Minneapolis

Some college pals of mine settled in Minneapolis after Katrina by way of Alaska (it's a long story), and they were at the airport when I landed, ready to make trouble. First up was the Mall Of America, which is only slightly less big than that Mall of the Universe in Edmonton. Here, Nick gestures in a contemporary way while Clarence (aka Bup) stares and Kat moves faster than the lens.

It should be noted here that 'man bags' are the thing in Minneapolis. Displayed prominently here by both Nick and Bup, they're like purses for men. Bup explains that since there's public transportation, you have to carry your office with you, but I think it may be more sinister than that. It should also be noted that this Bup is the same Bup that's in the Fellow Bloggers list over there on the right, and if you want to know more about this man, you know where to go.

Next up was the Guthrie Theater. This place was developed as an alternative to Broadway sometime in the sixties, and several other cities did the same thing when they saw how well it worked out. The original theater had recently been torn down and rebuilt in spectacular fashion on a new site overlooking the Mississippi, and my three friends, actors all, gave me the tour. Wonderful place. Nothing's as grand as a theater build by people who have their minds put to it. Here, Nick points down through a skylight in a fourth floor overhang. The glass is all yellow, hence the jaundice. That's the Mississippi in the background there.

We spent the next several hours lost in downtown Minneapolis. I did get some great pictures though.

A nifty thing they do here is connect all the buildings through skyways. You can literally get from anywhere to anywhere else downtown without going outside. It's a great idea for a place as cold as Minneapolis. What I found amusing is that they build the skyway first and then the building, and so sometimes you get this:

After that, the Sculpture Garden. This is an area right outside of the Walker Art Center, and it would have been a great walk if people hadn't left all this art out everywhere.

Minneapolis is now done.