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Condé Nast Traveler picks
 Best of Minneapolis
Minneapolis is one of the most European of American cities—in the civically minded way of Copenhagen, Stockholm, or Oslo. Yes, this has to do with locals' vaunted Scandinavian and Lutheran heritage, but it also reflects their fierce dedication to public institutions and infrastructure, much of which was designed by some of the world's most prominent architects. There are almost too many museums and cultural institutions in Minneapolis to count, and the city absolutely teems with park land; even private spaces such as downtown skyscrapers have large civic spaces in them, like the second-story enclosed bridges that link public concourses and shelter pedestrians from winter's bite. Such attention to both cultural and logistical detail makes Minneapolis a highly livable city—and one that's great to visit too.
Attractions & Activities The latest beneficiaries of Minneapolis's obsession with high-profile architecture are two of its more significant museums. The Walker Art Center, which focuses on modern and contemporary works, has recently drawn attention with the Pritzker Prize-winning team of Herzog & de Meuron's new addition (locals call it the Angry Robot because the angled windows create a face in the building's aluminum-screen facade). The Walker's landmark Sculpture Garden includes the city's de facto icon, the Spoonbridge and Cherry pop art fountain made by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen (612-375-7600; walkerart.org). The Minneapolis Institute of Arts houses some of the world's most significant paintings, including Rembrandt's Lucretia and several Van Goghs, as well as an internationally regarded Asian art collection and one of the country's most comprehensive compendiums of Prairie School objects, including an entire Frank Lloyd Wright hallway. In 2006, the original Beaux Arts structure got a playfully classical expansion from the architect Michael Graves (612-870-3200; artsmia.org). Slightly older but just as worthy, the glimmering, undulating aluminum spaceship meets jewel box of the Weisman Art Museum is another must-see for architecture buffs; many believe the Frank Gehry structure is the Pritzker Prize winner's most charming American work. The Weisman has works by such American modernists as Georgia O'Keeffe and Marsden Hartley, as well as significant collections of ceramics and Korean furniture (612-625-9494; weisman.umn.edu). Arts of the performing variety are also important to the Minneapolis culture scene. One of the nation's great regional gems, the Guthrie Theater produces a rich repertory of both classical and experimental pieces on its three stages—from Shakespeare to A Christmas Carol to plays by emerging playwrights. If you're in town between shows, the Guthrie is still worth a visit for its many bars and restaurants (you don't need a ticket to get in) and for a peek at the breathtaking Jean Nouvel-designed building itself (612-377-2224; guthrietheater.org). The Children's Theatre Company, with its grand Michael Graves facade and lobby, often sells out. Its shows, whether aimed at preschoolers or grade-schoolers, are often stagings of children's literature and are always lively and interactive (612-874-0400; childrenstheatre.org). Those who know their Mozart will want to check the calendar at the Minnesota Orchestra, a venue for everything from the most pristine classical symphonies to family-friendly presentations of classical music performed with dancers or puppets (612-371-5656; minnesotaorchestra.org). When it comes to pop and rock, Minneapolis is famous as the home of Prince, Soul Asylum, and the Replacements, all of whom have played in First Avenue, a converted bus station (701 First Ave. N.; 612-332-1775). Jazz fans will want to check out the Dakota, which has seen every star of the form over the decades, from Diana Krall to to Chick Corea (1010 Nicollet Ave. S.). For lovers of the great outdoors, the Chain of Lakes—a group of adjacent parks centered on bodies of water, many with swimming beaches and boat rentals—lies just southwest of downtown (minneapolisparks.org). Lake of the Isles is the closest and has views of both bending willows and some of the city's most prestigious mansions; in the winter, there's a free outdoor ice-rink with a warming house. Attached to the south of Lake of the Isles by a lagoon, Lake Calhoun, with swift, even, well-paved paths, is the favorite of in-line skaters in summer. To the west, Cedar Lake has paved paths that connect to a bikeway to downtown as well as unpaved wood-chip paths for hiking. Lake Harriet, with its bird sanctuary, elaborate Japanese garden, and well-tended rose garden, is most popular with stroller pushers and dog walkers. Lodging Home to the headquarters of Target, Best Buy, 3M, Northwest Airlines, and General Mills, the Minneapolis region sees plenty of road warriors, along with parents visiting their kids at any of the dozen metropolitan-area universities. While many chain hotels in town vie for these visitors, there are also a few distinctive properties to choose from. The Chambers Minneapolis, sister to the New York City hotel, houses the jaw-dropping art collection of co-owner Ralph Burnet, from the mostly British works hanging in the guest rooms and suites to the hallways' cutting-edge video installations. Across from downtown's Target Center arena, the Graves 601 Hotel is named not for Michael Graves, the architect who's had a fair number of commissions in town, but for James Graves, who plans a luxury hotel empire based on this Minneapolis property. Don't let the plain exterior fool you: Inside, the blond-wood walls and mod '60s-style furniture create an icy minimalism suited to this northern clime. Still, the service couldn't be more warmer: The staff's austere all-black uniforms belie their genuine Midwestern friendliness. The Mississippi is a working river, and Minneapolis's Nicollet Island was all railroad yards, docks, and workers' houses for most of the past century. Now it offers trendy addresses, parks, and quiet access to America's most famous river. The main reason to visit, and stay, is the Nicollet Island Inn, a comfy, cozy, 24-room hotel in a landmark 19th-century limestone building. The dining room is romantic in a homespun way. Dining Minneapolis is such a foodie hotbed lately that even natives can't keep up. Locally raised, free-pastured, grass-fed meat and dairy are highlights of many restaurants' menus, and in summer, the fresh produce is a joy. One of the latest developments is the arrival of a truly international star in the form of Chambers Kitchen by Jean-Georges Vongerichten. It occupies a sexy subterranean limestone-walled space in the new Chambers hotel. Here, the chef does his signature Asian-French fusion thing, this time with Minnesota ingredients such as walleye (a tender, pale-fleshed pike that lives deep in northern lakes), which he seasons with salt and pepper and serves with basil and jalapeños, and duck, whipped up à l'orange with Asian pear and crystallized ginger (901 Hennepin Ave.; 612-767-6979; entrées, $18–$36). Chef Lucia Watson's cookbook Savoring the Seasons of the Northern Heartland helped usher in a new era of Midwestern, farm-driven, but exactingly prepared cuisine; her restaurant, Lucia's, with its cool white walls and ebullient outsized flower arrangements—not to mention such down-home menu items as local Berkshire pork chops with a Bourbon apple demiglaze, squash spaetzle, and roasted Brussels sprouts—is probably the most popular in Minneapolis (1432 W. 31st St.; 612-825-1572; entrées, $15–$23). Chef Tim McKee, a small plate specialist, transforms local ingredients into tasting-menu tours de force at La Belle Vie, where a typical tiny course might be braised rabbit loin given lush definition with glazed chestnuts and crisped pancetta (510 Groveland Ave.; 612-874-6440; entrées, $22–$36; five-course tasting menu, $65). Truth in Travel is the guiding principle for all content published in Condé Nast Traveler. Other travel publications often accept free travel and accommodations. Condé Nast Traveler does not. It is independent of the travel industry. The magazine always pays its way, and, as far as possible, its correspondents travel anonymously. By doing so, they experience the world—both the good and the bad—as other travelers do, and their reports and recommendations are fair, impartial, and authoritative.
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