Allen Christian opened his studio to the Urban Sketchers for an afternoon sketching event. There…read morewere so many things that caught my eye. I loved these figures that were formed from piano parts. Much of the art was created from things we might consider trash but to Allen it transforms into beautiful, and sometimes odd, works of art. Allen's imagination is limitless. I enjoyed seeing something from afar then stepping close to it to see individual screws, bolts, brushes, computer keys, or syringes. So cool. I also enjoyed meeting Allen and seeing him practicing his craft. What a fun place and gracious host.

Stopped here during Doors Open '26. I've never really adventured out to this area but was curious…read moreto see what this place was. It's an art gallery full of random oddities. Looks like most of the materials are recycled or thrifted which was cool to see some retro signs or parts. Never ran into the owner/person running the place to ask questions but I'd definitely like to know more about how some of the pieces come together and how they source items. Also not sure if pieces were for sell or it was strictly for show. Cool nonetheless.

I am honestly horrified that it took me until 2024 to find this place (it was an accident- I was…read morewalking to an event at Day Block Brewing and was caught by the window displays). Once I got home, I Googled my walking route to find out what this magical place was, and lo! There is a cafe inside, there is a gift shop, a book shop, AND they offer classes. I signed up for an adult community education class to learn more about bookbinding, and had a blast. I learned many fun technical terms (read: throw up. Yes, really). Pictures of my first amateur creation included. I highly recommend the classes, as they stive to make everyone of all ages and abilities feel welcome. I got there a full 30 minutes early one night just to be able to browse the giftshop, which contains not only a plethora of bookbinding materials and supplies (which are pretty niche) but creations by local artists and just cool book-themes things in general. I will definitely shop there for gifts for my other book-obsessed friends. Bring a buddy and go check it out, or bring a book and just go chill in the cafe on a day when you don't feel like interacting with humanity.

Truthfully, I visited because I heard about the gift shop from social media and was blown away. The…read moreshop features a ton of local artists, and artists from marginalized communities. They have a huge selection of zines, prints, and greeting cards. I ended up getting four greeting cards and two stickers, but I would've absolutely gone home with more if my bank account allowed for it.

The skyway system in Minneapolis is so very cool. With over 10 miles of connecting walkways, you…read moreare able to traverse all of downtown without ever stepping outside. It's a shame they close it on weekends. You can go from an office to a hotel, a restaurant to a convenience store, a sewing studio to a massage pop-up... I even saw connection to a church. It is very helpful to have a map. There are signs directing you where to go, but it can be kind of confusing if you don't know the streets/building names well. People are friendly and happy to provide directions. Whether you feel like a rat lost in a maze, or a productive ant part of a communal tunnel system, you have to admit this is a very unique method of transportation. Many other cities could benefit, but I can only imagine the cost and time it took to plan and build this. I did notice a number of vacant spaces inside the Skyway system, and I noticed that the streets of the city seem really quiet because so much activity is happening on the second floor. I hope that the city can invest in bringing small businesses to the skyway and keeping it open for locals and tourists alike.

Minneapolis is a great example of smart urban design. The Skyway System is one aspect of this…read more Considering their winters in that area, it make so much sense to have this interconnected skybridge system that allows for people to traverse that 80 block area in a climate controlled environment all year round. It was so easy to walk to places via the Skyway.

Really loved this museum!! Especially the observation deck and the movie at the end . There was a…read morebread tasting and a fool proof recipe given. It was informative in terms of understanding the city culture and flour milling. Great gift shop too! I highly recommend.

First time visiting and both my son and I enjoyed it. He especially liked the water table…read moreactivities, the pretend meal table and going out to the dam. I like the elevator ride/video, explosion demonstration and the views. Definitely a must if you're into local history. You can easily see it all in 3-4 hours. It's more well kept and better staffed than any of the other museums in the area. The staff were very helpful.

