I started out this morning going out for breakfast. Instead of preparing breakfast on site, Corban Manor Inn gives out vouchers to go to Bon Vie, a few short blocks away. I was not disappointed. With an inspired and varied menu, I selected the quiche of the day — bacon, carmellized onions, and swiss served with a side salad of spring greens, craisins, gorgonzola cheese & candied walnuts with balsamic dressing. And, of course, I enjoyed a large cappuccino.

Thus fortified, I set off walking towards Union Depot, a 2.5 mile walk through downtown St. Paul. A gorgeous 72 degree sunny day made for a perfect walk but what I was not prepared for was the terrain diversity. Major hills abound in St. Paul. Ultimately, I encountered the Mississippi River but the waterfront here was a bit of a disappointment. There are small parks as well as fountains but St. Paul is in the midst of a transformation, thus construction is everywhere.

Originally, I had planned to walk westward towards Minneapolis along the Mississippi but with the reality of the waterfront, I decided to take the Metro Green Line, a light rail line, into Minneapolis. As a Senior, my cost was $1.00! Beautiful, clean cars with ample seating travel the 11 miles from downtown St. Paul to downtown Minneapolis 24 hours per day 7 days per week. First open to the public in mid-2014, the ride end to end takes 46 minutes.

I chose to disembark at Nicollet Mall, a 12 block shopping and dining district in downtown Minneapolis. The buildings are all connected by the largest, contiguous system of enclosed, second level bridges in the world, composed of roughly 8 miles of pathways connecting 80 city blocks.  A statue depicts the cap toss by television character Mary Richards in the opening credits of The Mary Tyler Moore Show was filmed on Nicollet Mall, in front of what was then the flagship Donaldson’s department store. 

There are free buses one can catch to traverse the downtown area as well as many colorful chairs on which one can relax and people watch.

By the way, I could have caught the Metro Blue line and travelled to the Mall of America but decided walking around downtown Minneapolis to be more compelling. My step tracker shows I walked 22,514 steps today. Given my stride length, that is just a little more than ten miles.