USA Day 9 part 1: Minnehaha Park – and off to Minneapolis/St.Paul airport – which has an excellent bar!

USA 2016 part 12: Saturday 19th November @ Minneapolis

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On my last day in Minneapolis my hosts took me to Minnehaha Park, which had some meaning for me because the first book I remember borrowing as a child from Newton Abbot library was Hiawatha, the epic poem by Longfellow. I was far too young to really know what it was all about and I found it tough reading. I remember how surprised my English teacher was when he found me reading it in school. Or trying to read it would be more accurate.

To be fair, there is not a great deal to see here, but it is a very pleasant park with well laid-out grounds, lawns, garden and Minnehaha Falls. The photographs at the bottom of the page include the bronze statue of Hiawatha and Minnehaha. I managed to get a shot of the statue of John H. Stevens, and behind him is the house he built, said to be the first west of the Mississippi and the beginning of what later became Minneapolis. The house was not built on this site, but moved several times to rest where it is now.

Thanksgiving

The observant amongst you may have noticed that a whole day – Friday 18th – appears to be missing from this travelogue. That is because it was very much a ‘family’ day and my hosts very kindly presented me with an American Thanksgiving dinner – a new experience for me. Thanksgiving would actually be on the following Thursday (24th) when I would be some 1,700 miles away in Nevada. I enjoyed the dinner and thank them very much for the experience.

Minneapolis/St.Paul: a great airport bar

Within hours of leaving Minnehaha park I was at Minneapolis-St.Paul airport, and an impressive, clean, expansive airport it is too. Unusually – for an airport – it has a bar that I can recommend – just look at the selection of beers! Next stop… Vegas.

With the Thanksgiving holiday in mind I used my iPad to check out seat availability on the flight to Vegas, and I’m glad I did. The flight was over three hours and bound to be very crowded, with Minnesotans wanting heat, lights, cocktails – and gambling. For a modest fee I was able to switch seats to one next to a door (hatch?) and therefore with plenty of legroom. The flight was VERY crowded. One of my better decisions on this trip!