This Weekend in the Twin Cities

Our wedding is definitely the hottest event in the Twin Cities this weekend, but don't let that stop you from exploring the rest of our hometown during your free time. Let this be your guide.

Friday Night:

The Minnesota State Fair

Come gorge yourself while hanging out with the rest of the state’s population at the Great Minnesota Get-Together. Sure, on paper it appears that the Texas State Fair is larger, but theirs lasts twice as long as ours and ours has the greatest average per-day attendance in the country making it a must-see spectacle.

If you’re a fan of some of the most god-awful, obnoxious music to come out of the 90s, you’re in luck – Smash Mouth, Sugar Ray, and the Gin Blossoms will assault the State Fair Grandstand Friday night. For a less nauseating experience, you could check out local favorites Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles for free at 7:00 on the Heritage Square stage. If you’re patient enough to wait until Tuesday, Bat for Lashes and Depeche Mode will be playing the Grandstand. Better yet, spend Friday night out on the town exploring the Twin Cities scene (keep reading).

Northeast (Nordeast), Minneapolis

Come experience the Twin Cities’ drinking culture. Microbreweries, artist lofts, and hip dive bars populate this corner of Minneapolis. If the weather is nice, you’ll find half of Minneapolis on Psycho Suzi’s patio. If you’re hungry and the line at Anchor Fish & Chips is too long, there’s sure to be a food truck nearby. Get your polka fix at Nye’sPolonaise Room or Gasthof Zur Gemutlichkeit. There’s something interesting happening on every corner, so don’t be afraid to explore. Just make sure you make it to the 331 Club in time to see Dreamland Faces for the best musical saw playing since Bob Tinant (free!).

Uptown, Minneapolis

The two main stretches of Uptown are Hennepin Ave and Lyndale Ave, roughly between Franklin Ave (on the north) and Lake St (on the south). Uptown’s proximity to the Chain of Lakes and the Sculpture Garden make it an ideal starting point for any out-of-town visitor. Speaking of the Lakes, “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” will be playing at the Lake Harriet Bandshell at sundown.

There’s plenty to do on Hennepin, but it has recently seen quite a bit of commercialization. If you think you can hold your own with the young and hip, hop on your fixie and head to Lyndale (make sure to stop at the Bryant-Lake Bowl on the way). Sure, Lyndale might make you feel old and irrelevant, but it’s the best place to schmooze with local celebrities, and the bar hopping is slightly more manageable than in Nordeast. Sing karaoke at the VFW, don 3D glasses to read the menu at Galactic Pizza, or follow in the footsteps of The Replacements and loiter at the CC Club. If you order the Wondrous Punch at the Red Dragon, make sure to share it with a friend, otherwise you probably won’t make it to our wedding the next day.

Although it’s usually not considered part of Uptown, I should probably also mention Nicollet Ave (Eat Street). Just a few blocks east of Lyndale, Nicollet could be considered Lyndale’s slightly grittier cousin. Home to countless ethnic restaurants and some of my favorite hangouts (Spyhouse Coffee and Icehouse), Eat Street is also the place to be for some late-night snacks…particularly Little Tijuana (Little T’s) and Glam Doll Donuts.

The West Bank, Minneapolis

A.K.A. Cedar-Riverside, A.K.A. Little Mogadishu, the West Bank is known for its vibrant refugee communities, vegetarian-friendly dives, awesome concert venues, and the love-it-or-hate-it modern architecture of Ralph Rapson (you’ll know Riverside Plaza when you see it). I recommend checking out local buzz bands Night Moves and Tickle Torture at the Triple Rock Social Club.

Warehouse District, downtown Minneapolis

When suburbanites and frat boys say they’re going out on the town, they’re actually referring to the Warehouse District. 1^st Ave (the street) is the heart of this club scene, but the Hennepin Avenue Theater District and the pedestrian-friendly Nicollet Mall are also nearby. Of course, the saving grace of the Warehouse District (other than Target Field and the Minnesota Lynx) is First Avenue (the club). Prince might have put First Avenue on the map, but the smaller stage known as the 7^th Street Entry is where up-and-coming bands have historically cut their teeth (if you listen really closely to “Purple Rain,” you can hear Hüsker Dü playing next door in the Entry…not really, but it’s believable). If you find yourself downtown this Friday and you’re into hip-hop, you’d be a fool to miss Greg Grease at the 7^th St Entry.

