It's Quiet Uptown

I love Uptown Minneapolis. Despite it's misnomer of a name (it's def not Uptown of Downtown tbh), I LOVE Uptown. But not everyone feels the same. The most concerning aspect of this trend is that not all businesses feel the same love as me, and we rely on the business strip in Uptown to give it the vibrance that makes it feel like home for so many people.

Living in Uptown is convenience exemplified. I can walk to Target, Lund's, Cub, and (if I take a long walk) to Whole Foods. I'm walking distance to 8 great coffee options (Black Walnut, Canteen, Dunn Bros, Isles Bun & Coffee, Curioso Coffee Bar, Corner Coffee, Lake and Bryant Cafe, Uncommon Grounds Coffeehouse... the list actually goes on).

My favorite bar and restaurant (Sooki and Mimi) and bookstore (Magers & Quinn) are around the corner from each other. My bank (Chase) is one block from my home.

And yet Uptown is quiet. Businesses are leaving left and right. We recently lost Kitchen Window, Stella's Fish Cafe, Urban Outfitters, CB2 and H&M.

On the other hand, a new era is upon us. Arts and Rec and Curioso Coffee are some of the newcomers who are helping revitalize the business district that we know and love.

I called around to my favorite coffee shops in the blizzard hoping to find one that was open. I finally got lucky with number 5, Curioso. I had only been in once before, because their default milk is oat (for planet saving reasons), and I have a strong preference for almond milk (sorry planet). Despite this setback, I was able to enjoy a delicious skim milk flat white in a total blizzard in my neighborhood.

If that doesn't convince you to give Uptown another try, I don't know what will.

Ps! Curioso now offers almond milk! Big win!

Can't-miss October shows

Happy spooky season y'all! We're celebrating at DancingFish Events by helping put together two exciting shows, and we hope you'll join us.

On Saturday, October 21, we will serenaded by the sweet sounds of singer/songwriters D.C. Leonhardt, John Larsen, and The Cottonwood Shivers at the newly reopened Acadia on the West Bank. I've you've been looking for a reason to welcome Acadia back to the neighborhood, this is it! Plus, we hear that the burgers are not to be missed.

Doors at 6 // Music at 7 // 18+.

Next, Artificial Flowers and A Sunken Ship Irony are returning to the haunted forest on Thursday, October 26, at Green Room! This is your chance to frolic among woodland creatures in a beautiful indoor forest - costumes encouraged. We will be welcoming Anothernight back from their tour and enjoying the swashbuckling tunes of The Old Smugglers. You're not going to want to miss this epic night, so get your advance tickets now.

Doors at 7 // Music at 8 // 21+.

Thanks for following along, and we hope to see you at the shows!

Why We Love the State Fair 🌽

The Minnesota State Fair is the undeniable event of the summer. Here are some of our fair must-sees:

• Crop Art. Minnesotan art at its finest. Our friends Marta Shore and Tara Cantwell will both have pieces in the fair this year - look out for their names!

• Princess Kay of the Milky Way. If we needed another reason to love butter, here it is.

• The State Fair news cycle. We get so many good news stories around State Fair time. Here are some of my favorites so far this year. Meet the Roasted Corn Producer, New Foods, and the Data.

Part of the State Fair magic is the attention to detail and excellent midwestern branding that we see at and around the fair. It's very impressive to attend an event at this scale and see it grow year after year.

We would love to plan your next event with fun touches like those we see at the fair, whether it's a custom cocktail, a local band, or an audio guest book. Please reach out today to get started!