Tuesday, December 02, 2008

A Tale of Twin Cities

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Actually, my Thanksgiving weekend solo road trip to the Twin Cities wasn't really all that dramatic, though I did have a very enjoyable time that was (not overly) marred by a poor Bears performance vs. the Vikings in the Sunday night game I attended, and a surprisingly disappointing visit to the Walker Art Center, which I had heard good things about for years, but had virtually no worthwhile art on display (I'll post more on the matter separately).

Though my acute enjoyment was limited, a visit to the Mall of America on Black Friday cured (hopefully) a strange obsession. The Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, where I stayed and played, was a good choice on both accounts. I enjoyed attending a play at the new Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis acclaimed local theater, although I have mixed feelings about the play itself--Blackbird, by David Harrower.

Though it was a bit cold, I enjoyed seeing and photographing Peanuts sculptures in St. Paul (Charles Schulz was from the area) and while perhaps not world-class, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts was considerably better than the Walker and has one of the best Van Gogh's I've ever seen.

I even ate some good meals, including a $11.95 Prime Rib Dinner at Mystic Lake (the Prime Rib wasn't awesome, but was passable for the low price) and a solid Top Sirloin at Murray's, a Minneapolis staple since 1946.

The ride back home seemed a bit long, but traffic nor weather were ever an issue. All in all it was a good trip, the Bears notwithstanding.

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