City Pages has just relesased their annual Best of the Twin Cities Lists. Be sure to take a look at the following local lists next time you need to know the best bike trail, best beer list, best pet store, best place to take out of town guests, best street artist and a heck of a lot more.
Category: Recommended Service Providers
httpv://youtu.be/9wYJ_1R6Bno
The Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship makes it way to Saint Paul, Minnesota, for the second year in a row on January 24-26 as one of five stops around the world. Two hundred of the toughest, fastest, ice cross downhill racers will go head-to-head through a downhill course full of mind-and-body-bending jumps, turns and slides – all against the backdrop of the historic Cathedral of Saint Paul with thousands of spectators bearing witness.
After the visit of the World Championship here in 2012, this year’s track promises to be one of the most difficult in the series, with a number of changes expected for the course. With record crowds expected to come and root for Team USA, this year’s stop in Saint Paul will be one not to be missed.
Get a preview of this year’s course by viewing the above video. To see last year’s recap, click here.
Awhile back, I purchased a Crowd Cut deal to have the interior of my car detailed. This Crowd Cut offer is available again and I highly recommend it. Today’s deal is $40 for an interior or exterior auto detail at Brighton Unique Auto. I had a really great experience here and the inside of my car looks terrific. It’s also the perfect time of year for this since most Minnesota cars will soon be full of sand and dirty snow residue. There are a lot of daily deals for auto detailing at places that get horrible reviews. This is one of the rare places that will do a great job.
“Empowering people through bicycles”
Cycles for Change seems like a truly wonderful and unique place. They are a bike shop that empowers communities by teaching people to fix their own bicycle with their staff. They do this free of charge and anyone is welcome. They also offer programming that includes: volunteering to earn a bike for FREE, loaning out a bicycle to a community member for 6 months, and a youth apprenticeship program. They also sell new and used bicycles and parts.
Earn-a-Bike Orientations are held on the first Saturday of each month at 9am, then participants continue attending the Saturday morning classes for 3 additional weeks. The next open orientation is on Saturday, October 6th at 9am.
Open shop hours to get help fixing your bike are as follows:
- Wednesday 3-9pm
- Saturday 12pm-5pm
- Sunday 12-4pm
Cycles for Change (formerly the Sibley Bike Depot)
712 University Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55104
Minnesota Monthly’s Wine Week is April 13-23. Participating restaurants include Heidi’s, Cafe Latte, Dakota, French Meadow Bakery and many more!
During Wine Week, buy one glass of select wines and the second one is only 10 cents! Additionally, bottle and menu specials may be available, so be sure to inquire with your server.
I purchased a daily deal for Luna Blue Massage and I just used it last week. I didn’t really know what to expect but it ended up being a great experience. I had been suffering from a back ailment for over four months and it would not get better. I had Mary tackle this issue with a therapeutic massage (she also does hot stone, tai, sports, relaxation, etc.). It was definitely intense experience. Mary has crazy strong fingers so if you need a lot of pressure she’ll be able to accommodate. She gave me the impression that she is very knowledgeable. Every touch was deliberate and in the end, I felt like every single one of my muscles got a complete workout. After a day of rest, my back is almost healed almost 100%! I went to yoga yesterday and was really impressed with how flexible my muscles were. I can’t believe I have gone from a 6 on the pain scale to a 1 overnight, especially after I have been suffering for so long! It’s been a few days and I still feel great. If you have any nagging aliments, I definitely recommend you give her a shot.
Mary is very professional and has a nice setup with a heated table, essential oils, music and all that.
DEAL ALERT: She also has a referral program. If you simply state that Stephanie K referred you, you’ll receive $20 off (and I will too).
Luna Blue Massage
3217 Hennepin Ave South
Minneapolis, MN 55408
(651) 262-6723
Did you receive new toys for christmas? Do you take the long New Year’s Weekend to de-clutter and organize your home?
Be sure to note that Best Buy has free electronics recycling at their stores. Regardless of where you bought it, what brand it is, or how old it is: bring it to Best Buy. They’ll make sure it’s properly and safely recycled. They’ll also take just about anything electronic, including TVs, DVD players, computer monitors, audio and video cables, cell phones, and more. In addition, through January 19, they are offering a $5 credit per item regardless of the item’s condition (limit three items per day, per person). Click here for full offer details.
Target also has an electronics recycling program for certain types of electronics in which you can trade your used goods for gift cards. Click here for more info.
Clinton Kelly of ‘What Not to Wear’ is opening a new store at the Mall of America. Perfect Fit opens this Saturday and Clinton will be at the opening. At Perfect Fit, customers can bring an item of clothing in that they believe needs a little tailoring. The stylist will assess the item’s fit and will make sure the item gets altered for the most flattering fit. I think this is a really neat concept!
For more info and to read an interview with Clinton, click here.
DEAL ALERT: The 1st 100 people to attend the Grand Opening will receive a free personal mini-consultation by Clinton Kelly! The store opens at 10am and you can then reserve your mini-consultation, which begins around 3pm.
It’s not a new offer but it’s worth noting that Advanced Auto Parts will install a new car battery and will also recycle your old battery for free if you purchase your new battery from them. I called a local shop to compare prices and the free installation saved me over $60! If you’re really savvy, you can also use fatwallet and ebates for additional cash back. Advanced Auto Parts also lets you check in-store availability before you go and buy online.
My husband is a culinary assistant for Kitchen Window’s cooking classes so he gets to meet a lot of local chefs. One thing that he’s learned is that for seafood, you buy your ingredients at Coastal Seafoods at either their Minneapolis or St. Paul locations.
Meat and seafood can be expensive so be sure to utilize their weekly specials:
Monday:
20% off all Shrimp
20% off all Kobe Beef
Tuesday:
20% Senior Discount (55+)
Wednesday:
20% off all Crab
20% off MN Duroc Heritage Pork
Thursday:
20% off all Salmon
20% off all Whole Fish
