What to do in Minneapolis

Life is Good: staycations are fun!

Looking for something to do on this beautiful Labor Day Monday in Minneapolis? A couple of weeks ago, we decided to take a few days and play like we were tourists in our own city... a "staycation", if you will.

We decided to go places that we haven't been to in a long time or to places we have never been. We've lived in the Twin Cities for more than twelve years, but there is still so much to see and experience.

We decided to focus on St. Paul, but before we crossed the river, we took the little boys to the Stone Arch Bridge.

  

The architecture is totally photogenic. There is a really great pathway that runs around the bridge and then across it. Perfect for runners...

It's hard to believe that this peaceful little walking area is in the heart of a bustling city.

It provided a great vantage point for viewing downtown's offices and condos.

Below the bridge, there appears to be some ruins of some sort. 

The five-year old declared that it had been a castle. Is our five-year old the only one obsessed with dragons & knights? It does look pretty magical...and you'd never guess how bad it smelled! (Some kind of sewage thing going on.) So we scurried up the pathway to the bridge as fast as we could!

 It didn't smell from up here! Once we were on the bridge, it made for a lovely outing.  The kiddos loved walking across and looking down at the water. A boat even passed through while we were there and sounded its horn. That's a big deal when you are two and five.

For dinner, we tried out The Smack Shack, which started out as a food truck. Their lobster roll became so coveted, that they started serving it out of a local bar and then eventually, opened a restaurant. And it.did.not.disappoint. We shared the oyster sliders appetizer (best oyster flavor I have had in MN) and then shared the Connecticut-style lobster roll and Blue Crab po'boy sandwich. The po'boy was good. Plenty of crab and its flavor wasn't covered up by mayo or aioli. But the lobster roll...well, let's just say that I have been dreaming of that lobster roll. It was the perfect combination of lobster, a hint of butter, and a soft roll. Period. Lobster doesn't need anything else. It was perfect. My mouth is watering right now. Seriously.

I wish I had a pic of the lobster roll, but we engulfed it as soon as it hit the table! I took this pic of the restaurant wall as we were leaving. It is off-center because of my lobster coma! ; )

Happy Labor Day! It's partly sunny and estimated to be a high of 76 in Minneapolis today...perfection! I'm turning the laptop off and we are heading outside. Right. now!