Saint Paul. I abbreviated it for the longest time until I realized that it's officially spelled out…read morein full. So, I do just that until I get tired of the extra keystrokes. When I lived in Rochester, MN, and travelled to and from Winnipeg, I rarely cut through Saint Paul. The shortest route was highway 52, Interstates 494, 94, and 29, and kept on going until it was highway 75 past the US-Canadian border. Minneapolis got more of my attention back then. Out of curiosity, I took the longer route back to Rochester one time and stopped at a gas station in Saint Paul. It was my first introduction to the city. I knew that I needed to get a better understanding of the city than a gas station. A year after getting laid off and having moved back to Winnipeg, I returned to Saint Paul to see John Mayer at Xcel Energy Center. I got to soak in the riverfront, which is the Mississippi River. The show was fantastic, which introduced me to Guster, a band that I have followed and love to this day. I got to grab some dinner nearby before the show. I loved the casual vibe and how relaxed everyone was around me. I also visited the Minnesota State Capitol, which is in Saint Paul. Parking was crazy, but it was worth seeing for the first time. I'll need to revisit it. Saint Paul has grown on me. I am probably in Saint Paul a lot more these days than Minneapolis. I find the former charming and comfortable. For the last three years or so, I have returned to the Twin Cities to take in Minnesota Wild games. I park at RiverCentre's ramp and make my way over to Xcel Energy Center. I have parked once by the Science Museum of Minnesota, which is next to RiverCentre's parking ramp. I have probably seen more NHL games at Xcel Energy Center than any other arena in my life. There isn't a bad seat in the place. The Wild get better over time. The food is yummy. The staff are friendly. I can also get sucked into getting Wild gear at the Hockey Lodge. Normally, an airport tends to be in a suburb of the city that it's named after. Toronto Pearson International Airport, for instance, isn't in Toronto. It's in Mississauga. Many folks can't spell or know where it is, so they give up. The cool thing about Minneapolis-Saint Paul Airport is that it's in Saint Paul. It's convenient to get to. The shopping there is fantastic, especially when you have a layover and have nothing better to do. Every time I return to Saint Paul, I am always discovering something new. I never grow tired of it. On my last trip in late December-early January, I found Shepard Road, which hugs the Mississippi River and, in turn, has a bunch of bridges. My quick photo that I snapped doesn't do justice to how gorgeous the bridges and views are as the sun sets. It's incredibly picturesque and enjoyable to drive along the road. I am thankful to be able to rediscover Saint Paul years after having moved back to the GTA. I enjoy returning as a tourist and honourary Minnesotan. It does feel like my home away from home whenever I visit. (87)

Minneapolis maybe more renowned around the country, but St. Paul holds down the fort. It has plenty…read moreto offer in the way of parks and eateries and should not be overlooked.

It was finally warm enough for me to join the Luminary Loppet! Loved the romantic candlelit walk…read morearound Lake of the Isles (not ON the lake per previous years). S'mores and hot cocoas are included, so don't miss out. Also, don't miss the fire dancers and the many bonfires. I really loved the headliner band too. They played some of my fav songs from 90s - 2000s. The only part that sucked was the parking. Not sure how to fix that problem though. Consider getting an Uber to avoid issues with parking.

I was able to go to and help with the Loppet this year. It was a blast. Lots of positive energy…read morefrom the people that came to walk and from all of the people helping pull it off. It was a beautiful cold night with starts in the sky and candles guiding the trail. So much positivity is what we need right now. I will be back again in 2022.

Even with Covid they've done a great job. The live music is great! Good to see all the local…read morevendors and farmers there as well. Tollefsons for dinner and Shortie's sweets n treats for dessert! Great time and when the weather is warm it's nice to get some fresh air and walk around. Big park for kids to play on as well.

I finally stopped by the Eagan Market Fest after two years of living here. I love it! Previously,…read moreI would just go to the St. Paul or Minneapolis Farmer's Markets to get my share of locally grown vegetables. Now I won't have to. The Eagan Market Fest offers a good variety of vegetables stands, local art, and other food stands. It's also apparent that they want this to be a family affair, so there are tables set up so people can buy food and enjoy it on the grounds. Additionally, there's usually live music - a nice touch. Note that this market fest is only held on Wednesdays from 4pm - 8pm from late June to early September.

