Uptown, Minneapolis Article Index for
Uptown
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Information About

Uptown, Minneapolis





LOCATION

The neighborhood is centered around the intersection of Lake Street and Hennepin Avenue , just east of Lake Calhoun . Calhoun Square is the prominent structure and contains many businesses. According to the Uptown Association, a group of business owners and landlords, the boundaries of Uptown are Lake Calhoun to the west, Dupont Street to the east, 31st Street to the south, and 28th street to the north. However, in common usage, area people use the term "Uptown" to refer to the Calhoun Isles region of the city as a whole, as far west as the other side of Lake Calhoun, as far south as 36th Street, as far east as Lyndale Avenue or even Nicollet Avenue , and as far north as Franklin Avenue . This usage is often accompanied by the user’s acknowledgement that they are stretching the use of the word “Uptown.” At the same time, the commercial and residential development of Uptown is expanding, and a larger defined area than the corporately-defined one is in order. Uptown proper primarily is made of parts of the Lowry Hill East , ECCO , Carag and East Isles neighborhoods.


ART AND CULTURE


Cultural Geography

Uptown is a mix of various cultural strains and is considered a trendy area for young people to live and shop, a vibrant center for artists and musicians, a welcoming community for LGBT individuals, and a highly desirable address for young professionals. Many homeless individuals spend their day and much of the evening there, but do not spend the night there for lack of quiet sheltered areas. Much more numerous are the young professionals from throughout the Twin Cities who come at night, especially on the weekends, to visit local restaurants and bars.


Uptown Art Fair

Uptown annually hosts the Metris Uptown Art Fair, during the first full weekend of August (in 2005 , the art fair took place on the weekend of August 5-7). Local, national, and world artists converge to exhibit and sell art. Art media include paintings, sculptures, clothing, pottery, jewelry, kitchenware, and Knick-knacks . Art cost ranges from $6 (USD), for prints, and up into the hundreds or thousands of USD for paintings.


Coffeeshops and Cafés

Coffeeshops and cafés are an important venue for social life in Uptown. Younger people often spend their free time patronizing them.

Many local artists and musicians haunt the coffee shops. This has been noted by visiting rappers and is somewhat characteristic of the Twin Cities Metro area in general.

The Twin Cities ’ love of Coffeeshops is reflected in the name of the local non-profit literary publisher Coffeehouse Press .


Prince and Local Hip Hop


In 1980, 'The Minneapolis Genius' Prince released his seminal recording, ''Dirty Mind'' which contained his paean to the artistic center of Minneapolis, appropriately titled, "Uptown."

Nearby Fifth Element is the center of a vibrant local Hip Hop scene. It is owned by members of local group Atmosphere , among others.

Uptown is featured in the first section of "Crosstown", a song by local Hip Hop Music crew Dialogue Elevaters Crew on their album ''Elevater Music''.


Gentrification

Housing in Uptown has seen a recent surge in Gentrification . This has caused an increase in Property Value and in Property Taxes . At the same time, there is a glut of available rental housing in the area, resulting in lower-than-city-average rents.


BUSINESS AND PUBLIC BUILDINGS

Businesses in Uptown include many restaurants, bars, book stores, music stores, cafés, clothing stores, furniture and housewares stores, two indie movie theaters, an Improv Comedy theater, and several specialty stores.


Restaurants in Uptown

  • Bruegger's Bagels, corporate chain

  • Burrito Loco , also featuring a location in Dinkytown , is open late, and delivers, locally owned

  • Café Barbette , French cuisine, locally owned

  • Campiello , Italian, locally owned by D'Amico

  • Chiang Mai Thai, primarily Thai and Vietnamese , locally owned

  • Chino Latino , featuring "food from the hot zones" which includes Thai, Mexican , Cuban , and Polynesian , owned by local corporation Parasole

  • Chipotle Mexican Grill , burritos and tacos. Corporate chain.

  • Davanni's Pizza & Hot Hoagies , local chain

  • Ecopolitan , a locally owned organic vegan raw/living foods restaurant and eco-shop.

  • Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que & Blues , which features live Blues , Bluegrass , and Salsa dancing. Locally-owned chain ( Famous Dave's started in Hayward, WI ), and the Uptown location is its Flagship .

  • Figlio, an Italian bistro, corporate chain, but this location happens to be one of the first

  • French Meadow Bakery & Cafe , located at 2610 Lyndale Avenue S - locally owned. Home of the local vegan favorite, tempeh cutlets.

  • Jimmy Johns , submarine sandwiches, corporate chain

  • Leaning Tower Of Pizza - Located at 2324 Lyndale Ave S - known for their dynamite thin-crust pizzas.

