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Picture of the Twin Cities skyline with MSP written across it.

Get smarter, faster about what’s happening in your backyard with local reporter Torey Van Oot.

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Axios Twin Cities

From a pumpkin pancake breakfast to a field day competition, Axios Twin Cities readers have some unique Thanksgiving traditions. 

Meg G: My family, ages 5 to 81, does Family Field Day. We divide the 12 of us up into two teams, write hyped-up intros, have events like a costume relay race and 'squash put' (an acorn squash wrapped up in foil to act like a shot put), to win points and sometimes homemade medals.

Lauren W:  On Thanksgiving Eve, all the big kids go out, usually somewhere like Dave & Buster’s for dinner and entertainment. We’ve always called it Big Kids Night Out. 

Alexa R: Our big family used to eat early and head to a local bowling alley for some healthy competition (and pitchers of cheap beverages). After many years of that tradition, all were welcomed, and we were often joined by friends of all generations to serve as an informal reunion. Happy Thanksgiving and thanks to bowling alley employees everywhere!

Leslie L's family watches "Die Hard," Linda H's watches "Planes Trains and Automobiles" and Jeni W busts out the Steven Tyler pajamas and surrenders to the depths of the couch to watch the one true Thanksgiving movie: "Son in Law", starring Pauley Shore.

Karen C.: We play a game called Spoons after dinner. It’s very competitive and full of laughter and fun. The winner ends up with their name on a family plaque.

Nancy Z: When I was a child, my dad would bundle us into the car after dinner and take the family to downtown Minneapolis to see the holiday displays at Dayton's and Donaldson's. 

Carol B: Thanksgiving breakfast. Pumpkin pancakes. Turkey bacon. Cranberry sauce. Mimosas. Free afternoon and evening and much easier cooking. 

Your out-of-the-box Thanksgiving traditions

From a pumpkin pancakes breakfast to a field day competition, Axios Twin Cities readers have some unique Thanksgiving traditions.

Illustration of a pumpkin pie with a happy face.

Thanksgiving

From a pumpkin pancake breakfast to a field day competition, Axios Twin Cities readers have some unique Thanksgiving traditions. Here are some of them:Meg G: My family, ages 5 to 81, does Family Field Day. We divide the 12 of us up into two teams, write hyped-up intros, have events like a costume relay race and &#x27;squash put&#x27; (an acorn squash wrapped up in foil to act like a shot put), to win points and sometimes homemade medals.Lauren W: On Thanksgiving Eve, all the big kids go out, usually somewhere like Dave &amp; Buster’s for dinner and entertainment. We’ve always called it Big Kids Night Out. Alexa R: Our big family used to eat early and head to a local bowling alley for some healthy competition (and pitchers of cheap beverages). After many years of that tradition, all were welcomed, and we were often joined by friends of all generations to serve as an informal reunion. Happy Thanksgiving and thanks to bowling alley employees everywhere!Leslie L&#x27;s family watches &quot;Die Hard,&quot; Linda H&#x27;s watches &quot;Planes Trains and Automobiles&quot; and Jeni W busts out the Steven Tyler pajamas and surrenders to the depths of the couch to watch the one true Thanksgiving movie: &quot;Son in Law&quot;, starring Pauley Shore.Karen C.: We play a game called Spoons after dinner. It’s very competitive and full of laughter and fun. The winner ends up with their name on a family plaque.Nancy Z: When I was a child, my dad would bundle us into the car after dinner and take the family to downtown Minneapolis to see the holiday displays at Dayton&#x27;s and Donaldson&#x27;s. Carol B: Thanksgiving breakfast. Pumpkin pancakes. Turkey bacon. Cranberry sauce. Mimosas. Free afternoon and evening and much easier cooking.

Things to Do

Axios Twin Cities, anchored by Torey Van Oot, Nick Halter and Audrey Kennedy, is here to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news and developments unfolding in their own backyard

Sunday's thrilling win over the Buffalo Bills has catapulted the Vikings into the class of must-watch NFL teams.

State of play: After seven straight nail-biting victories, the Vikings are now 8-1 and have the NFC North division nearly locked down. 

How we got here: Three things have gone right for the purple. 

The Vikings have performed extraordinarily well at the end of games under new head coach Kevin O'Connell, outscoring opponents by 43 points in the fourth quarter.

Wide receiver Justin Jefferson has taken another step forward in his third season and is on pace to rack up more than 2,000 receiving yards, which would set an NFL record.

The offensive line is much improved, led by Christian Darrisaw, the highest graded tackle in the NFL. 

Between the lines: The other key ingredient: fun, a spice that was missing from the previous Vikings regime. 

Quarterback Kirk Cousins has adopted the "Kirko Chainz" alter ego, firing off his shirt, wearing gold chains and dancing after wins.

Former Packer Za'Darius Smith has injected swagger and humor into the defense.

The intrigue: The Vikings are getting plenty of national media attention and now have the fifth best Vegas odds of winning the Super Bowl.  

Even KFAN play-by-play announcer Paul Allen is getting some love. A viral video of him calling the end of the Bills game got the attention of LeBron James, who called Allen a "national treasure."

More than 1 million people in the Twin Cities watched Sunday's game against the Bills. 80% of all TVs that were on in the metro area were tuned to the game. 

What's ahead: This Sunday's game is another big test as the 6-3 Dallas Cowboys come to town. The Cowboys are slight betting favorites. 

Behind enemy lines: We asked our Axios Dallas colleague and Cowboys fan Michael Mooney for his prediction for Sunday's game. 

