Jake Spitzack
Staff Writer
Traversing St. Paul’s popular places, hidden gems and everything in between is Steven “Wolfie” Browender, a retired video production worker with a curious eye and self-imposed goal to bike every block of every street of the capital city’s nearly 900-mile street system. He estimates he’s covered about 60% in the last 13 years and believes he’ll be able to complete his mission in the next decade. However, there’s no rush because he says it’s all about the journey not the destination.
He began the venture in 2011 to satiate his curiosity about unique things he spotted around town, such as a lawn on West Seventh covered in white stone or a van on the East Side painted as the Mystery Machine from Scooby-Doo. He also wanted to highlight the little treasures woven into the fabric of the city so other residents can enjoy them too. All along the way he’s posted monthly on his “St. Paul By Bike” blog about the unique people he meets, interesting things he learns and quirky places he discovers.
“I’ve got a proclivity to notice things that other people might miss,” said Browender. “As I biked around, I would just notice things like an interesting garden or unique decorations on a house…. The people I’ve met are so interesting. I love hearing what people’s stories are. It’s cliché to say everybody has a story but if you can coax it out, everybody does.”
To get the scoop behind things that catch his eye, he regularly knocks on the doors of homes and businesses. Last summer, he visited the dome house at 89 Morton St. W. on the West Side and learned about its history, as well as that of the Forty Acre notch, a nearby geographical quirk in the northern border of West St. Paul. He also met with a woman who paints and hangs dozens of colorful metal artworks on her fence at 173 W. Robie St., also on the West Side. People often share amusing or moving personal stories that shed light on what he’s inquiring about, and he said he’s constantly humbled by their positivity and willingness to talk.
“I’m indebted and I’ve learned so much,” said Browender. “In a [politically divided] time, it’s really cool to find that so many people are nice…. It just makes me smile that people aren’t afraid to be individual and do something that’s a little different and fun.” He has a backlog of interviews and expects to post his story about the West Side artist and her increasingly colorful fence this spring. The post about the dome house is already online.
Browender departs on rides from his home in Highland Park and commonly cruises for 20 or 30 miles. He’ll go somewhere specific if he has an interview scheduled, otherwise he lets the wind and his intuition guide him. He said he planned to go to the East Side twice last summer but never made it because he kept getting sidetracked in the North End on his way over. Luckily, his GPS automatically maps his rides so he can easily mark off places he’s been on the massive map he keeps at home.
Highland Park is the only neighborhood of 17 in the city that he considers completely biked, but Macalester-Groveland is nearly finished, too. Coming in third is the West Side, which he figures is about 70% complete, and he hopes to get close to polishing it off this summer.
“I love the West Side, it’s so cool and it’s really hilly,” said Browender. “Between the physical barriers like the bluff and Highway 52, there’s little pieces of property tucked away that have really interesting home designs.”
He primarily sticks to streets but will hop on a trail if the street is too dangerous or he needs a shortcut to another neighborhood. His favorite trail is the Robert Piram Regional Trail on the West Side, which connects Harriet Island, the St. Paul airport and South St. Paul.
His blog focuses on a variety of subjects and features photos he takes himself. While he expects that most folks read his posts for pleasure, he works hard to ensure accuracy by speaking directly with sources, digging for information from credible research organizations such as the Minnesota Historical Society, and having his wife, Sue, proofread each post.
One of his furthest rides was to the Highwood neighborhood, which has no paved roads and is partially located east of Highway 61. Another leg-burner was his trip past Gerdau Steel, a factory on Red Rock Road, which is located on a peninsula that can only be reached by traveling south on 61 through Newport and then back west into what is, technically, St. Paul.
Browender has seen firsthand how the city has grown over the years. Significant changes like the demolition of the Ford plant in Highland Park and the creation of multifamily developments are apparent, but some changes have been more slow and subtle.
“When you hear people say something about a ‘bad neighborhood,’ maybe they had a bad experience there,” he said. “I wouldn’t consider there are any bad neighborhoods in St. Paul. There might be a spot or two that’s a little bit rougher at times, but the term ‘bad neighborhood’ should be purged from our vernacular because to paint a whole neighborhood based on two blocks isn’t right….
“In the Midway area,” he continued, “there’s a district where murals are painted every year. The buildings are nice canvases for brightening up a more industrial area. Parts of the East Side have a negative reputation, and there are pockets where you can tell the houses and businesses might be a little tired but I think things have improved drastically from 2008 when there were a lot more vacant homes boarded up with ‘no trespassing’ signs. I see very few of those now.”
Browender said he’s never felt unsafe while biking or speaking with someone for a blog post. He may get an electric bike someday but for now will continue pedaling and tuning up the hybrid bike he’s had since beginning the blog.
The Wisconsin native moved to Minnesota after college – where he got his nickname “Wolfie” from his friends because he looked like Wolfman Jack, a popular DJ in the ’70s – and has lived here ever since. While his lofty goal is still far from complete, he’s just as happy working on it as when he first started, and he’s thankful for those who help him travel down the city’s endless rabbit holes.
“It’s humbling to think that people will give up their free time to talk to me…. To the people that read my blog, I want to sincerely say, thank you very much. It’s very nice to know that my weird hobby is something that people find interesting.”
To view his blog, visit stpaulbybike.com.
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