Minneapolis: Summer School

I was at the University of Minnesota for 6 weeks, which was more than enough time for me to fall in love with summertime Minneapolis. Minneapolis is a vibrant, diverse, and authentically hipster city with an extensive array of indoor and outdoor activities, fantastic food, many local craft breweries, the best park system in America (ranked as such by the Trust for Public Land), and a friendly and welcoming culture. If I it weren’t for those Midwest winters, I think I could live there.

Getting Around: The public transit system is good for an American city. There are two light rail lines and various buses. What’s awesome is you can download the MetroTransit App on your phone and pay for Metro and bus tickets through that, so you never have to worry about having correct change or finding a ticket machine. All you have to do is show your phone to the driver. I wish every city had this! For more eco-friendly transportation, Minneapolis has a successful, easy to use bikeshare program called NiceRide with bike stations throughout the city. It’s $3 per half hour of biking, and I hear that next year they’re moving to a stationless system. Minneapolis is the most bike-friendly city I’ve ever visited – there are bike trails and bike lanes everywhere, plus the city is flat as a pancake.

Things to Do:

• Chain of Lakes:

  

  This is one of the top Twin Cities tourist attractions. The Chain of Lakes consists of four beautiful lakes in close proximity to each other, along with connected running and biking paths, as well as plenty of opportunities for swimming and watersports. In my opinion, the most beautiful lake is Lake of the Isles, though Lake Bde Maka Ska (the lake formerly known as Lake Calhoun) might be the most popular. You can rent kayaks, paddleboards, bikes, etc. from Wheel Fun Rentals at Bde Make Ska.

•  Minnehaha Falls: I’ve got to be honest – I’ve seen much more impressive waterfalls. However, I would say that this park is definitely worth a visit, especially if you pair it with a bike ride or run along the Mississippi. Though the falls are somewhat underwhelming, the trail at the bottom of the falls follows a creek about 1 mile out to a really nice “beach” with lots of wildlife. There is also a famous seafood restaurant called Sea Salt by the falls, as well as a Sebastian Joe’s Ice Cream and an Indeed Brewery truck (would recommend the Indeed Lucy Sour). Sea Salt has an outrageously long line on the weekends – I had to go there on a weekday just to get in. Their specialty is delicious, flaky fried fish. I would recommend the fish sandwich – it’s humongous, only $7 and comes with coleslaw, whereas the fish po’boy is $11 and the only difference is that it has a different sauce. For some sad and inexplicable reason, they don’t have fries. To carb up, I got cornbread as a side, which was good but not incredible. For dessert at Sebastian Joe’s, I would highly recommend the Nicollet Ave Pothole (a Minnesotan version of Rocky Road) and the raspberry chocolate chip, which was made with fresh raspberries.
• Midwest Hiking:

  

  Pro-tip: cover your entire body with a mosquito net. I’m only partially joking. The mosquitoes and bugs are out of control, and they certainly made our hikes a less than pleasant experience. We ended up hiking at two spots in one day: Taylors Falls and the Chippewa Moraine section of the Ice Age Trail. The Ice Age Trail is a 1,200 mile trail that winds through Wisconsin, showcases glacial features, and is designated one of 11 National Scenic Trails. Other members of this group include the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail, so it’s a pretty special designation. The Ice Age Trail starts at the Minnesota-Wisconsin border at Wisconsin Interstate Park in Taylors Falls. However, there is only about a mile or so of actual trail – after that, the trail becomes a road walk. The trail that we did experience was quite pretty and featured several potholes, which are large depressions in rock caused by glaciers. It would be a good place to bring young kids for a short “hike,” but it wasn’t enough for us. During our short hike we were caught in a rainstorm, so we decided to take refuge at Wild Mountain Winery. They had an $18 Groupon for wine tasting plus a local meat and cheese plate for two. It was an incredible deal, as the wine tasting included 14 tastes plus two glasses of wine between the two of us, plus free popcorn. The wine was unique and delicious; the local wines I tried had a flavor that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Maybe it’s something in the Midwest soil. After the storm stopped, we decided to try our luck at the Chippewa Moraine section of the Ice Age Trail, which, according to my extensive research, was the best day hike on the Ice Age Trail within two hours drive of Minneapolis.

