoor flower box. The luxury!! 

: Gardeners don’t always get sarcasm! The sage wisdom for Minnesota green thumbs is to not plant anything until Mother’s Day to avoid an early spring frost. I made a social faux pas on April 22 by suggesting on social media that it was perfect weather to start planting tomatoes. The response from the internet was swift and vicious. So, not only should you avoid planting things before Mother’s Day, you should avoid making jokes about breaking that rule online. –

This marks the date Minnesota was admitted to the Union in 1858 – the last state actually admitted to the Union prior to the Civil War. It is commemorated each year by the lighting of the "Electrolier" or chandelier in the state Capitol Rotunda. It's 100+ years old (first installed in 1905) and they only light it occasionally, as Statehood Day is one of the only days you're guaranteed to see it lit (they might also light it the first day of session each year). It's pretty stunning and gives you an excuse to visit 

the most beautiful state capitol in the United States

Support the Frost, The Wolves, and the Wild in their Postseason Runs

I’d like to curse us by pointing out that Minnesota sports teams are doing pretty well. The Twins had an unexpectedly good start to their season. There is 

 for the upcoming Lynx season. And the Frost, the Timberwolves, and the Lynx are all in the postseason. I know we are not used to our teams being in good condition, and surely the moment will pass, but give the Lazy-Boy a break this month and get out to a local watering hole to cheer on your favorite teams! 

When you want to watch the Frost, your best option is 

 in Seward. This place is the beating heart of women’s sports culture in the Twin Cities. Their next game is on Saturday, May 2, and the bar is sure to be packed to the gills with the Frost faithful. It’s not hard to find a hockey bar in the Twin Cities. On nights when the Wolves and the Wild are both in action, I’m usually looking for a bar that 

 turn the sound on for the Wild. But, I consulted my dedicated hockey neighbor Donny, and he said the place to be for peak Wild intensity is 

 in downtown St. Paul. Tom Reid is a hockey icon known to darken the door of his namesake bar from time to time, and being that they are located just blocks away from the Grand Casino Arena, the hockey energy is truly palpable.

There’s a simple answer when you’re talking about the heart of Timberwolves fandom in the Twin Cities. 

 is the brewery that you know will always be open for games, sound on, and delicious pizza baking outside from Wrecktangle’s truck. I recently caught Game 1 of our series against the evil, terrible, shameful Denver Nuggets, and though the loss was a bummer, the energy was great. The crew from Falling Knife sets up a huge, two-sided screen outside, and fans bring folding chairs. It is a special place to enjoy a game and be shoulder-to-shoulder with other insane people who will watch basketball while wrapped in blankets at 10:25 p.m. on a Monday night. 

It's finally warm enough that you have no excuse not to be riding your bike. Get a tune-up at your nearest bike shop if something feels off after not using it all winter, or take it into 

 for a Tuesday DIY night to fix it up yourself under the kind supervision of a knowledgeable bike mechanic. Join in on a group ride to enjoy some riding with your neighbors:

 (someone on an e-bike tows a DJ in a trailer blasting music) at Union Depot. There will be free snacks and cocktails after.

 Meet at the Martin Olav Sabo bridge at 7:30 a.m. for 

 Go to Recovery Bike Shop at 6 p.m. to decorate your bike (or a loaner bike that they will lend you for free) with pink lights and streamers to roll out on a 

Celebrate the Bounty of Great Twin Cities Ice Cream Options

There should be no stigma to eating ice cream in the middle of January. But there is. Once we hit Cinco De Mayo, however, it is ice cream season in the Twin Cities, and you can’t drive two blocks in this town without facing awesome and unique ice cream offerings. Our contributor Denzel Belin is poetic about the Salted Caramel Flan Brûlée from 

. This flavor is only available at their Uptown location, and Belin says they hit it with a torch before serving it to give that unmistakable brûlée flavor.

If you grab the Salted Caramel Flan Brûlée on a Friday the 13th, they’ll serve it to you with a 

I’m sure I’m biased based on it being carrying-a-crying-kid walking distance from my house, but 

 at Randolph and Hamline in St. Paul serves up some great flavors. My wife’s go-to choice is Exhausted Parent. If she ever let me even have one taste, I would tell you that it is espresso ice cream lightly kissed with bourbon flavor, peppered with delicious bittersweet chocolate chunks. I can give you a first-person testimonial on the uneaten half of my daughter’s cup of “Birthday Cake,” and oh my flipping god, it is so good. It’s melty, the spoon is already covered in ice cream by the time I get to it, and I wouldn’t change a single thing.

