Fun facts we learned about Minnesota!

Now that we are back home, here is some of the stuff we learned on our trip to the North Star State:

Minneapolis, the state's largest city, has about 377,000 people, and Saint Paul, the state capitol and second largest city, has about 287,000 people. I thought the cities were larger. Las Vegas, Cleveland, Omaha, and even Tulsa, Oklahoma are larger than Minneapolis. Philadelphia has more than four times as many people as Minneapolis.

On any given day, the MOA becomes the third largest "city" in Minneapolis.

Minnesota has about 5.2 million people, ranked 21st in the U.S. That is about half the population of Pennsylvania.

The weather in the Twin Cities area was about the same or slightly cooler than Pennsylvania (highs in the 50s and 60s) when we visited in early October. However, the average temperature is 17.9 degrees in December and February, and, get this, 11.8 degrees in January. The Twin Cities have an elaborate system of indoor heated skywalks to navigate through both downtown areas without freezing to death outside.

On that note, the MOA has no heating system. It relies on solar energy and people's body heat.

The MOA is the most popular tourist destination in the entire Midwest.

Yes, Minnesotans really talk with that accent you heard in the movie "Fargo." It can be very amusing sometimes. One person even said "Oh, goats!" as a mild expletive. That having been said, most of the people I interacted with were very friendly, outgoing, and more than willing to start a friendly conversation.

Surprisingly (to me), Most Minnesotans really had a lot of respect for Jesse Ventura and his practical, can-do attitude. They were disappointed when he said he wouldn't run for governor again, and blamed the media for being too tough on him. Opinions are mixed on current Gov. Tim Pawlenty. He was one of the finalists to become McCain's VP before a certain hockey mom from Alaska was ultimately chosen. He is a true fiscal conservative, but not a Christian right whack job like Mike Huckabee or Rick Santorum. Some people say that they are glad he wasn't picked for VP because Minnesota needs him, while others vehemently dislike him, even blaming him for the I-35W bridge collapse because he kept such a tight rein on the budget.

People are generally happy the I-35W bridge was rebuilt in less than a year and ahead of schedule. However, they wonder why another bridge across the river (I don't remember which one) has been under construction for more than five years.

Garrison Keillor is one of Minnesota's most respected people. I haven't really heard his stuff on NPR so I am not too familiar with him, aside from the syndicated columns in newspapers. There was even a store in the mall called "Lake Wobegon USA" with Garrison Keillor and "A Prarie Home Companion" related merchandise. Our tour guide did nothing but gush praise about him and the movie version of "A Prairie Home Companion," while Bob, our bus driver, said the movie was a bit too quirky for his taste.

Minnesotans love to tell "Ole and Lena" jokes, about a elderly Scandinavian couple. Some were funnier than others. Unlike other races who are appalled at ethnic jokes, Scandinavians like self-deprecating humor. I laughed a few times, because I happen to like corny jokes.

7 Yankee Stadiums can fit inside the MOA.

An 5.6 million square-foot expansion is planned for the MOA, making it the largest mall in North America (a record currently held by the West Edmonton Mall). The only part of the expansion built so far is an Ikea furniture store. The expansion includes a skating rink, Bass Pro shop, and an area for snooty, overpriced stores. The expansion is currently in limbo because of the current crappy state of our economy.

Twin cities wrap-up

I've been really busy since I got back to Pennsylvania, and now I finally have some time to chat about the rest of our trip to the Twin Cities.

On Sunday, after another fun morning of shopping in the MOA, we took a 3-hour bus tour of the Twin Cities. The Social Studies teacher in me wanted to learn more about the area than just the fact that there is a really big mall there. The tour was informative, and I was glad I got to see the cities.

The first stop was Minnehaha Falls, a rather scenic waterfall. Next, we drove through downtown Saint Paul, past the state capitol, and we took a quick look inside St. Paul's Cathedral, which looked like a scaled-down version of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. We also drove past the state capitol, which is very large and elaborate.

Then we drove down Summit Avenue which was a 4-mile-long stretch of beautiful victorian homes. By the way, Almost all of these homes had Obama signs in their front yards. Minnesota is leaning towards Obama, but is still considered a battleground state. After all, Minnesota is the home of some of the best known Democrats of the past few decades like Hubert H. Humphrey and Walter Mondale. (Who remembers the results of the 1984 election?)

