Minneapolis turns the world on with her smile

When I was in elementary school, I loved watching The Mary Tyler Moore show, “one of the most acclaimed television programs ever produced” in US television history. Mary “Richards” worked as a news producer in Minneapolis, and led a charmed life; the apartment she lived in was a gorgeous Victorian mansion, she wore beautiful fur coats and got to meet interesting people. Oh, and the town she lived in was magical.
When I think of classy people, my mind turns to those who exemplify the genuine aloha spirit, gracious southern charm or ethical Scandinavian comportment. I think of those who treat others with compassion and empathy. If you seek classy, cultured folk, you are certain to find them in the twin cities of Minneapolis / St. Paul.

“Minnesota nice is the stereotypical behavior of people born and raised in Minnesota to be courteous, reserved, and mild-mannered. The cultural characteristics of Minnesota nice include a polite friendliness, an aversion to confrontation, a tendency toward understatement, a disinclination to make a fuss or stand out, emotional restraint, and self-deprecation … Similar attributes are also ascribed to Scandinavians, with whom Minnesotans share much cultural heritage.” (source: Wikipedia) In Travel & Leisure’s report on America’s Friendliest People, Minneapolis St. Paul ranked 5th highest in the country (Dec. 2009).

When Spirit Airlines announced $30 airfares from Detroit to Minneapolis, I couldn’t resist making a visit to The Twin Cities and reliving the Mary Tyler Moore experience. The first step of course, was to get a perfect introduction to the city, which I found with “Award Winning City Tours”. They took us to the coolest places, like Minnehaha Falls, the Cathedral of St. Paul, the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Chain of Lakes parks, the neighborhoods of the rich and famous, and sites associated with area inhabitants, like Judy Garland, Garrison Keilor, Eddie Albert, James Arness, Jessica Lange, Charles M. Schulz, The Andrew Sisters, Tiny Tim, Bob Dylan, Prince, The Pillsbury Dough Boy, J Paul Getty, the Mars candy family, Billy Graham, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. My favorite site was the 1892 Queen Anne Victorian at 2104 Kenwood Parkway I knew so well from the Mary Tyler Moore show; this is where my beloved Mary “lived”.

After the tour, we visited another mansion, the Alexander Ramsey House, on the St. Paul side of the river. The Minnesota Historical Society operates this landmark, built expressly for Minnesota’s first territorial governor. Although the mansion does not keep open hours for casual visitors, the Society programs incredible special events at the site called “History Happy Hour.” For example, at the Victorian-Era Cocktails presentation, you can have a drink with your friends at the Ramsey House while you learn about cocktails in the Victorian Era. The founder of the North Star Bartenders Guild prepares vintage-inspired cocktails and discusses the flavors and recipes that were popular in the 19th century. We attended a very happy “Happy Hour” lecture on the underground railway, when museum educator Dwight Scott told the story of “station agent” Joseph Farr, who was instrumental in guiding enslaved people through St. Paul to freedom. Scott was a lively presenter, keeping the attendees hanging on to his every word. I loved hearing how the locals outsmarted the wicked slave holders who ventured up the Mississippi to display their ill-gotten wealth. The Ramsey House presents these “Happy Hour” lectures monthly, the evening includes delightful tables of hors-d’oeuvres, classy French cheeses and a wide variety of wines and ales. We were amazed to see a pinot grigio from Mezzocorona, a quaint village near our home in the Italian Alps. The evening was superbly organized and an absolute joy to attend. During the holidays, you can experience the sights, sounds and tastes of a Victorian Christmas with special holiday tours, see original Ramsey family ornaments and gifts, hear holiday music played on the 1875 Steinway piano, and taste cookies freshly baked in the wood stove. Docents will reveal how the Ramsey family and servants celebrated the exciting holiday season.

Near the Ramsey mansion is the Padelford Packet Boat Company, a gorgeous old-tyme riverboat that offers a grand experience. You can spot bald eagles, herons, egrets and falcons as you travel back in time from St. Paul’s bustling downtown harbor through the Mississippi National Great River Park. This riverboat has exquisite décor, and a heavenly buffet, with carrot cake that is to die for! Fall is the perfect time to see the leaves change color, while celebrating Oktoberfest on the Padelford boats. Guests join in a rousing game of hammerschlagen and polka their way up the river on the seasonal Oktoberfest Lunch & Lock cruise. The boat is large, comfortable, and has lovely, hospitable staff.

