TCTrainspotting

TCTrainspotting People and places found along the light-rail transit lines in Minneapolis & St. Paul (the Twin Citie Welcome aboard this train blog. Paul area.

It rolled out on Facebook June 14, 2014, the day a second light-rail transit line opened in the Minneapolis-St. You can also enjoy this blog on Twitter and Instagram: . The TCTrainspotter is Lisa Hoff, a Minnesota native who grew up listening to her parents' stories about riding the streetcar. She conceived of the train blog in the past decade while living and working along the Blu

e line, formerly known as the Hiawatha line. Hoff worked for more than 25 years on the Star Tribune editorial pages, principally as the letters editor. You can e-mail her at [email protected].

26th & Nicollet in Minneapolis on Tuesday evening, three days after the murder of
01/28/2026

26th & Nicollet in Minneapolis on Tuesday evening, three days after the murder of

Second of two posts.1) Remember Billy Carter, the president’s younger brother (1937-1988)? He had a gas station in Plain...
01/16/2025

Second of two posts.

1) Remember Billy Carter, the president’s younger brother (1937-1988)? He had a gas station in Plains and his own Senate subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C.

2) My husband, a political ju**ie, scored a handful of rare campaign buttons in that antique mall — including the aforementioned “Grits & Fritz.”

3) Where to send online condolences to the Carter family.

Monday morning in Plains, Georgia (first of two posts): James Earl Carter, 39th president of the United States, was born...
01/16/2025

Monday morning in Plains, Georgia (first of two posts): James Earl Carter, 39th president of the United States, was born in this town in 1924 and was buried here last Thursday evening.

In 1975, Carter launched his presidential campaign from that railroad depot (third photo). In November 1976 I was a brand-new voter and I pulled a lever for Grits & Fritz in suburban Minneapolis.

What happens when you downsize and can’t find a new home for an old baby grand?Sometimes, sadly, the piano goes to the d...
12/23/2024

What happens when you downsize and can’t find a new home for an old baby grand?

Sometimes, sadly, the piano goes to the dump.
In south Minneapolis that place is called the South Transfer Station. Call ahead and get a voucher, and be sure to have your ID.

When you arrive, pay attention not to drive onto the scale (poorly marked) when another vehicle is already there. You may need to wait for directions.

Once inside, it’s wood to the left and metal to the right.

Many thanks to our two strong helpers (Alex is pictured). You can find them through their page: DLM’S LAWN SERVICE.

Nearest LRT stop? That would be the Blue line’s Lake Street/Midtown station.

Three from Lima:1) a quinceañera photo shoot in Parque El Olivar de San Isidro, home to a grove of 1,600 enormous elderl...
12/20/2024

Three from Lima:

1) a quinceañera photo shoot in Parque El Olivar de San Isidro, home to a grove of 1,600 enormous elderly olive trees that sprung from three Spanish saplings;

2) the entrance to Museo Larco, a private collection of pre-Columbian art, and

3) inside the museum’s acclaimed cafe.

Congratulations! Συγχαρητήρια! Can’t wait to get back to Greece and ride Thessaloniki’s Metro ~
12/02/2024

Congratulations! Συγχαρητήρια!

Can’t wait to get back to Greece and ride Thessaloniki’s Metro ~

Last month, during election week, I served with a team of in Ventanilla, an exurb of Lima, Peru. It was a tonic and a p...
12/01/2024

Last month, during election week, I served with a team of in Ventanilla, an exurb of Lima, Peru. It was a tonic and a privilege to be otherwise focused during a tense time in the United States.

Global Volunteers is a Minnesota-based nonprofit that sends short-term volunteers to do long-term development work at a number of sites around the world. https://globalvolunteers.org

Here are a few photos from our service week:

1) Amaya, a 4-year-old attending preschool at Comunidad Sagrada Familia, the organization Global Volunteers partners with.

2) One of the preschool classrooms at Sagrada Familia, a preK-12 campus with about 250 student residents and 1,000 additional students who come from surrounding neighborhoods.

3) Miguel Rodriguez, the visionary psychologist, journalist and founder of Sagrada Familia: Decades ago, after losing a child to congenital illness, he began befriending street kids and inviting some of them to live in his home. Rodriguez soon conceived of an all-encompassing educational institution based in Ventanilla. Besides Sagrada Familia’s presence in town as a school and orphanage, Rodriguez has — among other things — established an onsite health clinic and a water-purification system.

4) “Education is not preparation for life. Education is life itself.
— building a better future”

5) Standing: My best college buddy/traveling companion, right, and I. Seated: About two-thirds of the students in Professor Hugo’s delightful class of sixth-graders, who seemed to enjoy our attempts to teach English (and speak Spanish) for an hour each afternoon.

6) The bleachers on the basketball court and the town of Ventanilla behind and above. Not pictured: bamboo fence around three sides of the court constructed and installed by two volunteers and several high school students.

7) Volunteers start each morning with an inspirational quote.

A funny thing happens in the Elliot Park neighborhood of downtown Minneapolis (see sign, photo 1). My longtime inner map...
07/09/2024

A funny thing happens in the Elliot Park neighborhood of downtown Minneapolis (see sign, photo 1). My longtime inner map — telling me that streets and avenues run perpendicular in this city — fails.

I haven’t yet figured out what happened to 11th, 12th and 13th Streets.

But at least I learned that in the small angle where 10th and 14th meet lies a cute restaurant (photo 2). It’s closed today, Tuesday.

While photographing the place, I met a security guard for nearby North Central University (photo 3). He said he’s also a senior majoring in Business Administration at NCU.

He explained that Band Box Diner has somewhat limited hours, which its page confirms are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

And Band Box, he cheerfully shared, was in one of his favorite movies growing up, “Mighty Ducks.”

“There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep.”— Homer, “The Odyssey ...
05/19/2024

“There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep.”
— Homer, “The Odyssey

38th Street stationBlue line
05/16/2024

38th Street station

Blue line

Flight Crew: On a northbound train, still working.As the train pulled into downtown Minneapolis, she prepared to get off...
05/15/2024

Flight Crew: On a northbound train, still working.

As the train pulled into downtown Minneapolis, she prepared to get off. First she turned to a man in special seating with a walker and a leg injury.

“I can help you get off.”

“You are an angel,” he said. “Almost home now.”

“Where are you coming from?” she asked.

“Chicago. I went for a funeral. Not the best reason to travel, but we’re all headed there someday.”

Blue line

U.S. Bank Stadium station

Somebody was fussing just a bit this afternoon on the 18C.Her quick-thinking mom handed her a bus schedule. She told me,...
05/08/2024

Somebody was fussing just a bit this afternoon on the 18C.

Her quick-thinking mom handed her a bus schedule. She told me, “Her brother used to know all the stops up and down the Blue line,” from which we had just transferred.

Nicollet Avenue station
Blue line

Address

Plains, GA
31780

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