I saw a lot of farmland in Minnesota. Indeed, as one travels further West, urban skylines give way to the more pastoral scenery of ranches and farms. I didn’t get to see much of Minneapolis because my visit was short, and I also didn’t make it into its twin city, St. Paul. That will have to wait for another day.

Much of my time was spent in Uptown, with a few forays into Midtown. Did you know that the musician Prince is from Minneapolis? I didn’t. Another new snippet of information was finding out that the largest population of Somalis in the US live here. In fact, I spent some time browsing the Somali Mall nearby and had a camel burger at a Somali restaurant in Midtown.

The Midtown Mall is a collection of stores selling wares from different cultures around the world. It’s not very big, but it’s a worthwhile, if expensive, cultural experience. I spotted Scandinavian, Turkish, Somali, Mexican and Italian stores, to mention a few. There was also an “African” store, but I don’t know that you can do a continent of 54-56 intensely diverse countries justice with just one store.

The Twin Cities have the 2nd highest per capita attendance of theater arts in the US, after New York. The famous Garrison Keillor, host of a Prairie Home Companion radio show, hails from Minnesota as well. The Twin Cities continue to make a significant contribution to the arts in the US.

Uptown is a point of convergence for the artistic community in Minneapolis, and it hosts the annual Uptown Art Fair. Minneapolis attracts the younger crowds with its vibrant nightlife, restaurants and bars. I hear that St. Paul is where the older population resides–this also reflected in its architecture. It was fun to visit the Walker Art Center and see the cherry and spoon sculpture in person. Minneapolis is definitely worth a visit.