Pumphouse Creamery in South Minneapolis is also a year-round ice cream treasure, and though they offer a bevy of flavor options, I simply can’t get away from their pumpkin ice cream. They source their pumpkins from the Autumnwood Farm, and it makes a world of difference to actually get some farm-fresh flavor in the mix. Sure, pumpkin ice cream meets its peak popularity in November, but there’s no law against pumpin’ it up in May. I checked.

Sugar cones are trash. It’s a waffle cone, a cup, or GTFO. 

City Cast Twin Cities' Guide for May

Your Guide to the Twin Cities in May

It is April 20, aka “stoner Christmas” as our recent podcast guest Jessica Armbruster called it in 

. Armbruster controls the weed desk over at Racket and she was nice enough to join us on today’s episode to highlight some of her favorite Minnesota-made products. With Armbruster’s knowledge and my consumer enthusiasm we’ve fashioned a non-ranked list of five awesome Minnesota-made THC cannabis products. 🥁 Carlton Barrett of the Wailers drum roll please.

The current laws in Minnesota have helped to make us a hotbed of THC seltzer enthusiasm. Our 

 from Earl Giles said that he’ll even see customers from weed friendly spots like Denver and California have their minds blown by being able to order a THC beverage at a bar. Long live the THC seltzer. These things have been game changers for so many folks who crack one open for many different purposes. It might just be relaxation at the end of a long day or it might be a substitute for the six-pack of lager someone used to drain on Tuesdays. One of the most cherished THC drinks from the Twin Cities is Venn Brewing’s “Zenn Paloma”. This sophisticated beverage tastes fresh like a high-end alcoholic paloma served up at a seaside resort. The flavors blend perfectly and the production is top notch, assuring a reliably dosed product every time you partake.

Trail Magic “Classic Iced Tea and Lemonade”

Here’s a reality about THC beverages: some taste like carbonated bongwater while others taste like plain seltzer water. But for my money, Trail Magic’s “Classic Iced Tea and Lemonade” is something I would sip even if it wasn’t mind-altering. Before I try and win you over on Trail Magic, I first have to try to win you over on Arnold Palmers. Have you had iced tea? Sure you have, it’s delicious. Have you tried lemonade? Of course you have. Also delicious. Put them together? Jackpot. Add weed? Crackpot.

When I chatted with Jessica Armbruster I asked her about her recommendations for THC beverages for newbies who might just be dipping a toe into high country. That’s an important part of the potential audience for THC beverages. But I also asked Armbruster about the products for when it’s time to go in 

 into the world of marijuana. And Jessica recommended Falling Knife’s Grape Vape as her favorite choice for a drink that says “you’re done for the day”. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t like grape soda? If someone had told me at age 16 that there would be grape soda that gets you high I probably would’ve died just based on the concept alone. And it’s always worth supporting Falling Knife for being one of the most basketball-centric taprooms in our scene. Might I recommend grabbing a Grape Vape up at the Falling Knife tap room while watching our beloved Timberwolves house the Denver Nuggets? That sounds like a pretty good night!

Not everyone wants to get ripped on THC-infused grape soda while watching Anthony Edwards remind Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets that he’ll never be all-star material. For folks who want a more mild introduction into the world of THC, Jessica Armbruster enthusiastically recommends the products from Mary and Jane. This Minnesota company sells microdose edibles that get rave reviews from steady users and dabblers. And given that they come in a discreet travel-friendly tin, Armbruster says she actually keeps them in her purse “quite often, just 'cause you never know.”

Trail Magic is not the only lemonade/iced tea blend going in Minnesota’s THC world. City Cast contributor and news producer Sam Choo sings the praises of Stigma’s 10mg tallboy. This is another well-measured product that reliably delivers a strong high with a delicious drinking experience. And though 10mg is not for everybody, the tallboy format does slow down the intake a bit and works perfectly for a beverage on the back nine at your favorite golf course.

It is April 20, aka “stoner Christmas” as our recent podcast guest Jessica Armbruster called it in the pages of Racket.

