Minneapolis-St. Paul Quick See

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Had a really enjoyable day today. Last night I had a college reunion which was a lot of fun. I lived in Minneapolis for about a year over 10 years ago now, and the area has changed much since I lived here. Decided today to go see some of the sites and refresh my memory. Didn't have a lot of time because of other commitments but wanted to see some of the churches that I vaguely remembered from when I lived here. The day was a little cool but still no snow which was nice!

First, drove over to St. Paul to take a look at St. Paul's Cathedral. St. Paul's sits on a hill near the Minnesota Capitol. It's apparently the highest point in St. Paul and it towers over everything with its massive dome. Went inside and looked around and it was extremely expressive, especially the dome. It amazes me how people are able to plan and think up these buildings. The Cathedral had first mass in 1915. The colors inside was incredibly beautiful. The Shrines of the Nations located inside are very pretty and each are unique. The booklet states it's made of Italian marble and Saint Cloud granite. The building is as high as it is long. Very, very pretty. I really liked its outside color with the greyish granite and copper dome.

Plus, as part of my nephew's class project, I had to take "Flat Stanley" (a little cut-out of a kid tastefully drawn by my 8 year old nephew) to the sites and take pictures with him in them and then summarize the significance. I had to make sure my nephew's project was unique so was determined to get ole Stanley in as many pictures as possible!

Then, I drove over to see its neighbor, the Minnesota Capitol building. Classic dome structure with a massive grounds that had to be very pretty in the spring time. Unlike St. Paul's Cathedral, the Capitol uses gold to add contrast with its white granite. It was completed in 1905. Someday, I'll need to take a tour of the inside.

Next, I headed over to Minneapolis. I had heard that the Basilica of St. Mary was something to see but hadn't ever been there before. I was surprised to learn that it is the oldest Basilica in the United States and on the National Register of Historical Places (sign on entrance of building). Very different from St. Paul's inside but very pretty as well. According to the booklet I picked up inside, the nave is believed to be the widest of any church in the world. Very, very impressive.

I then decided to go and try to locate the Anthony Falls which was I completely unaware were in the area. According to what I'd read, it was the only waterfall in the upper Mississippi River system but ended up being replaced with a concrete apron due to erosion problems in the late 1800s. Lots of parking and its located near the downtown museums. Has a very impressive walkway system which allows you to see the "Falls" and also allows crossing by bikes and walkers to the St. Paul side. It would be a very pretty walk to take in the summer months.

After a quick lunch downtown at the Hard Rock Cafe, I then headed south to the Mall of America. I love aquariums and had never been to the one at the MOA. According to its brochure, it's the largest underground aquarium in the world. If you like fish, it's pretty good but much smaller than I thought it would be. Lots of sharks and very big tanks which you move under throughout which was impressive. The jellyfish will get the kids excited! The MOA was packed, of course, with the upcoming holiday season but manageable.

After that, that was about all the time I had for site seeing and it was time to go do some visiting!!! Overall, it was a very nice day in the Cities. Hope to be back again soon!

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Photos

St. Paul's Cathedral
Huge, towering Cathedral. Not quite on par with the massive cathedrals of Europe but towers in the US midwest.

Minnesota Capitol
Pretty Capitol building in St. Paul.

Basilica of St. Mary
Oldest basilica in the US.

St. Anthony Falls
Falls in the Mississippi that have been built up due to erosion.

Underwater Adventures
States it's the world's largest underground aquarium.

Flat Stanley
Flat Stanley at the Mall of America.

Comments

[Alpinemel]

trying..
to comment on all the entries...not sure I can in one day. I love the mall of america!! Maybe because I am a shopoholic. Yes I admit it...first step to recovery! :)