Day 131: Exploring Minneapolis

What better reason to sleep in than the sound of the rain on our roof? We'd been hearing the pitter-patter of the raindrops all morning, and the forecast was for cooler temperatures (jacket actually needed!) and rain for the majority of the day.

We went to Mike's and Kim's house to hang out. They have a dog and a couple of cats (yay pet owners!). Chuck, their dog (who is female), is 11 years old, and is trained as a therapy dog, visiting people at their homes or in the hospital to spend time with them. While Mike took Chuck to work, we spent time with Kim, who turns out to be an incredible homebody, as we had coffee and tea (the tea in an adorable tea cozy he'd knitted, with two pompoms!), homemade scones, homemade banana and berry bread, and homemade jam. Delicious and a perfect midmorning snack! We spent the morning hanging out and doing laundry, but after the lunch the rain had somewhat subsided, so we went in their car (Sheila included) to do some sightseeing.

Stone Arch Bridge

Our first stop was the Stone Arch Bridge, which is partially closed for renovations, but we could still walk across part of it. Completed in 1883, it's a former railroad bridge crossing the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in downtown Minneapolis, and is the only arched bridge made of stone on the entire Mississippi River. Since it was drizzling, we could see the falls gushing water down into the river. Walking along the bridge we saw several old mills, with the industry building up in the early 19th century. Minneapolis was once known as the "Flour Milling Capital of the World", and the logos of companies like Pillsbury could still be seen on the skyline. These historical buildings mixed in with newer, more contemporary architecture, like the vivid blue Guthrie Theater, a performing arts center.

House of Balls

When Lisette told Michael that she saw an interesting place to visit called The House of Balls, he thought it was literally a house made of balls, or decorated with them. We're still not sure about the history of the name, but it's a gallery that has a mishmash of sculpted art by a local artist, Allen Christian. It wasn't open when we were there (hours are 12-4pm, Monday through Saturday), but there was plenty of sculptures outside that we could look at, including a face made out of various bolts, structures constructed from metal, and a remodeled art car with "House of Balls" proudly painted on the side. It reminded us of art we'd seen at Burning Man, and indeed, Allen makes an annual trip to the Nevada desert.

The Big No. 2 Pencil

While we'd already seen plenty of gigantic, "World's Largest" sculptures in Minnesota, we are always happy to see another! One of Minneapolis' giant structures is of a Big No. 2 pencil, which stands at 6 meters (20 feet) on someone's lawn in the leafy, waterfront neighborhood on Lake of the Isles. Every year, people gather on the lawn to watch and celebrate the sharpening of the pencil, where there's music, and visitors dressed as pencils! We'd just missed the event, which took place earlier in the month, coinciding with what would have been Prince's 67th birthday, and when purple pencils were also handed out to the crowd to commemorate the event. And just like a normal pencil, every year that it's sharpened, the structure gets shorter!

It was nice to drive around the lakes and the waterfront neighborhoods. We love looking at different neighborhoods, and seeing the different styles of houses and how folks generally live. We were also relieved not to be driving in the RV to check this out, especially as there were many roads that were closed and needed detours because of roadworks. And Michael could actually sit back and enjoy the ride, rather than concentrate on driving!

West African Dance Class

It was a Thursday evening, so Lisette dropped into a one-hour West African dance class with Duniya Drum & Dance, which she'd heard about from her dance teacher, Naby, in San Francisco (he teaches workshops there each year). Classes are usually 90 minutes, but this would be happening on Saturday, and we'd planned to leave Minneapolis by then. This class was 60 minutes long, but the teacher, Whitney, was awesome in providing a full class, packing it in with a warm up, choreography for the Bao dance (from the Toma people in Guinea) and dancing in lines across the floor. There was also live drumming, with several drummers adding to the fun and energetic atmosphere.

Minnehaha Falls

While Lisette took her dance class, Michael, Sheila, Mike and Kim went to Minnehaha Falls, an urban waterfall set in a Minnehaha Park, which had a lovely nature walk within it, with lots of lush, green oak, basswood and other trees, as well as various native flowers. There was just enough time to also grab a quick drink and hang out before picking Lisette up from class.

George Floyd Memorial

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black American man, was murdered in Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer. Minneapolis was the epicenter of the wave of protests that reverberated around the world. People came together to voice their frustration and anger against police brutality, historic racism and social injustice, but sadly there is so much work to do, and a lot of companies have rolled back on their diversity, equality and inclusion commitments.

We went to the George Floyd Memorial on the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue. The city isn't in agreement yet on what to do here long term, but right now it's filled with flowers, candles, notes, and murals. There's plenty of images of George Floyd, but also photos of other Black Americans who have been murdered, including Breonna Taylor, Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray and others who continue to highlight the ongoing struggle for racial justice. Lisette teared up at the overwhelming sadness of it all, and how this is an obvious reminder that so much still needs to happen to usher positive change.

Midtown Global Market

We'd read about Midtown Global Market, an internationally themed market with stalls selling food & crafts from around the world--including food from Nepal, Mexico, and Jamaica, and arts & gifts from Tibet, West Africa and more. When we got there many of the shops were already closed, but luckily there was a Moroccan restaurant called Moroccan Flavors that was still open. The food was delicious! We had chicken tagine, vegetable tagine, and a stack of side dishes, including hummus, olives, beets, tabbouleh salad, and sliced watermelon. There's a heartwarming story about the owner, Hassan, (a super friendly man who we met), who came to the US with $500, and was able to realize his dream of opening a restaurant, which he now runs with his wife.

Lisette is Still Mortified

Heading back to Mike's and Kim's home, Lisette went to use their shower to freshen up after West African dance class. Lisette was mortified (and still hasn't gotten over her embarrassment) because before taking a shower she clogged their toilet! This post will spare the details, other than say that the water overflowed so much that it leaked downstairs and spilled from the lights to the table below. It's an older house which means that plumbing is sensitive, and Mike and Kim were very gracious about it as apparently this has happened before, but still.... *covers eyes in shame*

We hung out having drinks until it was time to turn in for the night. Thanks again Mike and Kim for your wonderful generosity and hospitality!

Route Map