Sweet Sounds Of A National Treasure

Tonight I hit the downtown Minneapolis warehouse bar scene with a gaggle of friends that gathered for a twenty year reunion of the House with Orange Curtains (referred to in the annals of sentimentality as La Chambre avec les rideaux Oranges) and Thomas Wolfe was correct.

You can never go home again.

Boy how the 'hood has changed. We hit Runyon's Bar on Washington, a late 80's hot spot that has now been reduced to a staging ground for working ladies and pimp daddies.

The chicken wings remain lights out spectacular though. We'll order them for take away in the future.

One staple that remains intact is at Nye's Polonaise Room, tucked away neatly across the Mississippi River from downtown in Northeast Minneapolis. There you will still find the sweet, sultry sounds of a synthesized aided piano that has been played for nearly 40-years by the ever lovely Lou.

"Sweet" Lou Snider tickles the ivory each night at Nye's for bar patrons to croon and sing along.

Lou must be the reason that Esquire Magazine named Nye's as their "Best Bar in America" for 2006.

Cracklin' Rosie, get on board for Minneapolis, set all inhibitions aside and sing along.

Sweet Lou, always and forever.

Luck be a lady tonight.