More Twin Cities Fun!

I still have a list of things I want to see, eat and do here, and time is running out. First up was brunch. Got a good recommendation for the Hen House Eatery and it was fairly close to our hotel. They only serve breakfast and lunch and there was a University of Minnesota football game so we had about a 20 minute wait, no problem. They have an amazing bakery so we amused ourselves by looking at the 12 different kinds of cinnamon rolls, brownies, rice krispee treats and cakes they have available.

Second time I ordered the chicken sausage. Keeley says she doesn’t know who I have become. Sweet potato hash is apparently a thing here too. The food was great! We passed on the desserts. Too early. 

Next - the Walker Art Center. I was told it was a must-see and while it’s all very modern art which isn’t my thing, the building is super cool and I enjoyed the art more than I thought I would. While the other two big museums I went to earlier in the trip were free, there is an entrance fee for Walker, but the first Saturday of every month is free so lucky me!

The Walker Art Center doesn’t include the red brick building but does include the other two structures.

Another great thing about the entire area is that parking is pretty easy and reasonable everywhere. The museum is pretty large but doesn’t have a plethora of galleries. The galleries they have are quite large as much of modern art is big, and the main exhibit their now is proof of this. It features Minneapolis-based artist Siah Armajani and is called Follow This Line. His medium of art takes many different forms - painting, sculpture and architectural models to name a few. The room I remember the most was called Out of Place and had large sculptures that made at least me feel really uncomfortable. From reading the descriptions I know that was his intention.

There is a beautiful sculpture garden across the street from the museum that was fun to walk through. 

The bright yellow walkway in the bottom left is actually a sculpture by Siah Armajani that is a pedestrian walkway to cross the highway. 

Crossing the walkway. 

From the terrace of the Walker Art Center you can see the beautiful Basilica of St. Mary so I decided to walk over and see the inside.

Gorgeous inside also but there was a wedding going on so I had to stay in the back.

Time to head back to the hotel and pick up Keeley and her husband Matt who had just arrived and head to a brewery. Keeley and Matt are extremely knowledgeable about beer and know all the breweries, so while I have a list of museums - they have a list of breweries.

Barrel Theory in St Paul. They even found a beer for me! It was called Purple Lamborghini and tasted like berries.  

Now for some carb loading for the marathon tomorrow. There is a famous Italian restaurant, pasticceria, market and pizzeria called Cossetta in St Paul, and the restaurant on the top floor is called Louis. It got great reviews so we had a reservation for dinner and headed over. The food was great and it felt very authentic. After dinner we walked through the first floor which has lots of great looking options to take home or eat on the spot. 

We shared the bruschetta and caprese salad and each had a pasta dish. Not running the race but eating pasta because I love it! 

Home to bed because race day is almost here!

Day 2 Twin Cities

This is such a nice place! It’s easy to get around, the people are friendly and there is lots to see, eat and do. I might have to come again - just never in the winter! 

I took a walk around the area this morning and saw some interesting places that I didn’t have a chance to go in, but worth mentioning.  

A museum about flour. This was once the world’s largest flour mill and it sounds like an interesting place to spend some time.  

The Guthrie Theater. A world class venue for music and performance arts.

Vikings! 

US Bank Stadium. This new stadium is huge! 

The main reason I’m here is to support Keeley as she runs her first marathon - so we headed to St Paul for the race expo. It’s a big race, about 10,000 marathon runners, a 10 mile race, a 10K and a 5K so about 30,000 participants. Expo’s are pretty fun. New products for runners displayed, giveaways, raffles and free food!  

She is ready! 5 months of training and sacrifice will all be worth it.  

Now we need food. I have been impressed with the number of great restaurants and The Copper Hen was at the top of every list and now it’s on the top of mine too. For some reason they serve brunch on Friday, Saturday and Sunday so since we both love brunch we headed there first. We were seated right away and I loved the decor. It had a very French country feel and everything on the menu sounded great. We both had the same thing called the Farmer’s Brunch. Scrambled eggs, root vegetable hash, bread pudding French toast, and your choice of sausage. AMAZING!