If you love Peanuts as much as I do, you will find Valley Fair amusement park a delightful return to your childhood. This park offers an amazing tribute to Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and all the Peanuts characters. Throughout the day, costumed characters strolled through the grounds and offered photo ops to kids of all ages. Even unexpected nooks and crannies have well-planned surprises, like park benches with Woodstock alighting on backrests.

Our photos with the Snoopy statues turned out beautifully. Of course, the main draw to this park is so kids, namely those in grades K to 12 can be thrown into fits of delight on their spectacular, adrenaline producing thrill rides. I wouldn’t be caught dead on one of those contraptions; if I wanted to be terrorized, I’d jump off a cliff or something. During the fall, Valley Fair transforms to ValleySCARE featuring the Halloween Haunt and Planet Spooky.

This is more my speed – something the 5 year olds like. One feature at Valley Fair which I found interesting was their “all you can eat” pass – it is an add-on to park admission that lets you get a meal from the numerous food stands every 90 minutes. I believe this would be a great value if you have teenagers who can eat you out of house and home. I saw a lot of school groups on the day I visited, and they tended to take their lunch breaks in the parking lot where they ate from picnic baskets. The company sells an interesting platinum pass that gives you free admission to all Cedar Fair amusement parks in the country; that would be an awesome pass for families who love to visit many different parks each year.

A popular day trip from Minneapolis is to the quaint 1848 “Birthplace of Minnesota,” Stillwater, directly across the St. Croix River from the state of Wisconsin. Lumbering was the predominant industry in the St. Croix River Valley in the second half of the 19th century, and for many years logs were sent down the St. Croix, collected at the St. Croix Boom Site two miles upstream of Stillwater, and processed in Stillwater’s many saw mills. Steamboats were used most widely from 1860 to 1890, and a few are still used for entertainment today. Lumbering was so intensive during the boom years, the area became completely de-forested, and the lumber trade simply bankrupted itself into oblivion. A lesson in unfettered capitalism, the town slowly clawed its way out of destitution, and established its new identity as a tourist destination. Built on a sharp and steep bluff, the town is extremely difficult to tour on foot; ergo we took the convenient, comfortable and delightful Stillwater Trolley narrated tour. Our driver, also narrator, grew up in Stillwater and showed us places he enjoyed as a kid. He took us past historic buildings and the scenic bluffs that overlook the St. Croix Valley. He showed us Jessica Lange’s house, and the mansion owned by the chief counsel for Dell. Originally, the stately homes were intentionally built away from the raucousness and billowing soot from the steam engine trains. My favorite site was Teddy Bear Park, an imaginative playground with giant teddy bear sculptures upon which child can climb or strike a pose for memorable photographs. As a teddy bear collector, this park made the visit magical!

While in Stillwater, we took a cruise with St. Croix Boat and Packet Company on super luxury 100 foot yacht that offered picturesque views of both Wisconsin and Minnesota. St. Croix Boat also operates five historic 1800’s era River Boats with excellent entertainment, like Dixie Land bands and serene crooners. We were really lucky we ate dinner on the yacht, because locals warned us to be wary of fake reviews posted on sites like Tripadvisor by morally bankrupt restauranteurs. Locals said owners of overpriced tourist trap food joints consistently submitted glowing reviews of their own properties under fake names in order to trick tourists into dining at their dumps. The dinner we enjoyed on the luxury yacht was outstanding! We strolled aboard to behold an atmosphere of white linen, with a buffet of carved herb crusted New York strip loin, BBQ St. Louis style ribs, marsala chicken and baked cod, garlic potatoes, fresh fruit, tossed salad with all the fixings, and freshly baked yeast rolls. The crown jewel of the evening was a sumptuous assortment of desserts including cheesecake, carrot cake and Chocolate torte.

When you grow up in the Midwest, there simply are not many opportunities to enjoy a river cruise; most of the land is flat farm land, with a few creeks that eventually feed the Mississippi. However, we do learn all the stories about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, and can only imagine what it is like to float on Old Man River himself. Fortunately, there are ample opportunities to get your showboat fix in the Twin Cities. The Minnesota Centennial Showboat and Event Center is the summer home to the University of Minnesota Department of Theater Arts and Dance. Each summer they put on 80 stage performances, and the Showboat is also available September through May for chartered events. The Showboat features a spectacular 225-seat theater and two luxurious Victorian reception rooms. This unique floating Mississippi River palace is a must-visit attraction for Broadway style theatre lovers.

