As I have noted on this blog and in early entries on
presenceofcolor, Minneapolis is a great city for indie businesses. In terms of coffee shops, bookstores and boutiques, there is a plethora of non-chain stores and specialty stores all over town competing but not overrunning each other. On Lyndale alone (main thoroughfare) there are at least 6 non-Starbucks, non-Caribou Coffee shops. We can take the laptop to a new place each morning and we haven't even explored St. Paul! We are huge fans. That is definitely a noteworthy and important plus for this town. +++!
On this night, the last official day of winter vacation, Ruby, Char and I went out on the town. First a stop at the
Electric Fetus, a local record/gift/music/book emporium - a hotbed of a head store since 1968. After seeing Slumdog Millionaire on Friday night, Char vowed to get the soundtrack asap and she thought that a trip out to the Fetus would make for a great authentic Minneapolis experience. Plants keeping watch in the windows; the smell of patchouli fragrantly whacking you in the face like bare feet on ice. Lots of pipes, incense and rows and rows of vinyl.
From there, we drove down off of Nicollet Ave. to Char's old art-days haunting grounds and winter comfort restaurant:
The Black Forest Inn. We had dined there a few years back and were excited to make ourselves comfortable under the taxidermied deer heads and German Beer garden ambiance. It was a quiet night, a few tables of quiet diners, huddled over their sauerkraut, spaetzle and
geschnitzeltes, sipping hot Apfelwein (AppleWine) and dark wheat beer. It was heavenly. I had a hot veggie-pot pie, shared some spaetzle with gravy and cooked sweet and sour red cabbage salad. Apple streudle with cinnamon whipped cream for desert.
As I have noted on this blog and in early entries on presenceofcolor, Minneapolis is a great city for indie businesses. In terms of coffee shops, bookstores and boutiques, there is a plethora of non-chain stores and specialty stores all over town competing but not overrunning each other. On Lyndale alone (main thoroughfare) there are at least 6 non-Starbucks, non-Caribou Coffee shops. We can take the laptop to a new place each morning and we haven't even explored St. Paul! We are huge fans. That is definitely a noteworthy and important plus for this town. +++!
On this night, the last official day of winter vacation, Ruby, Char and I went out on the town. First a stop at the Electric Fetus, a local record/gift/music/book emporium - a hotbed of a head store since 1968. After seeing Slumdog Millionaire on Friday night, Char vowed to get the soundtrack asap and she thought that a trip out to the Fetus would make for a great authentic Minneapolis experience. Plants keeping watch in the windows; the smell of patchouli fragrantly whacking you in the face like bare feet on ice. Lots of pipes, incense and rows and rows of vinyl.
From there, we drove down off of Nicollet Ave. to Char's old art-days haunting grounds and winter comfort restaurant: The Black Forest Inn. We had dined there a few years back and were excited to make ourselves comfortable under the taxidermied deer heads and German Beer garden ambiance. It was a quiet night, a few tables of quiet diners, huddled over their sauerkraut, spaetzle and geschnitzeltes, sipping hot Apfelwein (AppleWine) and dark wheat beer. It was heavenly. I had a hot veggie-pot pie, shared some spaetzle with gravy and cooked sweet and sour red cabbage salad. Apple streudle with cinnamon whipped cream for desert.
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