Travel Reports
Minneapolis
Mile high above the Atlantic, relaxing in the luxury of United Airlines executive class, I’m heading for the US. But not the America I know and love from my years of travel. Not the sun drenched excitement of Los Angeles, or the sophistication and museums of Manhattan. No, I’m heading towards Minneapolis on the Mississippi River, the so-called City of Lakes, capital of Minnesota State. Exactly half way between the coasts, Minneapolis is in the heart of America’s Mid West, bang in the centre of the dreaded Bible Belt. Enemy territory, surely, for an out gay man? Well, no! My fears turn out to be groundless. The city is a delight of old-world values and old-school charm. And, as it turns out, it’s one of the most gay-friendly cities I have ever visited.
Hop on the brand new light railway at the airport and just twenty minutes (and two dollars) later get off at Nicollet Mall station, and you’ve arrived at The City of The Future. Minneapolis boasts breathtaking architecture. Its soaring skyscrapers are interconnected by over seven miles of first-floor level skyway highways. It would be no surprise to find Dr. Who and the Tardis landing next to you at any moment.
A Home-from-Home:
This, of course, is where most of the best hotels are located. Just a short walk down 7th Street and I’m soon settled into The Radisson Plaza, a newly renovated four-star hotel with five star attitudes. If you check into one of the business floor suites with its lounge serving day-long complimentary drinks, breakfast and snacks you’ll find rooms elegantly designed with every little comfort catered for. And how’s this for a gimmick? The bed has a control panel, which allows you to choose the softness of your mattress. Pump me up, Scotty. Service means service here, with lashes of Minnesota manners.
There is a wide choice of accommodation downtown, but, for a home-from-home atmosphere my partner and I stay a couple of nights at the rather less luxurious Marriott-owned Residence Inn on 8th Street – same attention to detail, but with self contained apartments, complete with kitchen and dining room for self catering - breakfast, lunch and supper; no-one’s high-falutin’ enough to call it ‘dinner’ here!
Wilde About Pizza:
Breakfast should mean Cheerios, a Minneapolis invention (along with post-it notes and Purple Rain), but this is a city with just about every kind of food from every corner of the globe. They even have an ‘Eat Street’ (Nicollet Avenue) where you can munch your way around the world. However, for more upmarket cuisine try the restaurants and cafes around Loring Park (home of Minneapolis’s annual Pride), or the Warehouse District at the end of the light railway line.
Popular with young trendies this is also the place to go for some great sounds and where the artist formerly known as Prince got his big break. The First Avenue and 7th Street Entry is still one of the hottest clubs in town, but my favourite hang-out has to be 20.21 in the Walker Arts Centre. Opened in 2005 by the legendary Wolfgang Puck (of Spargos Hollywood fame), 20:21 takes its decor inspiration from the contemporary art collections of the last and current centuries. The Asian-influenced menu blends local produce with Asian spices, Thai basil, scallions and ginger, while the signature Spoon, Cube and Cherry dessert of chocolate, cream and sour cherry sauce is a miniature, somewhat lighter version of the famous Claes Oldenberg and Coosje van Bruggen sculpture in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.
Sunday Brunch in the IDS building offers the most spectacular views from its 50th floor loaction on Nicollet Mall, but best to book in advance as it does fill up quickly.
Meanwhile, the best breakfasts in town are definitely the ones served up at the gay owned Wilde Roast with its Oscar Wilde inspired lounge. Big plates of fortifying Wilde’s Waffles or Mild Sausage and Cheddar Italian Strata will set you up for a day’s sightseeing. And if you can stand the distance, return in the evening for Quesadillas or the Pizza Of Dorian Gray (!), or just to hang out, as it’s also become a serious alternative to the hedonism of the gay bars.
Scene Queens:
The Mayor of Minneapolis has proclaimed the whole of his city gay-friendly with no need for a gay village. He may have a point, but in reality most of the gay bars are conveniently located along Hennepin Avenue, the city’s main drag. The Saloon and Boom both attract a cute young set, while Boom has an excellent restaurant, with terrace, called Oddfellows. Those on the leather trail should make for Minneapolis Eagle, although the dress code is noticeably more relaxed on weekdays. If you count yourself amongst the beautiful people Jet Set on First Street should be your hangout; dress to impress. And even if drag is not really your bag The Gay 90’s at 408 Hennepin is worth a visit for the best cabaret show west of New York. You can pick up a copy of the local Lavender magazine for full bar and club listings. Lavender also includes local gossip, news and politics and details of the Twin Cities arts scene (the ‘Twin’ refers to neighbouring Saint Paul’s, but no casual visitor will know when they’ve crossed the border).
