Skip to Content
Opinion

Friday Open Thread: Better Knowing Our Twin Cities

TGIF. Let's chat.

10:13 AM CDT on August 11, 2023

Did you know there’s a massive Hindu temple in Sisqó’s hometown of Maple Grove? Did I just type history’s most interesting sentence?

|Woolennium via Flickr

Howdy, Racket subscribers! Jay here, filling in for Friday Open Thread prompt duties since Keith selfishly took a vacation.

So we have a certified hit on our hands with Ian Ringgenberg's loving travelogue from St. Paul. The story has amassed 15,000+ views and counting, which, based on my napkin arithmetic, amounts to roughly 5% of the capital city's population. We love to see it, folks.

In the spirit of discovering new pockets of our backyard, I'll ask you: What are some other parts of the greater Twin Cities metro that summon your curiosity?

Personally, I may have become White Bear Lake-pilled last weekend! I found WBL's old downtown quite charming, and immediately dialed up Zillow to browse the (very limited) selection of pre-war houses. (It's important for readers to know I've never lived outside of Minneapolis proper; the farthest I've lived from my childhood home is eight miles—aka the Eminem special.)

Share your questions, observations, and/or neato factoids about other under-discussed places in the country's 16th largest constellation of cities.

Or don't!

It's Friday Open Thread, meaning you can gab about whatever the hell you'd like. Even the very fun new song from Olivia Rodrigo:

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More Stories

Remembering the Time Gloria Steinem Delivered a Homily at St. Joan’s in South Minneapolis

Plus GOP AI slop, a new football pod, and your State Fair moment of zen in today's Flyover news roundup.

We’re Doin’ Something a Little Different for Our Annual Labor Day Open Thread

As we do every Friday, we're turning Racket over to you, the readers.

September 4, 2026

Muppet Masturbation, the Vietnam War, and Grandma’s Letters: Minneapolis’s Raunchiest Puppeteer to Perform in National Puppet Slam

Locally based artist Dominique Herskind takes her heartfelt adult comedy ‘1969’ to Atlanta.

September 4, 2026

Enjoy 43 Lovely Portraits of Minnesotans Thriving at the 2026 MN State Fair

At the Great Minnesota Get-Together, humanity shines as bright as the midday Midway sun.

September 4, 2026

Freeloader Friday: 102 Free Things To Do This Weekend

Plus 61 free shows to see at the fair.

September 4, 2026