Snapshots of The Twin Cities // August 2012

All summer Kyle and I attempted to plan a vacation.

We both had a pretty busy and crazy spring semester last year and really deserved a getaway. 

Unfortunately the planning process left us stressed and discouraged every time we tried. 

Finally, after asking for a sign we found it! 

In a Whole Living Magazine, seriously!

Minneapolis/St. Paul had everything we were looking for and more. A cooler climate, great food, beautiful scenery, amazing culture, unique shopping locations... and Coldplay.

...and it did not disappoint...

Day/Night 1:

In a sort of panicked-scramble-y rush we drove from Kansas to St. Paul as quickly as possible to make it the concert. As we entered the venue we were given some neon wristbands that we were told were "part of the show". Had it been any other show.. I may not have worn mine but I'm glad I did!

We missed the  first opening act, but we didn't really mind. We managed to hear all of Marina and the Diamonds... I wasn't impressed. And then Coldplay came on! Hooray! And our neon wristbands began to light up like Christmas lights! It was so breathtakingly cool!

The show was amazing! The music was fantastic and the visual effects were so exciting. They had everything from lasers, video screens and light up wrist bands to clouds of confetti and falling beach balls. It was so incredible.

They played tons of stuff from the Mylo Xyloto album as well as some old favorites and some random goodies. But really, they are ALL goodies. I cried about 3 times during some crowd sing alongs. It was so overwhelming because this music has been a part of my life for such a long time. It was all around the most incredible show EVER! I am so happy that we were able to pull off some last minute decent seats! Worth. Every. Penny.

Day/Night 2: 

When we bought the concert tickets we found out that the FREE Minnesota Irish Festival was also the same weekend. So we headed to Harriet Island Park for the festivities. We shopped and listened to music. The park was on a river with a beautiful view of the city!

One of the highlights here was the incredible food! (catered by the local Claddagh Cafe)Kyle got "Shrimp and Chips".

And I got "Bangers and Mash" It was all delicious!

After the fair we went back to the hotel and had a swim in the pool to cool down and relax a little! It was a really nice saltwater pool and I really enjoyed it.

The Electric Fetus (strange name, great store), Eclectic place to buy vinyl, cds, gifts, clothing, jewelry. Thank you to Kurt Cooper for the recommendation! We will be back!

They also had a candy counter.. so we got some Sugar Babies and Sugar Daddy(s). As during a Gilmore reference Kyle admitted to never having them before! That is all we bought, but we would absolutely recommend this store to music junkies and unique gift givers alike!

Then we visited a small eco-friendly boutique near Calhoun Lake that I had read about in Whole Living called Moss Envy. It was very cool! I got a few reusable produce bags for grocery shopping! I had been struggling to find those in person.

Then we headed to the Midtown Global Market as suggested by Greta Simons! It was probably my favorite place that we visited!

We parked in the garage across the street and walked in not knowing what to expect... I was blown away! It was like an international food court that also sold many international goods, flowers, coffee, candy, gifts, natural groceries, cooking classes and contained some farm-to-table type restaurants as well. It was so vibrant and endlessly entertaining for me!

We were there around dinner time so we decided to try several different things since we had the option! We started with a pot stickers appetizer from Pham's Deli which were very good.

We also got fortune cookies. Here is mine:

Here is his:

Then we went to El Burrito Mercado for a chicken quesadilla. Which is the best quesadilla I've ever had! We were so full and very satisfied with our international experience. 

It was still early so we bought a slice of triple chocolate cake at Salty Tart to take back with us for later.

It was literally the best chocolate cake I've ever had! It was very chocolatey, there was also a layer in there that was crunchy like it was made of chocolate wafers of some kind. It was so so so good. I wanted to buy another entire cake to bring back with us, but I knew it would not survive the drive.

All gone.

Day 3:

We started out the day with breakfast at Mickey's Diner. It was in an old dining car and very cute. It was also a greasy spoon with no-nonsense waiters. It was pretty fun and the food was good!

I got blueberry pancakes that were super legit and a side of potatoes o'brien which were pretty greasy... but really what did I expect? :)

Kyle got biscuits and gravy which were apparently also very good but I don't have a picture.

Then we went back to the Midtown Global Market and shopped. I got a cute Swedish Mug! 

Then we hit The General Store of Minnetonka for some souvenirs. It was huge and had so many great things, but it was a little overwhelming! So be prepared for TONS of stuff!

Then we drove back to Kansas! 

It was a great trip! Much needed, relaxing and filled with really cool places. We would both love to go back and visit again!

What was your favorite vacation? What are your vacation suggestions for me?

All for now,

Alexandra