5 Minnesota-Made Cannabis Products for Your 420 Festivities

5 Minnesota-Made Cannabis Products for Your 4/20 Festivities

audio stories from transplants on the podcast,

 and it got me thinking about some of the unique intricacies of life in the Twin Cities. The Twin Cities claim a complicated mix of reputations. We are known worldwide for our passive aggressiveness. We are known, but misunderstood, for our love of lakes. And now we are also recognized for a network of mutual support and resistance that has been cultivated locally for years but attracted national attention during Operation Metro Surge. Of course, some of the things that make the Twin Cities special can only be understood when you’re on the ground. Consider this the inside scoop for new arrivals to Minnesota.

A lot of people claim that Minnesotans hate spicy food, and that is largely true. But it’s not so much that we 

Most restaurants let you order your dish on a spice level of 1-5. No one orders 1 unless you are feeding a child or a childlike adult. No one orders 5 unless you have a death wish. Level 5 is not spicy food; it’s “ I dare you” food. It is spicier than almost anyone would want, and it is spicy food as imagined by a person who hates spicy food. Level 5 at most Minnesota restaurants is like someone opened up the jar of spices with no attention to moisture and balance. Keep your order between 2-4, and you’ll be like the rest of us, and boy, do Minnesotans like acting like the rest of Minnesota!

When You Hear a Siren, You’ll See White Lights at Intersections

In the Twin Cities, you’ll be driving around, hear a police siren, and suddenly notice a white light on top of a stoplight. Those are called preemption devices, and they aren’t all that common in the US.

Solid white light means the emergency vehicle is on the same street as you. Flashing lights mean the emergency vehicle is approaching the intersection from another street.

Either way, the light means pay attention, be safe, and give emergency vehicles the right of way.

Sirens Ring at 1 p.m. on the First Wednesday of the Month

Minnesota tests its outdoor warning sirens at 1 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the month. It’s just a test. It’ll last a minute, and then it’s done. But that’s not in the brochure – they didn’t tell me about that when I moved here.

We Didn’t Just Get into the WNBA Like the Rest of You Jerks

We get it. We’re also glad Caitlin Clark is part of the 

 of WNBA enthusiasm, but don’t act like she’s the start of the story, especially not here in Minnesota. We’ve been winning titles since 2011, and if the referees could get their heads out of their own rear ends, we’d have a couple more banners in the rafters. The Lynx are big business; they sell tickets, and they draw coverage. The Lynx hive is huge, and as our recent guest Steve Marsh pointed out, “

There’s a Trick to Driving Between Downtowns

If you find yourself in downtown St. Paul and you need to get to Minneapolis, hop on 6th Street and find I-94 West. Likewise, if you’re in downtown Minneapolis and need to get to St. Paul, hop on 6th Street and find I-94 East. This little trick was a godsend for my family when we got here. Both 6th Streets are one-way streets, so this trick is nearly foolproof.

In Minnesota, 78% of us would like a side of ranch. And 100% of that 78% doesn’t want a little ass ramekin of ranch that gets spent on two french fries tops. Bring us one of those metal guys with a little depth to it. And then bring us another. Thank you.

Even at the fanciest restaurants in town, it’s not likely you’ll go hungry. If you order an entree, you’re going to get a decent serving. And although the plates might be small, even our appetizer servings are generally hearty.

Minnesotans love walking around lakes, maybe even more than we love ranch dressing. A Minnesotan will invite you to walk around a lake in the middle of winter. On a small enough lake, many Minnesotans will suggest walking around it again. This is insane, but we do it.

We Put “Lake” in Front of the Names of Some Lakes and Behind Others

Lake Minnetonka, Como Lake, Lake of the Isles, Cedar Lake, Lake Harriet. If someone invited me to Harriet Lake, I would be certain I was talking to an AI agent pretending to be a human.

Rush Hour Sucks, But Not Enough to Pay for E-ZPass

Rush hour sucks, but it doesn’t suck enough to spend money making it suck less. In my entire life in Minnesota, I have never met someone who pays for E-ZPass.

We should zipper merge – it’s the law. But we just can’t do it. When MNDOT puts up a sign that says “single lane traffic 255 miles ahead,” we will all move over to the single lane right then and mercilessly judge anyone who takes advantage of the 254.5 miles when the road still features multiple lanes.

