I swear it slipped my mind when I bought that box of Doves Bar Minis, the 14 little chocolate covered ice-cream bars. Honestly, I totally didn’t think about the fact that it’s only 6 days until we leave Minneapolis to head to Montana and that we would need to each eat 1.17 bar per day to have them gone before we leave. But, I think it’s do-able, I really do 😊.
The time in Minneapolis has flown by. This parceling out our life in one-month stays may make it all go way too fast, always being aware of the pending move (except when grocery shopping in the ice cream aisle). Time moving too fast may not be that desirable at our age!
But we have a week left. Lots to do and find still. Being in Minneapolis is very much about the river and neighborhoods. Every place you plan to go the questions are: which side of the river is it, east or west? then is it north or south section? then which neighborhood? Which all really matters since getting to the right place depends on noticing that it’s 3rd Avenue Northeast, not 3rd Avenue Southeast. Or that it’s 3401 Buchanan Street in St Anthony East neighborhood, not 3401 Buchanan Street in Roseville. Or anyway, it matters if you really want to get where you’re planning on going versus a sometimes less-than-serendipitous discovery. But sometimes it leads to something you are happy to find accidently. That’s how I found what has ultimately become my favorite grocery store in this city.
We’ve walked across the Mississippi River at two places now. I’m not talking about actually fording the river; we walked across a dam at the Mississippi River Gateway Park north of the city and walked across the Stone Arch bridge, a 2100 foot, 23 arches, old railroad trestle made into a foot/bike path between downtown East and downtown West. It makes me think though about how hard, and scary, it must have been for the settlers moving whole households west without benefit of bridges.
The west side of the river has the big, sophisticated downtown. Lots of tall buildings with the Skyway System – about 10 miles of contiguous enclosed bridges that go at the second story level from building to building, temperature controlled. Besides keeping traffic moving it keeps walkers more comfortable and safer. We’ve headed to the west side of the river for the Minnesota Institute of Art, for the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, the River Gateway Park, the airport, and places by accident (like I said – you’ve got to watch those addresses).
A notable feature of the city is the juxtaposition of the old and new, commercial and residential. Old grain elevators next to shiny glass-sided skyscrapers. Lots of old mills repurposed into commercial and residential spaces. A functioning steam mill next to an arts center. The skyline has lots of old commercial signs left on the tops of buildings: Pillsbury’s, North Star Blankets, Gold Medal Flour.
The house we’re in is St Anthony East, a Northeast neighborhood, just a couple of miles east of the river. Lots of small bungalows, mostly built in the 40s and 50s. It’s very hilly; between here and the park we walk to most days we go up or down half a dozen times. Houses have steep stairs from the road to their front door. A house’s top floor windows may look straight into the neighbor’s ground floor. It’s a neighborhood with lots of people walking, bicycling, running. And in winter, sliding, I’m sure.
Our east side adventures have included the Weisman Art Museum, University of Minnesota, the Old Port like area called St Anthony Main, Como Zoo, a number of neighborhood parks, farmers’ markets, and next week – a St Paul Saints minor league baseball game. St Paul has a whole downtown we’ve not even gotten to yet. So much to do, so little time.
Guess I’d better go eat one of those Dove mini bars now if we’re going to be on target for leaving.
Marie, John and Gus
Travel & Transportation 
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