A Whirlwind Visit to Minneapolis-St. Paul
Only a business trip could cause a person to visit this cold, cold place in March, before spring has set in. Downtown Minneapolis feels a bit desolate, like a place that has tried to be cool and hip, but know one knows it yet. There is a gathering of some off-the-beaten-path religious group at my hotel. At first, it seemed as if all attendees have come from Nigeria; I later saw other attendees who came from other places as well. One who walked along with me for a bit seemed to be from Eastern Europe . . . she reminded me of the character that was Andy Kaufman's girlfriend on Taxi.
Anyway . . . back to Minneapolis. The most spice I found in the place was at Big E's, a Cajun/soul food cafe just south of downtown. Interesting mixed crowd among the 5 or so tables. Great food that felt like New Orleans. Fascinating mix of pictures of African-American heroes and others on the walls. Decent music. Excellent fruity lemonade. Strange black car-oil like substance on my etoufee, but I took it on faith and ate it anyway. Boy, have I come a long way from my midwestern fish-sticks-are-exotic (not to mention the only fish we eat) upbringing.
My other favorite place in the Minneapolis area was Patrick's French Bakery and Cafe in Edina . . . a pleasant surprise in the midst of generic suburbia. At Patrick's, I had a wonderful cafe latte and chocolate croissant that tasted exactly like France. Nice atmosphere, with wooden tables and chairs scattered between pastel walls, on a black and white floor. The pastries looked and smelled delectable!
I especially loved relaxing in the cafe after my whirlwind baby-gift-buying expedition at the mall. I did find a gift for myself, too, in the form of these sexy/cool black pumps (German-made, hmm) with black suede squares that hold your foot to the shoe. Love them!
Saturday brought a brief exploration of the Minneapolis Institute of the Arts, a quirky but full-of-interesting-tidbits museum. The highlight was a fabulous exhibit by the Minneapolis-born photographer Alec Soth. His pictures are stunning and gave me a new goal to shoot for. The lowlight was the room that could have been filled with art, but instead were filled with rolling carts piled high with unidentifiable stuff. The museum is beautifully set on an open space just outside downtown, in what seems to be a lovely neighborhood good for exploring.
The penultimate leg of my visit entailed following a lengthy horizontal path from the museum through some truly gritty areas of the city, across the Mississippi River and up Summit Avenue. Summit is a street laden with huge and interesting-looking homes, many of which may have been lifted straight out of Denmark. The street leads you past a massive cathedral and then up to the front steps of the state capital building. The gold leaf on the capital is a bit heavily applied for my tastes, but the building draws the eye, that's for sure. The cathedral is the closest thing to a European church that I have seen in the U.S. . . . . quite stunning and almost like a miniature version of St. Peter's in Rome.
My final stopping point in the Minnepolis-St. Paul area was for lunch at the lovely St. Paul Hotel's "Grill." There I enjoyed the best chicken pot pie I have ever eaten, along with a lovely glass of pinot noir that cost more than the pot pie, but complemented it beautifully and was worth every penny. The Grill is known as a power lunch spot during the week, but was a bit more sleepy late on a Saturday afternoon. My dining companions included a woman celebrating her 70th birthday (lunching with a friend), a woman in from L.A. just for one day for a wedding and an older man dining alone, among others. Our view was special, with an old castle-like building across the street and people streaming into the arts center for an afternoon concert.
I give Minneapolis-St. Paul a thumbs up. Plenty of places to explore, and with the weather warmer, the River would be a lovely place to while away the time. The cities even have curvy and hilly streets and other scope for the imagination.
Anyway . . . back to Minneapolis. The most spice I found in the place was at Big E's, a Cajun/soul food cafe just south of downtown. Interesting mixed crowd among the 5 or so tables. Great food that felt like New Orleans. Fascinating mix of pictures of African-American heroes and others on the walls. Decent music. Excellent fruity lemonade. Strange black car-oil like substance on my etoufee, but I took it on faith and ate it anyway. Boy, have I come a long way from my midwestern fish-sticks-are-exotic (not to mention the only fish we eat) upbringing.
My other favorite place in the Minneapolis area was Patrick's French Bakery and Cafe in Edina . . . a pleasant surprise in the midst of generic suburbia. At Patrick's, I had a wonderful cafe latte and chocolate croissant that tasted exactly like France. Nice atmosphere, with wooden tables and chairs scattered between pastel walls, on a black and white floor. The pastries looked and smelled delectable!
I especially loved relaxing in the cafe after my whirlwind baby-gift-buying expedition at the mall. I did find a gift for myself, too, in the form of these sexy/cool black pumps (German-made, hmm) with black suede squares that hold your foot to the shoe. Love them!
Saturday brought a brief exploration of the Minneapolis Institute of the Arts, a quirky but full-of-interesting-tidbits museum. The highlight was a fabulous exhibit by the Minneapolis-born photographer Alec Soth. His pictures are stunning and gave me a new goal to shoot for. The lowlight was the room that could have been filled with art, but instead were filled with rolling carts piled high with unidentifiable stuff. The museum is beautifully set on an open space just outside downtown, in what seems to be a lovely neighborhood good for exploring.
The penultimate leg of my visit entailed following a lengthy horizontal path from the museum through some truly gritty areas of the city, across the Mississippi River and up Summit Avenue. Summit is a street laden with huge and interesting-looking homes, many of which may have been lifted straight out of Denmark. The street leads you past a massive cathedral and then up to the front steps of the state capital building. The gold leaf on the capital is a bit heavily applied for my tastes, but the building draws the eye, that's for sure. The cathedral is the closest thing to a European church that I have seen in the U.S. . . . . quite stunning and almost like a miniature version of St. Peter's in Rome.
My final stopping point in the Minnepolis-St. Paul area was for lunch at the lovely St. Paul Hotel's "Grill." There I enjoyed the best chicken pot pie I have ever eaten, along with a lovely glass of pinot noir that cost more than the pot pie, but complemented it beautifully and was worth every penny. The Grill is known as a power lunch spot during the week, but was a bit more sleepy late on a Saturday afternoon. My dining companions included a woman celebrating her 70th birthday (lunching with a friend), a woman in from L.A. just for one day for a wedding and an older man dining alone, among others. Our view was special, with an old castle-like building across the street and people streaming into the arts center for an afternoon concert.
I give Minneapolis-St. Paul a thumbs up. Plenty of places to explore, and with the weather warmer, the River would be a lovely place to while away the time. The cities even have curvy and hilly streets and other scope for the imagination.
posted by Lisa at 10:58 AM
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