One thing I really wanted to see when we were in Minneapolis is the Northwestern National Life Building. I had stumbled across a picture of it online, and I knew I needed to see this mid-century marvelous beauty for myself. I was not disappointed.
I love the way the tall arches contrast with the sharp line of the roof:
The glass is something to behold, too:
And the use of water out front to offer a reflective surface to lengthen the lines of the building is outstanding!
I’m so glad I actually got to see this gorgeous building!
On the third day of our trip, we set out to see as many things as possible, beginning with the Cathedral of St. Paul in…well, St. Paul! The skyline of the Minnesota state capital is smaller than that of Minneapolis, but I still enjoyed seeing it, and there was something charming and cozy about the city that I really enjoyed!
The cathedral was absolutely stunning…it reminded me of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis in some ways, and was very different in others.
After we toured the whole cathedral, we drove by the Capitol Building:
And then made our way back to Minneapolis, where we found a good view of the skyline:
And a local landmark, the Witch’s Hat Water Tower:
I really wanted to see the Northwestern National Life Building, which is absolutely mid-century marvelous!
We drove around a bit more, and saw the flagship Target store and the Mary Tyler Moore statue, but it was so busy downtown we couldn’t find parking to get out anywhere. Then we stopped at the Basilica of St. Mary. It wasn’t open for tours, but we did walk all the way around it, and it too is a grand and beautiful building.
We stopped by Lyndale Park where we saw some lovely fountains and flowers:
And enjoyed a meal with friends at D-Spot. I had a burger with cheese curds on it, and there were wings with lavender…such brilliant and unexpected culinary offerings!
One more stop at Caribou:
And then a little excitement back at the hotel. Just as Ryan, Turkey, and Ladybug were ready to leave to see the Sonic Symphony at the Orpheum Theatre (the main reason we chose Minneapolis as the destination for our trip), the power went out, and then the fire alarm went off. There were rumors of flames, and I did smell smoke, but in the end, they allowed us to return to our rooms, and the power came back on not too long after. It was a weird time, with a wedding party in full dress and various motorcycle clubs standing around the parking lot (the two main groups staying at the hotel that weekend), and later on the balconies of the hotel, but there was a nice sense of community about the whole thing…I just wish our room hadn’t been on the 7th floor, because that was a lot of flights to climb down in the mostly dark (and then back up again…we didn’t trust the elevator while the power was out, even though it was operating!).
Anyway, they made it to their concert in the middle of the hotel chaos, and I’m told a good time was had by all.
