Category Archives: Coffee

Sunday mornings in downtown

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FARGO, N.D. — From Friday to Saturday night, a flurry of events happens in downtown, but on Sunday, downtown Fargo-Moorhead seems like a town still asleep.

If you look, you can find quiet activities like these downtown on Sunday mornings.

The Red River separates downtown Fargo from downtown Moorhead. The river provides many forms of entertainment.

1.)   Explore city parks and scenic paths

“I live right by the river and love walking by it in the early morning with my iPod. It’s quite relaxing,” Kelly Gemmill said.

Scenic paths near the river provide a great location for a morning walk or jog.

The river seems to draw people who are in the exercise habit. People walk, run, jog, ride bike, rollerblade or skateboard on paths and facilities near the Red River. For skateboarders who want to practice their skills check out Dike West Skatepark at 300 Fourth St. S.

Enjoy the morning air with breakfast overlooking the river or at Island Park.

Island Park, across the street from the Red River, is at 302 Seventh St. S., Fargo. People can enjoy the park’s playground or use its picnic tables for brunch outside.

Walkways in Island Park wind around trees, creating a feeling of appreciation for nature.

2.)   Try out a church service

Since Fargo was “born” in the downtown area many of its largest and oldest churches are in downtown Fargo. For example, First Lutheran Church and St. Mary’s (Catholic) Cathedral have sat since settlement days on opposite sides of the 700 block of Broadway. Services at these churches start at 9 a.m. with a second service at 11 in the morning. These churches offer fellowship events before and after services, and the fellowship features food as well as Bible lessons.

Other downtown churches include Elim Lutheran, Pontoppidan Lutheran, St. Mark’s Lutheran (yes, it’s a Lutheran town), First United Methodist Church and First Presbyterian Church. Some of these churches are more than a century old and the architecture is stunning inside and out.

Newer nondenominational churches have sprung up in Fargo’s transforming downtown including Harvest Community Church and River City Church, 323 Main Ave.

First Lutheran Church is at  619 Broadway with its first service beginning at 9 a.m.

Harvest Community Church is at 608 Main Ave. with a service starting at 10 a.m.

3.)   Find a favorite coffee shop

“My morning routine generally starts out better with a cup of coffee, “ Kayla Bauske said.

Babb’s coffee at 604 Main Ave. opens at 9 Sunday mornings.

In downtown Fargo, several coffee shops are open early Sunday mornings including Babb’s Coffee House, Moxie Java and Atomic Coffee. Try out each atmosphere to see which one is ideal for you.

 


As you sip on something hot to drink, take a minute to read local news like The Forum, or a student newspaper like The Advocate, produced by Minnesota State University Moorhead students.

4.)   Develop an exercise routine

A runner takes advantage of a e brisk morning in downtown Fargo.

Besides taking advantage of Island Park and the trail system adjacent to the Red River, people can exercise by taking a walk or run alongside historic downtown buildings.

Use the YMCA for exercising if the weather does not permit outside exercise.

The Fercho-YMCA is  a great place to work out with facilities like indoor pools and an indoor track. It is situated at 400 First Ave. S.

5.)   Spend time trying do-it-yourself projects and stress relievers

According to American Physiological Association, 75 percent of adults reported experiencing moderate to high levels of stress in the past month and nearly half reported that their stress has increased in the past year.

Use Sunday mornings to try a do-it-yourself project like creating a good-looking and functional goal list for the upcoming week. Take a bath with candles or sit down with a good book to relieve stress. Practice cooking or baking skills by trying out new recipes.

Use this Pinterst board for DIY projects and stress relievers to try on Sunday mornings.

Doing it Downtown, all summer long

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Opinion piece by Ezra Van Den Einde, MSUM

The lakes are great and who doesn’t love a road trip with the family, but downtown is the real place to be during the summer. Starting in mid May, a series of fun summer events will be going on in downtown Fargo-Moorhead.  To help you plan your summer I have highlighted a few events you won’t want to miss.

