Thursday, July 15, 2010
I had every intention of blogging as we traveled but that was not to be. I did find time to organize the photos each day, so that saved time in the end. We left our home at 4:30 AM, to fly to Minneapolis via Atlanta. Arrived at Terminal 2, the Hubert Humphrey Terminal of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. Picked up the rental car and started our tour in St. Paul, MN. We brought the GPS, but ended up relying on MapQuest directions.
The Cathedral of St. Paul sits on a hilltop. Built in 1915, it is designated a National Shrine to the Apostle Paul. Designed by French architect Emmanuel Louis Masqueray, it is in Beaux-Arts style, inspired by French Renaissance architecture. The dome is clad in copper.
"Peanuts" creator Charles Schultz was born and raised in St. Paul, and these statues were created in 2003 by Tivoli Too, a local jeweler turned provider of giant decor. Also located in Landmark Park are Linus and Sally:
(Here with Kent & Brynne)
and Schroeder and Lucy:
Peppermint Patty and Marcie, along with Woodstock, are in Rice Park:
and a fountain with a sculpture called "The Source" (1965, Alonzo Hauser):
Rice Park is across the street from the Landmark Center. Built in 1902 and designed by Willoughby J. Edbrooke, it is Richardson Romanesque. The Landmark Center used to be the US Courthouse, where John Dillinger was tried, and Post Office. Now it houses museums, galleries, and exhibit space.
A colorful pocket garden is on the grounds of the St. Paul Hotel.
The Historic Dacotah Building was built in 1889 to house the W. A. Frost Pharmacy and apartments. Also in Richardson Romanesque, it was designed and built by the Hennessy Brothers Builders.
Next stop was the St. Paul City Hall and Ramsey County Courthouse, built in 1931 in the Art Deco style known as "American Perpendicular." Designed by Thomas Ellerbe & Co. and Holabird & Root, it was inspired by the Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen.
Entrance:
A 38-foot tall sculpture in onyx, the "Vision of Peace" towered at one end of Memorial Hall. Made by Swedish sculptor Carl Milles in 1936, it was originally titled "Indian God of Peace."
The Minnesota State Capitol is located on a large green campus. Built in 1905, it was modeled after St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. Designed by Gilbert Cass in Beaux-Arts/ Italian Renaissance style.
Below the dome you can see "The Progress of State", a gilded quadriga or charioteer with four horses abreast. (There is also a standing woman.) Made in 1906 by Daniel Chester French and Edward Clark Potter.
After a tour by a young volunteer who just loved those birds, we headed for the zoo.
Aquatic plants:
The Zoological Building was a WPA project built in 1936 (Architect Charles Bassford, Art Deco). It is now part of the Visitors Center.
Crape Myrtle bonsai:
Sunken Garden:
Star fruit tree:
A fresh market on the Mall:
After dinner at the M&S Grill, we used the Skyway to walk to the baseball game.
We attended the game against the Chicago White Sox, which they lost 7-8 due to poor pitching. We did see their 6-run second inning, but didn't make it to the seventh inning stretch. Brynne spotted a pair of kestrels flying around the baseball field.
In Landmark Park, we found the bronze statues of "Peanuts" comic strip characters, beginning with Charlie Brown and Snoopy, seen here with Brynne:
Rice Park also contains a statue of F. Scott Fitzgerald (1996, Michael Price), who was also born in St. Paul:
Now the W. A. Frost and Company is a restaurant, and we were able to obtain a table on the patio for lunch.
We drove through the Minnesota State Fairgrounds to reach the University of Minnesota St. Paul campus. The College of Veterinary Medicine here is home to the Gabbert Raptor Center whose mission is to provide rescue, medical care, rehabilitation, and when possible, release of eagles, hawks, owls, and falcons.
The Como Park Zoo and Conservatory did not have an admission fee, but a suggested $2 donation. Can't beat that! We walked through what is left of the original Japanese Garden, with the Granite Frog in the Frog Pond:
A Butterfly garden in front of the Marjorie McNeeley Conservatory (1915):
A Skipper Garden (skippers are a family of butterflies):
Harbor Seal:
Some bonsai:
Japanese Garden:
Crossed the Mississippi River into Minneapolis to see the ultra-modern Guthrie Theater (2006, French architect Jean Nouvel):
After settling into the hotel, we walked along Nicollet Mall, a pedestrian street, to see the statue of Mary Richards (aka Mary Tyler Moore) tossing her hat into the air. TV Land had the statue made in 2002.
Every few blocks you could see the 2nd-story walkways between buildings. This "Skyway" allows you to walk through downtown Minneapolis without going out into the cold.
Entering Target Field, the brand new home of the MLB Minnesota Twins:
Target Field and the Minnesota skyline:
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