By Lee Foster

Suppose you had 10 days to devote to exploring Israel, roughly eight days of sightseeing and two long fly days on either end. What would be a good itinerary strategy?

On a recent trip to Israel I decided to approach the country asking this itinerary question, which may be useful to some of Israel’s 3.5 million annual visitors. I decided to base myself in Tel Aviv at a comfortable hotel and make day trips to the northern and central areas. Then I traveled south to explore, locating myself in Eilat on the Red Sea. I was with a small group of people, so we engaged guides and a van for transportation during the trip. Israeli guides are highly-educated professionals, certified only after extensive studies and justifiably proud of their role.

Tel Aviv Itself

Tel Aviv, a beach city of the shore of the Mediterranean, merits attention in and of itself, especially the attached old city of Jaffa, a 4,000-year-old-port, now good for a stroll through its art galleries and an orientation to its rich history. This port united Europe to the land now called Israel.

Starting in the late 1800s, a new city, Tel Aviv, emerged adjacent to Jaffa. Tel Aviv was the site of early Zionist energy as Jewish families began to return to Israel. About 60 of the first Jewish families built homes on Rothschild Boulevard, a wide avenue. Later, as many German Jewish architects immigrated to Israel, Rothschild Boulevard became a showcase of Bauhaus Architecture, a movement sometime also called the International Style.

Tel Aviv is widely recognized as the most exuberant city in Israel. One saying is, “Jerusalem prays, Haifa works, and Tel Aviv plays.” We savored the inventive food at a modern small-plates restaurant Vicky Cristina and entertainment from singers Sagiv Cohen and the Suzanne Dellal dancers. Beyond high end restaurants, we thoroughly enjoyed the abundant falafel stands offering pita bread sandwiches with vegetable and meat fillings.

North to Caesarea, East to Galilee

We spent another day traveling north to the Roman city of Caesarea, with its aqueduct and amphitheater. The ruins are impressive in this Roman capital for the province of Judea.

Then our guide led us further north to Haifa, where the splendid gardens and temple of the Baha’i religious movement drape a hillside.

From there we drove east to the Galilee, with a stop to plant a tree at the Lavi Forest in the Bet Guvrin-Maresha National Park. The Jewish National Fund has been instrumental in planting millions of trees in the country, instituting major reforestation benefits. Our guide had to choose the rest of our Galilee day route judiciously because going all the way to the water’s edge of the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus delivered his famous Sermon on the Mount, required a long drive back. We did get to Nazareth, boyhood home of Jesus, and saw the Church of the Annunciation.

East to Central Israel

On our East-from-Tel Aviv day, our first interesting stop was at the Ayalon Institute, a kibbutz used secretly to make bullets in the 1940s. Israel was controlled by the British Mandate before the independence of Israel was declared. The British wanted to keep all the disputing parties among the Jews and Arabs unarmed, so Israelis had to set up clandestine munitions factories, this one literally underground, to gain independence in this Arab neighborhood. Another intriguing stop that day was the Sorek caves, with their stalactites and stalagmites. Nearby, one of the many emerging wineries in Israel, Villa Wilhelmina, was a tasting stop for us to sample some delicious Rieslings and Cabernets.

Southeast to Jerusalem

A Jerusalem visit is a cornerstone of all Israel trips because the city is holy to three great monotheistic faiths—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Jerusalem was our subject for the fourth day excursion. Highlights included a panoramic view of the walled city from the Mount of Olives ridge, showing the Al-Aqsa Mosque (familiarly known as the Dome of the Rock) and the walled city. After a walk through the Garden of Gethsemane, we proceeded to a close-up visit of the Western Wall (also known as the Wailing Wall) to immerse ourselves in the intense spirituality of the city. Walking the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, we retraced the path associated with Christ’s walk, crucifixion, burial, and resurrection.

