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A few more thoughts (and photos) from yesterday’s tour of Minneapolis -----
Visiting downtown on a Saturday, as we did, meant no crowds and no rush hour traffic; we both thought it extremely quiet. Most businesses as well as many small shops are shut down on weekends. So, the view we received was quite different, in all probability, from what our impressions would have been on a normal weekday. Can’t say whether that’s good or bad.
As far as we could tell, the downtown has no large shopping malls as that term is normally understood (a great number of stores under one roof). Instead, a system of Skywalks runs willy-nilly over a wide area, one level above the streets, interconnecting buildings. This concept is by no means unique to Minneapolis but it makes a great deal of sense when winter weather is considered.
We found walking Minneapolis easy, even in the rain. Of course, there are other modes of transport available. Here are two you may not have imagined:
Segway tours are a bit pricey and not much in the way of exercise but they’re a wonderful way to try one out before purchase.
However, if you want the exercise and don’t mind bicycling backwards (or sideways), this might be the solution for you:
So, now that it’s Sunday and time to leave the city, the skies clear and a beautiful, autumn day begins. Leaving our lodgings, we drove to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, which is actually within walking distance of downtown. Without doubt, the best known sculpture in the garden is this whimsical creation:
Cleverly entitled “Spoonbridge and Cherry”, this sculpture is well-loved by folks and fowl alike. The large church in the background is St. Mary’s Basilica. Believe it or not, I-94 runs between those trees and the Basilica! There is a splendid footbridge, though, just to the right of the photo that allows pedestrians and cyclists to cross over the expressway to Loring Park and beyond to downtown.
While in the Sculpture Garden, the views of downtown were of the side opposite to what we photographed yesterday.
With the morning waning, we headed back to Medina for another dance, this one slated to begin at 2 pm. However, a glitch with the sound system there canceled the dance and we settled for a helpful waltz lesson instead. Then, off to Rochester, MN, for the next two nights.
The main attraction of Rochester for us is a chance to learn more about the Mayo Clinic. Happily not needing Clinic services ourselves, we expect the 10 am tour to be simply enlightening.