I'm working on a short story about a criminal who, in the first scene, travels to St. Paul, MN. (I just sort of picked it out of the atlas; that, and I've heard nice things about it as a place to live!). The story is set in late winter.

Wikipedia gives me a list of neighborhoods, but they're very politically correct, referring to this area and that as "more diverse." In what area, for example, would it be fairly easy to steal a car with little chance of cops coming across you at, say, 5 a.m.? In my experience, urban areas near railroad tracks are usually pretty rundown. Would East Minnehaha Ave. be a good setting? What are the buildings like?

Also, in my experience, suburbs set around small lakes are usually pretty upscale. My atlas shows an area by Pleasant Lake called Shoreview and another called North Oaks. What're they like?

Finally, where are the largest and most expensive homes in the area? Near other lakes, I'd bet?

Not all of the detail can wind up in a short story, of course, but if I can find one or two details that make the scene come alive, it'll work for a reader, too. Thanks in advance!
.

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* *
-- Paul W. (The Benzadmiral)
('03 Buick Park Avenue, charcoal/cream)
Formerly:
'97 C230, smoke silver/parchment; '86 420SEL, anthracite/light grey; '84 280CE (W123), dark blue/palomino

I lived in Mpls. the first 18 years of life, left for college etc. The wife and I moved back last summer, so I have some knowledge of the area.

Summit Ave. is old money. Huge houses, home of the Gov's mansion and Garrison Keillor.

Grand Avenue is nice neighborhood. Hip, diverse, old. They fought off "Noodles and Co" restaurant.

Frogtown (Payne-Phalen neighborhood) is one of the tougher parts of St. Paul. That's an area for a good crime story, imho.

There's a St. Paulite named Tom (T.D.) Mischke. A local radio talk show host, musician, writer, humorist and one helluva' story-teller. Here's his bio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Mischke A true St. Paul-phile and knows his history.

He's a bit of a recluse, but if you could get a hold him, I think he'd be able to help you out. Try emailing him from his radio-show website.

Another good link: http://www.mischkemadness.com/mischkelinks.html

Shoreview and North Oaks aren't much, suburban-like. The later being a wealthy neighborhood. The real characters are in the downtown neighborhoods.

your character should stop by The Swede's shop and have his car detailed

Yeah, there's good drama. Too much for a little business. I could tell you some wild stories, sheesh.

Benz- it's cold there. Do we get to read the story when your done?

__________________
"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL

I live on this side of the river. But St. Paul is great, has lots more old houses, a huge Hmong community. Frogtown is diverse, but no that dangerous. East St. Paul is where there is a lot of Asian gang activity.

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

The Swede,

So Maryland Avenue is the main artery through Frogtown? West Maryland, or East? (I guess "Frogtown" got its name because a lot of French immigrants settled there?)

Looks to me (using the bird's eye view at http://maps.live.com/) like Como Avenue is a business corridor. Is that the neighborhood you're talking about?

It looks like my lead character (I hesitate to call him a hero) could pick up a car on Como, drive up Dale St. North to County C Road, jog west to Lexington, and take that the rest of the way up to Shoreview and North Oaks? How long would a drive like that take at, say 5:15 a.m. on a weekday?
.

__________________
* *
-- Paul W. (The Benzadmiral)
('03 Buick Park Avenue, charcoal/cream)
Formerly:
'97 C230, smoke silver/parchment; '86 420SEL, anthracite/light grey; '84 280CE (W123), dark blue/palomino

If I can figure out a way to post it, I will. Here's a sample:

******

"It had been some time since Mr. Carlino had stolen a car. The trick, he recalled, was to find a car new enough to be reliable, but old enough to be easy to open and hotwire, and cheap enough not to have an aftermarket alarm.

"Luck was with him. After only ten minutes of plodding in pre-dawn darkness along Como Avenue in the teeth of a sharp March wind off the Mississippi, Mr. Carlino found a good one. A mid-90s Oldsmobile 88, its maroon paint was faded and its left rear fender looked as though it had been chewed by a mythical metal-eating beast. A bumper sticker read, I MAY BE SLOW BUT I’M AHEAD OF YOU."

