Longfellow Nokomis Real Estate Guide

New Look, New Dog, New Pizza...same old weather (includes Pizza Joe's review)

A week of change!  We've been working on updating the look of this site and went live with it on Sunday night.  Here it is!  You're looking at it.  It's not perfect, but I think that's okay considering that we help people buy and sell houses for a living, not design websites!  Let us know what you think.  Like it? See a glaring error?  Tell us that too!

Second, my family and I adopted a new dog on Sunday.  He was formerly known as Chevy Chase, but we have fittingly renamed him Clark W. Griswold.  He's a ~7 month border collie/lab mix.

He is very exited to meet all his neighbors around Lake Nokomis and the Minnehaha Dog Park.

And lastly, news for everyone in the East Nokomis area.  I tried our new pizza joint last night.  Pizza Joe's moved in to the space formerly occupied by Ginelli's.  Ginelli's was a favorite of my neighbors and mine.  Would Pizza Joe's successfully replace it?

Well so far so good.  We tried to order on their website and ran into some errors.  When we called to follow up, they were unbelievably nice.  The manager was clearly excited at a chance to make some new customers.  We ordered two pizzas:  a build your own with peppers, onions, and mushrooms, and a sausage.  We had our choice of three different crusts and went with the "hand tossed."  Both pies were well received.  The sauce was good, the toppings fresh, the cheese gooey, and I heard from the others that the sausage was good. 

Was it as good as the late great Ginelli's?  Well...no.  But it was better than any of the chains for sure.  It held up well against the local joints too. I like the choices and flavor of Parkway Pizza better, but their bitter crust cannot be eaten alone and you end up with a plate of "pizza bones."  And Pizza Joe's was cheaper!  I'm not a huge fan of Joey D's..err...I mean Chris and Rob's pizza, but I know that others are.  I guess I could see myself order from any of the them depending on what I'm in the mood for and what crowd I'm feeding.

Welcome to the neighborhood Pizza Joe's!

2009 U.S. Pond Hockey Championships

The U.S. Pond Hockey Championships return again to Lake Nokomis this weekend (January 23-25), and it sounds like an icy blast of arctic air will arrive just in time to scare away any thin skinned spectators.  The website for the event even includes safety tips for cold weather!

And remember, it was warm weather than brought the tournament to Lake Nokomis in 2007 from Lake Calhoun.  The ice just wasn't good enough after the mild winter.  We're glad to see them back here for a third year.  I bet the new Caribou will do a lot of business this weekend.  If you want to help out a local coffee shop, try crossing over the lake to Nokomis Beach Coffee.  Great coffee and locally baked pastries will surely warm you up.  Plus hot soup and sandwiches!

Nokomis East-The Night Before New Years Party

Your Presence is Requested...
The 9th Annual Night Before New Years Party
Kid-Friendly  and FREE 

Co-sponsored by Nokomis East Neighborhood Association and Nokomis Community Center

• Hayride

• 5-6 pm Southwest High School Jazz Combo

• starts at 6pm KidsDance

• Dance Contests

• Famous Chili Dog Chili and Hot Chocolate

• Carnival Games: basketball shoot, bean bag toss, shut the box, stacking cups, bowling, golf and (of course!) the fish pond full of prizes

• Storyteller David Robert Schaal

• Fortune Teller Magnificent Madame Tell

• New Years Eve Countdown at 8:00pm.  Will Father Time make an appearance?

 

5 - 8 pm
Nokomis Community Center
(2401 East Minnehaha Parkway)

 

What? You want me to talk about pie some more?

I know you've been on the edge of your seats wondering how my Baker's Wife pie experience was this Thanksgiving.  Well wait no more.  Here are the results:

Cherry Pie

Good, but not as good as I remember it.  I think the novelty wore off.  Still a safe choice for the holidays.

Pecan Pie

Now we're talking.  I love pecan pie, so maybe this is irrelevant to those of you who don't like nuts.  But this pie was tasty.  The pecans were perfectly roasted.  I don't know if he cooks it longer, or hotter, or if he pre-roasts the pecans, but it works.  And to prove it was better, my dog Nigel took both half eaten pies off the counter while we were out.  He ate the pecan, and he left the cherry untouched.

Best Halloween Display in Minneapolis!

If you live in the Ericsson neighborhood, you've probably already discovered Polly and Gregg Hanson's annual Halloween display.  They (okay, mostly just Polly) have been growing and improving their "graveyard," as Polly calls it, for 10 years.

As the owner of Virginia Rose Estate Sales, the Hansons are in the perfect business for finding odd and discarded pieces add to the scenery.  Polly says that she tries to avoid store bought items, although with their reputation they often recieve gifts that do have commercial origins.  The hard work and commitment to producing something orginal that you can't simply buy at Menard's really shows.  Go check it out before the spooky season is over! 

The home is located at 4228 30th Ave S.  Enjoy the pictures:

       

   

    

Nokomis and Longfellow Are the Best!

