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Good Question: 'Reply All': Sidewalk Patios & Funny Bones

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- If we ever get out of winter, it'll be sidewalk patio season. Heidi Jensen in St. Paul wondered: Can restaurants just put chairs and tables wherever they want?

Heidi sent me a picture of a sidewalk café, which she said was difficult to get around when she tried to push a stroller by.

I called the city of St. Paul, which said there are restaurants that can just put out tables without a special license. And they are all located in downtown St. Paul.

Everywhere else in St. Paul restaurants need a sidewalk cafe license, and it costs $86.

By law in St. Paul and Minneapolis, restaurants have to leave a clearance of 48 inches so a wheelchair can get through.

The place Heidi sent a picture of had a license. But an inspector went out to make sure they had enough clearance on the sidewalk.

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You'll see it in the sale papers on Sunday -- he ads for Target or Best Buy. Cody Nelson wanted to know: Why does new music only get released on Tuesday?

Cody, it used to be random, but then some record stores got an advantage. If you got the album first, you got all the sales. So the record companies set up a street date. It used to be Monday, but then if there was a shipping problem, there was no chance to correct it.

Now it's set to arrive on Monday. If something goes wrong... it can be overnighted for Tuesday.

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Marie and Quinn in Litchfield wondered: Why is your elbow called your funny bone?

Nothing funny about it, it's also not a bone.

Inside your elbow is the ulnar nerve. When your humerus bone rubs the ulnar nerve, it hurts. The nerve provides pinkie and ring fingers with feeling, and that's why it tingles when you hit your funny bone.

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