Steven "Wolfie" Browender is a really good listener. So much so that after 10 years of trying to bike every block in St. Paul, he estimates he still has about 60% of the city to go.
The stories he's encountered crisscrossing the capital city have just been too fascinating, said the married father of two adult daughters. Not that Browender minds. The St. Paul cyclist and blogger is in no hurry to finish his journey across the city, which according to the Public Works Department has more than 1,800 miles of streets.
Eye On St. Paul recently sat down with the Milwaukee native and Highland Park resident at Magnolia's on the city's East Side. We talked about Browender's journey, his blog and some of the folks he's met along a very interesting way.
This interview was edited for length.
Q: When did you start riding St. Paul block by block?
A: Oh my gosh, I think it was 2012. Or was it 2011?
Q: And how much of St. Paul have you covered?
A: I'm not quite sure, about 40% to 45%.
Q: Is it your goal still to do all the blocks in St. Paul?
A: Oh yeah.
Q: And how long will it take?
A: I don't estimate. It gets harder and harder, because I've always biked everywhere. Living where I live, even to come here to the East Side is quite a ride just to get there.
Q: What's your method?
A: It's just random. It really is. This past year, 2022, there were a couple of days I planned on hitting the East Side here. And I try to take different routes. I just kinda say, "Whoa, that's something that looks cool. I haven't been down this street." So, I ended up in the North End and I started talking to people and I never made it over here.
Q: So, there's a danger that you're going to get a little distracted?
A: Exactly. I love seeing places I've never been. There's so much. I mean this city is fascinating. There are so many neighborhoods. Unusual, quirky, funny, weird, sobering sights. And almost every block offers something.
It's amazing how cool people are. I've been to almost every big neighborhood, and people are … I haven't been hassled anywhere. People have been occasionally distrustful. "Who's this guy? And why is he in this neighborhood talking to people?" I mean, I've been questioned by a couple people, "Are you making money?" I get it.
Q: Do you have a spreadsheet or something to track where you've been and where you want to go?
A: I have a map. I have a city map that I bought, and I color it in.
Q: So, you have 55% to 60% [of the city] to go?
A: Yeah, so I've got to get riding.
Q: Do you ride now [in winter]?
A: No, I'm kind of a bike-riding wimp. I'm trying to just get out, shooting photos and things just for fun. And exercise.
Q: Did you do that right from the beginning, talking to people and taking photos?
A: Photos, yes, but it was just a bit before I started talking to people. And I think that's what adds more of a twist to it, to hear what people think. And who they are. I enjoy talking to people, but I'd rather listen.
Q: So, that's slowed you down some but also enriched it?
A: Very much so. That's part of the fun. Going back to a piece [I wrote] on the North End, it was one of those days where I was going to come over here [the East Side]. And I met this gentleman just west of Oakland Cemetery. I took about three hours there one day.
Q: What was your most recent post about?
A: It was the North End again. I did the North End three rides in a row. A woman, she and her husband bought a house sight unseen; the bathroom was unusable, and they're still plugging away.
Q: I love how you described their area, like a little bit of the countryside on the North End.
A: That's one of the things that I've discovered — and I'm sure it's true of every city — but these natural boundaries, like the freeways or big buildings, it creates these really unusual, funky cool sections that nobody knows about. And you have no reason to go there unless you … go there.
This is a beautiful city. Indian Mounds Park is beautiful. I've taken pictures at sunset. And it's a spot of reverence. I do like the Highwood area. Who'd think in a capital city, a city that's been around since 1854, that it's got gravel roads? One of the biggest lots in the city is over 8 acres. They live on that lot. The guy next door is the guy I've tried to talk to. He kind of put me off, but I'll try him again this spring.
Q: At this rate, it's going to take you another 10-12 years to get it all done. Then what — a book?
A: People keep suggesting that. But that's not my goal. It's about meeting different people. It's about letting people tell their stories.
