Downtown Twin Cities office buildings continue to struggle

Plus: How do your favorite pro athletes get ready for work? [Plus: How do your favorite pro athletes get ready for work?] View this email as a [web page]( [The Minnesota Star Tribune](   [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA Good morning, Minnesota! I just hope both Napheesa Collier and Sabrina Ionescu have fun tonight. Are you a huge Lynx fan with a story to tell? Get in touch: essential@startribune.com 🏀 On to the news 📢 [Eder Campuzano] By Eder Campuzano TODAY’S TOP STORIES - [Minnesota Lynx fans eager for return to championship glory]( - [At sentencing for murder outside Minneapolis restaurant, victim’s family and killer express anguish]( - [Wildfire detected near Bogus Lake in Cook County, the third wildfire in Superior National Forest]( - [Why a flight from Minneapolis to Vegas is worth taking just for the food]( - [Yuen: Tim Walz's trips to China should not be demonized](   How do Minnesota's pro athletes get ready for work? Aaron Lavinsky/The Minnesota Star Tribune Lynx power forward Napheesa Collier gets up with her 2-year-old daughter at 6:30 a.m on game days. The team reviews game tape at 9 a.m. And the ensuing shootaround goes until about 11 a.m. Sports reporters spend a lot of time with athletes on the court, on the field and in locker rooms. But rarely do you get a glimpse at their pregame routines, which is exactly what Chip Scoggins did for a package of seven stories we published this week. He tagged along with athletes who represent every pro sports league in Minnesota over the last few months and learned all about their routines. The Loons' Wil Trapp takes a 15-minute shower in total darkness before every game. The Wild's Brock Faber eats the same meal: An omelet with no cheese, and with peppers, onions and bacon. Minnesota Frost Captain Kendall Coyne Schofield watches the ice intently and silently during warmups. How else do Minnesota's pro athletes prepare ahead of each contest? Read the stories below. Related coverage - [What did I learn with our ‘Getting Ready’ series? Sports stars are full of surprises.]( - [Pablo López is Twins’ ace pitcher and ace planner]( - [Brock Faber’s gameday preparation: Predictable, until the jump shots start flying]( - [Harrison Smith, before torturing Vikings’ opponents, goes medieval on gamedays]( - [Rudy Gobert, Minnesota’s tallest talent, focuses more on his mind on gamedays]( - [For Napheesa Collier, there’s a ‘mad dash’ day before her MVP-caliber play]( - [Kendall Coyne Schofield used ‘mom stamina,’ family support to prepare in PWHL championship run]( - [Wil Trapp’s gamedays: Soccer, soccer and more soccer]( [Read More](     GOING OUT - [Brian Ingram’s Salt & Flour opens next week across from Target Field]( - [Scene Maker Q&A: Bassist Liz Draper steps out front with residency at Minneapolis jazz club]( Get in, loser, we're watching scary movies 🎃 Every October, La Jefa and I whip up a list of 31 scary movies or TV shows to watch — one for each day of the month. We call it "The Halloween List," and you can [check out this year's offerings here](. Here's what's on tap tonight: 📺 "I Saw the TV Glow:" There are few production companies that can rival A24′s consistency when it comes to horror movies, so it is to my eternal shame that I must admit I didn’t catch this flick in the theater. Streaming on Max and YouTube TV with a subscription. Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV: $5.99.   [Share this newsletter with friends]( Do you enjoy Essential Minnesota? Encourage your friends and family to [sign up](. You also can share it using the links below.   Downtown office buildings continue to stagnate Downtown office buildings in the Twin Cities continue to struggle as employers remain flexible on their remote work policies while demanding ever-more luxurious amenities to lure persuadable employees. That's the upshot of reporting from Katie Galioto and Jim Buchta that looks into how office buildings across the metro area, once the heartbeat of economic activity in once-vibrant downtown business districts, are faring these days. You can read read [Galioto and Buchta's full story here](. Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune MORE FROM THE MINNESOTA STAR TRIBUNE - [Where Minnesota’s best pheasant hunting is this year, and 5 other things to know before the 2024 opener]( - [MN Cup winner Momease launches clinical study at U, braces for word of federal grant]( - [Medcalf: We owe our most high-risk youth more than we’ve given them]( TASTING NOTES Tom Wallace/The Minnesota Star Tribune As much as we’re enjoying the extended patio season, we have our sights set on fall. Squash, apples and all things braised are becoming staples both on restaurant menus and in home kitchens. And love or it hate it, we’ve also had a pumpkin spice latte or six. Brewers also have fall flavors on the mind, ushering in the short but sweet pumpkin beer season. Don’t know where to start? We have recs. But perhaps the most exciting thing about fall, at least this one, is the explosive restaurant scene. In the past week we’ve seen the iconic Mickey’s Diner reopen, a new suburban outpost of Heather’s cafe, Wayzata’s Grocer’s Table welcome sister restaurant Eloise, and Brian Ingram expand from breakfast to pasta, with Salt & Flour set to open next week. Two more rites of fall (that seem more like winter): the Wild home opener is tonight and we've scoped out the best new foods at Xcel, and there are six days left to enter our [22nd annual Holiday Cookie Contest](. Encourage your favorite baker to enter, and volunteer to be a taste tester. Because you know what tastes great with cookies? Pumpkin spice latte. --Nicole Hvidsten, Taste editor     IN OTHER NEWS - [Minnesota’s largest Muslim cemetery breaks ground near Farmington after 10-year saga]( - Sahan Journal - [GOP-endorsed judicial candidate hyped Pizzagate and other conspiracy theories]( - Minnesota Reformer - [How Minnesota Gen Z voters could help state keep top turnout rank]( - MinnPost THE MINNESOTA GOODBYE u/PHmoney04 via Reddit If you're anything like me, the gorgeous scenes of lush autumn palettes sweeping through the canopy of the forests of the North Shore fill you with equal parts anticipation and dread. The reds and yellows of the leaves! The deep blue skies! The serene lakes! They're all gorgeous. At the same time, you've got a trip planned to see said colors and realize that oodles of people have similar plans. And that means traffic. There's nothing I hate more than navigating busy freeways with scores of folks heading to the same destination as mine. But there are also few things I love more than a crisp autumnal hike followed by a sandwich at Northern Waters Smokehaus. Alas. This conundrum is brought to you by this stunning set of photos of the fall colors up on the North Shore courtesy of Reddit user u/PHmoney04. Thanks for reading Eder Campuzano, reporter David Taintor, editor     [Premium digital access] GET IMMEDIATE ACCESS TO EVERY STORY [Premium digital access] GET IMMEDIATE ACCESS TO EVERY STORY [Subscribe]( SHARE THIS NEWSLETTER [Email]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Manage email preferences]( • [Subscribe to Star Tribune]( • [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe from this newsletter]( [Manage]( your preferences | [Opt Out]( using TrueRemove™ Got this as a forward? [Sign up]( to receive our future emails. View this email [online](. 650 3rd Ave. S. Suite 1300 | Minneapolis, MN 55488 US This email was sent to {EMAIL}. To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.