The bread pudding French toast is what dreams are made of! Topped with whipped cinnamon butter😋

Plenty more museums to see on my list so I dropped off Keeley so she could rest her legs and headed to the Minneapolis Institute of Art.  A huge beautiful building full of wonderful art. I did what I always do in this kind of place - immediately look for the French Impressionist area. They had a decent selection but seemed to really have an extensive Asian collection of work, so I spent some time in that area as well.

They also had a good number of period rooms and contemporary art that is kind of fun.  

Top left - a pretty good room full of Prairie style furniture. Top right - Chihuly. Bottom left - Murakami Takashi - Panda. Bottom right - Two camels and a groom from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) 

I went back and picked up Keeley and we headed over to the banks of the Mississippi River to check out a cafe called Aster. I could have a glass of wine but no alcohol for Keeley. It’s GO MARATHON time so a mock tail for her. But a super cute place and once again met the nicest people there. We didn’t eat but the food looked good. We still have another day here and I would consider going back for a meal. 

We stopped on the way back to the hotel for a pizza and called it a day. So many more places to go here! Check back soon!

Minneapolis-St Paul

Hello Minnesota! I’m calling this my first real trip to Minnesota. I have been to Minneapolis a few times for work related events but can’t recall ever getting to leave the hotel, so this time I actually get to explore what appears to be an awesome place. My daughter Keeley is running the Twin Cities marathon Sunday so that was a great reason to come up, check it out and support her as she accomplishes her amazing goal. My initial impression is that it’s awesome! The weather has been great but that’s probably why they do the race at this time of year. It is one of the top marathons in the US and considered to be the prettiest urban course in the country. But not sure I would relish the winter here. The locals say lots of snow and COLD!

I arrived Weds night so checked into the hotel and headed to a place for dinner that had great reviews on Yelp. It did not disappoint. The Red Cow was packed, and reminded me that sometimes it’s an advantage to be alone. I was able to get a seat at the bar immediately instead of the 45 minute wait for a table. 

Known for great burgers but I went rogue and had the most amazing salad ever. Beets, quinoa, edamame, garbanzo beans over arugula - delicious! 

Keeley arrived first thing Thursday morning and after picking her up at the airport we headed right to Minnehaha Falls which is located very close to the airport. It’s a beautiful park that sits right between Minneapolis and St Paul.  

A perfect fall day. 

Most famous for the falls of course! 

Worth a visit for sure. There’s Keeley my marathon running daughter! 

When I travel in Europe I make a point to visit so many churches, so why not see some of the gorgeous ones in the US? Next stop the Cathedral of St Paul. Located on a hill overlooking downtown St Paul and the Minnesota Capitol Building. 

Cathedral of St Paul

What a beautiful church inside and out. 

We got a good view of the capitol but didn’t have time to make a visit. 

Next up time for lunch. We headed over to Grand St in St Paul and ate at Cafe Latte. No pictures, sorry, but great food and a really cute area with a number of cool shops and restaurants.  

You know I love museums so Keeley agreed to go with me to the Weisman Art Center designed by the famous architect Frank Gehry on the University of Minnesota campus. Wow! Incredible! 

Frank Gehry does interesting things! It looks like it could be in a Harry Potter movie.

It’s not a huge museum so you can easily see it in an hour or an hour and a half.  

Hi Keeley! Top right was a huge interesting piece by Richard Barlow made from 36,000 plastic spangles. Loved it! Bottom left by Douglas Argue creating the illusion of space on a flat canvas. The huge glass fish is by Frank Gehry. 

We took a little walk around the University of Minnesota campus. I went to a Big 10 school so always interested in seeing any college campus and in particular the ones in the conference. It is a huge and beautiful campus. Everyone looks so young - even Keeley felt old😊

Always fun to stop in the bookstore. The Gophers!  

Keeley loves breweries like I love museums so to be fair we needed to check out what she tells me is a great one. Surly Brewery conveniently located very close the the U of Minnesota campus. Quite impressive and they were even able to convince me that they had a beer I would like. The knowledgeable bartender said they have a beer for wine drinkers - aged in a white wine barrel for 18 months and to my surprise I did like it! Keeley had a beer that was brewed on Monday so quite a range in beer making.

