I have a special place in my heart for Minneapolis. I lived there for 4 years while going to college at the University of Minnesota and despite the chilly winters (ok that’s an understatement – the tundra that we call winter), it’s an amazing city. A safe, vibrant downtown, tons of lakes, bike paths galore and a subtle Scandinavian charm. And lots and lots of rooftop and patio bars (another post to come later about my favorites. You’re welcome).
Robin and I flew home to Wisconsin for his sister’s wedding, but since we were there for a week, I decided to do a quick trip up to Minneapolis to visit my old stomping ground as well as my sister and college roommate Melanie (you’ve seen her before in this Napa Valley post).
I woke up and pretty much jumped in the car to get a good start on the 4.5 hour drive to Minneapolis. I hate wearing tight clothes on road trips and the Midwest gets very humid in the summer, so I threw on this loose fitting floral romper from Target. Fun fact- it’s the first romper I’ve found that actually flatters me. Since I’m curvy and on the shorter side, they usually make me look like an umpaloompa. But not this one!
My sister, Amy, is also going to the U so I got a free couch to crash on. Whohoo! I got to her place around 2pm and we headed right out to Uptown to do some shopping 100% so I could take advantage of the no sales tax on clothing. Uptown is a really fun part of the city filled with cool shops, restaurants and bars. It’s also right by Lake Calhoun, my favorite lake in the city since it has some great beaches. After shopping Amy and I sat by the North Beach for a couple hours just relaxing and watching the ducks harass people for food.
Afterwards we headed to my very most favorite part of the city for dinner – Saint Anthony Main. The Main Street is so quaint and right by the river with a stunning view of the Minneapolis skyline. We went to Aster Cafe for dinner since I’m in love with their flatbreads and they have outdoor seating with a view of the river. If you haven’t gathered, being outdoors is my happy place. At Aster Cafe I got the prosciutto and pear flatbread and omgggnomnomnomnom. So good you guys. If you are ever in Minneapolis, check this place out.
And of course I couldn’t leave Minneapolis without some Izzy’s Icecream, which is right across the river from Aster Cafe. On any given night, there’s a line out the door for their eclectic flavors. We got the pomegranate with an Izzy scoop of Oatmeal Stout. What’s an Izzy Scoop you ask? It’s an extra, smaller scoop on top just for fun. You can see why we’re so in-love. I had to head off to visit Melanie, but usually I enjoy sitting on the Gold Medal hill right next to Izzy’s and watch the sunset over the river. Perfectly sums up Minneapolis.