You Will Get a Little Glass of Beer with your Bloody Mary

If you’re from Wisconsin, you can skip this part. When you order a Bloody Mary, the server will also bring you a little glass of beer, usually a lager. It’s great. We don’t know why this one didn’t go national. This little beer is the perfect sip after a couple of long pulls off your Bloody.

We Don’t Have Mountains, But Our Nature is Boundless And Accessible

The Twin Cities provide a level of convenient access to nature that is unparalleled among major American cities. Both cities routinely land at the very top of 

. But that obscures an equally important fact, which is that you can be in dense, beautiful, and fully non-urban environs within 20 minutes from the Twin Cities in any direction. Yes, the mountainous views of Denver are a screaming reminder of the amazing nature that surrounds it, but quietly, the Twin Cities are an absolute magnet for outdoor lovers. Next time you need an escape from city life, look no further than the nearest regional or state park and rejoice in the natural offerings.

Minnesota loves hockey. A ton of bars all around the Twin Cities will run a courtesy bus to and from Wild games. The Timberwolves command similar attendance to the Wild, but you will not see the same level of fanfare or enthusiasm for the Wolves. Good luck asking a bar to change the screen to the Wolves if the Wild are on. If the Wild are in the postseason, we collectively lose our minds. The Timberwolves have gotten to the Western Conference finals two years in a row, but the energy isn’t the same here. They still won’t put the sound on for the Wolves, even in the postseason.

The Twin Cities have an incredible breakfast scene, and there are tricks of the trade to skip the long waits and enjoy some great eats. Maria’s Cafe offers Cachapas Venezolanas, pancakes that are unparalleled in this hemisphere. They are corn pancakes with cotija cheese, and they are the greatest breakfast on planet Earth. We more than hold our own in the world of potatoes. Our contributor, Kirstie Kimball, crowned 

. We are also innovators in the realm of breakfast food with locally recognized entrees like 

. We do breakfast better than you. Our best breakfasts are the best, and importantly, our average breakfasts are still pretty good.

Anytime you are at a place with a great juicy lucy, the locals will be ordering the cheeseburger instead. Why? Because you only need to get your entire throat burnt by liquid cheese once in your life. Buy the juicy lucy, take the picture, and then switch back to cheeseburgers. They’re better. Sorry!

Spend any time with a band after they play in Minnesota, and they might be pacing back and forth backstage saying, “What did we do wrong? Why did they just stand there the whole time?” I’ve seen Minnesotans not dance to Prince. I’ve seen Minnesotans not dance to Malamanya. There are exceptions, of course! I’ve seen Minnesotans sweat it out and get moving to all sorts of sounds. But I’ve seen the opposite much more frequently. Don’t worry bands that are coming to Minnesota … we like you a lot, we just are afraid of our own bodies and spirits. We will stand like we are in line for a deep audit and then give you a rapturous standing ovation and beg for an encore.

I stole this one from the great writer and personality, Randball Stu, and the 

 when we hosted the Super Bowl years ago. Stu wrote that if “you get to a 4-way stop at roughly the same time as another driver(s), your best bet is to just abandon the car, get out, and walk to your destination, as who gets to go first will never be resolved by conventional means.” The faux-courtesy waving, not-waving, stop-start of a badly timed 4-way stop is terrible. Imagine low-energy ballet being performed by a Ford Explorer and a Kia. Now stop imagining. That’s just life.

Everyone Has a Prince Story, No One has a Dylan Story

Prince spent a lot more of his life in Minnesota than Dylan. Everyone in the music world here is one degree of separation away from Prince. The dude mastering your record probably mixed a record for Prince. The stage manager at your release show probably worked security for Prince. Prince stories are everywhere in the Twin Cities. In comparison, it’s hard to nail down many details at all about Dylan’s activities in the Twin Cities.

We Don’t Leave the Last Piece of Cookie Because We’re Nice, We Leave it Because We’re Lazy

If you bring a dozen donuts to your Minnesota office, chances are that the last old-fashioned will be razor-bladed into smaller and smaller pieces until it is two-dimensional. This is not passive-aggressive. This is unbridled laziness. Whoever takes that last piece will have to figure out where that weird box is supposed to go. Whoever eats that last piece might have to go down to the basement, where the recycling is. Whoever eats that last piece might have to clean the tupperware that the office treats came in. And that is just beyond us. It’s much better to enjoy a sliver of a stale donut than be forced to engage in any type of community building.

