you should visit me

Last weekend Annie visited me in Minneapolis for the first time. (Side note: It is really hard to convince people to visit you in Minneapolis. Everyone thinks it is always cold here, all the time. And I guess it doesn’t help that we’ve had the longest winter ever and when I look at my Instagram posts, all I see are pictures of snow. And some cats. And cats in snow. Apparently I’ve become the most boring person ever, which also doesn’t help when you’re trying to convince people to visit you.)

I asked Annie what she wanted to do, and she said she wanted to see all of my favorite things. So I pointed toward the living room and said: “These are my cats.”

Just kidding. I swear, I didn't make Annie sit on the couch and inhale cat dander all weekend. I really do leave the house and do things besides shovel my driveway.

To prove it, here is a list of my Minneapolis favorites, the go-to spots I like to show out-of-town visitors. (Assuming anyone else ever visits. Seriously, please visit. I miss you.)

This is The Egg at Martina. It is unbelievable.

Eat

• Martina: They serve a chai-flavored cocktail in an egg-shaped vessel made of ice. Ice! It is amazing. And so is the rest of the menu.
• Revival: Because gluten-free fried chicken that tastes like real fried chicken. And if you don't like chicken, the burger is also incredible.
• Kyatchi: My favorite sushi spot. And they have wacky hot dogs. And awesome sake flights. And a black sesame panna cotta that I want to drown myself in. 
• Victor’s 1959 Café: Cuban brunch!
• Midtown Global Market: Korean fusion, camel burgers, pho, tacos, and a brewery all under one roof.
• Corner Table: $45 for a blow-your-mind, super-fancy three-course meal. And these folks also know their wines -- the list is impressive (and makes me miss my previous life in the wine world). 
• Gyst: A fermentation bar! And so much focus on the story behind what you're eating and drinking.
• Izzy’s Ice Cream: All of the ice cream. God, I love ice cream.

I could eat this fried chicken every day.

Drink

• Tattersall Distilling: Craft cocktails for like $8. A cool industrial space. Good people-watching.
• Constantine: More craft cocktails. Plus a $6 cheeseburger wrapped in paper -- sort of like fast-food heaven, but with a glass of fancy whiskey.
• Marvel Bar: Even more craft cocktails! But in a speakeasy setting. (Also, I'm realizing that I really don't go out for drinks very much anymore. I don't have a go-to neighborhood bar.)
• Surly: This place is cool if you can drink beer. I can't drink beer because it makes me crap my pants. But I'll be your DD and eat the meat board while you drink. 

Outdoor sightseeing

• Chain of Lakes: Best place for running, walking, paddle-boarding, people-watching, you name it. Love the lake lifestyle here.
• Minnehaha Falls: Because it's awesome to have a legit waterfall within city limits.
• Stone Arch Bridge: Iconic Minneapolis.
• Minneapolis Sculpture Garden: One of the first places Big Ginger took me when I visited him. It's been recently renovated and is gorgeous. And there's mini golf in the summer!

Current exhibition at my work.

Indoor sightseeing

• My place of employment: Admission is free, and there's something for everyone. And I'm so proud to work there!
• Guthrie Theater: See a show, or just walk to the balcony area and check out the amazing view of the Mississippi River.
• Wild Rumpus: A kids' bookstore with live animals! There is a cat, chicken, tarantula, ferret, chinchilla and more. I hate my parents for not bringing me here when I was a child. I don't care that they raised me in Southern California and we knew no one who lived in Minneapolis. That is beside the point.
• Open Book: Home to the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. I love the coffee shop (the chai is the best I've had in the city) and browsing titles at Milkweed Editions.