After leaving the old city via the Jaffa Gate, we drove to the Israel Museum to see the Dead Sea Scrolls and a scale model of Jerusalem at the time of Christ. The Dead Sea scrolls, discovered in 1947 at Qumran near the Dead Sea, show second-century biblical documents, including the intact book of Isaiah,  in the same Hebrew language readable (and now spoken in daily use rather than just in prayers) in Israel  today. Many other art objects merit attention at the Israel Museum.

South to Masada

We then departed Tel Aviv with our guide for four days of exploring in southern Israel, basing ourselves at a hotel in the Israeli resort town of Eilat on the Red Sea. We stopped on the long drive south at the mountain fortress known as Masada, the single most visited attraction in Israel. Here about 960 Jewish zealots withstood a Roman siege for three years, 70-73 A.D., before succumbing, finally choosing death rather than slavery. Masada has become a symbol of Jewish resistance. Masada was originally built by the powerful King Herod as an impregnable fortress, outfitted with the sumptuous baths, frescoed walls, and wine-filled storehouses that Herod appreciated when in Rome.

We swam in the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth, now about 1,300 feet below sea level. The water level here is dropping about 3 feet per year. Mineral content in the Dead Sea is so dense that we literally floated on the water.

A nature hike at the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve showed us abundant water at a desert oasis, rich with wildlife such as the deer-family ibex and a rodent-sized elephant-family mammal known as a hyrax.

To Petra in Jordan

From Eilat we enjoyed a day of sailing on the Red Sea in an excursion boat and snorkeling to see the abundant reef fish for which this body of water is famous.

Then, on another full day, we crossed into neighboring Jordan to see the remarkable spice-trade city of Petra. Petra flourished in the centuries before and after Christ as camel caravans carried spices, incense, and silk from Asia to Europe through this territory. The most impressive building in the narrow river canyon at Petra, carved into the red cliffs, is known as the Treasury, but actually was a mausoleum to the Nabataean kings. Israel has had a peace agreement with Jordan, starting in 1994, which encourages cooperation on tourism and other industries.

The Negev Desert

A day of exploring in the Negev Desert was our final goal. Much of the future growth of Israel is tied to the desert. We passed many high-tech agricultural enterprises, such as the Yotvata kibbutz, where Israelis are cultivating ever more food production from each drop of water.

We also visited in Be’er Sheva the Weizmann Institute of Science, an intellectual leader in science research in Israel. Our visit included a tour of the stately Bauhaus-style home of Chaim Weizmann, one of the founders of the state of Israel and its first president. Weizmann was both a prominent scientist and a political leader. Be’er Sheva is a major university town.

We passed many Bedouin encampments and saw an unusual geologic feature,  Maktesh Ramon, a crater caused by water dissolving the limestone cliffs. At an historical park, Avdat, the ancient Nabataean culture had flourished, as at Petra, when precious cargoes, including the gold, frankincense, and myrrh of the bible stories, came through here to Mediterranean Europe via camel caravans.

Everyone in our group felt they came away with a better understanding of the political struggles engulfing Israel from several centuries before Christ to the present. The more we learned about the complex overlays of history and the modern grievances on all sides, the less satisfying was a simplistic analysis of the contemporary situation. For thousands of years this crossroads territory uniting Europe, Africa, and Asia has been contested. It will take wise leadership and vision on all sides to resolve the current political situation.

Anyone interested in history and religion, including encounters ranging from well-presevered Roman ruins to the high-tech future of agriculture, will find a cultural look at Israel today a fascinating adventure.

***

Israel: If You Go

The main tourism information source is Israel Ministry of Tourism, www.goisrael.com.

Our best guides were Michael Turkenich (miketour@netvision.net.il) and Ron Sinai (ronsinai@yahoo.com.)

We stayed at the Dan chain of hotels, the Dan Panorama Tel Aviv and the Dan Eilat.

The Israeli El Al airline carried us from North America to Israel.

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By Lee Foster

The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial is the latest of the epic attractions that keep unfolding in Washington, D.C.  The city continues to renew itself as a visitor magnet, beyond its primacy as the capital for political decisions.

