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Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Adventures in Minneapolis - Part II

Day 3:
I head to the conference till mid-afternoon. I learn lotsa fascinating orchestra thangs, then we decide to embark on more Minneapolis Adventures! This time, we head to Minnehaha Park (I prefer to call it Minnehahahaha Park where the hahaha is really a belly laugh - but that's just me). Minnehaha Park was just a short Light Rail ride away. The day was absolutely beautiful - sunny, and just cold enough to be comfortable in a sweater - basically, perfect! Therefore, it was destined to be a outdoors sorta day. Minnehaha Park gave me a completely new view on Minnesota. Prior to this point, I had really only seen the city - the buildings, the city parks, the river - which I loved - but I was completely blown away by the park. Minnehaha Park is home to Minnehaha Falls - where Minnehaha Creek flows into the Mississippi River. Surrounding the falls are hiking paths, playgrounds, even a little beach along the banks of the creek! I could see why it was such a hotspot. I had a hayday with my camera while there - the evening light coupled with the flowing water painted the perfect photo. It was hard to take a bad picture to be quite honest. Danny and I explored the falls and the surrounding paths, then headed to SeaSalt - a bustling little seafood eatery just outside the falls. Quite seriously, SeaSalt may have been one of my favorite restaurants I've ever been to. Not because of the fantastic food, although very tasty, but because of the ambience of the place. On a Wednesday evening, all sorts of people had come out to munch on one of their many clever entrees, indulge in a beer or two, while sitting outside under the trees next to the falls listening to the live band. Danny and I sat outside also enjoying the sites and the cooler weather - and we devoured their fish tacos (and a pitcher of beer, but shh) - mmm mmm. I've got to say...Minnehahaha was the highlight of my trip, and I would recommend it for anyone traveling in the area. It's enchanting!


Day 4:
Last day of the conference! I got to hear the founder of the Geek Squad speak, which was fascinating - and so inspiring. Danny meets me for my lunch break and we head to the "town square" where food trucks have lined the street and different musicians play each hour. The day, of course, was beautiful - sunny and in the 60s. Also, can I just say - I love food trucks. I think every city should have them. I especially love the ones that serve items you can't find anywhere else. Check out the Clover Food Truck in Boston, for instance. To this day, I still crave their rosemary fries and ginger lemonade.

After the conference, I decided I would totally regret not attending a performance of one of our conference host orchestras. I get last minute tickets for us to the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. We take a bus over to St. Paul - Minneapolis' twin! Minneapolis is by far my favorite, but St. Paul definitely had a personality of it's own with it's old churches, winding streets and Europe-like squares. Danny took me to Mickeys - a famous downhome diner in a tiny trailer in the middle of the city. This place has been opened 24/7 since 1939, and has been featured on numerous channels, including the Food Network and the Travel Channel. When I heard that, I knew I'd like it. It was surprisingly quiet and they served up the tastiest burger and baked beans a gal could ask for - literally, the best baked beans I ever had! We headed to the SPCO (St. Paul Chamber Orchestra) performance, and feel wayy too underdressed, but what they gon' do? We enjoy the performance and head back to our luxurious suite at the Holiday Inn.


Some of my favorite photos from the trip....



2 comments:

  1. dude, where are my pics? no excuses.

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  2. ugh, nothing gets past you brian! haha I'm playing catch up now, dontcha worry.

    ReplyDelete