Como Conservatory versus ??

Minneapolitans take great pride in their parks. The city has an independently elected park board and has been a national leader on parks for decades. St. Paul, is not as well known for its excellent park system, but they do have their crown jewel: The Como Zoo and Conservatory.

Today, we look at the Como Park Marjorie McNeely Conservatory. The Como Conservatory is open year round and hosts thousands of tropical and other plants from around the world. It is stroller friendly. It is accessible. It is warm and humid even when outside is below zero. And best of all, it is free! (Although they do appreciate a two dollar donation if you can.)

If you want to look at orchids, watch gold fish swim among lilies, walk under huge ferns, take your senior pictures, or smell a stinking plant, Como is the place to go.

So what does Minneapolis have to compete? Well, for gardens there is the Longfellow Gardens. It's small though, and you can't go there in January. Or at least, you wouldn't get much out of it. Where can you go on a winter day in Minneapolis? The IDS Center's Crystal Court is warm, sunny and has a big fountain. It's free too. But the plants aren't all that plentiful or exotic.

Wait, Minneapolis does have a conservatory. The Cowles Conservatory is adjacent to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. You know, the place with the giant cherry on a giant spoon. The Cowles Conservatory is nice, but much smaller and much less known than the one over in St. Paul.

St. Paul wins.

Minneapolis: [6] / St. Paul: [4]

Liberal arts colleges

Both Minneapolis and St. Paul host institutions of higher education. The majority of the University of Minnesota campus sits within the Minneapolis city limits. Both cities have well-regarded community/technical colleges like Metro State in St. Paul and the Minneapolis Community and Technical College. And both host private, four-year degree, liberal arts colleges.

Starting in St. Paul:

• Hamline University - Hamline has several graduate programs, but about 1900 of its students are undergrads in its liberal arts college. Hamline is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and is named after a Methodist bishop who never saw the school. Their unfortunate nickname is the Pipers.
  
• Macalester College - Macalester is seen as a serious academic liberal arts college. It is widely seen as liberal in the political sense too. On one side, the campus borders a lovely, old residential neighborhood. On the other side, students can walk up Snelling Ave to buy their drugs. It was founded by Presbyterians in the 1880s. Their unfortunate nickname is the Scots.
  
• University of St. Thomas - Is a Catholic university with several graduate programs, but also a sizable undergraduate school with about 4500 students. The university was also founded in the 1880s and is located in a nice, quiet neighborhood in St. Paul where residents can see students lug cases of beer towards campus. They are known for dis-inviting prominent Nobel laureates and telling gay faculty to "get [another] room." Their unfortunate nickname is the Tommies.
  
• College of St. Catherine - Is called a college, but also has graduate programs. St. Kate for short (yes, they change the C to a K) was started by Catholic nuns at the turn of the 20th century and boasts being the largest college for women in the country. (Men, incidentally, are welcome to participate in their graduate programs.) St. Kate's is just down the road from St. Thomas. Their unintentionally ironic nickname is the Wildcats.
• Concordia University - Concordia University is set right smack in the middle of St. Paul. It's not just a Lutheran institution, it's a Missouri Synod Lutheran school with 1000 undergraduates. They take their faith seriously. Their nickname for some reason is the Golden Bears.
  

Over to Minneapolis:

• Augsburg College - Augsburg is a Lutheran liberal arts college in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis. It was founded by Lutherans in the 1870s. It's real city living today. Augsburg also has graduate programs. Regular 4-year undergraduates number approximately 1900. Their unfortunate nickname is the Auggies.

Minneapolis may claim the majority of the University of Minnesota, but St. Paul takes the prize with private colleges.

St. Paul wins.

Minneapolis: [3] / St. Paul: [3]

Copycat suburbs

Visitors to the Twin Cities will hear "South Minneapolis," North Minneapolis," "Northeast," "Near North" tossed around. All refer to sections of the City of Minneapolis.

Over in St. Paul, you may hear "West St. Paul," "South St. Paul," "North St. Paul," and "St. Paul Park." All of which are completely separate municipalities that are suburbs of the City of St. Paul. Adding to confusion is the fact that the names aren't the most accurate descriptions of their geographical relationship to the City of St. Paul.

And still, that's not confusing enough! The City of St. Paul has a neighborhood named the "West Side," which is the part of the city on the south side of the Mississippi River. At least it borders the City of West St. Paul. There is another neighborhood of St. Paul called the "North End." The "North End" is nowhere near the City of North St. Paul. Indeed, the City of North St. Paul doesn't even border St. Paul; neither does "St. Paul Park" border St. Paul or any St. Paul named suburb.


Who wins? Is St. Paul so great that many of it's surrounding suburbs are St. Paul wannabes trying to emulate their wondrous neighbor? Is Minneapolis so great that it's clear that there is no competition? Perhaps the Minneapolis suburbs have such strong identities there is no need to adopt "Minneapolis?"

One thing is certain, most suburbs on either side of the metro area were not very creative in coming up with names. You have the boring-yet-brimming-with-optimism names, like Golden Valley, Richfield, Eden Prairie, Bloomington, and New Hope. And inoffensive names that were clearly picked by the same committee that designed the Canadian flag: Maplewood and Maple Grove. All very distinctive.

At some important point in the past, more people wanted to be associated with St. Paul than Minneapolis.

Despite the ensuing confusion, St. Paul wins.

Minneapolis: 1 / St. Paul: 2

Snelling Avenue versus Snelling Avenue

You may have not known this, but both Minneapolis and St. Paul have their own Snelling Avenues. St. Paul's is a major road that starts on the southern end in the Highland Park neighborhood and heads north across I-94, University Ave, Como Ave, I-35W, and continues into Roseville. Everyone in St. Paul and surrounding areas know where Snelling Avenue is.

On the other hand, few Minneapolitans and indeed few Longfellowians, know about the Snelling Avenue in the Longfellow neighborhood. The Minneapolis Snelling runs parallel and between the better known Minnehaha and Hiawatha Avenues. Snelling is partially residential and partially commercial. It discontinues north of Lake Street except for a one block length on the western edge of the Seward neighborhood.

Landmarks on the St. Paul Snelling include Macalester College, Hamline University, the Spruce Building, the State Fair grounds, Gingko Coffeehouse, and many restaurants and businesses. Landmarks on the Minneapolis Snelling include some warehouses, a neighborhood medical clinic, and an Arby's. The St. Paul Snelling has a Coastal Seafoods. On the other hand, the Minneapolis Coastal Seafoods is just a block off the Minneapolis Snelling, but one block off doesn't count.

College students in need can buy their drugs at St. Paul Snelling bus stations, particularly at and near University Avenue. Despite the police station across the street, one can probably buy drugs on Minneapolis Snelling at Lake Street if one is feeling ballsy.

The Minneapolis Snelling actually heads towards Fort Snelling. At one time you may have been able to get to the fort using that street. The St. Paul one would have had to curve significantly from its current position to get to one of the first settlements by Europeans in Minnesota.

Snelling Avenue in Minneapolis:


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Snelling Avenue in St. Paul:


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In summary, there are many reasons for one to head over to the better known St. Paul Snelling. There are few reasons to find the Minneapolis one. It's clear, the St. Paul Snelling Avenue is the superior street.

St. Paul wins.

Minneapolis: 1 / St. Paul: 1