The MLK Memorial

The MLK Memorial is on a four-acre site along the Tidal Basin, adjacent to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial and on a direct line between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials.

Sculptor Lei Yixin was charged with capturing the likeness, essence, and spirit of Dr. King.  The centerpiece of the Memorial is the “Stone of Hope,” featuring a 30-foot sculpture of Dr. King.

The Memorial is conceived as an engaging landscape experience to convey four recurring themes of Dr. King’s life–democracy, justice, hope, and love.  Natural elements such as a crescent-shaped stone wall are inscribed with excerpts from his sermons and public addresses.

America’s potential for freedom, opportunity and justice is the overall theme that suffuses the grounds.

DC’s Newer Memorials and Attractions

If you haven’t been to Washington, D.C., for awhile, there are a surprising number of newer memorials and attractions awaiting you, beyond the new MLK Memorial.

War, Native Americans, spying, women, and presidential politics are immensely interesting themes, especially when associated with Washington, D.C.

Major attractions and memorials devoted to these topics have opened in the nation’s capital in the last two decades, making Washington a more enticing travel destination than ever. Washington has an ever-changing set of alluring sights and experiences.

Getting Around by Bicycle

Getting around to see all these attractions and memorials has taken a new twist with the addition of the Capital Bikeshare (http://capitalbikeshare.com) system to the D.C. transportation picture. If a traveler thinks like a commuter, and makes 30 minute-or-less trips between docking stations, this self-serve bicycle system is superb, costing only $5 per day.

I picked up a bike near Woodley Station and rode it down the Rock Creek Parkway to Georgetown, leaving it at a docking station there. On another occasion, I picked up a bike on the Mall and traveled around. All 30-minute-or-less rides in this biking system are free, after the $5 daily fee. After 30 minutes, the cost goes up quickly, so don’t use this system for an all day bike. However, with more than 100 docking stations and 1,000 bikes in the system, I had no trouble finding a bike for each short commute.

If I wanted to rent a bike for a day, rather than use this commuter system, I would choose Bike and Roll (http://www.bikethesites.com/), about $35/day.

Here are some of the newer blockbuster Washington attractions:

The National World War II Memorial

Set at a choice location in the center of the Mall, the World War II memorial, with its fountains and pillars, honors both the European and Pacific theatres of engagement.

When the memorial opened, there was an enormous public outpouring of emotion for an era during which exerting American power in the world was not an ambivalent matter.

This evocative and dignified memorial honors the 16 million Americans who fought, the 400,000 who died, and the millions who supported the war at home. On one wall there are 4,000 stars, each representing a hundred young men who died.

World War II was a defining event of the 20th century.

A simple statement at the memorial tells the story. “Americans came to liberate, not to conquer, to restore freedom and to end tyranny.”

Many poignant comments carved into the stone make this a sobering site of reflection on the vast worldwide struggle that WWII represented.

The WWII Memorial was hurried to completion because about a thousand of these aging veterans were dying each day. It is likely that you will see veterans in wheel chairs paying their respects, pushed around the site by their families, with new generations learning about the long ago struggles of their grandparents.

The National Museum of the American Indian

Because the mandate of the museum is to portray all the original peoples of the Americas, a visitor will become acquainted here with the Mayans of Mexico as readily as the Sioux of South Dakota.

The Mitsitam Cafe at the museum features an interesting range of Indian foods from five regions in the Western Hemisphere.

Housed in a striking building where flowing curves rather than rectangular boxes define the space, the Museum is a breath of fresh architectural air in the Washington scene. The sheathing of the building with Kasota limestone also introduces a building stone seldom seen in Washington.

When you enter the building, the first impression is of exquisite canoes and kayaks, made of reeds and animal skins. Here you can engage an actual Native American docent for a guided tour of the collections.

The life ways, history, and art of the native peoples of the Western Hemisphere are on display.