  

  It was a nice forest walk through an assortment of lakes, but my goodness were the mosquitoes awful. They were big, aggressive, and numerous. Despite the copious amounts of bug spray I applied, I was being eaten alive. To give you an idea of how bad it was, when we ended our hike, about 7 or so mosquitoes invaded our vehicle, even though we had only left the doors open for about 20 seconds. We killed a few and ended up smearing blood (probably our own) all over the windshield. However, the big event happened about 3 miles away from the trailhead, when a large moth lodged itself into Tim’s ear. Yes, you heard that right. Unfortunately, since we were in the middle-of-nowhere Wisconsin, we still had to hike back to the trailhead, drive for 2 hours back to Minneapolis in order to see a doctor, and wait an hour for the doctor to see us. The moth was still alive when the doctor flushed it out, which I think we can all agree is truly horrifying.

  

  The doctor told us that over the summer she gets about one bug-in-the-ear visit per week! The moral of the story is that you should never go hiking in the Midwest without ear protection.

• Running along the Mississippi:

  

  There are beautiful, long trails that follow the East and West Bank of the river, so it’s easy to run without planning, or to extend your run if you want more mileage. There are so many bridges across the Mississippi that you can cross the river whenever you want to. In my opinion, the most scenic section near downtown is the Bohemian Flats section on the West Bank. The trails are quite flat compared to my experience running on the West Coast. It’s fun to run over the Stone Arch Bridge, which is a historic bridge near downtown and hence a popular tourist attraction. Mill Ruins Park lies on the West Bank side of Stone Arch and is worth a visit. There’s also a museum there, but I didn’t go.

Food and Drink by Neighborhood:

Dinkytown: Why is the neighborhood near the East Bank part of the university called Dinkytown? No one really knows.

• Bordertown: This is a cute, non-profit coffee shop set up out of an old frat house. They have a lot of character and plenty of vegan options; I enjoyed their iced almondmilk matcha latte. It’s a great environment for working.
• Dunn Brothers Coffee: This is a local coffee chain. They have an app where you can get free drink credits for signing up and for spending certain amounts.
• Insomnia Cookies: Delicious, delicious cookies (you can pair them with milk or ice cream), open very late, and they deliver!
• Land’s End Pasty: Useful for a quick bite. Most of their savory pasties have a tiny bit of apple pie in the bottom as dessert! They also have a variety of fun herbal sodas (I liked the rose-flavored one).
• Loring Bar: This place optimizes quality subject to grad student price constraints for happy hour. The atmosphere is nicer than most Dinkytown establishments, but you don’t have to dress up. Their normal menu is a little pricey, but during happy hour they have $3 house wine, a $4.50 beef slider trio (with excellent beef), and 50% off all appetizers. I liked their spinach artichoke dip, but the coconut shrimp appetizer is just sad. There are other drink discounts too.
• Kitty Cat Klub: Ah yes, the fabled Kitty Cat. It’s a dark, strange place with a unique atmosphere that has cheap drinks and serves greasy food. If you’ve watched the Parks and Rec episode where Chris is DJ-ing for the Valentine’s Day dance, you will have an idea of the general vibe and music selection. You really have to go there to understand it. It happens to be one of the few bars in the Dinkytown area, so it is a popular student hangout. They sometimes have live local bands play there.
• Raising Cane’s: This isn’t even a local restaurant; it’s a fried chicken chain that started in Louisiana. But I had fantastic fried chicken at the Dinkytown location, so it’s on the list!