I like quirky things. It was like a match made in heaven when I moved to Minnesota years ago…read more There's a lot to discover in this state that I once called home. I remember seeing Spoonridge and Cherry, a sculptural fountain in Minneapolis that featured a gigantic silver spoon with the most cheerful cherry with a full stem. I loved it so much. I ended up getting a set of notecards featuring this fun piece of art and sharing my delight with others. I haven't changed over the years. I still like seeing cool, quirky items. Last month, I found out about the world's largest raspberry in Hopkins. I deliberately paid it a visit after work, before heading to a Minnesota Wild game several Thursdays ago. This massive raspberry wasn't difficult to find. It's on a fairly quiet street. I thought that I'd be parking on a side street, but it's right in front of a small parking lot. I backed into a spot and took my time admiring this sculpture. Hopkins takes its gigantic raspberry sculpture seriously. I crossed the street to get a good photo of this raspberry and noticed that the sewer cover had a raspberry on it. Wow! This raspberry is 22 feet tall. It's on a steel green vine. The whole sculpture weights a thousand pounds. I hope that no one decides to steal it on e dark even because it's awesome and heavy! This sculpture made its grand appearance at the Hopkins Raspberry Festival back in July 2017. There is a plaque in front of it. I love learning about the history behind sculptures. Hopkins is the raspberry capital of the USA. This massive raspberry honours John Feltl Jr, the father of the Hopkins raspberry industry. As an added bonus, there's a peace sign with lettering next to it steps away from the large raspberry. I loved seeing them. It was my first time in Hopkins. I need to return to support the raspberry industry and say hi to this fun raspberry sculpture again. (160)

I was without words when I saw this. It is indeed a large raspberry and I don't know…read more It hangs from a 22-foot-tall stylized steel vine and weighs 1000 pounds. It's 10 feet wide and12 feet tall. It was unveiled as part of the kickoff of the 83rd annual Hopkins Raspberry Festival. The nearby plaque reads, "The World's Largest Raspberry was officially unveiled on July 8th, 2017. It was made possible by the combined efforts of the businesses, community services organizations and citizens of the city of Hopkins, Minnesota. It is a symbol of the rich history of the raspberry industry in Hopkins that made it the Raspberry Capital of the United States of America. The sculpture is also in honor of John Felti Jr, the father of the raspberry industry in Hopkins." There is street parking nearby. [Review 20740 overall - 151 in Minnesota - 1722 of 2023.]

Setting for the book "Lake Water For Chocolate", and I hope it's not too late to write this review…read moreof Lake Street. I also hope it's not too choco-late. Minneapolis is a hell of a city and a good City for food. I think it's underrated as a city in general, but for food people actually realize that it is a pretty special place. It's sort of in the same school as Detroit and Chicago and Milwaukee in this regard, with Chicago being the granddaddy and standard-bearer, and the others being exceptional if somewhat smaller. Buffalo and Cleveland could also be considered in this group. All of them lakeside, brutally cold Great Lakes cities and all of them with incredible ethnic food choices as well as amazing and unique American food. Lake Street is one of the crown jewels of the MPLS scene. It has masses of great little ethnic places to eat and the two shining examples of what Minneapolis has been and can be are along this street. The first is the Mercato Central which is a real and amazing Latin food court with every kind of Mexican and Salvadorian shop you can imagine. It's very special and knowing some Spanish will help you a lot in here. It's been around for a long time. It is to the Latin Community what the Hmong Town Center is to the Vietnamese. Then there is the Midtown Global Market. This is much more geared towards hipsters and tourists and college kids and so-called Foodies. It's a little bit artificial but still contains a lot of cool stuff. Many of the things in here are actually Minneapolis area restaurants that decided to have an additional stall in here. There are some gems hidden amongst the cliches. Both markets are spectacular and must be visited. Almost gave it 4 stars because of traffic issues in the Midtown area, so hopefully they'll figure that out. Put in some roundabouts or something. Traffic circles, for the uninitiated. Now I'm Lake for my next review, and then I have to meet Barbie, who says she wants to show me her Lake, so I can sample her Lake's-treat.

My favorite street in the entire Twin Cities. I especially like East Lake Street for its…read morehigh-density of Mexican restaurants, but all of Lake Street is fine by me. I would never live more than walking-distance away because I have everything I need right in my own neighborhood.

Fake tanning is fun. But if the cancer doesn't get you, the Burnsville…read more This is an outlying suburb on the very south end of the Minneapolis metro area and I come here usually for one of my favorite bubble tea shops in the region and also for a tanning salon but not one of my favourites. Traffic can sometimes be a little bad around here depending on which Highway you're on. The suburb itself is kind of sleepy and fairly safe. Lots of industry and business Parts down here as well.

This faciity should be on every railfan's place to visit. As part of the RHMA, Railroading…read moreHeritage of Midwest America, it is here that a number of projects are currently being carried out: the restoration of the stream locomotive #261, and the maintenance of the Milwaukee Road passenger cars. Visitors are welcome as are their donations. The visitor is allowed the walk the grounds and the upper and lower level of the shop. Most of the general public would never get a closer glimpse of the the work that goes on in the background of a rail related garage.

The city of Chaska is a great city and the municipal building also houses the library. Staff are…read moreincredibly helpful. We've been there to work with the staff on building my deck, getting books and attending events. There is a fedex and ups drop off in the parking lot.