James Lileks

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James Lileks

Columnist | Metro

Phone: 612-673-7858

James Lileks writes a metro column and is an anchor/producer for NewsBreak, the webcast on startribune.com. He also blogs under The Blog O'Things.
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Only an idiot would fall for these scams

The Better Business Bureau of Minnesota has released its list of Top Scams, and by "top" we don't mean "Holy cow, are these effective. Give 'em a try." They're the schemes that seemed most popular among the miscreant class.

Updated: January 07, 2012, - 04:14 PM

Lileks: Dayton's we still miss. Bloomie's? We shall see

Everyone has their own preferred route to the Mall of America; for some it's "the opposite direction, as fast as possible."

Updated: January 06, 2012, - 12:46 AM

Lileks: Here's your first look back at 2012

Well, that went fast. Seems like we were just saying farewell to 2011, and now here we are, rounding up the top events of 2012. Let's take a look back at what they're already calling "our third-favorite round-numbered year in this century."

Updated: December 31, 2011, - 07:34 PM

Lileks: Trouble at the mall? Classical culture clash is surely at fault

The news of Monday night's riot at the Mall of America shocked many, who insisted it be called a fracas. Other citizens, grasping for reasons why the outbreak of violence came at a time of holiday cheer, said it was a melee. But one thing is clear: Mall officials were stunned by what some are calling the worst outbreak of music among middle-aged, classical-music fans in the city's history.

Updated: December 29, 2011, - 09:51 PM

Lilleks: Thank heaven, no Santa rerun, so far

Someday a smart kid's going to ask: What if Santa is gluten intolerant? What if the cookies made his tummy hurt?

Updated: December 24, 2011, - 06:34 PM

Flaky weather teases us as Christmas draws nigh

On Wednesday at 2:37 p.m. a single snowflake floated past my window. It had the unhurried, lazy pace of those first few flakes that fall before the front settles in and the snow begins in earnest. Unfortunately, we do not live in Earnest, where I assume the ground is covered with an elegant blanket of sparkling white; we live in the Twin Cities, where bare brown lawns sprawl naked for miles. Some lawns still have some green, but it's like lipstick on a cadaver, a corpse the sky does not have the decency to cover.

Updated: December 23, 2011, - 08:00 PM

You can plan and build, but they won't necessarily come

The Downtown Council has a new $2 billion plan for spiffing up the heart of Minneapolis. It's called "Downtown 2025" and aims to double the number of people living downtown to 70,000, including children.

Updated: December 17, 2011, - 07:54 PM

Shopping: The old way vs. the new

I went to the Mall of America on a rainy afternoon, curious to see how the retail world was holding up. Three years into the Interminably Grinding Recession, you expect tumbleweeds. The lingerie parlors will be selling burlap sacks; the kiosks will have practical gifts, like Complete Dinner Kits that come with rabbit traps and knives fer skinnin'.

Updated: December 15, 2011, - 07:27 PM

Some ideas for breaking even at Orchestra Hall

The phrase "interesting developments in the local classical music scene" probably strikes many as the equivalent of "worthwhile advances in Canadian agriculture," but bear with us here. There's actual news.

Updated: December 10, 2011, - 04:57 PM