Being of Scandinavian DNA, I couldn’t miss visiting the magnificent Swan Turnblad French Chateau, home of the American Swedish Institute. Founded in 1929 by Swan J. Turnblad, this castle serves as a combination historic house/museum that features exhibits and programs of the Swedish and Nordic cultures. This castle provides a unique Minnesota experience: oh how Swede it is. The newspaper tycoon imported fancy stoves in whimsical colors, and today they are polished to a high sheen. Every ceiling in the castle is a sight to behold – it’s difficult to choose the most breathtaking feature here. Every floor has colorful exhibits, like Swedish vintage clothing, and hand-woven textiles. The crème de la crème is during the holidays when zillions of Christmas trees decorated with Scandinavian crafts fill the castle to the brim. During the summer, special events feature live music, craft displays, party beverages and foods. Inside the annex to the castle is an authentic Swedish award winning café, called Fika, which brings the best of new Nordic-inspired cuisine to Minneapolis-St.Paul.

In Sweden, fika is a daily break, traditionally involving coffee and treats. In truth, fika is about much more than java and desserts; it’s a Swedish social institution, where friends gather to chat about life and current events. We enjoyed a delectable dish of köttbullar (Swedish meat balls) and local ales. Seasonally, Fika offers a full-blown smorgasbord of Scandinavian delights.

Not able to get enough of the riverboat experience, we took a dinner cruise on the upscale, romantic, impeccably catered Minneapolis Queen. The Minneapolis Queen is a tourist boat shaped like an old fashioned paddleboat; it’s actually run by propellers and can travel sideways. The captain said it is ten years old, but in our opinion, it looked almost brand new; we were told they clean the ship thoroughly every day, and it shows. Docked at Bohemian Flats Park, the drive to reach the site is beautiful. The Flats is a low lying river terrace on west bank of the Mississippi River, a short distance southeast of St. Anthony Falls. On Bohemia Day (August 20) the park is alive with Lipa Slovak Dancers in colorful costumes celebrating the rich history and culture of the neighborhood.

Our GPS could not locate the dock, but pinpointing American Red Cross on W River Parkway, then driving a minute south led us directly to the boat. For two and a half hours we cruised up and down the Mississippi River on the Minneapolis Queen, taking in the gorgeous natural surroundings. There are no buildings to ruin the river setting, the entire route is blessed with greenery and fauna, perhaps the same way it was back in Mark Twain’s days. Shortly after the boat began its journey, staff circulated among the passengers with delicious bruschetta featuring large capers and cream cheese. Then they opened a sumptuous buffet of beef tenderloin, chicken with sage dressing, rosemary potatoes, veggies and Greek salad. Each table is decked out with ritzy linens, fresh cut flowers, a lavish buffet with real porcelain china and heavy utensils, sparkling stemware and million dollar views. Our lavish dinner concluded with platters of desserts; I ate four of the incredible carrot cake mini muffins topped with real cream cheese frosting.

On the night of our cruise, we saw guests wearing evening gowns, and military officers in full dress uniform. This grand paddle-wheeler was a splendid way to experience the history of beautiful downtown Minneapolis, and would be the perfect venue for a memorable marriage proposal or wedding ceremony.

Wow, if Mary Richards had only been on a date aboard the Minneapolis Queen, I’m certain she would have gotten that ever-elusive marriage proposal. But I guess, some things are just not fated to be. But that was OK, because when I was a child, I planned to marry Mary when I grew up. Fate chose a different turn.

Many of my childhood dreams did happen, though. Like Mary Richards, I got a job as a producer for a television station, which led to other fulfilling opportunities like writing for CBS, Broadway World and eTurboNews. Alas, I never got to marry Mary, but I learned the power of dreaming. To quote the Victorian poet Robert Browning, “Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?” – a dreamer can go far.

Friend Anton Anderssen at facebook.com/teddybears
Follow him on Twitter @hartforth

Special thanks to Kristen Montag, Minneapolis CVB and Lisa Huber, St. Paul CVB.