Snapshots of Minneapolis in the Fall // September 2014

Last September we bought tickets to see Bastille (again..), and took it as a reason to take a little weekend getaway. We spent lots of time with our friends Emy & Matthew, and got to explore the city a little more.

It's almost feeling like fall here, so in the meantime I thought I would recap our trip!

Our drive was sunny and gorgeous. The further North we drove, the prettier the trees and temps were!

When we got to Minneapolis we spent a day out exploring with Emy & Matthew. We (finally!) got to visit the sculpture garden at The Walker, and then the Guthrie Theatre's observation deck. It was all GORGEOUS. We also had some good meals... though I don't really remember where! : /

There you have it, a great fall weekend in Minneapolis. We were lucky that we got to see our good friends, and that we'd already seen them in April for Junk Bonanza. We were pretty spoiled, and I won't lie, I've been missing them!

See more pictures from this day, here. How cute are they?!

Have you guys ever been to Minneapolis?

What is your favorite fall destination? 

Thinking of planning a trip to Minneapolis or St. Paul? Check out other posts here: Coldplay 2012, Junk Bonanza Day 1 2014, Junk Bonanza Day 2 2014, 

XO,

Alexandra

The Two Sweetest People in Minneapolis // Emy & Matthew // October 2014

Last weekend was my dear friend Emy's birthday. So I thought I would share this with you guys today. :)

We met in college and lived in the same scholarship hall. We bonded over our love of books, travel, and the fact that we were both in very happy (and rare!) long-term relationships. We had fun movie and TV nights together.... there's nothing like watching a funny movie with Emy! (I will never forget how hard she laughed when Hugh Jackman took off his shirt and poured water on himself in 'Australia' .. priceless! ). The list goes on and on.

Later when Matthew moved to the same city, the four of us began having double dates. He likes architecture, comics, and music. We got to go to one of his band's concerts before they moved away, and it was awesome.

Together they are the sweetest couple. They like getting sushi late at night, watching Bob's Burgers, and playing scrabble. They run, listen to vinyl, and love going to movies out. You can tell how good they are for each other. :)

The two of them moved to Minneapolis a little over a year ago, and I miss them dearly. But since they have moved we have managed to drive up and see them twice! They offered up their spare bedroom to us, and spending time with them has been lovely. I think that we know them better now than we did when they lived here!

After we returned from Seattle, we drove up to Minneapolis for a concert, and to spend time with the two of them. We had some great meals out, enjoyed long talks about futures, families, travels, and school, and we got to see some of their favorite places in the Twin Cities.

I captured some shots of Emy and Matthew that day, I hope you enjoy them. - aren't they just the cutest!?

I hope that you enjoyed these pictures! I'll share more photos from this trip soon!

Happy Wednesday!

Alexandra

Junk Bonanza & Minneapolis // Day 2 // April 2014

We decided after a late night of playing board games, sleeping in would be nice. So we all took our time getting up and around the next day before we headed out to Shakopee for day two at Junk Bonanza. (See Day One here!)

We wanted breakfast so we decided to stop at a little diner in Shakopee called Wampach's. It seemed like one of those local joints that has been around forever and serves homestyle food. The signs were all originals and set the tone for a fun breakfast.

Inside, the place was partially kept in (what I am guessing) is it's original decor, but with some added paintings and mirrors from Bed, Bath and Beyond. In the corner I noticed a few vintage photos of the restaurant, printed in black and white and framed nicely. I think that it would make it more inviting and fun if the whole restaurant was decorated that way with other memorabilia from the town. I love that kind of vintage, historic feel in a restaurant!

We all ordered breakfast of one kind or another and it was all very good! I was especially impressed by the pancakes! Which is not my typical favorite breakfast food! I don't think there was anything that wasn't good. Plus you've got to love a place that has a dish of Dum Dums at the register! The flavor I wanted was gone so the waiter told me 'we've got the whole bag!' which in a Northern accent comes out more like 'behg'. I really enjoy the Northern accent, I think it's really charming in a homey sort of way. :)

After we finished breakfast we went out to Canterbury Park to do a second day of treasure hunting. I think the first room was quickly overwhelming for Emy & Matthew, but once we got through some more and stopped for a frozen yogurt break it was a bit more relaxed!

I was so excited about my sprinkle cone, I couldn't even hold still for the picture! haha :)

We stopped by a booth called ReUSE Minnesota where they had a book making project you could do. They took pieces of old file folders, old book pages, maps, stickers, nails, twigs, glue etc. to make some really cute little books. Emy & Matthew, KC and I each made one. 

What do you think?

I had a mental list going of things that I was eyeing the day before and through the current day that I debated between before we left. One thing I decided to go back for was gone, oh well.

But I ended up with an adorable vintage black handbag (It's an obsession!) with these gorgeous rhinestones around the clasp, at $24 it was a little more than I usually pay... but for the detail I couldn't pass it up!

I also purchased a whimsical little gnome planter from my favorite springy booth! I think he's really pretty cute! And since it was the last day of the Bonanza I got him for 20% off! :) 

And on the way out I picked up a silk scarf I had been eyeing the day before and a music box from the same place. The woman at the booth tried to convince me the day before to purchase the scarf, but it had a few stains (I think that would come out) and a very small hole, I wasn't up for paying $10 or $8 (what she offered to lower it to), but luckily it (along with the music box) were both on the half price table the last day! Score!

I also found a fun little page from a book with lions on it that I want to frame for a friend!

Emy also got a vintage black bag, twins. :) And together they got some cute little bird baking soda cards.

Overall I think I did pretty well! I got some really neat things, some at sale prices and I can't wait to do projects with them and incorporate them into our home!

I think focusing on only buying things that were really unique, I couldn't find again, or were just perfect for some reason or another helped to keep me from over-spending and ending up with things that were just ok. It was a good system and something new and different to do together and with our friends. Thank you Flea Market Style / Ki Nassauer and Junk Bonanza for the free tickets! I will definitely be back in the future... and hopefully ordering one of your sold out shirts! :)

After the Bonanza, we went back to Emy & Matthews to rest before heading out to dinner. We decided to go to Cosetta, an Italian Eatery in St. Paul. It was sort of a cafeteria/food court/deli style setting with lots of tables upstairs. It was really nice, and it was very fun to try so many different types of food!

After that we went into their dessert room.... what. a. dream! The cases were just gorgeous! Filled with everything from Canoli to Macarons & Biscotti to Tarts.

I couldn't decide... so I got a bunch of macarons and a mini raspberry tart (which ended up being my breakfast the next day! :) ). 

It was all extremely delicious! I highly recommend this restaurant whether for dinner or just dessert! 

Thank you Emy & Matthew for hosting us and for being terrific tour guides and eating companions. We were so glad to catch up with you and spend a fun weekend together! :) 

Then we drove back to Kansas... straight into a storm.

Did you miss Day One? Post here.

What have you found thrifting recently?

What are your favorite cities to visit? 

Always happy to have travel recommendations, feel free to leave them in the comments! :) 

XOXO,

Alexandra