Photo by Peter Von de Linde
Spoonbridge and Cherry
Art-beat of the City
Say hello to the blue rooster at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Cross the newly refurbed blue and yellow bridge over Hennepin, Lyndale, and 94 (pause to take a cool skyline pic). On the other side: Loring Park, home to the Berger Fountain, which Dunwoody architecture students helped design a winter cover for in 2018 during restoration of the fountain. walkerart.org, loringpark.org
via Shutterstock
Music Wall
The music wall is a BYOP (bring your own piano) situation.
A jaunt into the central core brings you to the music wall on South 10th Street and Marquette (although we won’t judge if you mask up and Uber to escape the cold). Along the way, the Adam Turman mural at 12th and Hennepin paints our many seasons— warm up and caffeinate at MN-founded Caribou Coffee inside Lunds and Byerlys across the street.
If you’re not already a Prince fan, don’t worry; we’ll convince you. The lyrics of Prince’s “Baby I’m a Star” adorn a comic book–style mural at Hennepin and 10th. And he holds the only gold star amid more than 425 silver stars on First Avenue’s exterior. Minny’s walk of fame painted over its original stars in the early 2000s with a fresh constellation. first-avenue.com
Nicollet Calls
Photo by Kurt Moses Photography
Downtown Minneapolis Light Walk
Nicollet lights up our dark days.
The long-awaited reno of Nicollet wrapped in 2017. Stroll the new Light Walk, composed of chrome light posts trellised over the sidewalk. The Peavey Plaza pools, dry this winter, were renovated in 2019, and the refreshing fountains and reflection basin await warmer days (coming soon!). greenminneapolis.org
Warm up at Prohibition Bar (temporarily closed due to COVID-19) at the tippy top of the art deco Foshay—not for the faint of heights, but they make a kickin’ cocktail. Continuing up Nicollet, catch the updates in action as the IDS Center’s Crystal Court embarks on a huge reno. thelivingroom-prohibition.com, ids-center.com
Photo by Kurt Moses Photography
Mary Tyler Moore Statue
Mary Tyler Moore smiles no matterthe weather.
She put Minneapolis on the map with her eponymous show, so it’s only fitting we put her on ours. Wave at the Mary Tyler Moore statue on Nicollet and South 7th Street, who reminded Twin Citians to mask up in March by sporting her own mask. She stands in front of the flagship Dayton’s store, which set the gold standard for window displays. Those brilliant displays made a revival in 2019 outside The Dayton’s Project. thedaytonsproject.com
Bookworms, read on! Minneapolis Central Library houses the largest collection in the Hennepin County system. Across Nicollet, the U-shaped design of the former Federal Reserve Bank (now Marquette Plaza) building smiles at the city, uniquely designed with floors suspended from the two towers like bridge decks. hclib.org/minneapoliscentral
Warm your hands with a cup at Penny’s Coffee. You’ll have to go through the luxe lobby of the Washington Square building (sorry, not sorry) to get to the window-abundant café. Next, mosey to the Voya Financial Building, which you may not know by name but will recognize for its white six-story portico and green stone façade. The midcentury building was designed by Minoru Yamasaki, architect of the original World Trade Center. pennyscoffee.com
Walks on Water
via Shutterstock
Gold Medal Flour Sign
The Gold Medal Flour sign, beacon of the Mill District.
The anchor point of East Town’s Mill District: Gold Medal Park, whose sculptures rooted throughout were transplanted from the Walker about five years ago. Along the river and pedestrian path, the pillars of the I-35W Bridge Memorial stand sentinel through the seasons. Take that riverside path north past Mill City Museum to the Stone Arch Bridge— and surefire cute puppy sightings. goldmedalpark.org, mnhs.org/millcity
via Shutterstock
35W Bridge at Night
The new I-35W Bridge washed in Prince purple.
On South 2nd Street, peep the painted moniker on the Ceresota Building, now senior living, which started as the Northwestern Consolidated Milling Co. Elevator and did a stint as office space. At creative agency Periscope in East Town, a colorful mural broadcasts “I really love you” in sign language (our sentiments exactly, Minneapolis). And connect with our Vikings roots via the mother ship, U.S. Bank Stadium. usbankstadium.com
This article originally appeared in the January 2021 issue of Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. Read more of on downtown Minneapolis in 2021, sponsored by the mpls downtown council, here.