This place is a hidden gem. It's hard to find, but once I found it, I saw that a beauty the inside…read moreof there is. There are lots of pieces of art to look at. This makes a delightful time to walk by and enjoy some pieces of art. There isn't much, considering the space, but this is a trip worth making. There's a lot of talent that's displayed in there. There's also a good variety of pieces that gave me a new perspective of the world, one that I never would have thought imaginable. They have a special uniqueness that I describe as "je ne sais quoi". They have sculptures, sketches, paintings, and a lot of other cool things. I'll be back to check out more art.

Lust. That's the feeling. There's no excuse for it at 7am when I make my way daily past Gallery…read more13, but that's what it is. Rubber duckies with dark gaping holes for eyes, a squashy video screen that ripples when touched and a huge sculpture of Godzilla shooting real lasers from its eyes at tiny army green figurines. High five to Jillian C for stopping for the artist's name when she walked through-- lesser beings were distracted by duckie desire.

Come here often over the years. Nicely designed. Excellent selection of books and media. Great…read moremeeting and conference rooms.

This library is STUNNING. I don't think I could possibly take photographs that would do it justice,…read moreit's an architectural piece of art. Manages to be huge and modern and glassy while still feeling cozy. It's my absolute favorite place to curl up with a book for a few hours, or bring my laptop and work on writing my novel. It is also very clean, including the bathrooms, with helpful staff. I will say there are many homeless people who like to sleep on the comfy furniture here, and the stench can be something fierce. I'm not trying to be insensitive, but really... the smell is enough to gag me. But when I lived in Honolulu and Portland they had this same problem in the grand main branch of their library. I think it's just what happens in major cities. Fortunately, there are three floors of reading lofts where they do not go, and also all four floors have private study rooms available. You can reserve them online, or you can ask to be let into a walk-in one. They always have several available. Another nice thing about this library is the desks. They have reading lamps and power outlets for laptops. And the place is flooded with natural light. It makes a huge difference in my mental focus and clarity of mind to research or write somewhere with light that is both bright and soft, with a controlled temperature. We are lucky to have this library.

First Avenue is dark, downtown and delightful…read more It's intimate (small) inside. But also large and spacious. If the first bar you see has a line or a wait, there is a bar to the right and more bar and beverage service upstairs. The view from upstairs is pretty good, close and as good as anywhere except the front few rows. We saw a SUBURBS show, in 2025, and it was an excellent experience. No onsite parking but a zillion nearby lots and ramps. Or take the light rail. The stars, the ones with the band names painted on the wall are outside (some inside too) and a must see when visiting Minneapolis.

I spent quite some time looking at all the stars on the outside walls of First Avenue. The Reverend…read moreHorton Heat also played a show on a Wednesday night the week I was there.

Glass is such an amazing material to work with and FOCI lets you experience it fro. Stained glass…read moreto fusing to hot glass. Diacoveey sessions are a great way to get started and classes are very well taught and instructors very patient

I took the Birds -stained glass discovery one day class with my daughter and had a great time!…read moreNeither of us had ever worked with glass before and Sarah, the instructor, was fun and patient and did a wonderful job helping everyone and demonstrating techniques! We had a great evening and drove home chatting about what other classes we can take there!

Really like this museum! It's free! The exhibits change frequently enough that I'm always able to…read morecome in and see something new. The have a Spanish book shop for anyone interested, a little study area, and an awesome gift shop! Only issue is that it's pretty small so you go through it pretty quickly.

Nice little free museum on UMN campus! I walked past this museum so many times during grad school…read moreand working here, but never went in until now. It has such an iconic exterior I'm glad I finally went in! This is a pretty small collection, easily doable in under an hour. They have some nice collections: my favorites were the Turkish rugs/rug exhibition and the Korean cabinets and dressers. It's all on one floor so very accessible and easy to get around. Bathrooms on the second floor with a deck view too. We loved their gift shop - so many unique and awesome things there that would be perfect for gifting!