They have an awesome outdoor area but a little too chilly to take advantage of it. 

Last stop of the day was dinner at an Irish pub downtown called The Local. It was really a beautiful old place with amazing dark wood and lots of little rooms with really pretty stained glass and little gargoyles in abundance. 

A few of my favorites! 

The food was good. I had an Indian curry vegetarian dish with rice and Keeley had a quinoa salad. They did have some Irish selections like corned beef and cabbage and a chicken pie that looked good but we picked what we thought were a little healthier options. Supporting Keeley in her race preparations. No more alcohol till after the race. Then we celebrate!

More fun coming up in the twin cities! Check back soon. 

Kansas City

I’m home for a few weeks, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be out exploring some of the awesome things Kansas City has to offer. Like many of the great medium size cities in the US, there are lots of wonderful museums, festivals, theaters, restaurants and activities available if you just make it your business to stay in the loop. If you’ve read anything at all on my blog then you know I love museums, and one that I’ve been wanting to check out here is the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art. It is located on the campus of Johnson County Community College in Overland Park Kansas. The 41,000-square foot museum was designed by Kye Sung Woo and has four changing exhibition galleries, three permanent collection galleries, a media gallery, a 200-seat auditorium, two classrooms and a great cafe called Cafe Tempo.

The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art

So one day this week I headed there for a great couple of hours. What had peaked my interest was an article I had read about a special exhibit there by Michael Rees entitled Pneumatopia. It will be there until October 21, 2018. It just looked like a fun exhibit and when I got there and read about it one of the things that caught my attention from the artist is that he said he was hoping it brought the viewer joy. So right off the bat I felt like I got it! Of course there was a lot of other explanation on a much deeper level of what he was trying to convey but for me it was just about being happy. He describes the works as being composed of images, virtual objects, animations and an interactive app accessed by digital tablets. Monumental in scale but largely composed of air. But mainly it made me feel happy.

Each of the large pieces had an iPad as part of the visual experience but I only captured it in the top right example below with the pig. Each piece gave you a different perspective depending on where you were standing and not all the iPads were as visible. Plus I just really liked the one with the pig!

I had time so went up to the second floor to visit the permanent collection rooms and was very impressed with the collection they were showing. As with pretty much every museum they own a large amount of work but only have room to display a certain number. Usually there is a rationale as to how it is displayed - sometimes by genre, sometimes by topic and sometimes by era or style. The room I spent the most time in was very intriguing to me because the pieces were all at first glance to be pleasing and in pretty bright and light colors. But on closer examination they all dealt with pain and suffering, and it made me think about how that can be so true in life. Sometimes when we are going through a bad time on the surface we want to act like everything is fine - put on a brave and happy face.

I like to always pick a favorite - if I had a lot of money which one would I want to buy. So I decided this was my favorite. The painting is in the upper left and from a distance looks like a mosaic.  The other pictures are of the detail when you look closely. The artist has featured photographs of three women that were fighters with the National Liberation Front in the Algerian War of Independence (1954-1962). They played an important role in the conflict but received no recognition or equal legal treatment when independence was gained. I was reminded of the movie that I loved called “Hidden Figures.” Seems another movie could be done about these women.

 Mujahidat #11 by Asad Faulwell (American born in 1982)

This was my second favorite because I thought it was such a cool concept. This work was done by Tim Rollins and the Kids of Survival. The students are identified as being at risk, and the art workshop allows them an opportunity to study literature in a new way. The artwork is developed collaboratively over the course of several days. This piece used the actual pages of the story from a book as the canvas, and on close inspection you can see the pages behind the painting. 

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, 1998 

Last but not least is this incredible Soundsuit. The picture does not do it justice. In person it was so captivating and the intricacy is amazing. It is named for the rustling of the materials when it is worn. There were many other wonderful works of art on display including a painting by the famous artist Kehinde Wiley who most recently received a lot of acclaim for his official presidential portrait of Barack Obama. This museum is worth a visit and I intend to go back again soon. And it’s free!

