I recently found new respect for Cedar Riverside (Minneapolis, Franklin: apartment complexes, rentals)

[nick is rulz]

Ive always been a fan of Palmers on account of it being awesome, but until recently I wrote the neighborhood off as sorta lame. It smells weird and looks kinda dumpy, but I have found it strangely appealing lately. Anyone have any interesting experiences residing in the area? My lease is up in a few months, and Uptown is played out.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

That's interesting you pointing out the smell there. To me all of the buildings in Cedar Riverside have kind of an old musty smell...maybe that's because I spend too much time in Palmer's and the Triple Rock. I could compare the smell of the inside of Triple Rock to a poorly maintained toilet.

My personal experience is at one point I decided I wanted to live in the Riverside Plaza highrise so I emailed the office and they never got back to me. I'm not sure that housing complex offers housing to anyone who isn't low-income, although I could be wrong. As far as housing goes there, I could never figure out where it was. Besides all the Augsburg and U of M student housing and the Riverside buildings is there really anything available there?

Now that I'm married I would probably consider that neighborhood a cool place to visit but probably not to live. It'd be a great place to live if I was a full-time student at Augsburg or the U and/or single.

[MRNorthSide]

This thread should get interesting. A friend of mine lives above Palmers, and I could tell you about all types of crazy things I've seen over there.

I have heard that the use of alcohol is generally frowned upon in Somali culture(which is very prevelant in that area). So when the kids get caught drinking, they are disowned in a way. This is why you will often see groups of young Somali men walking around smelling like mouthwash. They have nowhere to go.

How about people smoking crack around that fire in back of Palmers? Strangely appealing...?

[lalife]

Oh yeah, Riverside is a cool area. I love the ethnic shops and food over there. Plus I attend concerts at The Cedar occasionally. Saw Habib Koite in August and it was magical
( famous musician from Mali)

However, while I love the vibe of the area, as a woman it is a place that I feel comfortable in during the daylight. I put on my super awareness frame of mind when walking back to my car after dark when the concerts end. Yup, that means staying sober in that neighborhood.

[K-Luv]

I had a couple of friends who lived above Midwest Mountaineering and I used to live on Franklin and 19th (not Cedar/Riverside, but close enough). I have also hung out at Palmers, the Five Corners (now the Nomad), Bull Winkles, Triple Rock, the Red Sea and I have put in countless hours at Hard Times and the Wienery. The area is something unique for Minneapolis, it is basically a gritty version of Uptown, or more precisely, what Uptown used to be like 15 years ago. When I was younger this area really appealed to me. I liked the grittiness as it made the area seem 'more real', and you didn't have the Urban Outfitters crowd of Uptown. Back then only the hardcore and truly down kids hung out on the Palmers end with some college kids making it down to Blondies. I think that the area was worse back then, but I wouldn't live there now for anything.

[nick is rulz]

yes thats exactly it. Its like a dirtier version of Uptown...and since Uptown has more condos every time I go back its "meh" factor is thru the roof. I could always live in Seward and bike to Riverside and get plowed.


Glad its not just me that noticed the smell, Slig. I have pointed it out to a few friends and they had no clue what I meant.

[grandpa tweedle]

i've smelled it too! kinda like rancid nacho cheese. it was pretty pungent on the hotter days last summer. i've noticed the same smell in other towns but it has always been near a landfill. pretty mysterious

[nick is rulz]

The smell might make me nauseous over time. Ive been enjoying the collective Seward/Longfellow/Riverside/Powderhorn area recently, so I might have to look into a place somewhere in that vicinity. As long as there is decent restaurants and bars in stumbling distance, I am good to go.

[Camden Northsider]

Hey Nick, I think you're instincts are right about Cedar Riverside - I would argue that it is the most vibrant, interesting, and diverse neighborhood in the metro - and has been for many years. It's always been a neighborhood of immigrants (going back to the Swedes) and continues to be so today, it's the only neighborhood in the metro where you can feel like a "citizen of the world" with its international citizenry, it's the place where all budding photography students go to get their 'urban' shots, and it has great arts, bars, and entertainment.

I know a lot of people that live in the neighborhood (of all ethnicities), and I've worked on and off in the neighborhood for over 3 years now, including the past year 1/2. I'm not familiar with the smell that everyone's referring to, not sure if this is a byproduct of the wienery or the dumpsters at Riverside Plaza or what but I've never really noticed anything enough to be bothered by it or even make a note of it. The most dangerous thing you have to worry about in this area are the neighborhood's drivers, it's not pretty sometimes and you always have to assume that someone's just going to run a stop sign or red light right in front of you, or ding your car if you're parked in a lot or on the street (I would assume car insurance isn't cheap here but not sure). Although there has been a lot of violence over the past year with the neighborhood's youth, my experience has been that random crimes to the average resident don't seem to happen much - in all the time I've had my car parked (very close to Riverside Plaza) in a lot, on the street, and at all hours of the day and night, I've never had a break in or any other crime occur against me - similarly I've never felt unsafe, albeit I tend to be more aware of my surroundings if leaving my building later at night. People talk about safety concerns, but keep in mind that there are a lot of U of M students and probably the majority of Augsburg students that live and hang out in this neighborhood without incident.

There are a number of apartment complexes in the area outside of the highrises - you could check out The Studios at Seven Corners (only studios available), Cedars 94 or better yet check out this website (http://www.zilpy.com/US/Minnesota/Minneapolis_Metro/Minneapolis/Cedar-Riverside/Block_597/Rentals/ - broken link).

[MRNorthSide]

Originally Posted by Camden Northsider

Although there has been a lot of violence over the past year with the neighborhood's youth, my experience has been that random crimes to the average resident don't seem to happen much - in all the time I've had my car parked (very close to Riverside Plaza) in a lot, on the street, and at all hours of the day and night, I've never had a break in or any other crime occur against me - similarly I've never felt unsafe, albeit I tend to be more aware of my surroundings if leaving my building later at night.

I know of people who are routinely harassed and robbed in the area. A friend of mine, who is in his later 50's, now has to take a taxi to the store which is only a block away due to the roaming packs of drunken Somalis. He has been robbed twice in the same day.

I think one thing that the college kids have going for them, safety-wise, is that they are often in groups. If you are by yourself, and look like an easy mark should probably expect to be hassled.