Arne gave me an amazing gift...a valentines weekend in Minnesota. The idea behind this trip was to see Prairie Home Companion live at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. Here are some pictures and details on the amazing adventure.
Friday: Heading Out
Friday Morning mom took us down to SFO and while waiting in the NWA Security line, who was 2 people behind us? Garrison Keillor! I noticed the red shoes and Arne noticed the face that is perfect for radio. We boarded the fully packed plane and flew to Minnesota.
Once there, we took a cab to St. Paul and where we were staying - the St. Paul Hotel. It was the perfect hotel for a romantic weekend. After walking around a bit in the cold (it was sunny and in the twenties), we took an afternoon nap before heading over to the Science Museum to see Grand Canyon Adventure, an IMAX movie.
After the movie, on the way back to the hotel (2 blocks), we ran into Cay Hellervick, a local who had some extra box seat tickets to the Celtic Woman concert that was going on at the Ecel Center. For free, we thought why not, and enjoyed a the first half of the lovely concert before heading over to the St. Paul Grill for a great steak dinner and sundae!
Saturday: The Big Day
In the morning, while the sun was out, there was a bit of snow falling...it just sparkled and was the right way to start the day. We headed out to Minneapolis (which is not very close to St. Paul) and after a quick breakfast at SpoonRiver, headed to the Mill Museum. We LOVED the Mill Museum...it was filled with interactive exhibits, we learned about Minnesota's history and about flour. I just had so much fun.
After the Museum, we walked across the Stone Arch Bridge and checked out the waterfall, before going to lunch in an old Minneapolis bar. I had Walleye for lunch. I always thought this was a make believe fish on PHC...but it is real! Then we headed back to St. Paul to get ready for the show.
I loved going to the Fitz, seeing Prairie Home live and just being part of the whole experience. The Valentines show was just so romantic and such fun for us.
After the show we stopped in the Children's Museum to make cookies and play at Clifford the Big Red Dog's party, before going to late dinner at PazzaLuna
. It was the best Valentines ever.
Sunday: Relax and Return
After sleeping in, we headed up to Mickey's for a great breakfast. Then we stumbled upon a Scottish festivel, full of bagpipes and kilts...it was the Scottish Ramble.
After rambling through the Landmark Center, the Schubert Club opened and Arne was able to check out and play lots of old pianos. Very cool.
We then headed to the airport, only to find out our plane was delayed 3 hours due to rain at SFO, so we took that as an opportunity to ride the light rail into downtown Minneapolis for some dinner before the flight home.
All the pictures can be found here: Valentine's Weekend
