A Walk in the Garden

Check out my article just published on VagabundoMagazine.com - Croatia: A Walk in the Garden !!!

Meandering Through Downtown Minneapolis

The chilly weather today brings me back to a hot July day last summer when my sister Tina, the kids and I enjoyed a walk through downtown Minneapolis.

We headed toward Nicolet Mall, a street where we understood we'd find some of downtown Minneapolis' best shopping. We noted that many of the buildings were connected by a network of glassed-in walkways, kind of like a human-sized habitrail. The skyway, as its called, spans 8 miles and connects 69 downtown blocks. I imagine it gets lots of use during the bitterly cold Minneapolis winters.

Nicollet Mall is home to stores like department stores like Macy's and Neiman Marcus, as well as restaurants and specialty shops. A farmer's market is held on the mall each Thursday in summer.

We continued our walk towards the Mississippi River, passing a rack of self-service rentable bikes on the way, which we thought was an unusual, but good, idea.

We followed a bike/jogging path along the riverfront until we crossed the bridge on Hennepin Street. By this time we were hot and hungry, so my sister pulled out her cell phone and and checked her Urbanspoon app for nearby eateries. What she came up with was so good, that I downloaded Urbanspoon for myself that same day.

Wilde Roast Cafe

The Wilde Roast Cafe had a high user rating and was a short walk down the street. The décor was warm and welcoming, evoking the turn of the twentieth century with red draperies, fringed lampshades, a peacock feather motif, an old piano and a fireplace. There was something on the menu for everyone. I dined on crab cakes with lemon aioli, the kids had quesadillas and my sister enjoyed a curry chicken salad sandwich. The food was tasty and made for the perfect light lunch.

After leaving the Wilde Roast Cafe we walked back along the the bike path until we reached the Stone Arch Bridge, a former railroad bridge that now serves as a bike and pedestrian bridge. We had a close-up view of the Saint Anthony Falls from the bridges. The original Saint Anthony Falls was the only natural waterfall along the upper Mississippi River, but efforts to harness the water's power for industrial uses led to the Falls' collapse tin 1869. The falls were replaced by a concrete spillway, and later some dams and locks were added. A display at the Mill City Museum had shown how the water can be controlled and its power harness, and it was interesting to see the real life operation.

And so we found ourselves back where we'd started out, and headed back to our hotel. It had been a good afternoon meandering through downtown Minneapolis.

Wilde Roast Cafe
65 Main St SE 
Minneapolis, MN 55414
Phone: 612.331.4544
http://wilderoastcafe.com/

Our 50 States

I love this book! If you like to make travel an educational experience for your children, as I do, then this book is a fantastic tool. It's full of information about each of the fifty states, so you can give the kids some interesting facts about a state before you travel there. I was so pleased with this book that I donated a copy to our local library.

Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Tucked away on a shady neighborhood street, away from the hubbub of downtown is the Minneapolis Institute of Art. On the last day of our Minneapolis stay, the kids, my sister and I spent a pleasant afternoon browsing among thought-provoking and beautiful works of art before heading for home.

We most enjoyed the modern art exhibit, the 19^th century paintings and sculpture and the fabulous Asian art collection. The kids were amazed by a sculpture of a veiled woman so masterfully executed that they could scarcely believe her veil was made of stone. We were all fascinated by two entire traditional Japanese rooms housed in the Asian wing: a tea room and reception hall. My sister and I were also charmed by the display of netsuke, miniature figures that hung from the sash of a traditional Japanese costume. She wants to start a collection.

While meandering through the Native American art exhibit, we came upon museum volunteers with a table full of tribal artifacts. The kids picked up and examined the different items while the volunteers explained how they were made and their uses.

We were surprised and pleased to learn that the admission to the museum is free, especially considering the quality of the artwork within. The museum relies on a county fund, grants, corporate gifts and memberships for its support.

Before heading out we lunched at the museum's Mezzanine Restaurant, which was quite tasty – a definite step above the usual burgers and hot dogs fare we find at museums. I feasted on a grilled chicken flatbread with caramelized onions, spinach & mozzarella, while my sister had a cotto ham sandwich with Gruyere cheese & apricot mustard. The kids had mac & cheese, of course.

