Monday, July 30, 2012

Day 5: A Day To Enjoy The View

You may, or may not, have noticed that I skipped talking about day 4 of our staycation adventures. That's because on day 4, which would have been Wednesday, we were a little worn out. We didn't feel like doing much. So we got moving at a leisurely pace in the morning, decided to wander around the Ikea store awhile before grabbing some of their delicious Swedish meatballs for lunch, (it's very probable that the meatballs were the only reason we went to Ikea that day) then we returned home to veg. We just wanted to relax a spell. That sums up day 4. -yawn-


So onto day 5!


Day 5 was a visit to Minneapolis, beginning with a self guided tour of the Guthrie Theater.




I have no explantation as to why we have yet to see a show at the Guthrie! The husband and I have talked about seeing a show, but we just haven't done it. We've heard that the theater is gorgeous though and figured we should at least walk through and take a gander.


It really is quite spectacular!


The Guthrie has a lot to offer beyond a variety of great shows; event hosting, summer camps for youth, acting classes, as well as a cafe and a restaurant.




And then there are the views.


From inside. 




I'm not a big fan of the amber colored windows, but the view was excellent!




I'm not a fan of the glass floor either. Yep, that would be my lovely children, standing on the glass floor while mocking me and my fear of standing on the glass floor. Gotta love em. -snort-


From outside. 


Beautiful views of the Mississippi river.






Like I said, spectacular!




From the Guthrie we strolled down to the river, to the Mill Ruins Park, then we walked across the Stone Arch bridge.








More wonderful views.


Then, because we hadn't been amazed enough, we headed to the top of the Foshay Tower, which at one time had the boast of being the tallest building in Minneapolis. Not so much any more. Still great views though! 




And while I may not have been willing to stand on the glass floor at the Guthrie, I did make it to the observation deck of the Foshay! 




Look! There's the proof! Me and the girls. 


It was very windy!!


I was very grateful there was a cage all the way around us. If there hadn't been, I would have high tailed it back inside before I got a single photo!






Your assumption that I don't like heights is entirely correct.




Since there is no other way to enjoy views like these, I'm trying to get over it.


And I really did enjoy the views! The Family did too.




I was so impressed with our girls. The Husband and I knew that this particular day might be a little boring for them, but they were troopers. They didn't complain and they actually seemed to enjoy themselves. 


The rest, as well as the Swedish meatballs, on day 4 made day 5 with it's tons of walking to see spectacular views of the city, enjoyable for all! Maybe the stop for sour gummy worms didn't hurt either!






Christine

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Day 3: Adventure in St. Paul

Day 3: First stop, The Minnesota History Center.




I say give me a fun photo and the family complies. They're very good sports!


Unfortunately there was a large exhibit under construction at the History Center which was therefore closed, but we did get the bonus of a flower show! Yay!




The open exhibits at the History Center were Minnesota's weather,(we're pretty familiar) the Us-Dakota War,(very informative and sad) 1934: A New Deal for Artists,(wonderful art display, no photos allowed -sigh-) and The Greatest Generation; the depression, the war, the boom.






The girls practically ran to check out the soda fountain display.




Mom, what's a pay phone and look at this weird spinning thing!


And finally there was the If These Walls Could Talk exhibit, a history of one house and it's many different owners through the years. 






The Minnesota History Center is worth checking out!


Second stop, the Cathedral of Saint Paul.




I cannot believe I have lived in Minnesota all my life and I've never visited the Cathedral!




Stunning!





There was so much to wonder at.




I'm so glad we took the time to visit the Cathedral of Saint Paul. We were a little concerned that the girls would not be too interested in the tour, but they were great! It may have helped that our tour guide made mention right away that we would all get to see the amazing Lego replica of the Cathedral at the end of the tour!


How cool is that??

To prevent this post from becoming too long, I'll tell you about our stop at Mickey's Diner, for lunch, another time.

