HAND-PICKED HIGHLIGHTS!
(→KEEP CHECKING BACK; WE’LL KEEP ADDING FUN IDEAS ) 
————————————–EAT & DRINK————————————–
❤ Minneapolis tap water is delicious and exceptionally safe and among the best tap water in the country. (We take pride in that… seriously, our rappers even rap about it and tweet about it!)
❤ The “Jucy Lucy” is a Minneapolis culinary legend: a burger with the cheese IN the patty! …and the BEST is found down the block from our home at Matt’s Bar, a no-frills dive with the award-winning best. 
❤ “Eat Street” is a several block stretch including family-owned ethnic eateries (Quang Vietnamese is mega-award winning & delish!), swanky artisan cocktail bars (Eat Street Social has SUPERB drinks!), artisan hipster donuts (Glam Doll Donuts), and everything in between. A great destination (with a few fun shoppy-shops too.)
❤ Midtown Global Market is “an internationally-themed public market with groceries, great food and unique gifts. There is no better place in the Twin Cities to satisfy your senses.” Of the offerings there, check out the Korean “Alice in Wonderland”-inspired restaurant called “The Rabbit Hole” (especially you, Kimberly! you’d LOVE it! )… GREAT funky setting AND fantastic food! 
❤ One of the most beautiful patios in the city is Aster Cafe and it’s on one of the prettiest streets in the city: a cobblestone lane on the riverfront. Yummy drinks & food & cozy vibes!
❤ BREAKFAST!!!!!! You can’t go wrong at any of these favorites of ours: Colossal Cafe (get their “flapper” yeasted pancake!!), Maria’s Cafe (get their “Cachapas Venezolanas” (corn pancakes) with cotija cheese. They’re indescribably amazing (and award winning!!), Blackbird (their “Colleen O'Brien” with homemade chorizo is crazy-good!)
❤ BEER!!!!! Minneapolis is a GREAT destination for microbrew with taprooms clustered mostly in Northeast Minneapolis (aka: “Nordeast”), very close to the wedding location. Visit these: Dangerous Man Brewing, Indeed Brewing, 612 Brew, and a fave that’s not in NE but is RIGHT by our home: Northbound Smokehouse & Brewpub serves excellent beer & smoked cuisine. Cheers!
❤ COFFEE: these have great atmosphere & are recommended by our caffeinated friends: Spyhouse Coffee (several locations) and Peace Coffee Shop.
❤ VEGETARIAN: our veg friends highly recommend the following: Seward Cafe (a collectively-run, crust-punkish south Mpls institution), Spoon River (fancy & award-winning), Namaste Cafe, Gardens of Selonica and Modern Times.
———————————-ART & CULTURE——————————————-
❤ Nye’s Polonaise This bar/restaurant/“Polish palace” is an INSTITUTION and is pretty much indescribable… Piano bar with live piano karaoke and another part of the bar that has a live polka band every Friday night (Saturday night too… but you’ll be doing other things! ;-) Gold glittery vinyl booths and waitresses who have seriously worked there for decades… you just need to go to understand. (great food too!)
❤ 331 Club This hole-in-the-wall yet sultry bar has great atmosphere, is a fave with locals, has some sort of a drink special at all times, is always free to get in, even when there live music (which is OFTEN and the bands are usually good quality!) DO check it out!
❤ The Minneapolis Institute of Art has a truly world class collection, is in a beautiful setting, and is FREE!!!!!!
❤ The Walker Art Center is renowned for its collection, including the FREE sculpture garden featuring the Minneapolis icon “Spoon Bridge and Cherry” –one of the most fun photo ops. in the city! 
❤ Saturday morning Farmers Market at Mill City is fancy & fun with fantastic artisan food to sample, local artists’ wares and in a GREAT setting!
❤ Summit Avenue in St Paul, a National Historic District, features one of the longest and best-preserved examples of a Victorian residential boulevard in the country. Lovely! (The Minnesota Governor’s mansion is among the homes there as is the former home of “Great Gatsby” author, F. Scott Fitzgerald.)
—————————-NATURAL BEAUTY (FREE!! )——————————
❤ Minnehaha Falls and surrounding park (and have a bite & good beer & delish ice cream at “Sea Salt Eatery”; their patio over-looks the beautiful waterfall.)
❤ A fantastic scenic cluster downtown: The Stone Arch Bridge, Mill Ruins Park, and The Guthrie Theater’s free & publicly accessible “Endless Bridge” are all clustered in a scenic, walkable area on the edge of downtown, along the Mississippi River’s “West River Parkway”.
❤ Minneapolis “Chain of Lakes” is a cluster of recreational lakes RIGHT in the heart of the city with beaches, trails, parks including the Lake Harriet Bandshell (host to frequent free concerts), the Rose Gardens & Peace Gardens. The trails around the chain of lakes are part of the “Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway”, a 50 mile loop of bike/pedestrian trails which goes around most of the City and includes the gorgeous Minnehaha Parkway, leading to Minnehaha Falls (see above). World-class urban biking, right there!
————————————-HOT TIPS—————————————–
☆ Light Rail transit is clean, easy, & safe and runs from the airport to downtown Minneapolis (blue line) and from downtown Minneapolis to downtown St. Paul (green line). The “38th St. Station” stop is nearest to our home.
☆ Natural & Organic Groceries: Seward Co-op (BIG selection & near our home) or East Side Food Co-op (near the wedding location.)
☆ Bike Rental: Nice Ride MN has pick-up/drop-off bikes all over the city. PERFECT for visitors! Also, Freewheel Bike Shop has GREAT selection and they’re RIGHT on the Greenway bike path.
☆ ————————-Art & Entertainment Listings—————————-
✪ l’étoile Magazine’s “What’s What”
✪ The City Pages events calendar