 Soundsuit, 2005 by Nick Cave

I mentioned that they also have a cafe that serves breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks. It is run by the Culinary Institute at Johnson County Community College and they rank in the top couple of culinary schools in the country and have cases of trophies to prove it. So why not treat myself to lunch! And the prices are great too!

Red pepper Gouda soup and a salad with grilled peaches, feta, almonds and other delicious things. Yumm!

We’re also very fortunate to have lots of great live theater here in Kansas City, and one of the best is the Missouri Reperatory Theater located on the campus of the University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC). I have attended lots of times in the past and get frequent mailings about what’s coming up. I had received an offer to come to a preview night for the musical Last Days of Summer and it sounded interesting - especially when I read that it was the same team responsible for the great show last year called Between the Lines. That would be the Tony Award-winning producer Daryl Roth and the Broadway Director Jeff Calhoun. It intertwines baseball, fear, prejudice and a special relationship between a sports hero and a young boy. This is the world premier for the show, but much of the cast has appeared across the country including in NYC so I highly recommend seeing it. And having just come back from seeing two shows in  NYC I can’t believe what a bargain it is to see great theater here. We need to support them so go!

So many fun things to do here there’s just not enough time to do it all. And I’m sure in your towns too so enjoy! I have a few more weeks of fun here and then I’m off again! Check back soon.

                                   Stand close to people who feel like sunshine.

BIG NY Finish!

It was a good thing I rested because I had another running friend Tracy coming to enjoy New York with me for a few days. She arrived on time and we were up and out the door. We had tickets for a Broadway show so an early dinner was first on the agenda. I had walked by The Grey Dog so many times and had gotten a good recommendation on it so we decided to give it a try. It’s a casual place and they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. They now have 5 locations in Manhattan and it was good.

Cauliflower rice with veggies and chicken for me and a grilled turkey sandwich with apples and Brie for Tracy.

We jumped on the subway and headed up to Times Square. We had tickets to see The Band’s Visit which won 10 Tony awards including Best Musical this past year. We both enjoyed it and it was totally different then most other shows I have seen. Set in Israel and it’s kind of a two for one - broadway show and a music concert since the band has excellent musicians in it that are a big part of the story. 

A walk through Times Square and home to bed. That’s two trips to Times Square in two weeks - enough for the next couple of years! 

We had a great day planned so headed out for a substantial breakfast. I love my croissants and scones but knew that today I needed more. I had walked by a restaurant that looked so cute so we decided to try it.  Hudson Clearwater right on the corner of Hudson and Morton. I loved the inside and the food and coffee were great. They have a cute outdoor garden you can sit in behind the restaurant but we stayed inside because the temperature and humidity were already high. They also serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

Avocado toast with poached egg for me and steel cut oats with berries for Tracy.  

They have a wonderful museum on the lower east side called The Tenement Museum, and when I told Tracy about it she was really interested in going so that is where we headed. It’s not like a typical museum that you go in and see exhibits. Depending on which tour you sign up for you go into an actual tenement and they have recreated the lives of different immigrant families, and you learn about what their life was like by actually seeing the space and hearing from an excellent guide. There are many different tours so while I did one a few years ago it was easy to select one I hadn’t heard. The one we did was called “Under One Roof” and we learned about a Russian family, Puerto Rican family and a Chinese family. It was really fantastic and we learned so much. The guide was so knowledgeable and could answer any question posed. The tour groups are fairly small - about 15 people. Our group was made up of about half from the UK and the rest from the US. Our tour lasted an hour and 45 minutes. It is very well done and worthwhile. 

Building on Delancey and Orchard where you buy the tickets and the tour begins.

I needed a black and white cookie and we were close to one of the legendary places to get one so headed to Houston St and Russ & Daughters. It has been there since 1914 and I don’t think much has changed. Lox and bagels, cookies and babka. Anyone else remember the Seinfeld episode with babka? So funny! They probably got it here! 

I got a cookie but the bagels are great too! 