Then it was on to Minneapolis. First of all, as a roadgeek, the highlight of the tour for me was crossing the new I-35W bridge. As you probably know, this was the bridge that collapsed last year, killing and injuring dozens of people. This is one of the busiest highways in the Twin Cities, so the new bridge needed to be built ASAP. Work progressed 24 hours a day, even through the harsh Minnesota winter, and the new bridge opened three months ahead of schedule.

I was surprised to hear other tourists make smart remarks like "Let me make sure I have my will drafted before I cross the bridge." I like macabre humor as much as the next person, and I didn't find this funny. Ounr next stop was at a sculpture garden where there were many modern art sculptures, most of which I just didn't get.

Then we drove past some of the lakes in Minneapolis. There are at least half a dozen large lakes inside the city limits, and the two I saw were very scenic.

Overall, this was a very informative tour, and it was nice to see the cities. Minneapolis looks like many other large American cities- modern, bustling, etc., but Saint Paul had much more of a European look to it with older buildings and brick streets. One of former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura's most memorable quotes was that the streets of Saint Paul looked like they were laid out by drunken Irishmen. I can see his point.

Then, it was dinnertime. We returned to downtown via the light rail. The $715 million Hiawatha Light Rail line opened in 2004 (now called the Blue Line), and goes from the Mall of America(south of the city) to downtown. Except for a tunnel at the airport, the line is all above ground, much of it follows surface streets, and is even able to stop at red lights. (However, it is able to control the lights like an ambulance or other emergency vehicle.) The ridership on the line has greatly exceeded expectations, and they want to build additional lines, including a line connecting Minneapolis and Saint Paul (update, the "Green Line" is now a reality, and several other extensions and routes are either proposed or under construction in the Twin Cities). The trains are clean, the ride is smooth, and the cost is reasonable ($1.75-$2.25 per ride).

The line was the brainchild of Gov. Ventura, who was able to convince the people and the state congress that it was necessary. According to our tour guide and other people I have spoken to, current governor Tim Pawlenty is not as effective at expanding the light rail, because he wants a line to go north of the city (where his family is) and many people are opposed to it. (Update: despite opposition, the Blue Line extension is proposed and scheduled to open in 2021.)

Anyway, dinner at the Melting Pot was wonderful as usual, but they skimped on the cheese! There's no excuse for this, because we were 20 minutes away from Wisconsin! I still prefer the Melting Pot closest to us in Towson, Maryland.

We had a few more hours on Monday to say goodbye to the Mall. We also visited the aquarium underneath the mall. It was worth seeing, and they had a good collection of undersea life including several good-sized sharks (check out this video of Darwinism in action taken at the aquarium), and a 300-lb. turtle. On the downside, the walk through the aquarium was short, only about 40 minutes or so. We had discounted tickets and paid $15 per ticket. I would recommend the aquarium, but only if you can get a break on the ticket prices. Our hotel had the coupons, and I am sure most of the hotels around the mall have the same coupons.

Overall, it was a great trip. Some people say the Mall is just a bigger, gaudier version of a regular mall, but I thought it was overwhelming, fascinating and well worth seeing. Cynics say that the mall is a giant concrete symbol of American consumerism, and I respond to that by saying that I am proud to be an American!

MOA live blog!

It's our last hurrah before the baby comes in March... We flew to beautiful Minneapolis to see the Mall of America.

The trip there was interesting... We took off from Baltimore airport- this was my first time there, because I usually take off from Philly. I will do anything in my power to travel out of here instead of Philly. The airport is nicer, there were very short lines at the ticketing line and the security checkpoint, and we didn't have to sit on the runway for 15 minutes behind a line of planes waiting to take off. This was also my first experience on a commuter plane, which we flew from Baltimore to O'Hare. A bit cramped for my tastes, and some asshole said it looked like Buddy Holly's plane right before we got on. 

Then it was time for a nearly 4-hour layover in O'Hare. This was a huge airport, but it wasn't fun being there for that long a period of time. Then we took a "real" jet for the 1-hour flight to the Twin Cities.

