Twin Cities Summer: River Cruise

Someone recommended the river cruises at Padelford Landing to us, so we decided to go on one of their Monday Madness cruises when tickets are half-off (only $8 per adult, our toddler was free).  This has been one of the highlights of our summer.  Not because eating hot dogs and Goldfish crackers on a river boat was so amazing to us as adults, but because our son still talks about every detail of the cruise. We couldn’t hear the tour recording very well on the deck and we were afraid we’d lose our son overboard, so we decided to spend most of the cruise downstairs in the main cabin.  There was a big ballroom floor where our son learned to play Duck, Duck, Goose (yes, I know it’s Duck, Duck, Grey Duck here, we’ll adjust in time I suppose).  We shared hot dogs and the other cheap snacks because we forgot to eat dinner before boarding the boat.  And we learned a little bit about the Mississippi River and Fort Snelling.  It was a fun adventure, and such a good deal on a Monday!

You board at Harriet Island, one of our favorite (of many favorites) water spots in the area.  There’s a park and several trails around the dock.   This is such a gorgeous part of the country!

Twin Cities Summer: The Buttered Tin

I did my research and learned online that The Buttered Tin was both the top-rated brunch spot in the Twin Cities and that it is located in Lowertown, so I decided we needed to try it.  Well, it’s cute.  It’s very cute, but the food is just okay. Maybe it’s what I ordered, but I’m not going to be rushing back any time soon.  My son got the pancakes and they were good, but not worth the money.  I got the tomato basil soup and felt it was way too coarse and spicy to be considered good.

If this is the best brunch the Twin Cities has, I’m skeptical.  Sometimes you want fancy concoctions and combinations, but a lot of times when we go to brunch, we just want the simple stuff done well.  I can do without bacon in my butter if you have an amazing buttermilk pancake.  We might go back to try some of their baked goods, but I don’t think we’ll go back for a full meal.

Twin Cities Summer: St. Paul Farmer’s Market

While wandering one day, we came across the St. Paul Farmer’s Market at 7th Place on a Tuesday.  It’s a good little farmer’s market–some things were a good deal and others were not.  We passed up the potatoes because they seemed to be about double what a decent price would be (or maybe that’s just what potatoes go for in Minnesota), but the zucchini and squash came out to be about a dollar per pound and tasted delicious.  The green beans were about average in price and didn’t have the best flavor, but they were very crisp!  The flowers really blew me away.  I wanted to buy a large bouquet, but we don’t have a vase, so I bought some sunflowers for $5 to brighten up our apartment and put them in a cup.  It’s so fun to walk around the city and be surprised by fresh produce and gorgeous flowers.  Also surprising though was a complete lack of fruit.  Maybe that’s a Minnesota thing?

Twin Cities Summer: Summit University Neighborhood

From day one in St. Paul, we’ve been able to see the beautiful Cathedral of St. Paul in the distance.  It seemed like it would be close enough to run or walk to, so one day we set out with the stroller to check it out.  We hiked up the hill and were able to go into the cathedral and explore.  My family is not Catholic, but I love the peaceful feeling that comes from entering a house of worship.  I also love how the ornate architecture and design inspires an attitude of reverence.  Even my two-year-old was fairly well behaved (though he did  love pulling down the pads people kneel on to pray).  I’m so glad we had the chance to visit the cathedral.

 

I thought we would make it to the cathedral and then turn around an come home, but right outside the cathedral was a marker with information about the historical sites in the area.  The Summit neighborhood is gorgeous.  There are amazing views of Lowertown (downtown St. Paul), like the one above, and there are blocks and blocks of beautiful historic mansions along Summit Avenue and other streets.

 

We passed the James J. Hill House and learned a little bit more about the railroad magnate who owned it.

Much to my son’s disappointment, I was determined to continue walking until we reached F. Scott Fitzgerald’s home further down Summit Avenue.  It added about two miles to our round trip stroll, but now I can pull out these pictures for my son to show his high school class when he reads The Great Gatsby.

 

I loved the Summit University neighborhood, and now I sometimes daydream about one day having a lot of money and living in a historic mansion there.  Maybe one day.

College Mall Kroger Remodel

 

The College Mall Kroger remodel was finished a few (several?) months ago and now the store is pretty much grocery heaven.  They have a counter for Murray’s Cheese counter that almost always has samples that almost always make me want to buy fancy cheese I don’t need.  The Murray’s chocolate bars are pretty good too!  I was pretty excited when I got back from a visit to New York and discovered that the same Murray’s I passed in Greenwich Village now has a presence in Bloomington, Indiana of all places.

There’s also a bistro and really great deli selection. I love that you can buy fresh challah bread and other international and ethnic food throughout the store.  The produce selection rivals that of the South Walnut Kroger.  (Being in Minnesota, I really miss the produce from Indiana, especially the cheap prices.)

