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We all have our own idea of special places or things to do in the Twin Cities. Although we won't be able to personally show each of you our favorites this July, come with us now for a virtual visit to our favorite spots.
-Sara Galligan For those who may be here on Saturday or Sunday, my absolute favorite spot is the St. Paul Farmer's Market. I love the ethnic and product diversity, and the requirements for all items to be locally grown. Take the 94B or 94C express bus from Minneapolis, and get off at 4th & Minnesota in St. Paul. Keep the river on your right, the walk is just 4 blocks east. You can also check the Charlie Brown webcam to see what's happening in St. Paul or give a wave when you go by.
-Polly Snider For those interested in Minnesota place names (a lot have something to do with water), check the web site of the Minnesota Historical Society for the new and revised edition of Minnesota Place Names: a Geographical Encyclopedia. It’s great fun for us locals too!
-Janice Leichter Uptown and Lyn/Lake are great places for fun any night. You can just hang out and people watch. Window shop if you wish, but there is plenty to do. These places are just a sampling of what is in the area. This part of town is easily accessible by bus or cab. And it is safe at night because there are so many people out doing things. There are antique stores (Theatre Antiques, @ Lake & Lyndale). Movie theatres offer first run and foreign films: Lagoon Cinema, Uptown Theatre, and Suburban World. If you want to search out books, used or new, there are several bookstores: Orr Books; Borders Books; Magers & Quinn Rare & Used Books; Half Price Books. New and used clothing shops (Tatters) and stores of all kinds sell all sorts of things from all over the world. Uptown is the intersection of Hennepin Avenue and Lake Street. You will find some fun, trendy places to eat. Famous Dave's Barbeque, the Smiling Moose (American), Figlio's (Italian), Chino-Latino, Lotus (Vietnamese), Lucia's Wine Bar, Chiang Mai Thai. Near there is Sri Lanka Curry House (3226 W. Lake St) and Campiello (1320 W. Lake St.). For vegetarians and vegans we have Mud Pie and the French Meadow (26th St. and Lyndale). Lyn/Lake is the intersection of Lyndale Avenue South and Lake St. The selection and variety of restaurants make this a very fun place to dine: La Bodega Tapas Bar featuring flamenco music and dance on weekends; Macchu Picchu for South American food; Fuiji-Ya has one of the best sushi bar in the Cities; Saigon Vietnamese restaurant which the owner used to advertise using this line, "I didn't come 9,000 miles to cook you ordinary food."; Herkiemer brew pub serving excellent beers and food. There is even a bowling alley/theatre/bar, the Bryant Lake Bowl. This place has great atmosphere. It is a favorite of the locals and serves great food as well as world class beers.
Coffee bars are really big with serveral places all over the Uptown and
Lyn/Lake area. One of the best is Bob's Java Hut (27th and Lyndale) with the
Uptown Tattoo parlour upstairs. It is a local hangout for the motor
scooter/motorcycle group with some very beautiful bikes displayed day and
night. The best artists in town are in this all custom tattoo shop. Come to
the AALL convention and go home with a tattoo to remember
all the fun you had in Minneapolis.
-Dennis Skrade For a lovely noontime walk on a nice day, conventioneers should try my favorite. Take Third Avenue down to the Mississippi River and cross the Third Avenue bridge. You can walk close to the river in a very pretty spot; eat lunch at the Nicollet Island Inn or one of the restaurants along the river that have outdoor seating; and come back to the convention center by bus along Hennepin Avenue or Nicollet Avenue. Other downtown walkers prefer going over the Stone Arch Bridge, which is at Fifth Avenue South and is closed to motorized traffic. This bridge may appeal to history buffs, because it has a lot of information about the early days of the area.
-Joyce Larson Schampel
To revisit some of our other "Local Favorites" printed earlier, please click here for our "Archive".
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