  • The Lotus, Vietnamese, locally owned, much-celebrated, and justly so

  • McDonald's , fast food, corporate chain

  • Noodles and Company, corporate chain

  • Old Chicago , corporate chain

  • Passage to India, an India n restaurant, locally owned. One of the better Indian restaurants within the city proper, though not as good as some Indian restaurants found in the suburbs, especially the western and northern Metro.

  • Panera Bread, corporate chain

  • Pizza Lucé , local chain

  • Soho Café, a locally owned restaurant offering Greek food, Italian food and pizza

  • Sushi Tango, a locally owned sushi bar

  • Taj of India, an Indian restaurant, locally owned. Closed its doors during September, 2005.

  • The Uptown Diner, locally owned

  • Tum Rup Thai



Bars in Uptown

  • Bar Abilene

  • Bryant-Lake Bowl : At the corner of Bryant Ave. and Lake St., the Bryant-Lake Bowl is a combination fine restaurant and bowling alley which caters to the same young patrons as the Uptown neighborhood in general. Noted for their specials, including Monday's "Cheap Date Night," featuring two entrees, a bottle of wine and two games of bowling for $25.00. Also the former location of local radio personality Mary Lucia 's local indie music show "Popular Creeps" when Drive 105 was called "Rev105."

  • Drink

  • The Independent

  • The Herkimer Pub and Brewery

  • Liquor Lyle's - referenced in the Atmosphere song Liquor Lyle's Cool July ( lyrics )

  • The Bulldog

  • Stella's Fish Cafe, a steak and seafood restaurant.

  • Uptown Bar and Grill

  • Williams Pub and Peanut Bar

  • Country Bar & Grill



Bookstores in Uptown

  • Arise! Radical Books and Resources, a nonprofit radical bookstore

  • Booksmart, used books

  • Borders, corporate chain, closing May 2006

  • Dreamhaven Books , new and used SF&F, comics, and related collectables

  • Magers and Quinn Booksellers , new and used, and antique and rare books

  • Orr Books

  • Whitney Annex, antique and rare books



Music Stores in Uptown

  • CD Warehouse

  • Cheapo - Located at 1300 W Lake St - new and used CDs/Vinyl and DVDs. Gigantic warehouse-like store with thousands of music titles. Used CDs go out on shelves every day of the week.

  • The Fifth Element - Hip-Hop record store owned by Sean Daley (a.k.a. Slug), frontman of the local hip-hop group Atmosphere .



Cafés in Uptown

  • Dunn Bros Coffee

  • Isles Bun & Coffee

  • Muddy Waters - located at 2401 Lyndale Ave S.

  • Pandora's Cup (closed October 2005)

  • Plan B

  • Starbucks

  • The Tea Garden

  • Uncommon Grounds - located at 2809 Hennepin Ave S.

  • Vera's - located at 2901 Lyndale Ave S., which is known to be a very gay-friendly coffee shop.

  • Zeno

  • Urban Bean - located at 2717 Hennepin Ave S.



Clothing Stores in Uptown

  • American Eagle

  • Bay Street Shoes

  • Brides of France

  • Design Collective

  • Everyday People Clothing Exchange (used)

  • Gabriela's

  • The Gap

  • Heartbreaker

  • intoto

  • Ivy

  • Local Motion

  • Ragstock (new and used)

  • Urban Outfitters



Furniture and Housewares Stores

  • Iron by Cheryl

  • Kitchen Window

  • redlurered (retail division closing December 10, 2005)

  • Simply Living



Movie Theaters in Uptown



Other Places

The Walker Library is underground beneath a small park located at Hennepin Avenue and Lagoon Street . It is denoted by large metal letters: "L-I-B-R-A-R-Y" .

The Uptown Transit Station is located on Hennepin Avenue over the 29th Street Greenway and serves Metro Transit buses 6, 12, 17, 21, 23, 53, 114, 115, 681. The station also has a Change Machine , a heated interior, binoculars, bike lockers and posts, and a workers lounge and office area.

Joyce United Methodist Church is located on 31st Street and Fremont Avenue.

ComedySportz is located in Calhoun Square at Hennepin Avenue and Lake Street .

The Midtown Greenway (also at the Midtown Greenway Coalition ), a former railway cutting which now hosts a bike path, bisects Uptown roughly a block north of Lake street (where 29th Street would normally have been located).

The Wedge Community Cooperative grocery store is located at 2105 Lyndale Ave. S and is one of the largest Cooperative Groceries in the city.


EXTERNAL LINKS