Minneapolis

Heading to Minneapolis last week, I didn't have any preconcieved notion of what the city would be like, though I was still happily surprised with how nice it was. A work related conference was the reason for the trip, but I decided to add on an extra day and stay for the weekend. Luckily, I have an online friend who lives there who was more than willing to show me around. The city is really green, very active, and has lots of good restaurants and rooftop patios everywhere.

I arrived in Wednesday afternoon and took the train downtown. There was a Twins game that evening and the train was packed! Still, an easy and quick way to get around. I met up with my friend and we went out for dinner and drinks.

Thursday I wandered around town a bit before meeting my friend again. We went to the bike shop so I could rent a bike, all while hoping the looming skies would hold off and we could get a ride in. We managed just over 2 hours on the bike paths around the lakes. You can ride forever on those bike paths. So strange coming from somewhere where there is no alternative to riding on the road. The ride was a bit wet, but nothing too bad. With all of the bike paths, its easy to see how Minneapolis has now become the number one bike riding city, overtaking Portland. Plus, last week was the introduction of the shared bike system. I saw lots of people taking advantage, even with the weather not being the greatest.



Thursday evening and Friday were all about the conference. It was a good experience overall. Lots of learning, eating and drinking!

Saturday and Sunday I ran with the friend again. Shorter on Saturday and long on Sunday. I don't know if it was the flatness of the run, but Sunday's long run was the best I have had in a long long time and it was a muggy day! We ran from downtown, through the sculpture garden, through the old neighbourhood, and around Calhoun Lake. My friend dropped off to go home and I ran more of the lake before heading to her place.


(photo by Bl@ck Coffee)

After a shower, we went out for brunch, walked Uptown a bit, had ice cream and then she dropped me to the airport. While Minneapolis is not somewhere I had on my list of places to visit, I am glad I had the opportunity and would recommend it. At least if you don't have to go in the winter!