We were greeted by tornadoes hitting Minneapolis on the way here Sunday, but once they cleared out it’s been lovely getting reacquainted to this beautiful city.

Minneapolis Sculpture Garden

We’ve spent the last couple days showing my best girl Rachel around. She has never been here before so we had to show her an awesome time!

Crazy Mirror Sculpture

Yesterday we played in the Sculpture Garden, which is very close to our apartment in Minneapolis. I showed it off a couple years ago, and little did I know I would soon be living within walking distance!

Rachel, PT, and I Reflecting All Over the Place

We ate a ton, walked a ton, and hopefully sold Rachel on Minneapolis so she’ll move here soon.

I’ll be working my tail off for the next couple days before my mom, sister in law Emily, and Baby Nolan drive up from Michigan for the weekend. Leaving for Renegade Brooklyn in T-15 days!

Related Sweatshop Love:

• February 1, 2012 -- The Sweatshop in Minneapolis
• July 7, 2011 -- Twin Cities: Lets Knit!
• June 1, 2011 -- The Fam in the Twin Cities
• May 20, 2011 -- Goodbye (Again) Chicago

Upon arriving in Minnesota Thursday afternoon and entering PT’s mom’s adorable little house, I was greeted with this:

Baby PT

“Aw PT! You were so cute!”

“Yeah that is my senior picture.”

“THAT is your SENIOR PICTURE? I was going to guess 8th grade.”

Minnehaha Falls

PT was anxious to take me on a grand tour of St Paul, where he grew up, and Minneapolis, which is like a whole other world according to PT’s mom.

St Paul has about 300,000 people and Minneapolis has about 400,000, and St Paul is known as the small, quaint city, and Minneapolis as the big city.

I didn’t, and still kind of don’t, understand why they are two cities. Wouldn’t it just be easier to have one big city separated by the Mississippi River, instead of two cities that are just like one big city anyway?

It’s like the sharks and the jets, so I probably shouldn’t have even said that while still in Minnesota.

In any case, both cities are beautiful; full of parks and old buildings and tree lined boulevards. Our first stop was in Minneapolis, just over the river, to Minnehaha Falls. See? Lovely waterfall inside the city limits!

F Scott Fitzgerald's House

Historical Spot

I had forgotten that F Scott Fitzgerald grew up in St Paul, but PT was on it and took me to see his house. I love him, and I love Zelda, and I really love Ernest Hemingway who grew up in Oak Park but whose house I still haven’t seen, shamefully.

The Mississippi River

We had lunch on the banks of the Mississippi River, which I can safely say I’ve never done before.

Good Sandwich

Big Tuna Sandwich

PT’s favorite sandwich place in St Paul is called Acme Deli, where you fill out a sheet of options, hand in your worksheet, and get a sandwich. I got a tuna with lots of veggies, cheese, and horseradish, and it was awesome.

Turkey Breast

PT got the turkey breast with olives, of course.

Hidden Falls

Where we stopped for lunch also had a waterfall called Hidden Falls; less hard core falls than Minnehaha and much more mosquito filled, but still! Lunch+Mississippi River+waterfalls? This place is great!

Izzy's!

And we got some ice cream for the trip to Minneapolis! PT worked at Izzy’s for a summer, so it was part of the PT life tour. At least I can justify going the first time that way, anyway. The second time, this time, I was just being a fatty. But, I mean, salted caramel ice cream? With a little taste of whatever other ice cream flavor you want? It’s a good thing I don’t live here.

Lake Calhoun

PT&ME

We stopped at Lake Calhoun, one of the many lakes in Minneapolis, and walked on the path around it. There were lots of people out biking and jogging the paths, enjoying the beautiful afternoon.

Cherry and Spoon

We stopped at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden that I loved.

‘I don’t get it,’ I said.

‘What’s to get? It’s a cherry and a spoon.’

PT sees things pretty clearly.

PT on the Light Rail

PT never asks to get his picture taken. I take pictures like a crazy and PT puts up with it like a champ, but this moment was a big moment in PT’s life. He was riding the light rail to the Metrodome for his last Twins game at that hell hole. So many people were riding that thing to the game! He was a very happy boy.

The New Target Field OMGOMGOMG!

Or I thought he was a happy boy, but in comparison to how happy he was to see the new Target Field where, in a matter of months, his beloved Twins will play, outside, like baseball should be played, he was catatonic on the light rail.

I didn’t understand exactly what a big deal this was. The Tigers got a new stadium a few years ago and it was a big deal but I wasn’t losing my shit over it. But then I went into the Metrodome to watch a baseball game.

What Baseball Should NOT Look Like

Entering the Metrodome, sitting down, and realizing you are about to watch baseball was kind of like seeing my best friend get punched in the face. Like, they took baseball, something I love so much, and dropped it into the shittiest place on earth. I was pissed! How could they do that? How could they stick BASEBALL in there?

Joe and Joe

But they were giving away Joe Mauer on a stick, which was fun. I don’t know why they didn’t throw some makeup on him and pluck his eyebrows down a little before blowing up his face that big, but it’s Minnesota. He might need those brows for warmth.

Besides the location, it was the perfect night. PT’s last Twins game in the Metrodome was a win, the Tigers won, the White Sox lost, and we light railed it back home.

Day Two? STATE FAIR! EVERYTHING DEEP FRIED AND ON A STICK!

I’ve got to charge my camera batteries.

Related Sweatshop Love:

• August 30, 2011 -- Minnesota State Fair and Target Field Means I Had the Best Weekend Ever!
• September 7, 2010 -- Target Field = Two Thumbs Up
• September 1, 2010 -- Minnesota State Fair 2010
• August 31, 2009 -- The Minnesota State Fair