A resource center includes genealogy research to determine who might have Indian ancestry.

Landscaping around the structure emphasizes the native environment of the Chesapeake Bay Region, plus the hardwood forests, wetlands, and meadow lands of other Indian habitats in the Americas.

The International Spy Museum

The International Spy Museum is the world’s first public museum to explore the craft, history, and contemporary role of espionage.

Spying has been a fact of life, of course, since the era of the Trojan horse, of course. One fascinating document on display is George Washington’s letter authorizing spying on our British adversaries.

Spying in the last hundred years, especially from World War II to the present, is the main thrust of the museum. The clandestine operations of both the KGB and the CIA are highlighted, including extensive interviews with actual spies.

The gadgets of spying are arrayed in fascinating detail, such as a lipstick pistol, a through-the-wall photo device, a James Bond-like vehicle, and listening bugs that gradually became ever more miniaturized.

The importance of spying in the outcome of world events can’t be overestimated. On display is one of the famous German Enigma devices that Hitler believed were sending secure information, but whose code was cracked, hastening the end of WWII in Europe.

Beyond gadgets, the skills of the spy craft are emphasized, including observation, analysis, surveillance, and disguise. An effort is made to involve the viewer in the museum, challenging the observer to ask, “Do I have what it takes to be a spy?” The spectrum of motivations that energize spies range from greed to patriotism to the thrill of it all.

Women in Military Service For America Memorial

The Women in Military Service for America Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery recognizes the often unsung contributions of service women from the Revolutionary War to the Iraq War. This is the first memorial to the more than 1.8 million women who have served or are serving in the U.S. armed forces. The granite and glass structure opened in the fall of 1997.

Qualified women who voluntarily register have a slide show display of their photo, name, and military record in the computerized database. Deceased service women can be registered by their families.

An interesting aspect of the memorial is that a visual record of a randomly selected woman is projected on a large screen at all times, so the story of service becomes known to others. The aim is to capture history and the personal stories of the individual women, told in their own words. This record of service can be accessed by any citizen and by scholars for all time. Each registrant is invited to record her most memorable moments when serving as well as the data of name, rank, photo, etc. Women can go back to their record and augment it whenever they wish.

Many photos and artifacts of women in the service are gathered in a Hall of Honor celebrating those who have served with particular distinction or achievement. Overall, the facility is meant to be a living memorial rather than a static wall or statue.

Lorraine Dieterie, a volunteer from Michigan, showed me the facility.

“So many times women who register tell us, ‘But I didn’t do anything important,’ ” she said.  “This memorial shows them that someone cares, that what they did was important.”

The design is a half-arc near the entrance to Arlington Cemetery. On the roof of the building the words of notable military women are etched in glass. The sun projects these thoughts on a granite wall while crossing the sky each day.

The FDR Memorial

The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial celebrates the president who led this country through the Depression. The memorial has an open-air design that flows through four distinctively designed galleries. Each section interprets different phases of his Presidency through murals, waterfalls, and larger-than-life statues of FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt.

The FDR Memorial, which opened in 1997, amounts to a touching, highly-personalized recollection of the inspirational messages that Franklin Delano Roosevelt embodied.

Etched on red granite in several outdoor “rooms” are the uplifting and inclusive thoughts of this articulate man. His most famous quote may be, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”

Many of his other utterances in these meditative alcoves reflect the cohesiveness that our 32nd president projected.

A large statue of Roosevelt, with his dog Fala, suggests the gregariousness of this likable man.

A wall of small sculpted squares shows his many programs, especially from his First 100 Days, benefiting a dispirited America. Sculptures of a bread line of men, of the rural poor, and of a man listening to a reassuring fireside chat remind a modern visitor what it was like in the 1930s, when 30 percent of the workforce was out of work.

This outdoor monument borders the Tidal Basin, with the Washington Monument visible across the water.

