Allen Christian opened his studio to the Urban Sketchers for an afternoon sketching event. There…read morewere so many things that caught my eye. I loved these figures that were formed from piano parts. Much of the art was created from things we might consider trash but to Allen it transforms into beautiful, and sometimes odd, works of art. Allen's imagination is limitless. I enjoyed seeing something from afar then stepping close to it to see individual screws, bolts, brushes, computer keys, or syringes. So cool. I also enjoyed meeting Allen and seeing him practicing his craft. What a fun place and gracious host.

Stopped here during Doors Open '26. I've never really adventured out to this area but was curious…read moreto see what this place was. It's an art gallery full of random oddities. Looks like most of the materials are recycled or thrifted which was cool to see some retro signs or parts. Never ran into the owner/person running the place to ask questions but I'd definitely like to know more about how some of the pieces come together and how they source items. Also not sure if pieces were for sell or it was strictly for show. Cool nonetheless.

I thought Minne was a mouse, but what do I know. Apparently it's a lakemonster. Oooooh…read more What could be better than a Loch Ness type sea monster right here in Minneapolis, in the FREAKING LAKES? And it's really adorable as well. Of course it's fake - or at least I think it's fake. I'm not going to come out and say it's fake when I can't be sure that it's fake. It may be fake but let's not assume that it's fake because one day you could be swimming in the lake and this so called fake monster could fake eat you and you'd be fake dead or fake in hospital for a long time and HOW FAKE WOULD IT BE THEN. Yet another case where Fake is the best possible outcome.

A legend in American folklore, Minnie is the Loch Ness of America. Keep an eye out for her dopey…read moreface as you enjoy the lakes this summer.

I love Midtown Global Market with all of my heart. I went…read morelast Friday for the first time in a while and have already been back 2 times already since then (it's now Monday). Midtown Global Market has been such a staple in my life. It does such a good job of having food options from so many cultures and parts of the world. The food is reasonably priced and the workers are all so kind and knowledgable. Beyond just food, there is a huge selection of art, groceries, clothing, and more. MGM has always felt like the ideal of what Minneapolis is and can be. I am sad to see a lot of booths closed right now. My heart aches for my neighbors and community. I hope (and know) that MGM can bounce back and continue to be a place of diverse community. Love MGM always.

I feel like it used to be much livelier years ago. I went this year to Volunteer and noticed a lot…read moreof places were vacant/closed. Seems like they are trying to bring people back by hosting more events (they've always had events but really pushing for the community to out). They still have some decent food options. Sad about Slice closing before I had to a chance to check them out. Still a few shops and produce vendors. I was born and raised for a bit in South Mpls and I find this area to be a bit challenging sometimes especially with them narrowing Lake Street down to single lanes. Makes me avoid the area as a whole. Definitely not MGM fault but generally unfortunate. You do have to pay for parking, ramp or metered. Or you could be lucky and find a spot around the neighborhood and walk over.

The skyway system in Minneapolis is so very cool. With over 10 miles of connecting walkways, you…read moreare able to traverse all of downtown without ever stepping outside. It's a shame they close it on weekends. You can go from an office to a hotel, a restaurant to a convenience store, a sewing studio to a massage pop-up... I even saw connection to a church. It is very helpful to have a map. There are signs directing you where to go, but it can be kind of confusing if you don't know the streets/building names well. People are friendly and happy to provide directions. Whether you feel like a rat lost in a maze, or a productive ant part of a communal tunnel system, you have to admit this is a very unique method of transportation. Many other cities could benefit, but I can only imagine the cost and time it took to plan and build this. I did notice a number of vacant spaces inside the Skyway system, and I noticed that the streets of the city seem really quiet because so much activity is happening on the second floor. I hope that the city can invest in bringing small businesses to the skyway and keeping it open for locals and tourists alike.

Downtown Minneapolis Skyway is an excellent way to get around the city area businesses,…read morehospitality, shopping, sports arenas, entertainment and banking. This walkway has it all! It's a great alternative to walking in the streets in extreme hot and cold weather. Very clean and temperature set just right anytime of the year. The map (see attached) will lead you to wherever you want to go. Connects and links you with hotels, buses and trains too! Great for walkers as you can put some serious steps in if you do the whole thing. Portions could be closed after hours or on weekends. You'll need to check the website to see what sections are open and timings.

Stopped here to check out a Library i've never been to. This Library has an old charm too. 2 floors…read more(from what I can tell) the second floor was nice, liked the natural lighting as well as seating spaces. They also have dvds you check out and it was fun looking at the offerings. Street parking which can be tough in this area especially ok the winter but doable.

