A Few of My Favorite Things
The other day I had an early morning run through Downtown Minneapolis and took pictures of whatever appealed to me. Unfortunately, I only had the CrapCam, and as usual the pictures are out of focus. Sigh. Here's a visual, albeit blurry, tour of my city.
From my house, I ran through the Sculpture Garden at the Walker Art Center. The image above is of Claes Oldenburg's Spoonbridge and Cherry. It's probably one of the most photographed sculptures associated with Minneapolis. The Basilica of St. Mary, the first Basilica west of the Mississippi, is in the background.
From the sculpture garden, I ran across the bridge to Loring Park. Here's a perennial garden in full glory.
As I ran towards the other end of the park, this "dandelion" greeted me. It is my favorite fountain and it always lifts my spirits. Just like the first robin is a sign of spring, I know that summer has arrived when this fountain is running.
Next, I ran up the Nicollet Mall, a pedestrian mall that extends about twelve blocks. If you're a local, you know to pronounce it "Nickel It", (don't cringe, Plods!), named for the Frenchman who mapped the Upper Mississippi basin. On this morning, vendors are setting up for the farmer's market. That enclosed bridge is called a skyway and there's a maze of them that allow you to get to various points without ever venturing outside. Very helpful when the temperature is minus 20F.
Further up the mall is this tribute to the character Mary Richards, played by Mary Tyler Moore in the early 70s. The TV show was set in Minneapolis, and the statue was placed near the spot where she threw her hat up in the air during the opening credits. I felt stoopid taking a picture of the statue, but I'll do anything for you people. :-)
Next stop is the new library, which opened in May. It was designed by Cesar Pelli, who also designed the Wells Fargo Center a few blocks away, one of my favorite buildings.
From the mall, I headed east, through an area that not too long ago was urban blight, but is now full of "lofts" and restaurants, centered around the new Guthrie Theatre. This is the back of the Guthrie; the large blue thrust is a balcony that gives awesome views of the river and Northeast Minneapolis.
The Guthrie used to be by my house, but outgrew its 40-years-old space so moved to the Mill District. This is where Minneapolis got its start--St. Anthony Falls, a waterfall in the Mississippi River, generated power for the sawmills, and later flour mills. Here's a sign leftover from one of those mills, Gold Medal Flour.
From the Guthrie I ran west along the river, back towards downtown, and through this Cancer Survivor's Park, an oasis of calm in the heart of the bustling city. It features sculptures and signs offering encouragement and support to cancer survivors and their families.
From my house, I ran through the Sculpture Garden at the Walker Art Center. The image above is of Claes Oldenburg's Spoonbridge and Cherry. It's probably one of the most photographed sculptures associated with Minneapolis. The Basilica of St. Mary, the first Basilica west of the Mississippi, is in the background.
From the sculpture garden, I ran across the bridge to Loring Park. Here's a perennial garden in full glory.
As I ran towards the other end of the park, this "dandelion" greeted me. It is my favorite fountain and it always lifts my spirits. Just like the first robin is a sign of spring, I know that summer has arrived when this fountain is running.
Next, I ran up the Nicollet Mall, a pedestrian mall that extends about twelve blocks. If you're a local, you know to pronounce it "Nickel It", (don't cringe, Plods!), named for the Frenchman who mapped the Upper Mississippi basin. On this morning, vendors are setting up for the farmer's market. That enclosed bridge is called a skyway and there's a maze of them that allow you to get to various points without ever venturing outside. Very helpful when the temperature is minus 20F.
Further up the mall is this tribute to the character Mary Richards, played by Mary Tyler Moore in the early 70s. The TV show was set in Minneapolis, and the statue was placed near the spot where she threw her hat up in the air during the opening credits. I felt stoopid taking a picture of the statue, but I'll do anything for you people. :-)
Next stop is the new library, which opened in May. It was designed by Cesar Pelli, who also designed the Wells Fargo Center a few blocks away, one of my favorite buildings.
From the mall, I headed east, through an area that not too long ago was urban blight, but is now full of "lofts" and restaurants, centered around the new Guthrie Theatre. This is the back of the Guthrie; the large blue thrust is a balcony that gives awesome views of the river and Northeast Minneapolis.
The Guthrie used to be by my house, but outgrew its 40-years-old space so moved to the Mill District. This is where Minneapolis got its start--St. Anthony Falls, a waterfall in the Mississippi River, generated power for the sawmills, and later flour mills. Here's a sign leftover from one of those mills, Gold Medal Flour.
From the Guthrie I ran west along the river, back towards downtown, and through this Cancer Survivor's Park, an oasis of calm in the heart of the bustling city. It features sculptures and signs offering encouragement and support to cancer survivors and their families.
13 comments:
What a beautiful tour! I've never been there, it looks like a great place! I like the dandelion fountain too!
Awwww, thank you so much for the photo tour. I got teary-eyed! I miss Minneapolis so much. I am overdue for a trip back.
I like the buildings. My Mom likes the garden best. My favorite is the last picture.
I loved your pictures - even if they are on the crap cam. Hope you are having a great summer!
Thank you for the tour! It's great to see what other people experience when they run.
Cool beans! I work in DT Mpls near Loring Park (on UST campus). Soooo cool!
Nice visual tour! I didn't realize how diverse Minneapolis is.
Minneapolis is a cool looking city! There is definitely a lot about it that is "miss-worthy" there:-(
PS--Love the MTM statue! :-P
What a great idea! Thanks for the tour - very nice.
you're making me cry! and making me want to live there!
I love the dandelion fountain!!
Thank you for the tour, a lot better than a sightseeing and cheaper!
Lovely tour! I've often thought about photographing where I run, but have yet to actually do that. That's also cool about the Mary Richards statue...
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