Minneapolis... Isn't that somewhere in Greece?

With Knight's Inn, in my rear-view and my foot to the pedal. I screeched out of Sioux Falls, and towards what would undoubtedly be a more refined experience than the queen city of the west... After five nights of camping and endless motel experiences I was dead set on:
1. Staying in a nice hotel, where my room was located somewhere above ground.
2. Eating some fine food, perhaps something I'd seen on TV, let's say on an episode of No Reservations.
3. Visiting some local recommendations, courtesy of our native tour guide via e-mail, Mike :)

Yup, I wanted to live the good life again and I hoped and prayed Justin would join me, which he gladly did.
With a large can of Pabst in hand, we checked in to the downtown Radisson (thank you Hotwire!) Settled into our room and prepared for a little nap on our sleep number California king sized mattress.

I didn't know much about Minneapolis, only that it was home to some of our favorite artists, in particular, our favorite letterpress studio, Studio on Fire. After a delicious lunch at Brasa, a highly recommended barbecue spot, we decided to try our luck, call them up and ask if we could just take a quick glimpse at where the magic happened. To our surprise Ben, the owner and operator was more than accommodating. Inviting us to come down in a half hour (little did he know we were already lurking out front) for a guided tour.

Content with the day's gallery visits and constant snacking, we decided to visit Piccolo, a restaurant featured on Bourdain's visit to Minneapolis earlier that year. Let's just say that he can sometimes be misleading. Hypnotizing you with his over use of adjectives and well photographed edibles. You are left to discover on your own, that what you drooled over watching on your TV screen, is nothing more than uninspired over layering of flavours in white dishes too large for the 2 x 4" table you're seated at. I guess the moral of this story is, the riches in life are not always the best it has to offer. But, a little bit of good PR will take you a long way.

Sayanora Minneapolis, I will always remember you for your perfectly set type, ginger cilantro mayo, and Pabst on ice...

Class in any state.



Justin's BBQ Chicken special at Brasa, Yum!




The facade of the warehouse spaces that housed
Minneapolis' finest galleries were just as inspiring as their contents.



Entrance to the sanctuary, I was too shy to ask to take pictures inside.

$50 reward for a very loved cat, seems a bit low.
 I would offer at least $65 were Moosh to go missing.
Don't get any ideas Justin!

Probably one of my favourite features of the city's mass transit system,
 the Nice Ride. An inexpensive public bike sharing progrma