Day
2: Minneapolis
Weather: Warm to hot, never cool
COTD: Alex, I’ll take famous fifties for 50 cents
AOTD: 1999
QOTD: What is the year THB really turned 50?
QOTD: What is the year THB really turned 50?
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| The W Foshay, our hotel (and we're on 23rd floor, right near the top) |
Book Review: The Gardens of Kyoto, Kate Walbert (novel):
Published in 2001, THB had been saving this book for the upcoming Japan trip
(not saving it since 2001, just for a few months), this book does not actually focus on
the gardens of Kyoto, just the hint of them and their “true” meaning: something
other than actual gardens, the ethereal representation of other worldly places.
This wonderful novel makes use of the subtleties of loss, memory, misdirection
and the tragedy of war to evoke emotions with simple words and events filled
with brief, hesitant conversations. The plot: a woman is explaining her early life’s
twists and turns to her unknown child, almost a coming of age book yet it is
the emotions not events that are so gripping. Highly Recommended (and
destined to be in THB’s 2015 top books category)
Up and about to beat the heat: walk over 2.5 miles (round up? OKAY!), make it 3 miles, to breakfast at the Co-op Creamery (and offshoot of the Co-op market in Seward district).
THB has wild rice pancakes
topped with crème fraiche, cherries and gluten free puffed wild rice (which
arrived a few minutes after the pancakes, excellent (especially with the late
arriver). DB had standard large buttermilk pancakes topped with banana and
peanut butter, enough for three. With coffee, $25. The café has a no tipping
policy: whatever is left is donated to one of two local food promotion places, Seed and P6,
THB leaves $5. Of note: the service was not very good! That appears to be one
of the big downfalls of the no tipping policy: the staff doesn’t have an
incentive to deliver good service collectively.
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| How far THB had made it when the puffed rice showed up |
Walk back, another (what, oh
yeah) 3 miles, a bit warmer. Freshen up, rest up, then head to another smart
shopping district at 50th and France (if only!). Lunch at another
food conscious spot, Agra Culture. THB scores again with a deconstructed sushi
salad and spicy lemonade, DB has more of a lettuce salad with beets and chicken
and a regular lemonade; with tip, $43.
More resting up and then meet
CC for excellent gin-based drinks at the Marvel Bar, downstairs from our dinner
at the Bachelor Farmer.
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| The entrance to the restaurant, barely signed |
The two doors leading to Marvel Bar, totally unmarked (with construction outside the first door)
We manage to eat most if not all of the following:
-
Smoked
Rainbow Trout with roasted summer squash, cucumbers, radishes and crème fraiche
(cf twice today for THB)
-
Salad of
broccoli, roasted carrots, broccoli pesto, toasted pumpkin seeds and a carrot vinaigrette
-
Fresh
cow’s milk cheese (soft, luscious!) with toasted hazelnuts and hazelnut oil and
plenty of toast that seemed to grilled over open fire
-
Roasted
chicken, wild rice (another two-fer today), broccoli, yogurt and oregano
-
Duck
confit, roasted carrots, eggplant puree, tomatoes, pistachios, currants
-
Dessert:
pavlova with lime curd and cherries (another two-fer!)
-
Most of
a bottle of Blaufrankisch Pieler (Austrian red)
-
No
prices, CC treated!!!
Walk back to our hotel, to
try and help our digestive tracts. It was just like last night at the ballpark:
in the high 70s to low 80s, and lots of people out on the streets (On a
warmmmmmmmmmmmm San Franciscannnnnnnn night….like it is ever this warm at night
in SF)
Oh, and a mural of Bobby:
More shots from around town
Utility Boxes
Underpasses
A cute area, maybe the railroad district?
Our car
A unique building
What happened here?
Day
3: Minneapolis to
E-ville
Weather: Warm in Minneapolis, warmish and cloudy with chance
of rain coming to E-ville
COTD: Alex, I’ll take famous fifties for $5 Billion
AOTD: This state
has 8 national parks and what other notable distinction?
QOTD: What is Alaska; it is the only state that THB has not yet visited (i.e., his 50th)
Breakfast at Rustica, and a
very easy set of flights home. And, lots of under 5 kids and a few 6-12 year
olds. Southwest must be running some mid-week mid-day promotion for families
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