Minneapolis 101

Wow. I'm surprised and filled with delight. I just came back from a wonderful wedding in Minnesota and I'm pleased to inform that I discovered two inalienable truths. First, that Jewish weddings are definitely the most fun. (I mean, the famous Jewish "chair dance" where everybody elbows each other is infinitely better than the usual "let's dance a corny slow song and have everybody else watch from the sidelines")

Second, that Minneapolis is a gorgeous city for the architecturally sensitive eye! I expected a nice skyline like any other important American city, the usual parks, and some grand avenues. And yes, I knew about the incredible Walker Art Center and about the famous Mall of America. I also expected the unbearable cold that makes your ears numb the second you step out of the airport door. But I never thought that I would be constantly surrounded by impressive buildings by the most renowned architects of our time!

Minneapolis surprised me the second I stepped out of my hotel door the first morning. Not because of the cold (which was quite shocking), but because of the skyways. It turns out that Minnesotans decided to solve their slight weather problem by connecting every building in the downtown area with glass skyways! In other words, you can traverse through most of the downtown (going to work, lunch, running errands, shopping, dining) in the comfort of heated bridges, never stepping outside. In a way, the city is becomes a live mall.

However, to the first time tourist, a skyway feels like a hamster playground that can never substitute the feel of a city's streets. So I did step outside into the cold air, and it paid off. If you're ever planning to visit this city (and I insist, you should), here is a rough sketch of my itinerary, or what some smart marketing guys would call "Minneapolis by foot 101":

Here is a map.

1. Start early at the Walker Art Center and visit the expo. Then, step outside and walk around the building at least seven times to fully enjoy this amazing creation by Herzog and de Meuron. (these Swiss architects were the ones who turned that old London factory into the Tate Modern...and the created the "bird's nest" stadium for the Beijing Olympics). Then walk around the famous sculpture garden.

2. Walk along the Loring Park and visit the Basilica of St. Mary, which looks like a smaller, but definitely not more modest, version of St. Paul's in Rome. Find your way to Nicolett Mall, which is a pedestrian oriented street full of stores, and which runs a parallel to the theatre district. Walk down on Nicollet (towards the river) and you'll catch a great view of the great skyscrapers, like the Foshay Tower.

3. Take a left on 5th Street and go visit the Hennepin County Library. It's simply fantastic! The building was completed in 2006 by none other than César Pelli (or the architect that designed the Petronas Towers in Malaysia). When I was there, I was walking around the central hall when suddenly a small brass band came down the escalator playing the most joyful circus music and momentarily interrupting the typical library silence.

...to be continued...