Minneapolis: Culture, Outdoor Activities, Corporate America

My expectations, honestly, were low. I mean Minneapolis is in "the middle", the very northern middle, and it's kind of a slow cow town, right?!?!?!? Um....not so much! The only reason I was even going, was to meet my former co-worker Laura and her family; anything else would be a bonus. For this stop I took advantage of the Couch Surfing network and it truly added to my visit. I arrived around 8pm to meet my host, Christy, for the evening at The Town Hall Tap with some fellow Couch Surfers. The evening was a great success and I met some very cool people. Christy and I took off a little early because she had to work early the next day, but we got to have a short chat while she showed me around her apartment and before we both crashed for the evening. I slept well and got a relatively early start to my day where I explored Minneapolis on my own. 



I had to check out the Mary Tyler Moore statue downtown (yes, I like Mary Tyler Moore) before I headed to the Sculpture Garden, which I really enjoyed. Who knew there are more sculptures than just the iconic spoon with the cherry?? After the sculpture garden I drove by the Mary Tyler Moore house. It is a private residence so I didn't walk through, although I was tempted ;). From there I ventured over to walk across the Stone Arch Bridge down near the old flour mills and the only bridge of its kind over the Mississippi River. After heading to Minnehaha Falls - one of only a few urban waterfalls in the country, I wandered over to The Mall of America. I must say, in my defense (for those of you who know I am not really fond of shopping), I only went because everyone I talked to said I had to AND it was on the way to my friends house where I was going to dinner. After my perusal of the gargantuan mall, I can without hesitation tell you it is most definitely a mall. There are many stores in which to spend your money, a typical food court which just happens to overlook a small amusement park and as a bonus, if you want to spend the 10 bucks to explore it, there is an underwater aquarium. I didn't take the time to check it out, but I have seen pictures and it looks pretty cool. Basically it's a big fish tank that you walk through so it feels like you are under the water and the fish (including sharks) swim around and above you. My day ended with a visit to my friend/former co-worker, Laura's house to meet her family and enjoy a home cooked meal. It was awesome to finally meet her, her husband Jim and their son Roman. We had a great time.

Christy and I had an opportunity to spend some more time chatting and getting to know each other after I returned from my dinner with Laura's family. Christy is a fantastic person who has had some interesting adventures and has her eyes set on a fantastic new project. I won't share her project details here as it's not my project to share, but I am so excited for her and hope to not only continue our new friendship, but I'd also love to be a part of her upcoming journey. I'm cheering you on, Christy!!!

A total bonus to my trip to Minneapolis was an out of the blue message from another friend and former co-worker who I had forgotten that he moved to Minneapolis for a career opportunity. So, on my way out of town I met up with Trevor who gave me a tour of the Target Corporate offices where he works. It seems like a very cool place to work with a nice mini museum and great collaboration spaces. As I stared out his office window admiring his view of the city, he told me about moving his family from California to Minnesota at which point another familiar name came up and he walked me a few doors down to see Tony who I also used to work with and (small world) went to school with his brother. Before heading down to have a yummy lunch at The News Room, we stopped in the little store they have and Trevor bought me my new road dog, known as Minnea, who is now touring the country with me!


I can honestly say I was blown away by Minneapolis. There is a plethora of cultural and outdoor excursions to suit basically any interest. It's a laid back, safe place and while I'm not sure how I would fare the winters there, I definitely want to go back and visit again.


"My favorite thing about Minneapolis is all of the green space. There are lakes and parks and miles upon miles of beautiful paths for biking/walking/running. You can escape the city without actually leaving the city. It's beautiful!" ~Christy

Thank you to Christy (& friends), Laura (& family) and Trevor for making my visit to Minneapolis a great one. I look forward to seeing you all again and seeing more of your city through your eyes!

For photos of my journey to and of Minneapolis, click here.