First visitor to MN!

This weekend my friend Sean from Corning NY ventured out to MN to visit us and do some sightseeing. I was so glad he came, not only because it was good to see an old friend, but because it forced Michael and I out to explore what the twin cities has to offer. We started with a trip to St. Paul on Friday.We visited the Schubert Club in the Landmark Center. Here's the write-up I found of the landmark Center: Opened in 1902 as a federal court building, this lavish Victorian architectural masterpiece sits facing St. Paul's Rice Park. Constructed of pink granite and red tile roofs, it boasts multiple turrets and gables along with other fanciful details. The richness continues inside with a five-story courtyard lit by a massive skylight and extravagantly appointed rooms with 20-foot ceilings, marble fireplaces and carved mahogany. Besides office space for numerous arts organizations, the Landmark Center is home to the prestigious Minnesota Museum of American Art, the Ramsey County Historical Society and the Schubert Club. We toured the Museum of Musical instruments. I received a lesson in the history of the evolution of the piano. The person attending to the exhibit gave us a personal concert on a double harpsichord. From St. Paul we traveled to White Bear Lake. Sean is an avid sailor and this was an opportunity to see where his boat was built (White Bear Boat Works, formerly Johnson Boat Company). He chatted with the owner and even picked up a few supplies. (How could one resist?)

We had dinner in White Bear Lake at the Washington Square Bar and Grill, an old favorite of Michael's.

Saturday was spent in downtown Minneapolis. We started out at the Foshay Tower, which is the Minneapolis equivalent of the Empire State Building, but it was closed due to construction. We toured Nicollet Ave, crossed through a construction zone to get to the park which leads to the Sculpture garden and the Basilica, both of which we toured.

From there, we went back to Nicollet Ave to have a beer and a quick bite at The Local. I grabbed a coffee next door and then we went to Lake Calhoun to visit the Rose Garden and the Marina.

Saturday turned out to be a long day so Sunday got off to a slow start. We went to the dog park by Otter Lake with all four dogs. It was a beautiful day and the dogs had such fun running around all ten acres of the park and playing with the other dogs there. We brought the dogs back home, got cleaned up and drove into downtown St. Paul to tour the capitol building.

While there I just couldn't resist - each former Minnesota Governor had a portrait hanging in the building. So, having grown up a child in the 80's, I had to find the portrait of Jesse "The Body" Ventura. It did not disappoint. All the other portraits of Governors were stately and reserved. Not Mr. Hollywood. The horizon is below his shoulder, he's leaning on Rodin's "the Thinker" and the Capitol is behind him in the background. One could not possibly get more pretentious if they tried!