******

__________________
* *
-- Paul W. (The Benzadmiral)
('03 Buick Park Avenue, charcoal/cream)
Formerly:
'97 C230, smoke silver/parchment; '86 420SEL, anthracite/light grey; '84 280CE (W123), dark blue/palomino

Funny this came up just when it did!!

I am just now reading a crime novel by John Sandford "Broken Prey" which takes place in the Minneapolis/ St. Paul, Minn. area where the protagonist is employed there in the BCA.

Any of his books with "Prey" in the title (and there are well over a dozen of them) will run you through the good and bad neighborhoods around the twin cities, and give you a sense of them, by name and ambiance, and the structure and heirarchy of the Police Department.

But beware, they are really good reading, too, and you could get sidetracked enjoying them.

Best wishes and good luck with your writing.

Sounds like a great story, we would like to read it. We'll proof read it for you if you like!!!

Some of the Joe Gores novels about car re possesssors/skip tracers (The DKA agency novels like "Gone, No Forwarding", and "32 Cadillacs", etc.) give fascinating recounting of what it is like when describing the re possessors jobs, when they "steal" cars, too. More fun reading.

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

Hmm, all I know is that they have a pretty nice airport terminal . . . lots of food, shops, wi-fi . . . and it's heated.

Ohhh, nooo. Here we go, again. Waiting for more.


tap, tap, tap.

__________________
1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

I would say Lexington, Pierce-Butler (or the RR tracks just north), Como Ave and University form the Frogtown 'hood -- roughly.

North Oaks is a hike, straight north. 15 min drive on a good day.

I was trying to recall that author, thanks! yes an excellent mind atlas for Msp/St. Paul

__________________
'07 Yukon 2500
'13 Subaru Outback 3.6R
'13 Orbea Carpe 9-speed

Currently Benzless
Formerly: 300TD, S600, E55, 560SEL

---= The forest breathes, listen.
-Native American elder

Mr. Carlino deftly opens the unlocked driver's door with his slim-jim and climbs inside, settling into the leather-clad bucket seat. Remembering his extensive hotwiring training gleaned from years of watching "Cops" reruns, he smashes the plastic casing surrounding the turn signal switch assembly with a small hammer and uses a sturdy flat-bladed screwdriver to pry away the locking pawl that disengages the steering column lock. Quickly, he pries away the protective collar around the ignition lock cylinder. In less than twenty seconds, the lock cylinder falls to the floor. Carlino smugly inserts the tip of the screwdriver into the innards of the steering column and with a triumphant twist of the wrist...does not start the car. Nonplussed, he twists again. The bitter March wind cannot overcome the sound of nearby crickets solemnly chirping through the silence of the Oldsmobile. He contorts his body to afford a look into the cylinder and confirms that the screwdriver is well-placed. Another twist...nothing. Cursing under his breath at the utter unreliability of American automobiles, Carlino packs away his hotwire kit and, espying a nearby Subaru Justy that has an ignition lock system made of bubble gum and Reynolds Wrap, sprints out of the Oldsmobile, blissfully unaware that since the 1992 model year, the Oldsmobile 88 has been equipped with GM's VATS antitheft system, which relies on a resistor-equipped ignition key to electrically enable the ignition circuit.

As were the following GM vehicles:

1997-2002 Buick Century
1992-1999 Buick LeSabre
1991-1996 Buick Park Avenue
1994-2002 Buick Regal
1992-1999 Buick Riviera
1990-1992 Buick Reatta
1994-1996 Buick Roadmaster
1991-1999 Cadillac DeVille
1989-2002 Cadillac Eldorado
1989-1996 Cadillac Seville
1989-1993 Cadillac Allanté
1990-1996 Cadillac Concours
1993-1996 Cadillac Brougham Fleetwood
1989-2002 Chevrolet Camaro, Z28
1986-2002 Chevrolet Corvette
1995-1996 Chevrolet Impala, Caprice
1995-2001 Chevrolet Lumina
1995-1999 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
1995-2000 Oldsmobile Aurora
1994-1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
1992-1999 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight
1999 Oldsmobile LSS
1991-1998 Oldsmobile Regency 98
1990-1993 Oldsmobile Toronado
1992-1999 Pontiac Bonneville
1989-2002 Pontiac Firebird
1994-1996 Pontiac Grand Prix

__________________
1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)