Day 9: Minneapolis - Part 1

I forgot to mention...you might have noticed that I eventually shaved. Well, it turns out that the fantasy of letting yourself go after you get married is just so much better than the reality. Plus, it's summer...the less hair the better!

Get ready, this day was a doozy:

We woke up super early and ran/rollerbladed around Lake of the Isles and then Kenwood Park, and past some amazing homes in the historic Lowry Hill neighborhood. This was about a 4 mile excursion.

Then we went to Minnehaha park for a quick walk along a scenic creek underneath a canopy of greenery. Perhaps another mile and a half. Check out the falls:



Then met up with one of Janet's friends for a breakfast/lunch at Chatterbox. Why Chatterbox? The answer will become obvious once you see the video:



And, I'm jealous. Are they looking for franchising opportunities? Oh my god. The cinnamon swirl french toast was amazing.

And then to the Mall of America. Obviously, I wasn't really excited by the promise of shopping, but come on people, Mall of America. American Landmark. We just had to check it out:



The mall is set up basically like a giant oval, with the above Nickelodeon themed amusement atrium in the middle, and 3 stories of shops around the outside. We were determined to walk around all three rings (if we could without collapsing or becoming bored). IT didn't take long for Janet to find some much needed refreshment in a throwback to her childhood years:



When you travel the country camping and staying with family, you can afford to really go nuts once in a while. To that end, we pampered ourselves with first-timer aqua massages:



I was surprised that it actually felt really good, and wasn't just a gimmick. Wouldn't mind having one of these at my place. If it proves to be too expensive, then maybe just a table with a slit for your face so you can lie face down? Maybe you could have a book that turned it's own pages underneath? I'm accepting funding for this and other amazing inventions starting....now!

I knew you wouldn't believe me if I told you, which is why I captured this on film:



Who are the adwizards that came up with that one?

All in all the Mall of America was surprisingly enjoyable. We didn't actually do any shopping, but it was entertaining enough just wandering around, people watching, counting the number of Lids stores, and mocking any of the numerous debacles of consumerism. Janet was wearing a pedometer...and in total we walked.....3 miles at the mall!