 Cowboys 31, Vikings 27. "The Dallas defense should be able to bounce back from the embarrassing performance in Green Bay."

The Vikings are the talk of the NFL

Fans are asking, is this team Super Bowl bound?

Patrick Peterson and Cam Bynum celebrate a win 

Patrick Peterson and Cam Bynum celebrate a win over the Bills. Photo: Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images

Sports

Sunday&#x27;s thrilling win over the Buffalo Bills has catapulted the Vikings into the class of must-watch NFL teams.State of play: After seven straight nail-biting victories, the Vikings are now 8-1 and have the NFC North division nearly locked down.

In a nail biter, "Grumpy Old Men" edged out "Fargo" 53-47 in the final round of our best Minnesota-made movie bracket. 

Thanks to the nearly 1,000 of you who participated.

 We leave you with this line from the winning movie. 

Max Goldman: "Jacob said that old Billy Henchel was killed in a car crash. Head on collision with a freight truck. Cleared his car straight over the bridge into the Mississippi.”

"Grumpy Old Men" wins best Minnesota movie

Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon took out the Coen brothers in the final.

Movies

In a nail biter, &quot;Grumpy Old Men&quot; edged out &quot;Fargo&quot; 53-47 in the final round of our best Minnesota-made movie bracket. <ul><li>Thanks to the nearly 1,000 of you who participated.</li></ul>

News

It's going to be a busy week at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. 

The big picture: Officials expect passenger volumes over the Thanksgiving travel period to equal or surpass last year. 

Zoom in: Wednesday will be the busiest departure day of the holiday period with more than 32,300 passengers projected to be screened at MSP’s security checkpoints.

Sunday is anticipated to be the second busiest day, with more than 32,200 passengers.

Be aware: The Metropolitan Airports Commission says to expect more congestion on roads around the airport. 

Officials recommend arriving two hours before domestic flights and three hours ahead of international departures. 

Thanksgiving travel: Busy week expected at MSP Airport

Officials recommend arriving two hours before domestic flights.

It&#x27;s going to be a busy week at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The big picture: Officials expect passenger volumes over the Thanksgiving travel period to equal or surpass last year.

The closures of Williams Uptown Pub & Peanut Bar and Amore Uptown last week, and the upcoming final day of Stella's Fish Cafe mark the end of an era for a generation of Twin Cities diners.

Catch up quick: Over the past three years Uptown has also lost Chino Latino and Uptown Theater, as well as Apple, Kitchen Window, Urban Outfitters, CB2 and H&M.

What they're saying: "We can all imagine that it has something to do with the business [and] safety climate,” says David Frank, executive director of the Uptown Association. “It's about to be winter, so people are maybe going out to restaurants less.”

State of play: Several Uptown businesses closed during the pandemic's early days as restrictions and health concerns kept people home.

But crime has also spiked in the neighborhoods around Uptown over the past three years. Assault in the Lowry Hill East neighborhood is up 33% in 2022 compared to 2019, and up 62% in South Uptown, according to city data. 

What’s next: Frank said the Uptown Association is pursuing a "safety zone" space in a commercial building that will monitor security cameras to direct law enforcement and serve as an outpost for officers.

Flashback: In September, the city of Minneapolis, announced a new "Operation Endeavor" to fight crime, saying it would use data to focus on places where police are needed most.

"We are doing our best to schedule an appointment with the new [police] chief and the new [public safety] commissioner to say it seems like we're a place that could use some additional resources, also," Frank says.

The intrigue: Anytime a business closes near Hennepin Avenue and Lake Street, social media will buzz about how Uptown is dead. 

That phrase means different things to different people.

A previous generation said Uptown died when the beloved Uptown Bar closed in 2009 and was replaced by an Apple store, symbolic of a culture shift in the area.

Some saw its death 10 to 15 years ago when a construction boom littered the skyline with upscale apartments. 

Others point to the loss of restaurants like Figlio in 2009, and Lucia's in 2017.

Yes, but: Uptown has always gone through changes, and even today there’s some good news mixed in with all the vacant storefronts. 

Uptown Theater is being converted to a concert venue.

Seven Points Uptown is now home to Arts & Rec, a mini golf course, bar, theater and restaurant. The developers eventually plan to build apartments to the south.

James Beard winner Ann Kim opened Sooki & Mimi last year.

Restaurateur Kim Bartmann has taken over Amore and will open a new Italian restaurant.

Plus, popular bookstore Magers & Quinn remains. 

The bottom line: Uptown may not be dead, but it has lost its place as the dining and entertainment destination. 

Uptown closures mark the end of an era

Uptown's death — or life — means different things to different people

The intersection of Hennepin Ave and Lake Street.

The intersection of Hennepin Ave and Lake Street in 2005.  Photo: Bruce Bisping/Star Tribune via Getty Images

Restaurants

The closures of Williams Uptown Pub &amp; Peanut Bar and Amore Uptown last week, and the upcoming final day of Stella&#x27;s Fish Cafe mark the end of an era for a generation of Twin Cities diners.Catch up quick: Over the past three years Uptown has also lost Chino Latino and Uptown Theater, as well as Apple, Kitchen Window, Urban Outfitters, CB2 and H&amp;M.

Nick Halter

Featured stories

Your out-of-the-box Thanksgiving traditions

Uptown closures mark the end of an era

Thanksgiving travel: Busy week expected at MSP Airport

The Vikings are the talk of the NFL

"Grumpy Old Men" wins best Minnesota movie