I'm baaaaaaack!

Sunday afternoon I arrived back in Iowa after a long weekend in Minneapolis to celebrate my 28th birthday. I didn't come back to work until today, though, because I really needed a full day of recovery. My body completely forgot what it was like to eat a vegetable or drink a glass of water. But that's the sign of a great vacation, right?

We arrived in town on Thursday afternoon, and the very first thing we did when we got to our hotel was lay down and take a nap. That's how you know your getting old, folks! After that we headed to a restaurant suggested to us by a listener (thank you, whoever you are!) called Brit's Pub. That's where I had the best fish & chips OF MY LIFE.

From there we visited another bar and then one of the diviest bars I've ever been to -Otter's Saloon. There is nothing I love more than tiny dive bars with karaoke, and this place exceeded all my expectations. We had a BLAST!

On my actual birthday (Friday), our first stop was Paisley Park, the estate of the legendary Prince. We got to tour the facility, which turned out to be a pretty emotional experience. Just walking through Studio A and his office, and seeing all his outfits and the venue he invited fans to visit for exclusive concerts, was overwhelming in the best way. Plus, we had a fantastic tour guide who REALLY loved his job! Unfortunately, they lock up your phone before the tour, so all I have to show for it are these photos from outside and the $109 worth of merch I bought in the gift shop:

Courtlin
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We also visited a super cool indoor mini-golf course in St. Paul called Can Can Wonderland. They offer 18 artist-created holes, plus a huge arcade, a bar, and food!

Beth Cavalier
Beth Cavalier
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Beth Cavalier
Beth Cavalier
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The final part of our evening was spent at two different bars. We had dinner at Betty Danger's Country Club, which has a ferris wheel and AMAZING tacos, and Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge, a tiki bar that lights your drinks on fire!

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Saturday was Mall of America day, but before we headed there was had the best darn breakfast burritos in the whole world! They were from Republic, a restaurant right across the street from our hotel. Just look at how majestic this is:

The Mall of America wasn't as huge as I expected it to be for some reason, but we still spent a good portion of our day there and spent the rest of our money, so it was a successful experience, overall! We ended our evening drinking on the patio at Town Hall Brewery, which was also right next to our hotel.

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Before we left on Sunday morning, we decided to do one last meal. We made reservations for brunch at Hell's Kitchen, and I'm so glad we did because the food was FANTASTIC. We ordered the State Fair Cheese Curds and the Huevos Rancheros. We had to celebrate Cinco de Mayo!

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If this trip was any indication, 28 is going to be a great year! I absolutely LOVE the Twin Cities and I will definitely be back :)

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