MD&M Minneapolis 2009
Straddling the Mississippi River, Minneapolis and St. Paul are among the Midwest's premier cities for arts, culture, and entertainment. For those attending MD&M Minneapolis on October 21 and 22, the following suggestions may provide an array of relaxing distractions.
Play Time
In the mood for some theater? Guthrie Theater will be running several plays coinciding with the trade show: Faith Healer, a play by Irish playwright Brian Friel; The Importance of Being Ernest, Oscar Wilde's great classic comedy; and Northern Lights/Southern Cross: Tales from the Other Side of the World, a piece by Kevin Kling.
Guthrie Theater
818 South 2nd St.
Minneapolis, MN 55415
612/377-2224
www.guthrietheater.org
Down By the River
The Mississippi River fueled the area's growth from the 1830s on. Today, a day at the river, with its restaurants, shops, and biking and walking paths, is a favorite pastime of residents and visitors alike. For more information, go to www.minneapolis-riverfront.com.
Take in a Mall...or Two
Minneapolis is world famous for Mall of America, a gigantic assemblage of shops, restaurants, and an amusement park. But near the Minneapolis Convention Center, there's another mall that runs between Grant St. and Wash Ave.–the Nicollet Mall. An 11-block zone limited to foot traffic and service vehicles, the mall was the second downtown pedestrian zone in the country. Filled with restaurants, shopping, entertainment, and hotels, Nicollet Mall is home to a range of arts and entertainment venues, from Brit's Pub and the Dakota Jazz Club Restaurant to the Gaviidae Common shopping area and Orchestra Hall, home of the Minnesota Orchestra. For more information, visit www.minneapolis.org.
Victorian Vitality
Architecture lovers can stroll down St. Paul's, Summit Ave., the longest stretch of residential Victorian architecture in the United States. Those with a little time on their hands can also visit the massive James J. Hill House, a Gilded Age mansion. For more information, click on www.mnhs.org.
Grand Quaintness
Across the river in St. Paul, visitors can take in Grand Ave., a neighborhood of quaint coffee houses, upscale restaurants, galleries, and specialty shops. For more information, visit www.grandave.com.
Roundabouting
Minneapolis boasts the country's longest continuous system of public urban parkways. Developed more than a century ago, Grand Rounds Scenic Byway embraces parks, trails, and lakes such as Lake Nokomis and Lake Hiawatha. Whether you drive, cycle, or walk, enjoy seven Minneapolis districts, including the Downtown Riverfront, the Mississippi River, Minnehaha, Chain of Lakes, Theodore Wirth, Victory Memorial, and Northeast. For more information, go to www.minneapolisparks.org.