Like classic cars? Starting on May 17 Broadway in Fargo will be swarmed with fancy, unique and classic cars. The event lasts from 5-9pm and will be held the first Thursday of the month through September. For more information or to check out photos, visit “Cruisin’ Broadway” on their facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cruisin-Broadway-Downtown-Fargo/91362550665

The weekend following the kickoff off of cruise night will be a busy one. With people parking their cars and lacing up their running shoes, Fargo will be overtaken by runners of every skill level. From a youth half mile run to the main event where over two thousand runners will be taking on the 26.2 mi. trek through the streets Fargo, the event has something for everyone.  Registration ends on the May 6 and can be found along with a rundown of weekend events on the Fargo Marathon website.

http://www.fargomarathon.com/index.html

One of the next major events to take hold of Fargo’s downtown streets will be the 37th annual Fargo Street Fair. The Street Fair claims to be North Dakotas largest free outdoor event, attracting thousands for great vendors selling clothes, food, crafts and more. The dates you should mark on your calendar are July 19- 21. Applications to your space as an artist, crafter or vendor can be downloaded here.

If these events still leave you with time to spend celebrating summer in Downtown Fargo and Moorhead, don’t worry. Spend some time in one of the beautiful parks. Go for a refreshing swim at Island Park Pool. Visit the Hjemkomst Center, the Plains Art Museum or the Fargo Theater. Spend a day shopping on Broadway or take a walk along the Red River. Where ever your summer takes you, remember that you don’t need to look any farther than downtown for memorable summer fun.

Below are a couple more sites to help you continue Doing it Downtown this summer.

Downtown Fargo

 Fargo-Moorhead events calendar

Sharing the Road

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Bicycle outside of GNB

Story and Photos by Ezra Van Den Einde

With higher temperatures around the corner and road construction heating up it may be time for locals to warm up to bicyclists.

Fueled in part by the growing presence NDSU has in downtown Fargo, an effort is being made to add bike lanes to 10th  and University, both are one ways in north Fargo.

The discussion has been heated at times and one city commissioner is strongly opposed to the idea.  “Those are our only north south arterials through the whole city, to me, to try to shove something on there, that’s just incredibly wrong.” Dave Piepkorn said during a recent Fargo city commission meeting. Piepkorn says the negative feedback he has received exceeds that of any other issue.

The city plans to run a series of public service announcements to better educate and prepare the public for bicyclists.

Great Northern Bicycle Company

One downtown business owner whose life revolves around these controversial spinning wheels has ideas that may ease the publics concerns. Tom Smith, owner of Great Northern Bicycle Company in downtown Fargo, thinks the negative response is “a bit of a knee jerk reaction” and that the concerns have to do with dangers and the amount of daily traffic on 10th and University.

Biking down Broadway

 

In order to make biking safer and decrease the publics’ discomfort of sharing the roadways with bicycles, Smith says it’s necessary for bicyclists to follow all traffic laws. He says being consistant, predictable and following traffic laws will help cyclists become an accepted part of city traffic.

Below is a link to a safety education video for drivers and bicyclists created by the League of Illinois Bicyclists.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1PXvxh_6MI&feature=player_embedded

 

 

Pay to Park? Forget it.

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Finding a spot to park

Article and Photos by                             Ezra Van Den Einde, MSUM

Living in downtown Fargo, people may have problems finding spots to park near their homes, but a recent study says that there’s a surplus of empty pavement. What’s the name of the study and who conducted it?

 

Dick Herrig has been working the Fargo parking lots as an attendant for 14 years and says that if people are willing to walk a couple of blocks shouldn’t have problems finding a spot.

Dick Herrig and Bob Nelson

Herrig works a parking lot on NP Avenue, which is shared by the city of Fargo and adjacent business owners. He says, “It’s full to capacity… 90 percent or more have a monthly permit.”

Bob Nelson, works with Herrig, says, “We need a parking ramp to replace the one they tore down.” He added that the Island Park Ramp could accommodate more daily commuters, if they were willing to walk across the railroad tracks.

The downtown area has 11 city lots with monthly rates ranging from $50-$65. Six of the lots also have daily and hourly parking rates.

City of Fargo parking

According to the city of Minneapolis website, rates for non-reserved monthly parking in can cost up to $203. Compared to Minneapolis, parking in downtown Fargo is one half to one third the cost, so people in Fargo should be happy with walking a couple of blocks or paying such a small cost to park downtown.

 

(Edited by Lauren Tollefson, MSUM multimedia journalism major).

 

Looking Back at the Historical HoDo

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Manager Dale Powers stands proud behind the bar of the HoDo Lounge

Story and Photos by Brittany Olafson

A Little About Dale

Dale Powers, a day manager at the HoDo, has been in the bar business since 1997. Prior to getting hired at the HoDo, he worked at Arthur’s, a restaurant by Walker, Minn. When he was offered a job at the HoDo, it was right around the time that Arthur’s was being sold. He thought it would be a great opportunity and joined the HoDo staff in May 2003. Powers helped with the hiring process and the setting up of the bar, only to get
it ready for its grand opening in August.

