The Posters > Minneapolis Scenes
-
Hiawatha Bridge
This beautiful pedestrian bridge spans Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis, allowing riders on the Midtown Greenway trail to fly over the top of busy street traffic as well as light rail trains. This view is from the south, with the downtown Minneapolis skyline in the background. This bridge was officially opened late in the fall of 2007, and is not only a godsend for Twin Cities cyclists, but also a beautiful work of art. The bridge was officially named the Martin Olav Sabo bridge earlier this year, in honor of former Minnesota Congressman Martin Sabo, but I just call it the Hiawatha Bridge.
-
West River Parkway
West River Parkway is the street that follows the Mississippi River on the Minneapolis side. Like Mississippi River Boulevard on the St. Paul side, it is a popular route for both serious and casual cyclists. The more serious cyclists stick to the street, although it is not the smoothest pavement to be found, while the casual cyclists frequent the adjacent bike paths. This particular view is facing the Mississippi River from the south, just to the west of the Hennepin Avenue Bridge, which is shown in the poster. The famous Grain Belt Beer sign is just across the river next to the bridge.
-
Guthrie Theater
The Guthrie Theater, located along West River Parkway just south of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, is already an icon of Twin Cities architecture. It’s midnight blue color, and unique cantilever bridge that juts out over the parkway, make it a highlight of any ride along the river in Minneapolis. The new, contemporary building sits just to the east of the old flour mills, as you can tell by the Gold Medal Flour sign in the background. This view is looking west along West River Parkway.
-
Stone Arch Bridge
The Stone Arch Bridge is another Twin Cites landmark that spans the Mississippi River just north of the Guthrie Theater and the flour mills. The bridge, was built in 1883 by railroad tycoon James J. Hill for his Great Northern Railway. The famous St. Anthony Falls section of the Mississippi is just up stream from the bridge. Today, the structure is used as a pedestrian/bicycle bridge. This particular view is looking south towards downtown Minneapolis. Like the High Bridge in St. Paul, I usually try to include a ride over the Stone Arch Bridge in any of my rides along the river in Minneapolis.
-
Midtown Greenway
The Midtown Greenway is a bicycle path crossing Minneapolis from east to west from the lakes area on the west to the Mississippi River on the east. It occupies a former train track, and now includes the beautiful Hiawatha Bridge to allow cyclists to bypass Hiawatha Avenue. This particular view is looking west, from 17th Avenue. Each cross street passes over the Greenway via similar bridges, many of which were built back in the early 1900s.