When I’m deployed on disaster duty, I make an effort to see whatever there is to see, wherever I find myself. Two facts motivate me to make the most of my time: 1) I may never pass this way again and, 2) someone else paid for me to be here.
Even small towns like Corning, New York or Laurel, Mississippi have a lot to offer.
During this 15-week trip I spent seven weeks in Minnesota. Most of that was in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, but there were a few side trips as well.
Minneapolis is the state’s biggest city with over 425,000 people. The state capital of St. Paul is second, at 303,000.
Locals say Minneapolis is largely Protestant while St. Paul, as you might guess from the name, is largely Catholic. Some locals say many residents of one city don’t cross the Mississippi River, which divides the Twin Cities area. As a visitor, I didn’t find myself constrained in that manner.
One of my first forays was to the State Capitol. It was a beautiful sunny Saturday, which made some decent pictures possible. I wasn’t inclined to seek out a tour, so a few photos filled my needs.
Next stop was The Cathedral of St. Paul. It is the third-largest Catholic cathedral and sixth-largest church in the United States. Located on the campus of St. Paul College, it is also one of the two co-cathedrals of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. The other is the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis.
While guided tours are available, the cathedral was open and guests could meander freely as long as Mass wasn’t being said. While few people genuflected and made the sign of the Cross when passing in front of the altar (a requirement for practicing Catholics), everyone I saw was respectful and quiet: no loud talking in person or on the cell, no letting kids run amok, etc.
In keeping with Catholic tradition, the Cathedral has shrines to many saints, including Jesus’ earthly parents Mary and Joseph, facing each other on opposite sides of the nave.
Minneapolis is also home to a magnificent sculpture garden. Arising one sunny Sunday, I hurriedly pulled on some clothes, wet down my hair, and scrambled out to grab some photos while the light was good and before the teeming hoards descended on the place.
Perhaps the most famous of the sculptures – and certainly the most photographed – is “Spoonbridge and Cherry,” a sculpture by Claes Oldenburg – a key figure in Pop Art – and Cooske van Bruggen.
One of the lesser publicized facts about the Twin Cities is that they traverse the 45th Parallel which, in many areas of the country, is marked by signs that read, “45th Parallel; Half Way Between the Equator and the North Pole.” The point at which I crossed that line of longitude was along a major street called Industrial Blvd. and no such signs were apparent.
Just outside the Twin Cities, in a suburb named Bloomington, is the world-famous Mall of America. My hotel – my home for seven weeks – was just across the street so you’d think I would have gone there frequently.
You would be wrong.
I went a couple of times and found it overwhelming in its size. Some chains had stores on all three levels. The Food Court on the top level was huge but prices reflected the high rents the stores must have been paying to be in the MOA, as it’s frequently referred to on signs around the complex.
As with most big cities, The Twin Cities have their share of good eateries. More on that in my next installment.
Photos by Carl Dombek
Click on photos to view larger images
During this 15-week trip I spent seven weeks in Minnesota. Most of that was in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, but there were a few side trips as well.
Minneapolis is the state’s biggest city with over 425,000 people. The state capital of St. Paul is second, at 303,000.
Locals say Minneapolis is largely Protestant while St. Paul, as you might guess from the name, is largely Catholic. Some locals say many residents of one city don’t cross the Mississippi River, which divides the Twin Cities area. As a visitor, I didn’t find myself constrained in that manner.
One of my first forays was to the State Capitol. It was a beautiful sunny Saturday, which made some decent pictures possible. I wasn’t inclined to seek out a tour, so a few photos filled my needs.
 |
| Minnesota State Capitol Building |
Next stop was The Cathedral of St. Paul. It is the third-largest Catholic cathedral and sixth-largest church in the United States. Located on the campus of St. Paul College, it is also one of the two co-cathedrals of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. The other is the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis.
 |
| Cathedral of St. Paul |
While guided tours are available, the cathedral was open and guests could meander freely as long as Mass wasn’t being said. While few people genuflected and made the sign of the Cross when passing in front of the altar (a requirement for practicing Catholics), everyone I saw was respectful and quiet: no loud talking in person or on the cell, no letting kids run amok, etc.
 |
| Shrines of St. Mary (left) and St. Joseph |
In keeping with Catholic tradition, the Cathedral has shrines to many saints, including Jesus’ earthly parents Mary and Joseph, facing each other on opposite sides of the nave.
Minneapolis is also home to a magnificent sculpture garden. Arising one sunny Sunday, I hurriedly pulled on some clothes, wet down my hair, and scrambled out to grab some photos while the light was good and before the teeming hoards descended on the place.
 |
| Spoonbridge and Cherry |
Perhaps the most famous of the sculptures – and certainly the most photographed – is “Spoonbridge and Cherry,” a sculpture by Claes Oldenburg – a key figure in Pop Art – and Cooske van Bruggen.
 |
| Robert Indiana's "Love" |
The Sculpture Garden has more than 40 works of art including Robert Indiana’s “Love”, which has recreations in more than 50 places around the world, and the whimsical “Hare on Bell on Portland Stone Piers.”
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| Hare on Bell by British Artist Barry Flanagan |
One of the lesser publicized facts about the Twin Cities is that they traverse the 45th Parallel which, in many areas of the country, is marked by signs that read, “45th Parallel; Half Way Between the Equator and the North Pole.” The point at which I crossed that line of longitude was along a major street called Industrial Blvd. and no such signs were apparent.
 |
| Screenshot of app showing elevation, latitude and longitude |
Plenty of signs are apparent around 38th & Chicago, the intersection where George Floyd was killed in 2020, setting off weeks of riots in the Twin Cities and many other major cities across the country and around the world. The streets for at least a block in every direction are informally known as George Floyd Square. Statues and signs are everywhere, though the tourist traffic seems to have died down. Google StreetView’s shot of the area, taken in July 2021, showed quite a number of tourists surveying the scenes and the memorials which ranged from hastily scrawled graffiti to statues of fists striking the “power” pose. Few tourists were evident when I visited mid-morning on a September Saturday in 2024.
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| One of many symbols marking George Floyd Square |
Just outside the Twin Cities, in a suburb named Bloomington, is the world-famous Mall of America. My hotel – my home for seven weeks – was just across the street so you’d think I would have gone there frequently.
You would be wrong.
I went a couple of times and found it overwhelming in its size. Some chains had stores on all three levels. The Food Court on the top level was huge but prices reflected the high rents the stores must have been paying to be in the MOA, as it’s frequently referred to on signs around the complex.
As with most big cities, The Twin Cities have their share of good eateries. More on that in my next installment.
Visit my main page at TheTravelPro.us for more news, reviews, and personal observations on the world of upmarket travel.
Photos by Carl Dombek
Click on photos to view larger images
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