MINNEAPOLIS IN A NUTSHELL

WORDS BY KATY NELSON

BOOMTOWN: 24 HOURS IN MINNEAPOLIS/ ST. PAUL
America’s top tech city is quietly becoming a cultural giant.

Guthrie Theater	Cupcake
Legoland	Underwater Sea Adventure
Camp Snoopy	Walker Art Center

While New York, DC and Silicon Valley yak away, the Twin Cities area is quietly spending $500 million expanding five cultural institutions— the Guthrie Theater, the Walker Art Center (reopening April 17th), the Children’s Theatre, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Weisman Art Museum. Minneapolis has built a $715 million light-rail line linking downtown, the airport and suburban Bloomington’s Mall of America (the nation’s top tourist attraction) and claimed this year’s Popular Science crown of “top tech city” in America. Clearly, the Twin Cities are up to something and with spring blossoming, it’s time to check them out.

A Weekend Away

Mary Tyler Moore Statue

A weekend away in the upper Midwest need not be spent in a lakeside cabin, though Minneapolis is the City of Lakes, with 22 of the state’s over 10,000—three of them just blocks from Uptown. Rent a bicycle for a spin around Lake Calhoun or rent a car for exploring the Lake Harriet Refectory gardens or Minehaha Falls and Park. Art fans will enjoy the Frank Lloyd Wright designs at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (2400 3rd Ave. S) or visiting the University of Minnesota’s Frank Gehry- designed Weisman Museum (333 E River Rd.) for a free peak at some Georgia O’Keefe paintings. Endless shopping beckons at the Mall of America’s 520 stores. There’s plenty to do, whether you’re a golfer (five courses in the metro area), a scenester headed to First Avenue & 7th Street Entry, the club Prince made famous in Purple Rain, a Timberwolves or Lynx fan or a parent escorting children to the aquarium or the Mall of America’s Camp Snoopy, Underwater Sea Adventure or Legoland.

Innovative Immigrants

Settled in 1847 by Scandinavian and German immigrants at the only waterfall on the Mississippi River, vibrant Minneapolis and the slightly more stately capital and college town of St. Paul lie on opposite banks and welcome north-bound river traffic from New Orleans. Earlier Sioux and Ojibwe Native American settlers named the area Minnehaha, meaning “laughing waters.” Over the last 150 years, the cities have grown closely together and seem like one city, but are distinguishable—St. Paul is known for its Victorian look and relaxed lifestyle while Minneapolis is busy and thick with metropolitan development.

The Twins are accustomed to changing and improving with the times, growing with giant companies like General Mills and 3M, who have shifted from milling and mining to producing Lucky Charms, magnetic tape and Post-it notes. The recently-opened Mill City Museum (704 S 2nd St.) chronicles Minneapolis’s “Mill City” past. Over the last 20 years, Minneapolis has tackled suburban crime, focused on keeping the urban centers thriving and become a haven for biotechnology and medical research. Tackling Minnesotan winters by building sealed, climate-controlled, above-ground Skyway tunnels and heated bus stops have set a new standard for American city planning.

The Monkey King @ Children’s Theatre

A Good Night’s Sleep

Worried about having a restless night in a big city? No worries— Minneapolis/St. Paul has been ranked as the easiest American city to get a good night’s rest based on research finding low unemployment, high happiness and short commutes.

Located in downtown in the skyline’s tallest building, the IDS

Center, the Marquette Hotel (710 Marquette Ave.) features larger-than-expected rooms, and as you would expect from such a tall building, wonderful views of Minnesota. It’s also the site of the famous Mary Tyler Moore hat toss in the opening credits of her ’70s sitcom.

Business and luxury travelers will enjoy Le Meridien Minneapolis (601 1st Ave. N), chosen for the chain’s modern “Art + Tech” design. Featuring flat-screen TVs, a waterfall shower in the top suite and posh nightspot the Infinity Room, Le Meridien mixes European elegance with first-rate comforts. For Timberwolves fans, Le Meridien’s location—across from the Target Center sports arena on mammoth entertainment complex Block E with Skyway connections— can’t be beat.

For panoramic views of the famed waterfall St. Anthony Falls, stay a few minutes from downtown on the Mississippi River at the small, historic Nicollet Island Inn (95 Merriam St., www.nicolletislandinn.com). Close to the St. Anthony Falls Heritage Trail and horse-drawn carriage rides through the charming St. Anthony Main neighborhood, the circa 1893 hotel features 24 individually-decorated rooms, a lobby filled with antiques and an award-winning restaurant known for brunch buffets.

