The Land of 10,000 Lakes appears to be the land of the Mississippi River and all its glory. Oh sure, there are plenty of lakes too but we crossed that famous river about 15 times in the week we visited.
The Courtyard Marriott Downtown was our home base for the week and could not have been better situated. Just across the street from the University of Minnesota and it's sprawling campus and close to all the downtown fun. This is a city of highways and byways and county routes and the like, but getting around was not a problem at all. Coming from the west coast, I'm used to people driving like fools in their spiffy little cars. Not so in Minnesota! People drive the speed limit, use their indicators, and let you merge with ease. SO surprisingly different on the highways. By the way, the whole place was surprisingly different. I've heard of Midwest Hospitality, and we experienced it ten-fold here. We chatted, we made new friends, we had our questions answered and shared lively conversations. Truly a lovely experience. A great place to visit for sure, but their winter would kill me!
First night in town and we headed to the Town Hall Brewing Company next door. Service was personable and the beer hoppy! Very hoppy in fact and I'm pretty sure Zach would have loved it - high in ABV too. Some of the choices were pretty flavorful and the food not bad either.
Our first full day was met with the same gorgeous weather we experienced all week long. Crisp clear sunshine and bright blue skies with highs in the 40's. Yep, the 40's! A brisk walk took us into the downtown area where we met Stephanie from Fit Tourist for a 3-hour bike ride filled with anecdotes on the history of the Minneapolis environs.
The only falls on the Mississippi River...
The Mary Tyler Moore statue and me!
The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
And Target Field where the Minnesota Twins play.
One of our favorite stops was to Kramarczuk's Deli - a Ukranian Sausage fest that smelled like heaven on earth. Half the place is a deli where you can grab your own delicacies and take them home to your family. The other half is a cafeteria-style eatery with home-made sausage, cabbage rolls, pyrogis, kolache, and the like. What a treat ... their lamb sausage put me over the top! Check it out if you find yourself in the downtown area - you won't be disappointed. (www.kramarczuks.com)
We had no idea that Minneapolis was the heart of the milling industry. Washburn, Pillsbury, General Mills, Gold Medal and about 26 others during their heyday in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The Mill City Museum (www.millcitymuseum.org) was a wealth of historical information, a ride in the flour tower, and interactive exhibits that intrigue visitors of all ages. It made me hunger for Cream of Wheat and a big stack of pancakes!!
There's a little spot for home-churned ice cream called Izzy's that served up about 20 different flavors of ice cream, 2 different soy concoctions, and a couple of sorbets. Their claim to fame is the "izzy scoop" which is a teeny-tiny little scoop of something extra on top of your regular scoop. You can try something you'd never try on it's own or pick something that flatters your original scoop. Creamy, flavorful, friendly, and oh-so-good. Dessert for dinner! (www.izzysicecream.com)
One early morning stroll took us over to the University of Minnesota campus to wander about the grounds, shop in the bookstore, and breakfast like a college student. That meant bagels & cream cheese for both of us. Interestingly, the campus has a covered walkway for winter weather - very much in use even in mid-October.
Now, I can't attest to its meaning but the most fascinating piece of urban art on campus was the 'shoe tree' mid-campus. Help me out if you know the history - I don't... but a very cool sight to see.
Tons of culture in The Twin Cities but our need to see the biggest mall around took us to the giant Mall of America. Oh my goodness! Three stories of stylish, contemporary, and outrageous stores; an amusement park; theatre; eateries; and more. Of course we rode a few roller coasters. Why wouldn't we???
The American Swedish Institute is a lovely refurbished mansion on Park Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. This historic sight is the former home of Swan, Christina, and Lillian Turnblad. The French Chateau style home was completed in 1908 along "The Golden Mile" with about 40 other mansions of the same fortune and ilk. The building is impressive as are the tiled furnaces, uniquely decorated rooms, and art exhibits.
Most impressive was the Swedish dinner served only on Wednesday evenings. So lucky for us! Pan-fried brussel-sprouts, potato dumplings with minted peas, smoked salmon, fried cauliflower, and cardamom bread pudding. More walking required!! This was one of our greatest surprises (www.ASImn.org) in all of Minnesota.
We love art museums and The Minneapolis Institute of Art beckoned. We wandered through the 8-acre campus of art which houses some spectacular sculptures, paintings, and a variety rotating exhibits. It is a government-funded museum so it's free! Yep, free ... donations accepted. Our only disappointment - their café was closed for refurbishment. No food during the middle of the day and that was sad for us. They had some great cookies, but even for a couple of dessert-o-philes, that wasn't enough. We always plan ahead but never saw that coming and we always look forward to lunch in museum cafes!!
We also stopped into the first Basilica in North America, the Basilica of St. Mary (www.mary.org). This impressive piece of art and architecture has been a cornerstone of the community since 1914 and continues as a working Catholic parish to this day. Absolutely stunning, open to the public, and well worth your time.
Stillwater, Minnesota is situated along the St. Croix River and a stone's throw from the border of Wisconsin. Yep, we crossed the river - two states in one day!
The 30-minute drive was peaceful and easy through the smaller cities outside Minneapolis-St. Paul. Fall is just getting started so there were some yellows, reds, and gold colors to be seen. Stillwater is a sweet little community with shops, restaurants, saloons, candy stores, antiques, and friendly people. A few hours spent wandering here and then we took off for Grand Avenue in St. Paul. This 30-block street is also filled with shops, eateries, and gorgeous old Craftsman-style homes. Porches decorated with scarecrows and pumpkins, delectable delights at Caffe Latte, and a very cool shoe store with loads of Birkenstocks!
If you've read my blog (all three of you!) you know how much I love cemeteries. We found a great one in Minneapolis - the Lakewood Grand Cemetery. An older cemetery with some famous burials, namely Hubert Humphrey and Charles Lindbergh. We drove through ever so slowly to capture a few pics of fall. Enjoy...
No visit to Minneapolis would be complete with seeing Minnehaha Falls located just outside downtown. This park is most definitely the hot-spot for photography. We encountered about a dozen families, high school seniors, and engaged couples all posing for portraits. It really is gorgeous!
The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul have a lot to offer and I'm so glad we visited in the fall. As the leaves are changing color and the temperatures chilled us (really chilled us) we wandered, we ate, we laughed and enjoyed ourselves immensely. I'd check it out if I were you!!
One more thing...
The Minneapolis-St.Paul Airport (MSN) is a smallish airport with two distinct terminals and the friendliest TSA people around. But, if you're flying into this airport I have some advice for you. Be sure you check your connections. The two terminals are about 15 minutes apart from each other by shuttle or train.
Sample the richness of our diverse world,
Deb :)
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