Tuesday 30 October 2012

Hometown Tourist



As a quick intro, but I will be writing a separate post that covers off the move back to America, Matthew and I arrived in Minneapolis back in July.

Since that time I have found a lovely job, spent time with friends and family, met some wonderful new people, bought a second had Saab 900 and am now a homeowner.  A lot has happened and it has been a lot of fun.

The topic of this post is about being a tourist in your hometown. I recently went out to lunch with an old friend who mentioned that they had been doing some local touristy things recently.
I would say this is something that I was rather good at before I moved away, the old hometown tourist, but I am really trying to make an effort now that I am back. 

There’s so much to explore and enjoy here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. We’ve got a lot going on here and it’s going to be fun to take Matthew around and show him what’s so super about the cities and the state.

There’s a bigger piece to this story as well, but I won't get too preachy. I think it’s very important to support local businesses. These unique places are what make our city an interesting place to live in. I won’t get on a soapbox now, but we should really be thankful that people open these businesses and we should our support by shopping local…

The other day I was at the Target out in St. Louis Park and I overhear a conversation on the way to my car. One woman was saying to her friend “It’s so great around here. You've got Target and Noodles and Verizon, it’s really great.”

Yep, you've got all your big box stores right here in this strip mall. Not that I am poo pooing Target or Noodles (I am sucker for the mac and cheese with broccoli and tofu), but it just struck me a sad thing. That people were exciting by such a generic retail experience.

Anyway…

Before I moved away I made an effort to go to new restaurants and bars.I have my favorite haunts, but I am a firm believer in trying new things.

I am big fan of lists and I was at the library going through the Mpls St Paul magazine and they had an article about where to get interesting/good food broken out by neighborhood.  I thought it would be fun to try and see how many of these places Matthew and I could get to.

When in doubt, start with a donut!


So I decided to start with donuts, which is a pretty tasty place to start. We went to A Baker’s Wife over on 42nd Street and 28th Ave in the Powderhorn neighborhood in Minneapolis.

The article mentioned that they had a cinnamon sugar donut that must be experienced, so on Sunday morning we made our way over.

I’ve heard a lot of good things the A Baker’s Wife, but I just never went there. No reason in particular, just never made it, you know how it goes :)

A Baker’s Wife is a charming neighborhood spot; there were lots of cute families going in  to get a special Sunday treat. I went for the cinnamon sugar donut, which was warm and yummy. Matthew had a nice flaky croissant. I read online that their American tea cakes are to die for, so we’ll have to try that one next time. 

The intersection of 42nd Street and 28th Ave is an old school kind of place. It feels like old Minneapolis, in a good way. I found a blog called Twin City Sidewalks which featured this intersection, I recommend taking a look at the post and heading over to A Baker’s Wife.
Here’s to being back in a great city and hometown tourism. 

Enjoy other posts about A Baker's Wife

Wednesday 24 October 2012

Just to say that my blogging vacation will soon be over


Posts will include, but won't be limited to:

Riveting insights on  what it's like living back in Minneapolis after being away in London for almost 5 years! 

P.S. Thanks to all the expat bloggers out there who have sent me messages asking me to write some new blog posts! 




 
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