HoDo History: From River Town to Railroad Town

“Prior to the railroad, it was a river hub,” Powers said. “You could look along the Red River and see where they used to have docks where they loaded stuff on, because the river in fact, goes to Hudson’s Bay.”
Powers says back in the 1700s it was a major fur trapping and trading area. People could access the river easily in order to transport goods and services.
“Years ago when they were building the railroad, there was a fire in downtown Fargo in 1893. This building, along with other stuff was rebuilt in 1894,” Powers said.
Of course the fire happened during the era when wood was still used to line the street’s boardwalks. This only fueled the fire, which continued to spread.

The HoDo Restaurant presents a comfortable dining area with local artists' pieces that decorate the walls. The Restaurant is the only area in the building that has paintings for sale.

Businesses Move in After the Reconstruction

Powers says that around 15 to 20 years ago, the HoDo building was occupied with other services. The main part of the building, the HoDo Lounge, was once a bridal shop on the corner of 1st Ave. and Broadway. The eastern part of the building, which is now the HoDo Restaurant, used to be a barbershop, and downstairs in the basement of the building was a hair salon. However, the hotel itself has always been a hotel.

Hotel Donaldson Gets a Makeover

Karen Stoker is the sole proprietor of Hotel Donaldson and the HoDo Lounge and Restaurant. Powers says this is a new venture for her, but the designs of the lounge and hotel rooms show that she knew exactly what she wanted.
“She wanted to do something for downtown Fargo, [and] this building was available,” Powers said.
Although the building is old, a lot has been done in renovation projects. The masonry between the original brick of the building has been tuck pointed, meaning it has been mortared.
“The renovation was incredible in this building,” Powers said. “I stood out here in the lounge before it was done, and I swear I could see daylight through all the floors going up, so they really did a lot of renovation.”

The HoDo Gets Dissected

The HoDo is one company with three departments: Hotel Donaldson, the HoDo Lounge, and the HoDo Restaurant, which are all connected in the building on the corner of 1st Ave. and Broadway N Fargo.
Hotel Donaldson is known as one of downtown Fargo’s “specialty hotels.” With its 17 modern hotel suites, it can accommodate guests for a number of different things, such as work-related visits, business meetings or an elegant evening stay amongst downtown Fargo’s chic nature.

Most rooms at the Hotel Donaldson include a bed, a sitting chair or love seat accompanied by a flat screen television, and a mini bar to accommodate its guests.

“This is an old building, but our rooms are totally modern,” Powers said.
Each room tells its own story, as well. Each room has several pieces of a local or regional artist’s work hanging on the walls. Although these pieces of art are not for sale, their unique differences give each room its own personality as well as bring a feeling of home to its guests.

The rooms' prices vary depending on their sizes.

Above the hotel is a rooftop venue, which has an outdoor hot tub that is open to Hotel Donaldson customers. On nice days, the rooftop bar opens, and guests can sunbathe with cocktails on the patio that overlooks the scenery of downtown.
The HoDo Lounge is a more casual hangout where patrons can enjoy a cup of coffee or a bite to eat. It is the main part of the building, with the entrance located on Broadway. It opens everyday at 11 a.m. and serves lunch all day. The Lounge is also accompanied by a bar, which makes this venue enjoyable for “night owls.”
The HoDo Restaurant is located in the eastern part of the building. It opens at 5 p.m. to guests looking for a classier dining experience. Pieces of artwork for sale to the public can be found on the restaurant walls. The one-of-a-kind, local decorations emphasize the HoDo’s unique atmosphere.

Each hotel room also has a bathroom lined in tile and a large arched shower head.

The HoDo Today

Hotel Donaldson and the HoDo Lounge and Restaurant have come from a long line of history. The business prospers in its class and originality that was built upon a woman’s determination.
Whether you enjoy visiting with friends in the lounge, dining in Downtown’s finest or setting up camp for a night in a suite, the HoDo surely is a hidden treasure.

Oddfellow's Hall is a nice area room upstairs in the hotel for guests to sit down and relax.

For more information on the history of Fargo, click below:

Fargo History

(Edited by Meredith Wathne, MSUM multimedia journalism major)