Minneapolis
By Andrew Collins

The more progressive of Minnesota's Twin Cities, Minneapolis has developed a strong reputation for supporting left-of-center social and political causes, including gay rights. But this dynamic city of 400,000 also celebrates the arts with extraordinary fervor - it claims among the top art museums and regional theaters in North America. The main hub of Northwest Airlines, it's a highly accessible city, with direct flights from dozens of major cities, and during the crisp and generally sunny summer and fall seasons, the weather is delightful. Throw in the city's constantly evolving restaurant scene and proximity to the nation's largest shopping mall, and it's easy to understand why Minneapolis has become one of the country's most talked-about mid-size cities.

A great way to take in the city is simply to walk around its many appealing neighborhoods. A good place for this is along the Mississippi River just north of downtown, around Nicollet Island and the St. Anthony Falls Historic District, a warren of vintage mills and renovated warehouses. St. Anthony Main, the area immediately northeast of the island, was once a Polish neighborhood. Several hip bars and restaurants have opened in these parts, and a new wave of younger residents - many of them gay - has begun transforming the area.

You can stroll along the riverbank, which has park benches, and amble across the historic Stone Arch Bridge, a former rail crossing that's now for pedestrians and bicycles. The bridge affords fine views of the roaring St. Anthony Falls and leads to the trendy Mill District, where vintage flour mills have been converted to condo lofts, restaurants, and the Mill City Museum. Next door to the museum is the new home of the prestigious Guthrie Theater, which reopened in 2006 inside a spectacular new $125 million building that has quickly become one of the world's iconic performing-arts facilities.

Farther west along the river, the historic and hip Warehouse District has approximately 150 stately buildings, many containing boutiques, cafes, design studios, and galleries. From here, you can easily walk south into the heart of downtown Minneapolis, with its many soaring modern skyscrapers. Continue south to reach Loring Park, which anchors one of the city's more gay-popular neighborhoods, and amble around the nearby 11-acre Minnesota Sculpture Garden, which is at the Walker Art Center. This estimable museum underwent a stunning expansion in 2005 and is a must for art lovers. If you have some extra time, it's worth making the 15-minute drive from here to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, housed in a 1915 Beaux Arts building. The 80,000-piece collection includes works by Picasso, O'Keeffe, and Titian.

Die-hard shoppers shouldn't miss the region's most visited attraction, the leviathan Mall of America, which is a 30-minute drive away in Bloomington (right by the airport). It may sound a bit silly to travel all the way to Minneapolis to visit a mall filled mostly with chain shops you could find anywhere, but if you're the sort of person to whom size matters, you'll likely be very impressed with this 4.2-million-square-foot shrine to retail, which contains a staggering 525 shops.
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