West Bank near U Minnesota:

• Republic: I went here three times for happy hour because it was just so great. Republic has a fun atmosphere and good beer/alcohol selection, plus they have a large outdoor patio and trivia on Tuesday nights. During happy hour, they have $3 fries, a $6 high-quality burger with fries (which is an astounding deal), two large tacos for $6, $6 cocktails, and $2 off beer. I really enjoyed the Pryes Raspberry Sour and Tattersall Gin, which are from two local alcohol establishments.
• Town Hall Brewery: It’s right across the street from Republic, but for some reason I never made it there. I hear they have a great whisky selection.

Miscellaneous Neighborhoods:

• Ideal Diner (Nordeast):

  

  I loved this place! It’s a hole-in-the-wall, reasonably priced, old-school diner open for breakfast and lunch with only 14 seats, 1 counter, no tables, and no bathroom. I walked in on a Sunday morning at around 11am by myself and was able to get a seat within 5 minutes. The wait is longer if you’re with other people, but they were pretty good at churning customers. As soon as I sat down, a drip coffee magically appeared in my hand. The waitress took my order immediately, and the chef prepared my meal in front of me. I ordered the Corned Beef Hash with a side of pancakes. The corned beef was good, but holy moly the pancakes were the best pancakes I have ever eaten. And I don’t even like pancakes! They were slightly crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside, not undercooked gooey, but deliciously, richly gooey. They were sweet and savory and amazing. I preferred them plain, as adding syrup detracted from the flavor. During this whole time, the waitstaff were busy working magic. I didn’t even notice it, but silverware, ketchup, hot sauce, and syrup all appeared in the order that I needed them and were whisked away when I was done. I wish I had been able to go more than once! The best part: my bill came to less than $13.

• Surly Brewing (Prospect Park): Surly is the most famous brewery in Minneapolis, but Tim and I were really disappointed by it. It’s quite pricey, and I went there twice and still didn’t like the beer. Granted, they mostly specialize in IPAs, which I dislike, but even Tim thought his IPA was mediocre. I had the Belgian Cynic, which was simply okay. For some reason, I decided to get the sea salt and lime lager afterwards (I must have been craving a Bud Light Lime?). It tasted like soap. I don’t normally return food at restaurants, but I returned it after one sip. Granted, this was entirely my fault for ordering a lime lager. In terms of the food, the German bratwurst is the best value food item on the menu at $9 for one wurst with a side of potato salad. Everything else is much more expensive.
• Blue Door Pub (Lyn Lake and other locations): I went to the Lyn Lake location to try out the original home of the “Blucy” blue cheese burger: a Minnesotan delicacy. Honestly, it was decent but not great. I’ve heard you can get better Blucys elsewhere.
• Izzy’s Ice Cream (Downtown East): This place is magical. The original location is in St. Paul, but their Minneapolis store is right next to Gold Medal Park, a beautiful city park by the river next to the Gold Medal mill ruins. They have so many fun flavors of ice cream that are delicious, and they’ll let you try them all. Their waffle cones left something to be desired, however. This simply adds another data point to my theory: Molly Moon’s in Seattle has the best waffle cones in the USA.

Things That People Told Me To Do That I Didn’t Get Around To:

• Mall of America: Roller coasters, an aquarium, a million stores, and I assume a lot of excellent people-watching.
• Sculpture Garden
• Minneapolis Institute of Art (free)
• Random free events (Jazz Festival, Shakespeare in the Park, etc.)
• Minnesota State Fair
• Theodore Wirth Park: A large park that’s good for running and walking.
• Can Can Wonderland: A circus themed bar with putt putt golf, fun colors and the occasional burlesque show.
• Betty Dangerous: A bar with an outdoor Ferris wheel. Yes, you can bring your drinks on the Ferris wheel!
• Wally’s: A Mediterranean restaurant in Dinkytown.
• Spoon and Stable: A fancy restaurant downtown that you have to make reservations for far in advance! Foodie-certified.