Another in the "can't miss" series. Every library is unique, and specializes in different aspect of…read moreservice for the local community. This almost looks like a church from outside, but it's very welcoming and accommodating. Nice local art in a friendly atmosphere makes this library a great neighborhood working meeting spot. Check it out!

Glass is such an amazing material to work with and FOCI lets you experience it fro. Stained glass…read moreto fusing to hot glass. Diacoveey sessions are a great way to get started and classes are very well taught and instructors very patient

I took the Birds -stained glass discovery one day class with my daughter and had a great time!…read moreNeither of us had ever worked with glass before and Sarah, the instructor, was fun and patient and did a wonderful job helping everyone and demonstrating techniques! We had a great evening and drove home chatting about what other classes we can take there!

The ColorWheel Gallery is AMAZING! Tammy is a fabulous artist, community advocate & fighter for…read moreSocial Justice. She has a talent for putting together eclectic & unique collections in the store, getting the word out about ways to have your voice heard, organizing fun events and bringing people together. Love, love, love the ColorWheel!

From the owner: Speaking with Diverse Voices, the ColorWheel Gallery aims to make Art Accessible to Everyone, to…read morePromote Our Local Artists & offer Inspiration to Create Vibrant & Equitable Communities.

2 stars with context *with* strollers and a young family, the movement/fluid from one room to the…read morenext was torture. Same with finding a changing station, I cut my hand in the airplane-feel bathroom on floor M, which isn't marked floor M within the elevator. I remembered my visit with my oldest in the summer and thought this family Saturday would be a great winter experience. It wasn't, but I personally enjoyed the sculpture room and Lineage exhibits! Recommend the walker during summer and with older children when forced inside.

Dropped in last night for their free Thursday evening admission. All I had to do was check-in at…read morethe front desk and receive a small medallion to wear. They even had a fun free craft going on in the basement, all supplies included and snacks! Yay! I just took an explore at my own pace through a couple of exhibits. The docents are a little creepy... I know they're just doing their job by standing there staring at you or following you around (probably because guests are bad at respecting the rules), but yeah, I found them a little distracting/detracting from the experience. Oh well. I just tried to ignore it and focus on the art as best I could. Moving from room to room and spiralling up gradual stairways will kind of get you lost inside the building. It's large and has multiple floors. The space will shift from cozy to grandiose at a moment's notice. If you don't like being lost, grab a map before you go in. If getting lost is a fun part of the experience for you, then by all means, just enjoy following your nose like I did, haha! I happened to be there on opening night for the new kid's exhibit they added, where you are encouraged to touch as part of exploration. It's not terribly large, but I like things that encourage imaginative play. Shame I saw one lady just staring at her cell phone like a drone while her kid played beside her. There are all-gender bathrooms on the ground floor by the lobby, and additional restrooms scattered throughout the center (when you stumble across them, lol). There are also coat closets for you to hang your coat if you don't need it; they keep the center nice and warm inside! There is an occasional water fountain as well, which is a godsend since they do not allow you to carry ANY drinks (even recloseable water bottles like Hydroflasks) into the exhibit spaces. There are also a couple of gift shops. The one in the lobby has affordable things, the one deeper in on the second floor is like modern art for your home + a wall of books. There are a couple of theatres inside, along with a full restaurant (y'know, if you have money for fancy-schmancy things like eating, oops). For parking you have a couple options: you can utilize the surface lot for $5 and it'll last you until midnight, or you can use the underground lot for $8. Depending on the weather conditions, that extra $3 might make it worth it to you to choose the underground space. On a chilly Thursday November evening, I still chose the outdoor lot and there were plenty of parking spaces available. There is also the option of squeezing into parallel parking along Vineland and using the meters. Obviously, the sculpture garden is also right next door to explore at any time of day for free. I highly recommend it, if only to take a quick selfie with the Cherry & Spoon or blue Cock.

Another nice entry in the large connection of Hennepin County libraries. Interesting architecture,…read morenice art, seating for studying and reading near the interesting placement of exterior windows. I recommend you check them all out!

This library has not been quiet enough to read in. I block my hearing to use this library. Most of…read morethe copies of the magazines this library subscribes to that are of interest to me are already checked out. Finding magazine articles of interest to me on a database and printing out the articles instead is very time consuming. Few books of interest to me are placed at this library. Books placed at this library have been absent from the shelf. I dislike having to wait a week or more for book requests to get to this library. I plan not to interact with any employee when I use this library.