 

The downside is that the College Mall Kroger is so big that I usually get lost.  And I live sort of on the west side of town so it’s a bit of a trek, but it is quite the experience and we are going to keep going back.

 

Winslow Fitness Trail

The Winslow Fitness Trail in Bloomington, IN became one of my favorites this past winter and spring.  We joined the YMCA for a few months, and because this trail is right next to the Southeast Y, you can leave your kids in childcare at the Y and run on the trail.  The trail is 0.9 mile around, which makes it possible to get some good miles under your belt without going absolutely crazy (or losing count of how far you’ve run!).

A good portion of the trail is paved, but there are some packed-dirt parts as well.  There are also some hills, which really helped me train for the Hoosier Half.  If I had only been running on the flatter trails like Clear Creek and the Rail Trail, I never would have been ready for the hilly Hoosier Half.

The Winslow Trail winds around a sports park and backs up against several nice homes.  It feels very safe compared to some of the other trails in Bloomington (but I guess you always have to be cautious).  There are also usually other people on the trail because it is so close to the Y and the sports park.  Enjoy!

 

TBT: Beautiful Springtime in Bloomington, Indiana

 

I can’t say I love all seasons equally, but I do love each of the seasons, especially spring and fall.  Spring was lovely in Bloomington, even if I am incredibly allergic to everything that blooms in Bloomington.  I’m pretty sure I had allergy induced asthma, but I couldn’t help going out and enjoying the beauty everywhere, especially on the Clear Creek Trail and the IU Campus.  Next year I will have to get an inhaler.  Enjoy the pictures!

L.A. Adventures: Underwood Family Farms

My son loves strawberries and begs me to buy them almost every time we are at the store.  I grew up in California though; we would get strawberries on the side of the road fresh off the farm, so I am a bit of a strawberry snob.  Before we left for L.A. I kept telling him that I would not only buy him strawberries in California but that I would take him to a strawberry farm so he could pick his own.  I think that was the highlight of our trip for him.

After searching online, I decided we should explore Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark, CA.  Not only did they have a pick-your-own farm, they had a host of other activities that were super fun for my little guy.  We set out with my sister and had a great time.

We didn’t pay to do very many of the activities because we were short on time, but we couldn’t resist riding the train.  My son loved it, but he insisted I go with him and I got a little dizzy riding around on that small track!  He wanted to go a second time.

 

 

There were singing chickens!

The Trike Trail–a fun place for little ones to ride tricycles in circles.

The beautiful farm. Strawberries were way in the back corner.

Lots of fun farm animals.

 

We really enjoyed the Kids Corral.  This was included with admission and there were lots of things for kids to play with–a sand box with all sorts of toys for digging, a slide, a wooden school bus to climb in, etc.

We will have to go back sometime in the fall and pick out a pumpkin!  What a fun place to visit!

 

L.A. Adventures: The Best Taco. Period.

 

We went to California for a couple weeks to visit family and attend my brother’s junior high graduation before heading to Minnesota for the summer.  Even though we tried to fly into an airport close to my parents house, the family wanted tacos, so we ended up driving to the West Side of Los Angeles anyway.

Tito’s Tacos are unquestionably the best tacos on the planet.  Or at least outside of Central America.  I would know.  I’ve tried tacos while living all over the country in hopes of finding something even remotely close to the deliciousness Tito’s serves and nearly every other taco has left me majorly disappointed.

Tito’s is entirely worth the inevitable line you will wait in.  The tacos are fried, at in the whole taco is dipped in oil.  It’s not the place to go if you want to be healthy, but every once in awhile it is worth it.  If you are going to LA, make a stop at Tito’s.  It’s in Culver City, not far from LAX.

COSI: Using our ASTC Passport Membership in Columbus, Ohio

Back in May we took a super quick trip up to Cleveland, OH to visit friends.  We needed a place to stretch our legs along the way, so we decided to take advantage of our awesome ASTC Passport Pass that we have through our membership to the Wonderlab.  The COSI Center of Science and Industry in Columbus, OH turned out to be a great place for us to stop.  We did have to pay a small fee (I think $5) for parking, but admission to the museum was free with our Wonderlab pass.

Right as you walk in there is a unicycle on a tightrope up in the air.  We didn’t try it, but my son did have fun watching people go back and forth.  I had to drag him to the little kids area of the museum.

The Little Kidspace is reserved for kids second grade and younger.  It was awesome and I wish we had had more time to play.  Maybe we will go back again!  There was a farm truck to “drive” and load up with pretend fruits and vegetables, a house with a play kitchen, an area for foam shapes, a water table, and much more.

I love that when you enter the Little Kidspace you have to get a ticket and they check every individual in and out.  It made it fairly relaxing to find a place to sit and let my son do his thing while I watched.  I didn’t have to worry about him running off to another part of the museum in a split second.  I wish all museums had something like this that is equally engaging for toddler and young kids!

We definitely recommend a visit to COSI if you are in the Columbus area.