The Only Thing We Love More Than Shoveling is Complaining About It

We shovel a lot of snow in Minnesota. And we love talking about it. “It’s a heavy snow. It’s a light snow. It wasn’t worth bringing out the snowblower. It’s slippery. It’ll melt soon enough, but I’m still going to run out there and get in a little.” We are happy to shovel our neighbors' walk as long as there are at least three other neighbors we can complain about it to.

, Minneapolis leads the Midwest in per capita payments to OnlyFans. Andi Snow, the Executive Director of the Sex Workers’ Outreach Project (SWOP), credits it to Minnesota’s long history of having “good tricks”. When she 

 on a recent show, Snow pointed out that “they know to pay up front” and thinks that they treat their sex worker budget similar to the way they plan a weekend trip to see a Timberwolves game: ”he has his weekend planned, like, he knows what he's gonna do, and he knows how much he's gonna spend”.

We Are Anecdotally “Where All The Trans People Are”

The data backs up what we’ve heard from our friends in the trans community. According to a 

, Minnesota has the highest share of adults who identify as trans in the nation. Minnesota also passed a trans refuge law in 2023. Our 

episode with State Representative Leigh Finke

 sheds more light on Minnesota’s disproportionate role for the trans community on a national level.

We recently shared some audio stories from transplants on the podcast, and it got me thinking about some of the unique intricacies of life in the Twin Cities. The Twin Cities claim a complicated mix of reputations. We are known worldwide for our passive aggressiveness. We are known, but misunderstood, for our love of lakes. And now we are also recognized for a network of mutual support and resistance that has been cultivated locally for years but attracted national attention during Operation Metro Surge. Of course, some of the things that make the Twin Cities special can only be understood when you’re on the ground. Consider this the inside scoop for new arrivals to Minnesota.  



City Cast Twin Cities' Guide for Transplants

We’re So Glad You Moved to Minnesota, Here’s What We Forgot to Tell You

The weather is getting nicer. There are concerts to enjoy, secret waterfalls to admire, movies to watch, both at a film festival and in the comfort of your home. April is a great time of year in the Twin Cities. Are things all the way better? Absolutely not. But to quote our contributor Denzel Belin, “enjoy the life you are fighting for.” Let’s dance to that, let’s cook to that, let’s laugh to that, let’s raise a glass to that.

You should at least once, and probably more than once, eat a proper Easter brunch buffet. I’m not Christian, and I don’t have any business celebrating Easter. But I have 

 business enjoying cheesy hashbrowns, wilted Caesar salad, and cantaloupe. There are a couple of elite options for a gold standard holiday brunch in the Twin Cities. You have 

 in … you guessed it … St. Paul. And if you are looking for decadence, you can always spring for 

 if you have the budget for it. Long live the carving station. 

Many a time I’ve walked out of Moscow on the Hill, belly full of pelmeni and horseradish vodka and thought that there was no better eating in the Twin Cities than what is on offer in Cathedral Hill. It seems like others agree, as the people at Taste Twin Cities have curated a walking food tour of the neighborhood. The event kicks off at The Gnome Craft Pub and wraps up over at Moscow on the Hill. I can personally vouch for the grand majority of restaurants in this area. It’s an extra bonus that on top of the culinary delights on offer, the tour will also highlight the rich history of Cathedral Hill, including its role in the lives of many of St. Paul’s most celebrated characters, including F. Scott Fitzgerald and James J. Hill. –

The baseball season is upon us. Cookouts are around the corner. It’s hot dog season, folks, and the 620 Club is right on time. Near the corner of West Seventh and St. Clair, it used to be called Keenan’s. The recent rebrand didn’t change much about the bar itself, but the menu turned a corner. Gavin Kashmark is at the helm in the kitchen, and the man has a gift with the hot dog. Your ideal situation is to go with a friend and grab all three dogs – the Coney, Chicago, and Kimchi – and an order of fries. Play a game of 8-ball while you wait on one of the few active pool tables on West Seventh. When the food arrives, cut each dog in half, create a generous bathing pool of ketchup and mustard in the fry basket, order a Summit or two, and don’t scratch on the 8 ball. –

The Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival is one of the crown jewels of cultural offerings in Minnesota. For 11 days, the Twin Cities turns into a cinephile's dream with The Main Cinema filling its screens with critically acclaimed releases from all over the globe. Your best bet is to thumb through their digital guide and find out what interests you, but I have to point out the blockbusters they are featuring on their opening and closing nights. The festival opens with “Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story,” which is a Judd Apatow-directed documentary telling the story of Minnesota-born comedian Maria Bamford. The festival closes with a recently-unearthed gem from Prince’s legendary vault. Before Prince took his Diamonds and Pearls tour all over the world, he ran the setlist at Glam Slam, the club he owned in downtown Minneapolis. The New Power Generation, circa 1992, is likely Prince’s most ballistic backing band of all time, and to see Prince playing in such an intimate setting a decade into his superstar status will be an absolute delight. 

“Uncle Roy” debuts at the MSPIFF, and it’s already getting tons of praise. It's about a gay ice skater who became a photographer and had the world's biggest collection of ice show memorabilia. The film is directed by Roy’s niece, Keri Pickett. Pickett will be a guest on City Cast Twin Cities on Tuesday, April 7. –

THC is very normal now. You might take it to fall asleep. You might take it for muscle pains. But if you take THC to get high, then you should still treat 4/20 as a holiday! It’s a chance to celebrate the semi-counter-cultural way you choose to look at the world from time to time. Events abound in the Twin Cities, but CannaFest caught my eye. The Lowlands is a subtle industrial building just outside of downtown St. Paul that has been reimagined as an event venue. The team from Minnesota Monthly is taking over the spot with vendors from the THC world and a munchies-approved menu curated by the 400 Tavern. Consume responsibly, and happy 420 to everyone! –

For Twin Cities music fans of a certain age, The Plastic Constellations are the stuff of legends. I am in a tremendous number of group chats with those music fans. The Plastic Constellations, or TPC as they were frequently abbreviated, played an impassioned, epic style of rock music that reminds me of the Get Up Kids without the melodrama. The group blossomed in the early 2000s, built a modest fanbase on a national level, played loud ass riffs and shouted their oblique lyrics that always felt half-confessional and half-inside joke to adoring crowds in the Twin Cities. They called it quits on their own terms in 2008 and have remained friends throughout the 15+ years since they last stepped on stage. For one night at the Turf Club, the 45-year-olds of the Twin Cities will pretend they are 25 again for 60 minutes plus an encore. The next day we’ll all sleep in, drink an extra cup of coffee, and force our kids to listen to at least the first 40 seconds of “

” before we switch it back to KPop Demon Hunters. –

For 25 years, the Twin Cities have entrusted their dancing shoes to DJ Jake Rudh. Although Rudh certainly has a great record collection, his secret sauce is his dedication to his favorites. The man goes deep on Gen X classics, and he 

 the records he plays inside and out. And he knows just what record we want to dance to next. His Transmission nights have survived venue closures, a pandemic, and a quarter century of taste fluctuations to remain a vital part of the Twin Cities nightlife. Whether it’s at the weekly Transmission night at the Uptown VFW, on his curated Twitch feed, on the airwaves of The Current, in the DJ booth at First Avenue, or on a resort stage in Mexico, Jake Rudh is an ambassador and purveyor for the sounds of Gen X, and he’ll celebrate Transmission’s incredible run of 25 years. For those about to new wave, we salute you. 

Why should Northeast have all the fun? Sure, Art-A-Whirl is the largest open studio tour in the country, but we have too much art to fit into just one city. The Schmidt Artist Lofts on West Seventh in St. Paul have developed into a thriving scene full of visual artists, musicians, and supporters who are helping turn this little corner of St. Paul into a very exciting place to be a creative. The crawl will highlight the great offerings of the painters, sculptors, and more who live in and work out of the Schmidt Artist Lofts. Grab a bite at 

 and get on the ground floor of one of the most exciting art scenes in the Twin Cities. 

I am not a coffee snob. I like high-quality drip coffee. I can tell when I’m drinking terrible coffee, but I don’t have discerning enough taste to say “hints of mulberry” as I suck in a $9 espresso. But at my neighborhood coffee shop, everyone was making a big deal out of the return of Ethiopian Guji. I get it now. This coffee has a berry freshness unlike any coffee I’ve tasted. When I say berry, I don’t want you to be confused. This doesn’t taste like someone squirted strawberry syrup into the cup before they hit the refill button at a Holiday. This coffee carries the fresh burst and vivacity of a beautiful piece of fruit. It’s a very natural, wild feeling, and it goes down smoothly in a cup of coffee. Treat yourself to a pound of whole bean and see if it doesn’t brighten your mornings. 