Cozy up in style with afternoon tea at the St. Paul Hotel (350 Market St.). Since 1878, the hotel has been a landmark on 5th St. in downtown St. Paul. Named a national historic hotel, the St. Paul has hosted luminaries like former presidents Calvin Coolidge and Bill Clinton. Theatergoers pack the hotel’s four-star St. Paul Grill before their show for walleye, the Midwest’s signature fish.

The Grand Hotel (615 2nd Ave. S) is, well, grandly accommodating. Four blocks from downtown in the Minneapolis financial district, this hotel tempts weary business travelers lured by a game of squash, a massage and a soak in one of the 140 guestroom’s marble bathtubs.

Dining Out

Dine at one of the world’s top ten restaurants (according to Food & Wine magazine)—start your evening at Spanish-inspired tapas restaurant Solera (900 Hennepin Ave.). For a complete dinner, share a few tapas or try the tasting menus. Thanks to chef Steven Brown, diamond-in-the-rough Levain (4762 Chicago Ave. S) has reclaimed its status as a top Minneapolis restaurant. Inconspicuously located behind a bakery, Levain’s focus is solely on good contemporary American food.

Located in the financial district at the US Bank Plaza, Atlas Grill (200 S 6th St.) doubles as the perfect venue for a business lunch or a dignified family dinner. Dripping with cherry wood, white linen and chandeliers, the Atlas Grill has a classy, traditional feel and a terrific bar. To save a few bucks, try their shared tenderloin platters.

Cupcake (3338 University Ave. SE), a hot Minneapolis sweet spot with long lines, predictably specializes in mini frosted cakes and the city’s best peanut butter and jelly sandwich entrée. The Pioneer Press says their éclairs are worth every penny.

If staying downtown, check out the Farmer’s Market, the third largest in the country, on 12-block Nicollet Mall, a pedestrian/bus mall filled with enough eateries, food courts and shopping to deserve the nickname “Eat Street.”

A Night on the Town

Minneapolis has more theater seats per capita than any city outside of New York, which is why it’s sometimes referred to as the Mini Apple. The Lion King has performances at the Orpheum Theatre (910 Hennepin Ave. S) from April 8 to May 29. In May, the

Minnesota Opera (612-342-9568) is closing its season with the Twin Cities premiere of Nixon in China, and Elton John comes to the Target Center (612- 673-1311) on April 29.

On a Saturday night in St. Paul, there’s no better place to be than the historic Fitzgerald Theatre (10 E Exchange St.), home of Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion,” as well as the St. Paul Orchestra. The NPR radio show is broadcast from the Fitzgerald (651-290-1221) at 5 pm. The orchestra takes the stage at 8 pm.

Afterwards, hanging downtown at one of Nicollet Mall’s restaurants is a safe bet, as is heading to the Warehouse District for dance clubs, or the Hennepin Theater District, home to three historic theaters. Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge (2519 Marshall St. NE) isn’t as crazy as it sounds, rather an Ÿber cool place. Suzi’s was voted “best happy hour” by City Pages.

For breakfast after your night out, try Al’s Breakfast (413 14th Ave. SE) in the University of Minnesota’s Dinkytown neighborhood. Wait in line with the hung-over students for “the best pancakes ever” as one fan raves, or order “lovely, fluffy scrambled eggs” at the counter.

Minneapolis/St. Paul is one of the most well-rounded, versatile cities in America with booming culture and business minutes away from well-preserved nature. Hats off to the Twin Cities—just like the theme of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” the Twins are beating the odds and making it after all.

DID YOU KNOW?

The lavish St. Paul Capital building, (75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.) compared to a Renaissance palace at the January 1905 opening, was designed by Cass Gilbert, who went on to design the Supreme Court building in DC and New York’s Woolworth Building. The Capital’s dome was modeled after Michelangelo’s St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome. Celebrating the Capital’s centennial, free tours will be given most Saturdays in April and May from 10 am to 3 pm.

Cha-ching. Minnesota doesn’t have a sales tax on clothing.

Three million people—60 percent of Minnesota’s population— live in Minneapolis/St. Paul.

The “Mini Apple” has tremendous green space—400-plus miles of connected paths for running or biking.

Minneapolitans love sculpture. Famous fictional Minneapolitans, including Mary Tyler Moore’s character Mary Richards (at 7th and Nicollet Mall) and native cartoonist Charles Schultz’s Peanuts gang, are captured in bronze throughout the city. At 11 acres, the Walker Art Center (726 Vineland Place) features modern art in one of the largest sculpture gardens in the country.