As the famous Uptown Art Fair (which attracts a crazy number of people - around 350,000) was this past weekend, I thought it would be a good time to profile the area.

Now Uptown is more a state of mind than an actual location on a map and everyone has a slightly different idea of where Uptown begins and ends. So I’ll share my interpretation of the boundaries and then you’ll send angry comments telling me how very wrong I am - at least, this is how it typically is when talking about the hipper than hip spot that is Uptown.

Uptown begins somewhere southwest of downtown at roughly the Franklin/Hennepin intersection. There the turn-of -the-century apartment buildings brush up against boutiques and trendy restaurants that announce you’re here. This is technically the Lowry Hill and Lowry Hill East neighborhoods of Minneapolis and possess a  neighborhood in the city vibe.  It’s a busy place, particularly because it includes what is arguably the most successful co-op in the nation, The Wedge.

If you jog just west of there, you’ll find yourself in the Kenwood ‘hood with it’s grand homes near or on Lake of the Isles and Cedar Lake. Think lovely older homes with large lots among the many green spaces, parks and trails that is Kenwood. These homes are mostly arts and crafts or the more palatial Mediterranean or colonial styles.

At the intersection of Hennepin and Lake is what I believe is the real meat and potatoes of the area - technically the East Isles neighborhood. Here you’ll find the avant garde theaters such as The Uptown showing current movies as well as art films and the Suburban World that offers vintage cartoon breakfast during the winter and fall months.

This spot also has food galore, including the “we’re too hip to even put a sign out” Chino Latino and Lucia’s - well known for its organic menu. Not far from there is St. Sabrina’s for all your unmet tattooing/ piercing needs (I’ll own up to a belly button ring adventure there a decade or so ago).

But the place that I think IS Uptown is The Bryant Lake Bowl. It is an establishment where you can see live theatre, bowl a few strings and eat excellent food from burgers to tofu. That, my friends, is Uptown in a nutshell.

Of course, I can’t leave out the lakes, Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet, as they’re the true stars of the show. Hundreds of people walk, run and rollerblade on the trails daily. There’s also a fantastic bandshell with loads of free concerts and a dock for fishing (I’ve taken my kids there and those fish are bad ass urban fish that steal your worms) and boats for rental. You can even sign-up for reasonably priced sailing lessons on the Minneapolis Park & Rec website. (I know, how cool is that?)

The architecture is eclectic like Uptown itself, but I can say that it’s mostly 20th century - some homes nearer the lake are actually “cottages” that people would go to to escape city life back in the day when the trolley get you out there. There is a pride of ownership in the area which may border on gentrified making it a historically safe investment.

In recent years houses have been snapped up pretty fast in this area - an for a pretty penny; however there are many brick apartment houses and clapboard duplexes if you’re willing to rent your little piece of Uptown until the right home comes on the market. You can start your search here.