Our hotel, the Cambria Suites, was a true bargain for the money. The shuttle service is great. They will take you back and forth to the mall and the airport any time. The rooms are very nice. There is a sitting room, desk with ethernet connection and cordless phone, 2 widescreen HDTV's and even a DVD player. The hotel is only a couple of years old. The decor is very modern. It looks like the raided the local Crate & Barrel for the furniture, and it has one of those newfangled sinks that sits on top of the counter. All the soap and shampoo in the room was from Bath & Body Works.

The only drawbacks are that the swimming pool is the size of a large puddle, and there is no complimentary newspaper.

We took the shuttle over to the mall to eat some dinner and get the lay of the land. Obviously it was overwhelming. I got to see the amusement park for the first time. Wow. The mall is obviously huge, but it is laid out like a square and is easy to get around in. King of Prussia mall, in our home state of Pennsylvania, actually has more retail space than the MOA, although the Mall of America is a much larger building with the amusement park and all. We ate dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. I have seen many complaints that these places are touristy and overpriced. I can see their point, but the food I got (Jambalaya) was very good, and people need to understand that you are paying for the experience, not just the food. It would be an understatement to say this restaurant is elaborately themed. Our table was next to a huge saltwater aquarium full of tropical fish. Every 10 minutes or so, some animatronic gorillas would come alive (no, they didn't sing, we weren't at Chuck E. Cheese), and thanks to clever lighting and sound effects, there was a "thunderstorm" every 30 minutes.  All in all, it wasn't cheap, but this is a really cool place to bring kids, and adults will like the food and booze. (lots of elaborate frozen drinks.) Update: The Rainforest Cafe has reopened on the third floor. 

We headed back since we were ready to fall over. The next morning, it was time to shop. Most of the stores on the first two floors of the mall were stores like any other mall, and can be found in our neck of the woods. All four department stores (Sears, Macy's, Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom) are nationwide chains, and I know a lot of people have complained that there is no distinctively Midwest store like Marshall Field's. The Apple store was actually smaller than the one that just opened in our local mall. The Macy's was about the same size as the store in King of Prussia. My wife did find a dress at Macy's for an upcoming black-tie wedding we are attending, and I found a good, relatively inexpensive pair of shoes at Nordstrom Rack. The MOA also has the first in-mall Best Buy location I have ever seen. It opened only a few months ago. (see picture). On the third floor, the shops have a bit more local flavor. There are a couple of Minnesota-themed gift shops, a store completely devoted to farm toys, and some sports memorabilia stores that had way too few Eagles stuff. The mall itself is really nice. It was built about 16 years ago, and has held up well since, and still looks contemporary. Each side of the mall has its own "theme," and this idea works pretty well.

Since lunch was digested, and my pregnant wife wanted to sit and relax, it was time to hit some rides. First, I rode the most intense coaster in the park, the SpongeBob Rock Bottom Plunge (the bright green coaster in the pictures That's me in the front row). This ride only opened earlier this year, when they re-themed the park as Nickelodeon Universe. You go up a totally vertical chain lift. Then you go over the top, literally in the rafters on the roof of the building, and drop 97 degrees. Then you go through a loop, than another near-inversion, then the second inversion, which is a barrel roll. Of course, this pales in comparison to any of the coasters at Busch Gardens (See an earlier entry on the blog), but the ride was smooth, and this was pretty intense for an indoor coaster. I also rode the Fairly OddCoaster (dark orange track in the picture), a wild mouse coaster that gave a fun ride, and the Pepsi Orange Streak (green track, long orange train), which is as old as the mall, and isn't all that exciting. I also rode the Paul Bunyan Log Flume, which was a lot of fun. The ride was 4 minutes long, and there were two large drops, one of which was in the dark. There were also some low-tech but entertaining animatronics during the ride. It looks like they may take this ride down as they continue to put up Nickelodeon-themed rides.

Dinner was at Tony Roma's. There are none of these in Pennsylvania, but there are a few scattered around the country. The ribs, their specialty, were almost as good as the ones at the Texas Roadhouse (best ribs ever!) My wife's pork BBQ sandwich was really good, and had a nice, tangy flavor. The food here was very good and the prices were reasonable.

Tomorrow, we take a bus tour of the Twin Cities, and eat at the Melting Pot in downtown Minneapolis.