Art Attack:
Minneapolis is justifiably proud of its massive in-road into the artistic world. They call it Arts Explosion and it has already attracted over half a billion dollars worth of investment on new art galleries and theatrical venues. The tourist board boasts that the city, dubbed The Mini Apple, has more theatre seats per capita then any other city, except New York. Indeed, many of the big Broadway shows use Minneapolis theatres for their out-of-town openings and the brand new state of the art Guthrie Theatre on the Mississippi River front will only add to the City of The Arts reputation when it opens in the summer of 2006.
For visual arts the best known gallery is The Walker Arts Centre with its reputation as one of America’s most forward thinking houses. It’s here that you’ll find the Spoon Bridge and Cherry in the Sculpture Garden, while, back inside, a massive retrospective of Warhol (until February 26th 2006) is complimented by art classes where you can learn to paint just like Andy. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts and The Frederick R. Wiseman Art Museum, designed by Frank Gehry of Guggenheim, Bilbao fame, are also well worth a visit.
Shopping In Space:
But if you’re going to the US hell-bent on shopping then Minneapolis is an American retail therapy Mecca. Especially if you need a new bib and tucker. With its ‘no tax on clothes’ state legislation the city will show no mercy on any but the most generous of credit cards. For posh purchases take a walk down Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis’s equivalent of Bond Street. With the dollar in our favour you can get yourself kitted out for about half the price you’d pay in the UK. If you really want to do the brash tourist thing, half way down Nicollet stop and have your photo taken next to the statue of Mary Tyler Moore, the cities home grown television star. Staying in the tourist frame of mind you can hop back on that handy little light railway to the other end of the line, back past the airport and alight at the city’s biggest shopping and flagship attraction, the Mall of America. It’s the largest mall in the US, with over 520 outlets over four floors. This over-grown consumer playground is a cathedral of the best and the worst of shopping and eating American-style. You’ll find rows and rows of tacky tacos and butt-busting burger stalls mixed with downmarket mall shops, yet in the midst of it all stands Bloomingdales. the very upmarket Nordstrom Shop and - my favourite department store in the world - Macys.
Then there’s the Mall’s massive indoor theme park – Snoopy World. It’s a mini Disney set in a sort of artificial holiday island and not quite as dreadful as it sounds, but you do either have to have a kid with you, or pretend to be one! And if you’ve had one too many tacos give it a miss in favour of the aquarium with its moving walkway tracking underneath an unbelievably massive aquarium packed with over 1,000 species of fish, including some mean looking sharks.
Get Out Of Town:
Out of town and a short River City Trolley ride away is the bohemian section they call Up Town. This marks the start of the city’s 22-lake chain (actually Minnesota has over 10,000 lakes and its very own beach, but no-one likes to boast), including the popular Lake Calhoun, surrounded by some of the country’s most expensive real estate. It’s a popular place for fishing, swimming, boating, or every other form of water sport that takes your fancy. Or you can trek or cycle for over 50 miles in the neighbouring wilderness. And it’s all a short hop from downtown. Nor is this just a summer thing. Winter guides are available to take you snow trekking through the flat but stunningly beautiful wooded countryside, and winter can prove a surprisingly pleasant time to visit the Mini Apple (if you don’t mind sub-zero temperatures) as Minnesotans celebrate the holiday season with a Winter Carnival that includes ice-skating, ice-carving, fashion shows, gaslight tours and Frosty Fingers Kite Flying! Indeed, for approximately five months the city takes on a magical Winter Wonderland atmosphere that proves as warm as their men. And when the sunshine finally does return it’s almost time for the annual Pride weekend; when the men become really hot!
Essentials:
GTT travelled to Minneapolis via Chicago on United Airlines. UA flies daily from London Heathrow. www.united.com
For all hotel booking and information on what to see, where to go, where to eat and for arts and theatre listings check www.minneapolis.org
Jason Pollock