Midway, Saint Paul

Midway will be an absolute mess due to State Fair traffic, but if you’re not afraid of biking it or taking public transportation, your effort will be rewarded with a night of awesome female-fronted rock bands at the Turf Club – featuring indie rockers, Prissy Clerks, and teenage hotshots, Bomba De Luz. Added sightseeing bonus: Midway is where Jessica and I first lived together.

Lowertown, downtown Saint Paul

If you booked a hotel downtown Saint Paul and don’t feel like hopping in a car, bus, or bike, you would do well to walk to Lowertown. This artist-inhabited edge of downtown surrounding Mears Park is the place to be if you’re looking for a low-key, perhaps more mature (but still hip!) alternative to Uptown.

Saturday Morning/Afternoon:

Saint Paul:

Absolutely check out the Saint Paul Farmers Market in Lowertown. It runs from 6am to 1pm (and 8am to 1pm on Sunday). While you’re in the neighborhood, grab a drink at the Black Dog Coffee and Wine Bar, play a game of Ping-Pong in the recently renovated Union Depot, and chill out next to the stream running through Mears Park.

For breakfast, you should probably visit downtown Saint Paul’s most recognizable landmark: Mickey’s Diner (look for the streetcar sitting on the corner of W 7^th St and Saint Peter St). If you already ate elsewhere, don’t worry; Mickey’s is open 24 hours.

If you feel like venturing slightly out of downtown Saint Paul, take a drive down W 7^th Street. Day By Day Cafe and Mojo Monkey Donuts are two of many favorites along West 7^th.

If you’re feeling fancy, head up to Cathedral Hill (go up the hill that leads to the Cathedral…you’ll know it when you see it). There are some nice restaurants concentrated around Selby Ave and Western Ave, but if you’re just looking for coffee, Nina’s Coffee Café is the place to be. If you really want people to think you’re local, pronounce it “Nine-ahs.” Garrison Keillor’s bookstore (Common Good Books) used to be downstairs, but it recently moved to the corner of Snelling and Grand near the Macalester campus.

Grand Avenue, by the way, is also worth checking out. It’s kind of the Hennepin Avenue of Saint Paul. There’s a ton to do on Grand, but you better not miss Cafe Latté, their desserts are famous for a reason.

Usually I’d designate the free Como Zoo and Conservatory and Como Lake as Saint Paul must-sees, but you’d have to battle the State Fair crowds to get near Como Park this time of year. All the more reason to come back!

Finally, every wedding guest has a free pass to the Science Museum. Let the people at will call know that you’re with the Matson-Barnett wedding, and you’ll have access to some seriously cool exhibits. Dinosaurs!

Minneapolis:

It’s called the City of Lakes. That means that if you visit Minneapolis without visiting the Lakes, you haven’t really visited Minneapolis. All the lakes in Minneapolis have something to offer, but the best people watching occurs at Lake Calhoun, Lake Harriet, and Lake of the Isles. The best beaches, however, are probably at Cedar Lake and Lake Nokomis.

We have museums, too! Most distinguished are the Minneapolis Institute of Arts in the Whittier neighborhood and the Walker Art Center wedged between downtown and Uptown. If you go to the M.I.A., you should probably check out the nearby Electric Fetus (BuzzFeed just placed it at #15 in its list of record stores around the world that you have to shop at before you die). If you go to the Walker, you should probably stop by the Sculpture Garden and take a picture of the Spoonbridge and Cherry to prove that you’ve been to Minneapolis.

What a great weekend to visit our neighborhood, Longfellow! The LoLa (League of Longfellow Artists) Art Crawl is happening this Saturday and Sunday (10am to 5pm both days). Businesses and homes become art galleries all throughout Longfellow. Start at the Riverview Cafe and Wine Bar (just two blocks from our house!) to grab a snack and an art crawl map, and then enjoy the best neighborhood in the Cities. Don’t forget to also admire Longfellow’s natural attractions: the Mississippi River and the iconic Minnehaha Falls. When you’re finished, you’ll want to head across the Lake Street bridge into Merriam Park, Saint Paul (our old neighborhood) for some Izzy’s Ice Cream.

I know some of you will want to check out the Mall of America, and there’s nothing I can say to change your mind. Just make it back to Rice Park by 4:00!

Sunday:

Most of what I mentioned for Saturday also applies to Sunday. Hopefully by the time Sunday rolls around, we’ll have had the opportunity to talk in person and make some customized recommendations. Both Jessica and I have strong opinions about where to go for the best Thai, Ethiopian, Indian, Mexican, veggie burgers, pizza, tater tots, coffee, beer, etc. We can also recommend bike routes. Did I mention that the Twin Cities are best experienced by bike?