Take a trip into the historic heart of Minneapolis. Today it's the center of a revitalizing downtown, but once it was home to the largest Skid Row in the Upper Midwest. Urban redevelopment in the early 1960s swept away much of the area, but enough remains to enable a journey of imagination into a streetscape of cheap bars, flophouses and rescue missions.

Your guide is James Eli Shiffer, a Star Tribune editor and columnist, and the author of the new book, "The King of Skid Row." Tours are from noon to 1 p.m., June 2, 9, 16 and 23 and begin at the Star Tribune Building, 650 3rd Av. S, Mpls., $16.

Reservations for the tour are available at startribune.com/streetscapestour.