Minneapolis

[jbsegal]

So, my 'people' (kimberlogic and tcb) decided, while dancingdeer and I were off Square Dancing, that we had enough frequent flyer miles to get me to Minneapolis for Boiled In Lead's 21st anniversary St. Patrick's day concert, and since they were going to be there 3 days earlier, I could also go and see Shooglenifty again on Sunday at The Cedar Cultural Center

So, along with help with crash space from ivorjawa and crs (I'm still not sure about Mon and Tues, Chris - I'm aiming for things closer, but I promise I'll let you know...), I'm going to be in Minneapolis for 4 days and 5 nights.

I have no idea what I'm going to do with my days, since I've got to keep things cheap, but I've got Sunday, Monday and Wednesday nights covered - Monday, I'm planning on heading out to 57th and Russel to go square dancing with the Wild Roses, a gay club. Yeah, I know, I'm going half way across the country and go square dancing...

Tuesday night's open. Anyone have any ideas? (I figure there might be music to be had - it IS the day before St. Pat's.)

Is there anyone else out there I don't know? What music do I need to hear? What free attractions - other than wandering the skywalks more - do I need to see? Where do I need to eat? (The 'Cooks Tour' episode that was just on covers MPLS and mentions Saigon Cafe and The Sample Room - I expect I can afford the 1st, not certain about the 2nd - and I'm absolutely going back to Hell's Kitchen.)

Time to mail Drew about tickets...

Lead! Shoogle! YAY!

Thank you, guys...I appreciate this trip.

Comments

[hotpoint.livejournal.com]

I'll give you suggestions for daytime, since I haven't lived in Minneapolis since I was 11. I did find the skyways fascinating then, and they've doubled in length since then!

I'd plug the bus system, but apparently there's a bus drivers' strike going on right now, and I don't know when that'll end. If your hosts are willing to drop you downtown for the day, you can probably walk and keep amused.

Cheap or free attractions:

• Minneapolis Institute of Arts (free admission): General fine and decorative arts museum, downtown. Closed Mondays. 2400 Third Ave S.
• Minneapolis Sculpture Garden (free): Outdoor park with modern sculpture, in front of the Walker Art Center. Capped by the "Spoonbridge with Cherry" by Claes Oldenburg. Hennepin and Vineland, just beyond the southwest edge of downtown, with a footbridge over the highway.
• University of Minnesota: Weisman Art Museum (free admission). 20th century American art. Closed Mondays. 333 E. River Road, on the riverbank (east) edge of downtown.
• State Capitol in St. Paul. State capitols are always fun, if only for the locals' enthusiasm. Take a tour. 75 Constitution Ave.
• I'm not sure if any of the river locks or old mills are open for tours in late March, but they could get you some of that 19th century industrial/civil engineering grandeur. The whole river walk is supposed to be pretty nice, too.
• Yes, yes, I know, and I've never been there myself. But people say The Mall of America has to be seen to be believed. Plus it's sure to be warm during the winter.

Restaurants: In general, I think that if a nifty restaurant is more expensive than I want to pay, I'll go at lunchtime. The menu's always cheaper, the food is probably lighter, and they won't push the alcohol as much (helping keep it cheap). And if it's completely and utterly fabulous I can come back for dinner! Downtown also has a large number of close-at-5 eateries, because it's not really a nightlife district. That improves your odds for a good lunch and decreases them for a good dinner.

The Minicon 34 Restaurant Guide looks like a decent reference, especially to options downtown. Keeping in mind that it's 5 years old and just how long that is in restaurant terms, it might have a lot of suggestions and opinions for you.

Gol durn it, Aquavit closed. I guess it was just too rich for reasonable Minnesotan tastes.

The Black Forest Inn, 26th and Nicollet, had tasty German food and beer. aquariumgirl and I enjoyed it last July. That area appears to be an ethnic restaurant strip, too.

There were also a lot of restaurants in the Uptown district, where Penzeys is (you ARE going to Penzeys, aren't you?). We ducked into a sandwich shop named Jimmy John's at the Calhoun Square shopping center and were happy enough.

At any rate, have a wonderful trip! Enjoy the concerts, the dancing, and the general Minnesotanness!

[jbsegal.livejournal.com]

Aquavit's closed? Fuck. Hm.
Penzeys: I really really shouldn't go there. It's going to be hard holding myself back, though. We went a tad overboard last year...
There's a sushi place in Calhoun Sq. that's pretty tasty, too.

And you know...actually crossing into St. Paul isn't a bad idea. :)

And thanks for the minicon food list...

[hotpoint.livejournal.com]

littlebbob just reminded me of some other St Paul things to see: the Como Park Conservatory is apparently an amazing greenhouse, architecturally (from 1915) and in scope, and admission's $1. The St Paul City Hall and the Cathedral are also impressive, and there's a Minnesota History museum that I may have seen when I was in grade school. St Paul in general is seeded with buildings from the turn of the 20th century, when it was the headquarters of big northwestern railroads and civic pride was high.

I presume that if you wanted an excuse to go to Penzeys, spend someone else's money, and still get to sniff the spices afterwards, my house could give you a shopping list ;)

[ivorjawa.livejournal.com]

So ... are you going to call me with info?

[betweenstations.livejournal.com]

If we're actually current on our membership, and I think we are (and if we aren't, I can give you a check to present), Science Museum of Minnesota can be free for you. You just have to pretend to be Jan Kujawa for 5 minutes while presenting the card to the desk for tickets. (Check www.smm.org -- I think it may also be Omnifest, and our card would get you free Omni tix. The Omni dome in MN is pretty cool, because they built the entire museum around its counter-weight.)

And there's great food to be had along Nicollet Avenue, near the MIA. Black Forest is there, of course, but there's Quang, which is Vietnamese and cheap and tasty. Minneapolis has spectacular Vietnamese.

[betweenstations.livejournal.com]

The Minnesota History Center is free, and outstanding. It's also close to Cossetta's, which is a fine (cafeteria-style) Italian place with tasty and fairly cheap options.

While you're at ivorjawa's, do feel free to hit the food. Most of it should be safe, and we're pretty mellow about the fridge.

[jencallisto]

so, when crs moved out to MN, i drafted a list of some of my favorite things in the Twin Cities. i just went through and updated it a little, but it's mostly the same. hope it helps. :)
if you have specific other questions, i'm happy to try to answer them.

http://www.jenwa.org/jenwa/twincities.html