We returned to Ames today from the Twin Cities. Here’s a recap of the past two days since I posted an update on Sunday.
Sunday
That afternoon we checked out the Guthrie Theater with its incredible cantilever that juts out toward the Mississippi River, providing a terrific view at the end. Outside the building was sleek and intriguing, but the inside just felt unorganized and random. The view made the stop all worth it though.
Afterwords two friends and I headed toward downtown St. Paul as the rest of the gang returned to the hotel before dinner. We took the light rail from the Metrodome down to 46th Street Station to transfer to Route 74. I had wanted to stop in the Highland Park neighborhood in St. Paul on the way (otherwise we could’ve just taken Route 16 direct from downtown to downtown) but for lack of time I decided ahead that a drive through on the bus would be sufficient. I was right.
We got off downtown next to the Xcel Engergy Center with a clear view of the Cathedral of Saint Paul sitting high above downtown. We trekked up the hill and went in for the last half of mass. It was interesting to experience both the cathedral and St. Paul and the basilica in Minneapolis. For dinner I met our other friends downtown to transfer to another bus to go to Boca Chica, a great Mexican restaurant hidden away in the District Del Sol neighborhood across the river from downtown.
Monday
Monday morning we checked out the Minneapolis Rowing Club Boathouse along the Mississippi at the Lake Avenue bridge. I left the boathouse early so I had sometime to look around the adjacent neighborhood along Lake Ave. It is a light commercial street that stretches east to west across the city, encompassing Midtown and Uptown. Right by the river where we were, it was predominantly residential just off on the side streets. They were modest streets with modest homes, generally well kept. It felt familiar, like a typical upper midwest, older neighborhood with bungalows and tree lined streets.
Following the boathouse, we were bussed to Lake Calhoun (couldn’t go to Minnesota and not see a lake now) where we spent an hour or two walking around on the path. Despite a separate “high speed” (as one professor tagged it) bike path and a generous walking path, there were still a number of cowpaths around the lake. For a while I decided to walk on one next to the paved path because it seemed like the thing to do.
Next we were bused back into Uptown along Lake Ave for lunch. My friends and I enjoyed a rooftop lunch at Stella’s Fish Cafe. We decided to dip out of the rest of the day’s planned activities (bussing out of town to see Jackson Meadow and Fields of St. Croix – essentially suburban housing developments planned with open space) and stay in the metro. It was warming up and seemed a shame to leave the city and spend two or three hours on a bus. Unfortunately all we ended up doing was go to the Mall of America, but it was another chance to ride the light rail and it was nice to get away for a bit.
In the evening a few of us met my friend Eric’s friend who goes to the U of M for a campus tour. What a great campus and great urban atmosphere surrounding. We started in Stadium Village (mixed, commercial district in area of original athletic stadium – and UM’s new football stadium under construction) on the east end of campus and made our way toward the mall (central green) by the gopher-shaped Memorial Union and landmark University Avenue bridge over the Mississippi River. The smaller east bank of campus is completely car free so designated bike routes are traverse the plazas and sidewalks. UM’s campus really puts Iowa State to shame – it is so much more dynamic and intricate – and Campustown does not even compare. For supper we enjoyed “Leaning Tower of Pizza” in Stadium Village – good but very small pizzas – conveniently next door to our hotel.
Tuesday
We checked out earlier this morning and bussed over to St. Paul to the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary to the southeast of downtown. It was pretty much just a big swath of prairie grasses but was adjacent to the railroad tracks and had great views of the skyline. An old abandoned depot provided much more interest for the architect students. I again went off early and explored to adjacent residential neighborhood. The houses were well kept – some large and stately, others more modest. Once I crossed a pedestrian bridge over the freeway it was not quite as nice, but certainly not a horrible area. I walked a few blocks further to a corner grocery store for a Dr. Pepper and then headed back to the buses.
Onward to Iowa… we stopped once again a few hours later at – get this – another prairie. We had an hour and a half or so to explore the Fossil Prairie Preserve, 400 acres of native prairie and wetlands. An old fossil quarry was left as is, which was fun to climb down in and explore. We got back to Ames a little before 5pm. Check out all my pictures from the trip on Flickr here.