MIDWESTERN STATES | MINNESOTA
Our guide to the Twin Cities for John McCain
As the Republican convention begins, we're here to help the senator craft his Minneapolis and St. Paul sightseeing plans.
So, you're a straight-talking political maverick, you're coming to town and you want everybody's full attention.
Sorry, Mr. Ventura. Your 15 minutes are up.
But welcome,
As Republicans prepare to gather here a week from today to nominate you as their presidential candidate, allow me to draw upon nearly five full days of boots-on-the-ground experience to offer a few Twin Cities visitor tips.
The natives are known as St. Paulites and Minneapolitans. And by now you've noticed that Minnesota -- the home state of Hubert Humphrey,
Two zoos, no elephants. What does that tell you?
So, with hosts like these, why not spring some surprises? Instead of a careful candidate, be a curious traveler.
1.No need to rush into the
At 240 Summit Ave., you'll find the 36,000-square-foot 1891 red sandstone mansion of James J. Hill, who started with nothing and made himself into a railroad magnate, the man who connected St. Paul to Seattle with his Great Northern Railway. Hill's is a classic bootstraps story, and his mansion is a perfect place for a high-rollers' party -- in fact, it's already been booked for at least one lobbyists' bash during the convention. But the rest of the year, the Minnesota Historical Society offers public tours ($8 per adult), Wednesdays through Sundays.
2.Don't miss the Guthrie Theater. As you draw near the Mississippi in downtown Minneapolis, it'll be the biggest, bluest, curviest thing you'll see, and it houses one of the top regional-theater operations in the country. The building, designed by star French architect Jean Nouvel, opened in 2006 with three performance spaces, a glitzy restaurant (Cue) and a cantilevered observation deck with panoramic views of the river and skyline.
The obvious show to see here is the Guthrie's new musical version of "Little House on the Prairie" (running through Oct. 5, with book by Rachel Sheinkin and music by Rachel Portman). You can't get much more American, and Midwestern, than that.
But bear in mind, these people are thespians. Before you leave, toss out a question or two about "The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism, With a Key to the Scriptures." That work, commissioned by the Guthrie, will premiere next year, written by
3.To handle some heartland agricultural products -- and to remind out-of-staters that the Twin Cities aren't just wall-to-wall Lutherans -- get thee to a farmers market. One of the oldest operates Saturday and Sunday mornings, April through November, at 5th and Wall streets in St. Paul's Lowertown neighborhood (www.stpaulfarmersmarket.com). One of the newest runs Saturdays from mid-May to mid-October at the Mill City Museum on South 2nd Street in Minneapolis (www.millcityfarmersmarket.org). There's another one on Thursdays at the Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis (www.mplsfarmersmarket.com).
The farmers named Xiong are probably Hmong. The female shoppers in the Muslim head scarves are probably from Somalia. And don't you dare denounce broccoli. It's in season, along with spinach, beets, carrots, melons and sweet corn.
4.Hungry? For coffee-shop eats and schmoozing, there are two old-school favorites. One is Al's Breakfast (413 14th St. S.E.; [612] 331-9991) in Minneapolis -- a famously narrow '50s greasy spoon (just 14 stools) in the Dinkytown neighborhood where
At Bryant-Lake Bowl in Minneapolis, you get a vintage eight-lane bowling alley, a theater space that used to be a game room and a dining area with a wonderfully worn checkerboard floor and a menu full of locally produced ingredients. I recommend the veggie chili. But don't expect a lot of fanfare.
"We're not the kind of place that stops everything just because a celebrity comes in," says chef Al Potyondy-Smith. "We get celebrities in here all the time. What's-his-name was in here the other day.
5.Never mind Josh Hartnett. For a guaranteed happy celebrity encounter, head to 7th Street and Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis. There, in front of
And a few blocks from here, you'll find 1st Avenue (technically, 701 1st Ave. N.), the nightclub featured in the 1984 Prince movie "Purple Rain."
6.I should have mentioned this earlier. On arrival, don't pause for a second at the airport lest somebody lob a question about the stall-related difficulties there of Idaho GOP Sen. Larry E. Craig. And don't bother to heckle funnyman Democrat
7.With the economy sinking the way it is, you may want to mingle with some consumers in their natural environment. And lo, here lies the Mall of America, in nearby Bloomington, with its staggering (and staggeringly generic) array of more than 520 stores and at least 50 restaurants. I guess it was novel when it opened in 1992. Best thing you can do now is head for the A.C.E.S. flight simulators, where you're guaranteed to find a bipartisan gaggle of slack-jawed men and boys standing before the aerial dogfight video display screens, transfixed and ripe for persuasion by an actual hero pilot. A 30-minute flight simulation runs $29.95, but I'm guessing you could wrangle a discount.
8.When you get to the Walker Art Center (1750 Hennepin Ave.; [612] 375-7600, www.walkerart.org) in Minneapolis, you'll have a choice. For a warm and fuzzy visit, step outside to the grass, where 14 local artists were commissioned to create miniature golf holes, many using recycled materials. For $8 (through Sept. 7), you can play seven eccentric holes, surrounded by art lovers and their children. Or, to sound some very different notes, step inside the museum to see the Richard Prince exhibition (through Sept. 14; parental caution advised).
One of Prince's main strategies is to rephotograph images from advertising and pop culture, such as the
9.Go to St. Paul's Science Museum of Minnesota, which includes an
10.Instead of such traditional VIP lodgings as the St. Paul Hotel, the Minneapolis Grand Hotel or the Marquette, stay someplace young and hip. You could try the Ivy Hotel and Residence or the Graves 601 Hotel or Chambers. If the workers get done in time, more trendiness will be on display at the W Minneapolis (in the historic Foshay Tower) and the Hotel Minneapolis (a Doubletree property), which are supposed to open this month.
11.OK, there's no political reason for this, but you should go to the Mill City Museum, which opened in 2003 amid the sweet-smelling ruins of a vast old Minneapolis mill, and take the "Flour Tower" ride. Not because the view from the top is so great but because the elevator experience is tremendous.
The elevator car itself holds about 30 people and is outfitted with risers, like a levitating black-box theater. While you ride, you hear about the region's rise and fall as the flour-milling capital of the world, a tale featuring multiple fires and explosions. As the story advances, the car visits stage sets at different levels, each dramatically lighted and enlivened with film projections.
On the museum's bottom level, local writer-performer Kevin Kling's 2006 film "Minneapolis in 19 Minutes Flat" is just as fun and instructive. I wonder, has anyone ever accepted a major-party presidential nomination in 19 minutes flat?
12.Show your vigor. On one of these long, sunny days, grab a couple of Secret Service agents, rent a canoe and paddle around Lake of the Isles, or rent a bike and pedal around Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis. You can get the canoe at the water's edge, the bike at Calhoun Rentals (1622 Lake St.; [612] 827-8231), $17 for two hours. Around Lake of the Isles, you'll see gorgeous houses. On your jaunt around Calhoun, you'll see swimmers and an armada of tiny sailboats, plus sunbathers sprawled on the Midwestern lakefront's gritty sand, which is to say: dirt.
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