Visited family in Northfield and spent some time in the Twin Cities... (Minneapolis: co-op)

[aaronstlcards]

My family took a two week long road trip vacation this year and on the way spent a few nights with my aunt in Northfield. First of all, I like the rural parts of Minnesota much better than the ones in St. Louis. I like the evergreen trees, the wind turbines, and the cool autumn feel which easily trumps the rural parts of Missouri.

Anyway, we spent three nights in Northfield (Friday-Monday morning) and did a lot of fun stuff in the Twin Cities during our stay.

On Saturday, we toured about four hours in Minneapolis before going to a St. Paul Saints game at 7:00. The four hours in Minneapolis formed some observations about the city.

We first drove around downtown. The skyline of Minneapolis is defenitly bigger than St. Louis' and is probably better. We saw the new Twins stadium (thank god their building a new stadium, because the Metrodome looks horrible).

Than we visited a relative at the Eastside Food Co-op (by the way, why does every store have co-op in the name). Driving around the east side of Minneapolis felt like South Grand in St. Louis, because of the diverse, ethnic, urban feel.

Then we went to the deck of this building that I think was a theater. It had a deck that pretty much hung over the river. Anyway, it was really windy but it was a good view.

Than we ate at a restauraunt.

Than we drove up to Saint Paul on a street that I can't recall the name of but I really liked the vibe. I really felt a heavy Hispanic presence around the street which I liked (St. Louis doesn't really have Hispanic presence like this). And again, the street felt similar to that of South Grand in St. Louis, but longer.

One thing I will say about Minneapolis is that I couldn't really tell the difference between the city and the county, unlike St. Louis, where there is an immediate difference. It mainly attests to the vinyl architecture and the tree covered parks that you don't really see much of in St. Louis.

I had a blast at the St. Paul Saints game and it was the best experience i've had at a non Cardinal game. When we arrived and parked in the parking lot I noticed a huge amount of tailgaters outside of the park. Most professional football tailgate parties don't come near to what I witnessed. At this point I was surprised this was the hot ticket for a four sport area. Then the the witty, clever, hilarious announcer started talking and cracking me and others up. All the extra stuff they did during the game really made it entertaining. It was very fan interactive. I hardly watched the game I was so distracted by everything else. The home team won though 4-3.

The next day we went up to the bandstand at Lake Harriet to watch my aunt's partner and the Minneapolis Symphony perform some songs. I didn't really listen to the music much but rather roamed the area with my brother. I absolutely loved the park and lake and it really made me wish St. Louis had a lake. And you know water means lot's of beach babes . On a side note, I actually saw my friend at Lake Harriet. A few years ago, I saw a friend from St. Louis at Navy Pier in Chicago and now saw a St. Louis friend in Minneapolis .

I had a great time and think the Twin Cities are great .

[MplsTodd]

Glad you enjoyed your visit! I visited St. Louis twice in the past 2 years and really enjoyed the historic architecture of your city (I never drove down South Grand, but did see the part of grand where the Fox Theater and St Louis U are)

[aaronstlcards]

Originally Posted by MplsTodd

Glad you enjoyed your visit! I visited St. Louis twice in the past 2 years and really enjoyed the historic architecture of your city (I never drove down South Grand, but did see the part of grand where the Fox Theater and St Louis U are)