Greening the Riverfront Series - St. Anthony Falls Laboratory

"Greening the Riverfront" is a series of programs exploring our relationship with nature, past, present and future.  One program featured three Tuesday night tours - the second one was:

July 20: St. Anthony Falls Laboratory

The U of M's St. Anthony Falls Laboratory on Hennepin Island is a unique research facility developing solutions to problems related to the environment, renewable energy and health.  During our tour we learned how this research is being applied around the world, and were allowed to view some of the current projects up close.  

Learn more at  http://www.safl.umn.edu/aboutus/aboutus.html

New Neighbors - Mill District City Apartments

Located at 225 Portland Avenue, Mill District City Apartments is now pre-leasing for fall 2010 occupancy.  Take a video tour.

Mill City Live Outdoor Concerts (July and August)

One of the many cool things to do at the Mill City Museum is enjoy an outdoor concert.  This summer (July and August) there are seven Thursday night concerts, with a different genre each night.  The $5 entry fee is a bargain!

http://www.millcitymuseum.org/

Greening the Riverfront Series - Pillsbury A Mill

"Greening the Riverfront" is a series of programs exploring our relationship with nature, past, present and future.  One of the programs featured three Tuesday night tours - the first one was:

July 6: Pillsbury A Mill

This was a very interesting presentation. We learned about the history of the Pillsbury A Mill and surrounding structures, as well as future development plans (East Bank Mills), and how the water power tunnel systems are proposed to play a part in these plans.

See www.millcitymuseum.org for details.

Music in the Parks 2010 Series

At the end of the Stone Arch Bridge (on the Main Street side) is Father Hennepin Bluffs Park. At 7pm on Monday and Wednesday nights from June thru August you can enjoy a variety of live music - jazz, folk, country, big band, etc.  Visit www.minneapolisparks.org for the full list of dates, artists and genre.  It's a relaxing way to spend a few hours on a warm summer night, and the view of downtown is a wonderful bonus.  The 2010 Series kicked off on Memorial Day.  We were out for a stroll that night and walked by as the band was performing.  It was a picture-perfect scene - people of all ages sitting on blankets and folding chairs, picnic baskets, kids playing, etc.  And the music sounded great, too!

Dunn Bros - Your source for great beans

 

The staff at Dunn Bros' historic Freight House location (201 3rd Avenue S) not only mix up great drinks, they also know their coffee beans.  We rely on William (pictured above on the right) to keep us informed on new beans to try.  We drink a lot of coffee, and all our beans come from Dunn Bros.  The building is so cool - it's a great place to hang out with a book, the paper, to study or chat.

http://www.dunnbros.com/

Tour the Guthrie!

Even if you don't have plans to see a show, it would be a shame to pass up a chance to tour the Guthrie.  We really enjoyed the 10am Saturday morning Backstage ($10 adults). It was amazing to see how the sets are created, the costume shop, etc.  But you don't have to pay to see the Guthrie - it was built for the public's enjoyment.  A ride up the escalator will take you to the Endless Bridge, which juts out 178 feet toward the Mississippi and offers incredible views.  There are unique finds at gift shop, too.

http://www.guthrietheater.org/visit/guthrie_tours

Mill City Farmers Market - a Saturday morning must.

What a perk for Mill City residents!  There's fun and funky produce every week - like the Japanese Salad Turnip, otherwise known as "Hakurei", along with regular veggie staples.  All food groups are represented - in addition to produce, there are cheeses, meat and fish, breads and grains, coffee beans and tea, sweets, and other specialty items.  Food vendors offer a number of breakfast and lunch options that you can enjoy while sitting on the Guthrie steps - take in the the weekly entertainment or just people watch.  We have connected with some great local artist there.   

If you're lucky you'll get to see the weaver from Peru - it's a real treat to watch this talented artisan practicing his craft.

http://www.millcityfarmersmarket.org/

Stone Arch Festival of Arts - June 19 & 20, 2010

It's been years since we visited this art festival, so we were surprised at how much it's grown.  Along with the usual jewelery, ceramics and paintings, there were a number of unique items - such as resin furniture and spun copper bonsai trees.  We ordered 3 custom size gallery wrapped pictures from Leon and Tracy of Whispering Impressions.  They do meticulous work, and the pictures turned out perfect.  We will definitely make this art festival an annual must-do.