Day 3 was very good!

Christine

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Adventure Day 2: Something Old and Something New

One of the upsides to a staycation...


I don't have to pack!! I cannot tell you how much I dislike packing. Over the years I have seen informative little bits in magazines that show how to take 5 articles of clothing, 2 of which are different pairs of shoes, and create 35 different outfits with them, for easy packing. I always think that the next time I pack, I can do that. In reality, I don't know how they make that work? I can't make that work! No matter how much effort I put toward packing light, it never happens. I'm pretty sure that packing light is a myth!


The downside of a staycation is keeping everyone excited! 


The girls were a little concerned that we wouldn't have any fun. I'll admit, it can be easy to fall into regular routine if you're not careful.


To prevent routine from taking over, and to make sure the girls got to do some things they thought would be fun, we sat down last week and asked the girls to tell us some of the things they would like to do. 


The Husband and I took their suggestions, added in some of our own and created a plan for the week. However, to prevent the girls from grumbling about any of the plans that we were concerned they would not immediately be excited about, we told them nothing! Nothing more than we are taking a stay at home vacation that is.


Each morning the girls get the day's itinerary along with a list of items they should bring along, and what to wear. So far it has worked out very well, except that they can't stop asking what we are going to do the other days. Nothing like enjoying the moment eh?


They have become extremely intent on getting us to spill the beans. The little stinkers! It's not going to happen! I hope.


Yesterday held a little something old and a little something new.


The old was a visit to Como Zoo and Conservatory. We love it there! We've been often.




The family was very patient with me, as I once again stopped to take photos before we'd even entered the park.



I can't help it. It's so beautiful!


The water lilies at the park entrance are amazing!


The colors are magnificent!


I could stay there for hours!


But we'll move on.


Right...


now.

Our big adventure for the day wasn't really the zoo that we've been to many, many times.


Though we do enjoy the animals.


They're always a delight. 


Although there seemed to be a lot of drama going on the other day.

Maybe the animals could sense we weren't really there for them.


Maybe they knew we had other plans. Plans that distracted us from giving them our full attention.


After awhile, they wouldn't even look at us.


Clearly they were upset.

It wasn't anything personal, we really only stopped to fill in the time before heading to the main attraction of our day which didn't open until noon.

The new Como Park Pool!!  -whoop whoop-

The pool was the perfect adventure for yesterday's hot weather.


The zero depth pool rimmed with fountains was a hit. Little kids loved it!


And maybe a few big kids loved it too!


 There's a climbing wall accessible from the pool.


As well as a couple of perches on top of the climbing wall that are perfect for cannonballs!


Or almost cannonballs.

There's also a zip line.


Which Miss Sofia was willing to try out after a bit of encouragement from Mom and Dad.


Oops! She lost her grip pretty quickly. 

I was very proud of her for giving it a try!

Then I felt very bad because the zip line bar did a number on her fingers when she fell.


We took Miss Sofia over to the first aid station to see if we could get a little antiseptic wash. 

Here is our only complaint about the Como Park Pool. While there are plenty of lifeguards on duty. They're everywhere. 


The staff had no idea what to do for a minor first aid situation. Not one of the staff members even came close enough to take a look at her. They were at a loss. After several staff members gave us blank stares, one finally did some scrambling around then told us she couldn't do anything for Miss Sofia because of liability. What?? 

We took her to the restroom and washed her bleeding fingers there.

If you ever decide to head for the Como Park Pool, may I suggest you pack a small first aid kit with some antiseptic wash and a few waterproof bandaids. Little cuts and scrapes happen. They're not the end of the world. But you won't get any help from the first aid station at the pool!

This little incident is why I don't have any photos of the girls jumping from the top of the climbing wall or even climbing the climbing wall. They were a little injury shy at that point.

Oh well. We still enjoyed the lazy river and the larger swimming pool.


Four thumbs up for our second day's adventure!

Christine