The editors and readers of City Pages agree.  The following local favorites made the the list for City Pages best of 2008.

Buster's on 28th:  Best New Neighborhood Bar

Lake Nokomis:  Best Place to Get Away From it All Without Leaving Town

Minnehaha Dog Park:  Best Dog Park

Hiawatha Golf Club:  Best Golf Course

Sea Salt:  Best Seafood Restaurant

What?  You haven't been to all these places and you live right here in Nomokis/Longfellow?  Unless you are deathly allergic to fish, phobic of dogs, or think fun is for losers...you have some catching up to do!

Blossoms Along the Parkway

The flowering trees along Minnehaha Parkway are in full bloom!  Take a detour this week to see the dozens of bright pink trees.  Better yet, take a ride along the Parkway the day after a storm or particularly windy day.  The fallen blossoms collect in mounds aside the curb like pink snow drifts.    Don't miss them before they're gone until next year!

East vs. West-Lake Nokomis Real Estate

You can't always put a finger on it-why one neighborhood feels different than another. You just know there's something that happens, a kind of transition, between one block and another. If you drive into Minneapolis from the suburbs you may not even notice it.  All of the "old houses" probably start to look alike, and you don't notice the subtle difference between the Minneapolis neighborhoods. For example, you may notice a difference between the Calhoun-Isles and Nokomis communities, but the borders between Longfellow and Nokomis may be a blur to you.  The difference between the Diamond Lake and Keewaydin neighborhoods in Nokomis is probably only apparent to those of us that live and work in the area.

Some quick real estate statistics on East vs. West Nokomis:

   

East side of Nokomis has:

• Nokomis East Neighborhood Association
• Mel-o-glaze
• Minnehaha Coffee
• 34th Ave business district
• Airplanes
• MAC'd houses

West side of Nokomis has:

• The Bronze Bunny
• Chicago Avenue business district
• Diamond Lake
• Fewer Airplanes
• Hale-Page-Diamond Lake Community Association
• South Minneapolis Housing and Home Improvement Fair

What's your favorite neighborhood dig on the east or west side of the Lake Nokomis?

I Finally Made it to Buster's on 28th

When the restoration of the Lake Inn was done, I was pleased to see a new bar with big windows.  I have a thing about dark bars with no windows--even in the door.  It means you have to walk in with no preview of what might be inside.  I figure there's a better than fifty percent chance that a record will screech to a stop and a bunch of scary guys will stop their conversations and look at me.  Then one will threaten, "We don't take kindly to strangers around here!"

With the new windows, I've been eager to step in.  I finally got the chance on Saturday, as my parents were watching the wee one for my birthday. 

I had previewed the menu on their website:  www.busterson28th.com.  I was eager to sample from their extensive list of fancy beers, but I was a little disappointed with their vegetarian selection.  They have a couple items, but no veggie burger.  And if I'm going to a bar for beers, chances are that's what I'll want to order. Fortunately, they were still serving the new brunch menu, which gave me several options (I went for the egg and cheese sandwich on a Baker's Wife croissant).  Very decent sandwich, and very good breakfast potatoes.  The meat eaters were just as pleased.  The fish and chips got a big thumbs up.

The server was very knowledgeable about the beer list and offered to bring a sample of anything I was considering.  I tried the Arcadia London Porter on a recommendation from a client (Nick).  He was right, very good.

I won't be able to go back as often as I'd like, but I look forward to showing it off to some out of town friends next time they visit.  I told my friend Jeni that I was going to blog about it, but she didn't believe me that I have a blog.  I captured her enjoying an Ace Pear Cider to prove her wrong.  Smile Jeni!

Lustron: The Home of Tomorrow (in 1947)

As the men and women who served in the armed forces and military hospitals came home from World War II, America faced a housing shortage.  At the same time, America had a surplus of steel because it was no longer needed for the war effort.  In 1947, behind the vision of Carl Strandlund, and with the help of tax dollars, the Lustron Corporation was formed in Columbus, Ohio with the plan to use this steel to mass produce prefabricated homes that would be affordable for every American family.

Between 1949 and 1950, 2,498 steel homes were produced.  Then, a combination of changing market factors and political pressures put the Lustron Corporation out of business.  Today, many of these homes remain as a unique time capsule into 1950’s America.

A Lustron home is built completely out of steel.  The walls, ceiling, cabinets, and doors are all steel.  The exterior walls and roof are made of ceramic-coated steel tiles.  These are the same tiles used to build the first White Castle restaurants.  Liberty Frozen Custard in Tangletown was converted from an old Mobile gas station that is also made of the steel tiles. 

All the plumbing, heating and electrical were built into each home, which was then placed on a concrete slab.  Other than a few mechanical updates, and maybe new windows, the homes continue to function mostly unchanged - even in Minnesota.  Several Lustron homes remain in Minneapolis, including a handful in the Nokomis area.