The recent sunny days have drawn me out of the house for a walk to Uptown’s Unwind Corner Cafe, which replaced the beleaguered Wuollet Bakery. The lattes are fine, but I think their best offerings are the fresh fruit teas. If you’re not familiar, it’s tea infused with fruit. You can also get them with a lemonade base if you prefer. They’re not too sweet, they’re very refreshing, and I like the fruit bits. –

 – April 11 at Minnesota Historical Society

Something about living through history always makes me want to go back and think about other contentious eras in our country’s history. And boy, our history is a story of contentious era after contentious era! Our second President, John Adams, navigated new terrain in the Presidency, fortified the peaceful transfer of power, and broke new ground in managing international relations during wartime. His decisions echo in the office of the President today, and reflecting on his management of the office speaks volumes about how Presidential power is perceived today. Historian Lindsay Chervinsky has written one of the most exhaustive biographies about John Adams, “Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents that Forged the Republic”. Chervinsky will speak about Adams as part of the Minnesota Historical Society’s semiquincentennial celebration of the American Revolution. 

The snow is a-melting, the rain is a-falling, and our rivers are a-gushing. April is my favorite month of the year to get out and look at a waterfall. Of course, we have Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis and Hidden Falls in St. Paul (go to those, they're awesome), but a hidden gem right by downtown Minneapolis is in Father Hennepin Bluff Park near the Main Cinema. You can get super close to part of the St. Anthony Falls on the Mississippi River – yes, they're made of concrete now, but it's still sufficiently loud, wet, and fun to look at! If you're able to get out of the cities, plan a half-day trip to Willow River State Park in Hudson, Wisconsin. The park is less than an hour drive away, and it's a beautiful and relatively short hike to see the massive cascading waterfall located in a 200-foot deep gorge. You can even take a swim if you're prepared for the cold water! –

Stay Home and Watch What Everyone Is Talking About

As a proud “woman of a certain age,” I grew up inhaling every episode of Friends available to me, and I have proudly devoured every episode of Lisa Kudrow’s “The Comeback” in the last 30 years. The wild thing about this show, starring Kudrow as a washed-up sitcom actress, is that there is only a new season every 

. How lucky are we to be living in an age when we get a THIRD season of The Comeback? The show has such range that it will make you laugh and cry in the same episode, and experience every feeling in between. The creators are doling out the show in slow sips on Sunday nights. –

April is National Poetry Month, and the Twin Cities literary scene is showing up. On April 17, The Loft Literary Center hosts 

Catch the Fire! The Loft’s Inaugural Spring Benefit

 at Open Book (6 - 8:30 p.m., $150). It’s an immersive, mingle-friendly evening featuring powerhouse local writers like Kao Kalia Yang, Diane Wilson, Heid E. Erdrich, and Ed Bok Lee, alongside food, drinks, and interactive literary activities. Then on April 30, Coffee House Press teams up with community partners for a 

 at their Northeast Minneapolis space (6 p.m., free) for a casual, come-as-you-are gathering to hear live poetry, browse books, and connect with fellow lit lovers. –

The weather is getting nicer. There are concerts to enjoy, secret waterfalls to admire, movies to watch, both at a film festival and in the comfort of your home. April is a great time of year in the Twin Cities. Are things all the way better? Absolutely not. But to quote our contributor Denzel Belin, “enjoy the life you are fighting for.” Let’s dance to that, let’s cook to that, let’s laugh to that, let’s raise a glass to that. 

Twin City Guides

The Farmers Market is Back – Here's What to Buy This Weekend

Your Guide to the Twin Cities in May

5 Minnesota-Made Cannabis Products for Your 4/20 Festivities

Latest articles

We’re So Glad You Moved to Minnesota, Here’s What We Forgot to Tell You

Your Guide to the Twin Cities in April

Top 5 Twin Cities Grocery Stores

Where to Celebrate Lunar New Year in the Twin Cities

Your Guide to the Twin Cities in February

5 Independent Journalists to Follow

Your Guide to the Twin Cities in January