Minneapolis

David's work sent him to Minneapolis for a conference, so we decided to take a few days off and explore the upper great lakes region. David has always wanted to visit the upper peninsula of Michigan, and Paul hadn't been to that part of his home state in more than a decade. With the heat in high gear in Atlanta this summer the time was right to visit the north! We started in Minneapolis, drove up to Duluth, across Wisconsin to the upper peninsula of Michigan, down through Green Bay, and back to Minneapolis to fly out. This post will cover our time in the twin cities of Minnesota.

We've been to Minneapolis before, but only briefly. This time it was another brief stay - David's conference was only a day and a half, and Paul joined on the last day. Minneapolis is a fun and livable city, with cozy neighborhoods and a progressive urban vibe. Some of the neighborhoods we visited were reminiscent of Virginia Highland or Inman Park in Atlanta - leafy, pleasant and interspersed with small retail nodes.

Ruins of an old mill on the Mississippi River. Now parts of it are condos and a museum.

Bike/Ped bridge across the river at sunset.

First thing we did when Paul arrived was go to Mall of America so he could ride roller coasters!

We met up with our friend Emiko for dinner and took a walk around Lake Harriet.

Delicious food at Pizzeria Lola.

Sunset on Lake Harriet. Minneapolis has several lakes like this.

There was a live band performing next to the lake.

Sebastian Joe's...we ate a lot of ice cream this trip.

Downtown Minneapolis at night.

Sparrow Cafe, a cute little coffee shop in the Lynnhurst neighborhood.

The Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. 

Valleyfair amusement park

Wild Thing, the big coaster at Valleyfair.

When you arrive right at opening and go straight to the back of the park, it's not very crowded yet. Look at all the empty seats!

We made one last stop at Como Town, where Paul got another coaster credit.

Although we only had a limited time in Minneapolis, we were able to have some great food, explore a few neighborhoods, and meet up with some friends. Paul even got to ride a few new roller coasters. I'm sure we'll be back to this city sometime soon. Next stop: Duluth!