Contact Info:
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
2400 Third Avenue South, 
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404 
(888) MIA ARTS (642-2787)
www.artsmia.org

Heading to England

My 11-year-old son has been a huge fan of Ben 10, the Cartoon Network  character who defends earth by transforming into different alien species, since he was 7. So when he learned that an amusement park opened the first Ben 10 roller coaster this year, he wouldn't rest until he convinced me to let him ride it. And that's why we're going to England this summer.  I don't need much of a reason to travel.

We've just begun planning the itinerary, so we'll be fine tuning it over the next few months. Right now we're thinking a few days in London - the Eye, Buckingham Palace... like that. Then a couple of days in Birmingham, where the Drayton Manor amusement park is, and a trip to Stonehenge, since I've never seen it before.  Not sure yet if we'll do a day trip from London or spend the night in Salisbury.

The hubby gave us a fairly generous budget, so I'm hoping to squeeze a few days in Paris into the itinerary. As Audrey Hepburn once said, "Paris is always a good idea." I would LOVE to see Versailles. The first time I saw Paris I was young and poor and anxious to see as much of Europe as I could in as short a time as possible. I planned to return to Paris at the end of my trip to fly out of Orly, and figured I could see Versailles then. Sadly, by the time I was through touring the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, France, England and Italy I had gone through all my money and barely had enough to feed myself, much less afford transportation to the suburbs and admission to Versailles. So this time, I am GOING baby. If we go to Paris.

Watch over the coming months as we make our preparations. Before we went to Disney the first time I had the kids watch every Disney movie in preparation. I'd like to do a similar thing - have them watch England themed movies. But what? The Secret Garden? There's Harry Potter, but I'd like something based in reality. Any ideas?

BACON!

Thanks for the guest post by Jo Levy A favorite and quite famous chef was recently quoted in a blog as saying “Bacon makes everything instantly better” and I cant find a soul who would disagree. Who doesn’t love that smoky salty perfection? I went to http://www.direct.tv/ and scheduled my DVR to record the new show on Cooking Channel while I was at work. I curled up on a Tuesday evening and realized I instantly loved it and just had to share what I learned about pork. The one tip that I use to this day is this: Cut a whole pack of bacon in half. Take each slice and roll into a pinwheel shape. Place in freezer bags and freeze. Add to winter soups and stews one piece at a time. The fat content in bacon makes it easy to break apart and drop in. Use as little or as much as you like to create the southern flavor you desire. You can also pull slices from the freezer and dice with precision and fry in a skillet for other dishes as well. *sponsored post

Review of The Talbott Hotel, Chicago

Sitting Room of the One Bedroom Suite at the Talbott

My husband opened the door to our suite at Chicago’s Talbott Hotel and we laughed gleefully as we walked into the entry hall. I’d found an online deal for a suite, with a breakfast credit included and a bottle of wine with dinner at the hotel restaurant, Bice.  We’ve booked suites at other hotels before, with a little sitting area separate from the sleeping area. The Talbott’s suite was bigger than my sister’s apartment. 

The Talbott is a AAA 4-diamond boutique hotel housed in an 85-year-old building that has managed to maintain its charm without sacrificing comfort.  There are sitting areas on each side of the entry hall, with guests relaxing in easy chairs reading complimentary newspapers while a fire crackles in the fireplace. The hotel has spacious 2-queen-bed rooms, 2 bedroom suites and 1 bedroom suites like ours, which included a living room, work area, bedroom and large bathroom with a walk-in shower and soaking tub.

Thirsty patrons can enjoy a few drinks in the bar located just off the lobby, then walk through the bar to Bice Restaurant for dinner.  We breakfasted there twice – I had an omelet one day and delicious french toast the next- and dined once – the osso bucco is fabulous. While there is no pool or fitness center on site, hotel guests receive complimentary privileges at the Equinox Fitness Center just down the street.

The Talbott’s staff was phenomenal – cheerful, helpful, friendly, happy to help – everything you hope for in a hotel staff.

The Talbott is located about a block and a half from the Magnificent Mile on Michigan Avenue, home to popular Chicago tourist attractions like the Water Tower and the John Hancock building, restaurants, horse-drawn carriages and scads of shops and boutiques.

Families with young daughters traveling to the Talbott might want to take advantage of the hotel’s American Girl Package, which includes milk and sprinkles cupcakes at turndown, an American Girl keepsake doll bed, and a $15 credit for breakfast at Bice Restaurant.