Minneapolis, MN

Holy crap. Not only can I not say "Minneapolis" without thinking super hard about it, but I can't spell Minnesota without Google's help. This should be a fun blog. Maybe I'll stick to mostly pictures?

On August 16th, 2012, the Giant and I went on a 5-day trip to Minneapolis and the surrounding areas. I decided that instead of packing a bunch of activities into our 3 available days (we spent all day driving on the 16th and 20th), we would spend most of our time being super lazy in the hotel. I would classify my job as high-stress, though often times enjoyable anyway, which made me think that the best philosiphy would be to "relax and wing it."

Of course, I didn't want the 8-hour drive to be boring, so we went about 30 minutes out of our way to visit La Crosse, WI, where I used to live. We saw my old house, my favorite restaurant, and even made time to drive up Grandad's bluff and take some pictures.

"The trouble with resisting temptation is it may never come again."
The Giant said that is the worst advice he's ever been given. I agree.

On our first full day in Minnesota, the Giant and I went to the Mall of America. Truly, it was awesome. It's huge and bright and chaotic, and the rides have virtually no lines because everyone is busy being a silly pants and shopping instead of riding.

The rides.

The most amazing Lego display I've ever seen.

That night (Friday) we went to have dinner with my original work director at Wells Fargo. She left Chicago for an underwriting position back in her hometown, so we are happy for her, but we miss her to death. I cannot express how much fun it was to see her again, and meet her husband! In fact, they got married the very weekend the Giant and I were in Minnesota! Congratulations to them both, because they're perfect together.

The second day (Saturday) we spent mostly at the hotel. As part of the Giant's birthday celebration (his birthday was on the 22nd so I decided to use the entirety of the vacation to celebrate), we ordered room service. I almost wish we hadn't, because their chicken wings were the most delicious wings I've ever had. They were crispy and juicy in all the right ways, and they were flavorful. If you ever get a chance to go through Plymouth, MN, you need to stop at Woody's Grille and try their wings.

After half the day was brilliantly used up on eating wings and watching Shark Week, we decided to get off our butts and go to the nearest waterfall, which was in Minnehaha Park.

And then we found a cannon. After launching an attack, I tried to make it bend to my will. It didn't work, but it was fun to try.

On the third day (God created dry land and plants?) we visited the restaurant that was the entire reason we planned the trip in the first place: Space Aliens Grill & Bar. The food was REALLY good, and the decor was amazing! I tried to take a bunch of pictures of the decorations, but it was difficult considering the lighting was very dark and my camera is just really bad.


The outside and inside.

The cieling and walls.

On the ride home we decided to stop at the Crystal Cave in Spring Valley, Wisconsin.

For anyone going on a long drive, I would highly recommend stopping at a cool restaurant, or going somewhere for sightseeing purposes just to break up the drive. It helps a lot. The drive felt really short, and we were able to do something active together every day of our vacation.