We headed home to take care of Penny, cool off a little and head out for our main event - The US Open!!! This was my third time to attend and Tracy’s first, but the first time for both of us to see Rafael  Nadal play. We were pumped! And bonus - we got to see Serena Williams play first! Rafa is both of our favorite player so it was a thrill. The best way to get there is on the subway. Literally let’s you off right outside the gate. Hello 7 train here we come!

Rolex clocks and no beer stands - Grey Goose vodka!  

When you get off the train turn left for the Mets and right for the Open! 

Arthur Ashe stadium or Center Court! 

It is really a great sporting event. Beautiful facility, great food, and lots of courts. The two main courts are Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong but in the first week of the tournament there are qualifying and doubles matches going on constantly. We waited to buy our tickets till the night before as we wanted to be sure to see Rafa, and landed in good seats in the second tier. We could see perfectly and were so happy both Serena and Rafa won. 

Two happy tennis fans! 

We got home late so weren’t in a big rush to get up and out in the morning. After a delicious breakfast at Rocco we were on our way uptown to Central Park.

Loved it! We didn’t have cookies for breakfast but they looked great! I had Brioche French toast! Amazing! 

The train let us off right in front of the Natural History Museum on the west side of the park. Sorry, no time to stop by today. We were heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the east side of the park, so we got to walk across beautiful Central Park on a lovely hot day. It is well shaded so that was appreciated. We were looking for the Hans Christian Anderson and Alice in Wonderland statues. 

Found them! And a pretty lake where you can rent radio controlled sailboats.

We spent the entire afternoon at the Met and saw just the Arts of Africa, Oceania and South America in one gallery and Greek and Roman Art in another. It’s such an incredible enormous place it would take weeks to see it all. I’m not an expert on any art let alone from these areas, but I will say it would be hard to imagine a museum that had a better collection. 

New Guinean art. Top left is the roof of a ceremonial house and top right is a close up of the panels that make the roof. Incredible stuff!

Bottom left is made from very hard stone called Porphyry which is very rare and considered royal. This was a support for a water basin.

Don’t miss the roof garden on the 5th floor. An excellent view of the city skyline!

Tracy and I love museums! 

Back to our West Village neighborhood for dinner. We were both in the mood for Italian so decided to try Trattoria Pesce Pasta on Bleeker St. It was probably my favorite meal of the trip. A small authentic Italian restaurant that has been there over 25 years. For a nice restaurant in New York it was reasonably priced and the service and attention from the staff and owner were excellent. They are known for fresh fish along with all the usual Italian dishes, and your entree comes with either pasta or a vegetable.

We both ordered the striped bass with shallots and capers. Came with polenta - bonus! And I chose pasta with red sauce. We shared an appetizer of tons of fresh veggies lightly blanched - Yumm!

Over the past two weeks I have taken too many subway rides to count, and I am pretty proud of myself for only making a few little mistakes, nothing serious. I love the subway. It’s so inexpensive and so efficient. Some of the subway platforms are better than others and here is one of my favorites right by the Natural History Museum. 

That’s art! 

Here’s another coffee shop Tracy and I tried. They are an Australian coffee shop but outside of having lots of food with pears in it I didn’t notice a big difference between them and an American coffeeshop. But super cute! 

Tracy got these amazing steel cut oats with turmeric and pears. Fantastic! 

My time here is wrapping up - and I’m a little sad. For one, I am going to really miss Penny. She is so easy and such a sweetheart. I have met so many people in the neighborhood because she is so friendly and adorable, they can’t resist her. Don’t let anyone tell you New Yorkers aren’t nice or friendly. They have been amazing. And living in an apartment makes me feel like a local - and it’s been great! But this won’t be my last trip. Hopefully I’ve done a good job and will be high on the list to take care of Penny again. And thanks Cheryl and Tracy for coming out and having fun with me! You too Mary Kelly😊

That sweet face! 

I’m heading back to KC soon and will be enjoying that great city for a few weeks, and then off again. This year is flying by and it’s one I’ll never forget. If you’re reading this thanks for coming along!