Brave New World

If there is a single structure in Northeast Minneapolis that captures the neighborhood’s long history and rotating cast of immigrants, it’s the flesh-colored ARCANA building at the corner of Lowry and Central. Home to several chapters of the mysterious Masonic Lodge, including the “Order of DeMolay,” the “Order of Eastern Star,” and the “Cryptic Masons,” the building also houses the eclectic and friendly Aardvark Records, the ancient Lowry Central Bowlers Supply, and Two Amigos Bazar, a hole in the wall that sells Spanish music CDs and heavy metal T-shirts.

Throw in Moler Barber School of Hairstyling across the street—home of the seven dollar haircut, a place that has a constant throng of young black guys smoking and talking out on the sidewalk—and you’ve got a genuine culture jam. Cities can’t plan this sort of serendipity, where, among people waiting for a red light to change, you’ll see canvas bowling bags and track suits, Masonic top hats and sideways baseball caps. It only occurs organically.

Northeast is Minneapolis’s oldest neighborhood, and, in fact, was a separate city until 1872, when it merged with the newer settlement across the Mississippi. Originally named St. Anthony, Northeast was home to Polish, Ukrainian, German, Lebanese, and Russian immigrants who worked in the grain and saw mills along the river. The area’s streets were named after the U.S. presidents, in the order in which they served, to help newcomers study for their citizenship exams. Nowadays, a more recent wave of immigration includes Somalis, East Indians, Hispanics, and Asians, along with plenty of white refugees escaping the high cost of housing elsewhere in Minneapolis.

These new demographics are quite evident on Central Avenue, which is not only Northeast’s main commercial corridor, but also, with its abundance of colorful, hand-painted signs and wide, tree-lined sidewalks, one of the city’s best old-fashioned shopping streets. You can get an African hair weave, try on a pair of Indian shalwar, stock up at Pakistani, Indian, and Asian groceries, as well as the newer Eastside Food Co-op, enjoy a Swedish massage, or buy a statue of the Virgin de Guadalupe. As far as restaurants go, the variety of ethnic eateries is mind bending. Aside from the venerable Holy Land Bakery, Grocery, and Deli, offerings include Caribbean dishes from the Palm Court, the “Best Afghani pizza and kabob on earth” from the Crescent Moon Bakery, and authentic Mexican pasole, barbecued goat, or tacos al pastor from the charming La Tortuga.

Of course, if you’re looking for something more solidly American, stop in for a burger at Sully’s Pub and Restaurant, which is full of old-timers and down-and-outers watching television, yanking pull tabs, and hashing over the good old days.

—Jennifer Vogel