Urban living at its best

The Men rounding the corner by Lowertown

The women racers near the beginning of their race

Another shot of the ladies

Waiting for the racers--this is a shot of the Lowertown Commons building, our old apartment

Leaders of the men's race, during the final laps of their race


Living in an urban area offers plenty of entertainment. Throughout the summer we can watch the barges moving down the Mississippi river (a sight we can see from our apartment windows). Mears Park, just a few blocks away, has live bands performing once a week and later in the summer the music will be followed by outdoor movies. Next weekend Mears will host a jazz festival. And every weekend we get to enjoy the Farmer's Market just down the street.

This past week offered up a cycling race that took place on our city streets. The Minnesota Bicycle Festival is a five stage race that takes place over 5 days in five different venues. The first stage occured this past Wednesday night in Lowertown St. Paul...the cyclists raced around Mears Park and down around the Farmer's Market. There was both a men's and women's event. Both races lasted about an hour.

The weather was perfect this year. It's hard not to get caught up in the race, especially when it's happening outside your door! It was an awesome opportunity to take pictures.

This week has been one of those weeks when I know I'm lucky living where I do...there's so much life happening all around me.

(I posted a short video from the race here)