To get the “official” view on what makes Minnesota’s Twin Cities a “wow,” Meetings MidAmerica recently took it to the top and interviewed the mayors of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. When you think of it, who better to ask than a city’s leader to discover what makes it worthy of unbridled civic pride? After all, they’ve got a horse in this race!
As mayor you must host a lot of visitors. Where do you take them when you want them to say, “Wow!”?
Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman: The first place is to Summit Avenue, which is the longest stretch of Victorian houses in the U.S.—beautifully preserved, and among other things the place where F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote his first novel, and it ends at the Cathedral of Saint Paul and the State Capitol. And we always like to brag about being home to A Prairie Home Companion, [broadcast] each Saturday from the Fitzgerald Theater. For those who saw the movie, Mickey’s Diner is the only thing you see outside the theater; it’s just a classic old American diner, open 24/7--they never close. You want pancakes at 8:00 on Christmas morning, go ahead.
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak: First is to experience the greatest urban environment in America by walking, biking or hiking along the Mississippi riverfront downtown or the network of lakes and parkways in the center of the city. Number two is the extraordinary arts scene here, including international institutions like the Guthrie and the Walker, but also small, emerging, cutting-edge performance groups. The third would be to see the Minneapolis you never saw on Mary Tyler Moore or Garrison Keillor: We speak 80 languages, come from all over the world, and we have foods from 30 different countries. [For that reason] the Midtown Global Market is probably my favorite single place in the city, because it expresses “Minneapolis.”
What makes your city unique among American cities?
Mayor Rybak: You would have to find a city much larger to be this sophisticated and one much smaller to be this friendly. We are extraordinary in the fact that you can come here to a convention and go to sophisticated restaurants and art exhibits, and also go out and within a couple minutes’ walk from your hotel be in extraordinary parks with swimmable lakes and dramatic riverfront vistas in the city. No one puts it all together like we do.
Mayor Coleman: First, it’s preserved a great deal of its history, is incredibly livable. You can live, work and go to college in Saint Paul and be entertained, plus it’s beautifully situated on the banks of the Mississippi.
What do residents most enjoy about living there?
Mayor Coleman: The public school system is strong; both my kids go. The uniqueness of the seasons; people enjoy going out skating or skiing in winter, or playing tennis or swimming in the summer. In the fall the colors are spectacular.
Mayor Rybak: We’re often rated one of the most livable cities in America because you can do so many things without the hassle you normally have in a city with those offerings. ... Another thing is that it’s a huge active sports city. We have the country’s only urban cross-country ski race; it’s 35 kilometers. It’s tough to go to Minneapolis and just sit on the couch and do nothing. We get out in the middle of winter and enjoy it, but in summer the walkways and bikeways around the lake explode with people.
Where would you recommend visitors, especially visiting groups, eat?
Mayor Rybak: I’m about to walk into Mission, a restaurant in the IDS Center downtown. Peter’s Grill is a great old-fashioned lunch counter downtown. I’m a big fan of any of the Parasol’s Restaurants, plus Hamburger Joe is about to open. Common Roots is part of the quickly expanding local food movement, where you’re getting much more food from sustainable growers in the region. By the way, eat a honeycrest apple, which were developed by the University of Minnesota. They’re grown elsewhere now, but only taste great in Minnesota.
Mayor Coleman: Definitely Grand Avenue is a great place to walk, shop and eat. We have some new bars and restaurants opening, and Rice Park is one of the most beautiful areas in the U.S. The Saint Paul Hotel has the Saint Paul Grill in it, which is one of the best restaurants in town. You have a full range of choices; [for instance] there’s Little Szechuan, it’s very authentic. You hear people standing on line on a summer night saying, “I never thought I’d find authentic Chinese food in the Midwest.”
