Karen Fleck
- Jun 15, 2021
- 6 min read

Boats, Baseball & Bridges

Happy Tuesday friends! Time is a flying. I cannot believe we are in our last week in Minneapolis. What a great time it has been. If the weather was nice all year round, I'd seriously consider living here. This week was filled with lots of vitamin D.

Lake Minnetonka

Lake Minnetonka is one of the largest lakes in Minnesota with over 100 miles of shoreline. There is boating and cruising on the lake and dining and shopping all around it. Since renting a boat for ourselves was quite above our price range, we opted for a boat tour with Wayzata Bay Charter Cruises which has both private and public cruises. Since we waited until a day before the cruise to book, our only option was a beer cruise with Excelsior Brewing Co. which has a brewery about 2 blocks from the port.

While it might not have been the one we chose if we had more options (Pizza Cruise anyone?), it ended up being the perfect cruise. The boat was very comfortable and the day and the lake were beautiful. There was a beer tasting and Eric enjoyed them all. We got to meet a ton of great people and to top it all off there was an amazing cover band called Them and Her. They played hits from the 80s to today and let me tell you, if we weren't already married, I would fly them in to play the wedding (should we do it again Eric?). We even won a t-shirt for being the people from the farthest away. Some people screamed so loud and were so excited about us being from LA I thought they were from there too. There were also some really beautiful resort-style houses all around the lake. Looks like an incredible place to spend the summer!

Fun Fact! It is NOT Lake Minnetonka in Purple Rain! It was actually filmed along the Minnesota River. Who knew!

Yankees vs Twins

Luckily for Eric, the Yankees were in town while we were here. Target Field, where the Twins play, is about 5 blocks from where we are living, so it could not be easier. Though, we can't hear people cheering like we could when we lived near Petco Park. We chose the Thursday night game. Target Field itself was built in 2010 and if I had to guess, I would have thought it was built more recently than that. It had a very new feel. You could definitely tell it was one of the smallest ballparks in the entire MLB but it didn't feel too small.

Everything had just recently opened in Minneapolis at full capacity and while the entire park wasn't full, our section definitely was, which was a little uncomfortable when it was still 97 degrees at 10 pm. We got incredible seats right on the 3rd baseline and while it was a long game, it was a ton of fun. When we left at the bottom of the 8th, the Yankees were winning. The Twins ended up pulling out a win in the last inning and I'm not sure if it was a blessing we didn't see them lose or if they lost because we left. In any case, we had a great time.

Target Field also has a wide variety of options for non-meat eaters like a vegan burger. There wasn't a lot of healthy options but that is baseball in general, one day they will all get there. I'm so glad Eric got to see his team play. I missed the Dodgers by one day in Milwaukee but will be able to catch them in New York!

Stone Arch Bridge

The Stone Arch Bridge is a 2,100-foot former railroad bridge crossing the Mississippi River and is the only arched bridge made of stone on the entire Mississippi River. It is also the second oldest bridge on the river. The bridge was finished in 1883 and cost the equivalent of ~$18 million today. It is a unique example of skilled masonry construction and was named a National Historic Civic Engineering Landmark in 1974.

Today, it stands as a monument to the railroad era and is used as a bridge to walk or bike. From one side to the other it is about .4 miles. Emma has been struggling a little lately with walking so this was the perfect short walk for her. We happened to see it on the freeway at night and it was lit up so beautifully. Need to make sure I get that picture before we leave!

We've now seen both the top and bottom of the Mississippi River and all in one year on this trip!

Mill City Ruins

We've talked about my love for run-down buildings before right? Especially warehouses, hotels. Big buildings. If anyone wants to hire me to help convert old warehouses into retail/apartments, I'm down. Anyway, Mill Ruins Park was just what I needed. The park is located just under the Stone Arch bridge and includes the ruins of several flour mills that were abandoned along with some industrial buildings and parts from the old railroad. This area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

Mill Ruins Park, opened in 2001 and includes the ruins of nineteenth-century mills, the restored water power canal deck and main tailrace, and other features. The main tailrace canal that runs through the heart of Mill Ruins Park is part of the waterpower system begun by the Minneapolis Mill Company in 1857. It was a quick walk around the Park and the pictures do not do it justice. It was great to not only learn about but also see this piece of Minneapolis history up close.

Psycho Suzi's

Psycho Suzi's is the Tiki Bar of my dreams! With a Polynesian theme, tons of tiki decor and a riverfront patio, it was hard to get me to stop smiling from the moment we walked in. Know what else they had, wood carpet. Did you hear me! WOOD CARPET! Amazing, truly amazing. You can see it for yourself below.

We snagged a seat right along the river and enjoyed some tiki cocktails and snacks while watching the sunset. One of the best parts was the drink descriptions! I started with the Crummy Rummy - an absurd blend of amusing flavors and pirate-like fun...but with no pirates (left drink in left picture below) and Eric started with the Evil Headhunter - lured into a jungle by wafts of dark rum, pineapple, fresh lime, almonds and mysterious drums, you trip headfirst into a hole. You know what happens next (right drink in the left picture below). We then went with the Psychotic Suzi and the Miserable Bastard. All drinks and descriptions can be found here. While sweet like these types of drinks usually are, they were delicious!

We split the Roasted Buffalo Cauliflower Baked Submarine and it was so flavorful and a great mix between crispy and cheesy. Def worth a visit and that wood carpet!!!!

We loved it here. The only things I didn't like was the horribly small, hard-to-navigate parking lot (just park on the street), that it's seat yourself (anxiety!) and that you had to stand in a pretty long line to get drinks (you can order food but not drinks at your seat).

Those things are all trivial though. It was a fun place and Eric even got a great shot with his friend. I didn't get to buy my fav tiki glass (no room for it) but I will dream about it!

Snack Bar

Snack Bar is a cocktail bar owned by Issac Becker (the same owner as Bar La Grassa that we went to last week). It's simple with a 60s NY bar vibe. Don't let the simple menu trick you into thinking it's not packed full of flavor. We ended up each getting a slice of pizza (love that you can order slices!). Mine was a plain red sauce with cheese and Eric's was Amatraciana (meat sauce). We also ordered Scallops with Shermoula & Pine Nuts and Fried Eggplant with Rosemary Honey. We loved everything.

We had to order two desserts because it was impossible to pick! The Banana Cream Pie (left below) and the Chocolate Torte (right below). The Banana Cream Pie was no match for mine but the chocolate torte was delicious with a light chocolate center. YUM.