The quiet dignity of the monument evokes a reflective, meditative feeling, heightened by memorable quotes and a vision of hope and compassion in troubled times.

The Vietnam War Memorial

The Vietnam Memorial is the most ambivalent of the memorials, a kind of negative space, carved out of the ground rather than set on top of it. This was not a glorious war inspiring statuary as uplifting as the Iwo Jima Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. No, there is a small bronze of three soldiers, called The Three Soldiers, and another Women’s Memorial, depicting women nurses, but mainly there are just the 58,195 names carved in the polished, black, granite slabs, indicating the personal tragedies that were the result of this stalemated conflict, which never had its Victory Day. The Vietnam Memorial attempts to separate the humanity of those who served from the issue of U.S. policy in the war.

The Korean War Veterans Memorial

On the Mall the Korean War Veterans Memorial serves as a counterpoint to the nearby Vietnam War Memorial. The memory of those who served in Korea is immortalized in 19 stainless steel, armed figures advancing across rough terrain. Faces of unidentified military personnel etched on a black granite wall mix eerily with the mirrored images of the patrolling soldiers.

The Korean War Veterans Memorial, which opened in 1995, shows combat troops advancing alertly across a field. Their vacant faces have a shell-shocked look, suggesting the horrors of war. Their windblown ponchos recall the harsh weather.

These 19 figures are reflected on a black marble slab, bringing the total troop number to 38, the parallel area in Korea where the fighting took place.

The polished marble wall also displays the nameless faces of actual support people who contributed to the combat effort.

Unlike the Vietnam War Memorial, which sought to list every name, the Korean War Veterans Memorial attempts to portray thousands with each face. The U.S. had 1.5 million Korean War vets.

The Korean “police action,” a U.N. effort, lasted from 1950-1953 and took the lives of 53,000 Americans, roughly similar in tragic dimension to the 58,000 death-toll of the Vietnam War.

The motto of the monument can be read on the granite wall: Freedom is not Free.

Arlington

The presence of the Women in Military Service for America attraction in Arlington, immediately adjacent to Washington, plus the excellent regional subway system, makes Arlington as congenial a choice as Washington for a base of operations.

Arlington’s Crystal City has numerous chain hotels, some less costly than those in Washington, D.C. The Clarendon, VA, district boasts over 25 ethnic restaurants, such as a Vietnamese favorite, Nam Viet, where a tasty meal is also affordable.

This northern Virginia area of Prince William County offers some excellent nature hikes if you need an antidote to memorial viewing.

Close in, you can make a 1.3-mile forested walk and bird-watching excursion around Theodore Roosevelt Island. If you rent a car, you could hike in Prince William National Forest and also visit Manassas, the first battlefield of the Civil War.

With these newer attractions, Washington continues to re-establish itself as a tourism destination, which is why more than 20 million visitors arrive each year. Included in the Washington mix is one of the most-visited museums in the world, the Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian and its sibling, the Udvar Hazy Air and Space Museum near the Dulles airport.

***

Washington, D.C’s Newer Monuments: If You Go

For Washington, D.C., information, contact the Washington, D.C., Convention and Tourism Corporation, www.washington.org.

Some Memorials are administered by the National Park Service. See ww.nps.gov/nacc.

The Women in Military Service for America Memorial is managed by a foundation of the same name.  See www.womensmemorial.org/.

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by Lee Foster

When media ranks North American urban areas on “quality of life,” Minneapolis-Saint Paul tend to end up near the top.

Periodically I return to my native Minnesota to assess the substance behind these judgments and to review the pleasures the Twin Cities offer the traveler. The conclusion, in short, is that this northern mid-western country is one of the better kept secrets in U.S. travel. If the U.S. heartland gets some of your travel attention, Minnesota merits a share of the interest.

The Minneapolis-Saint Paul appeal begins with the physical setting, which includes several substantial lakes whose shorelines are accessible to all residents as parks. The strong sense of a viable community can be felt by a visitor at such festive occasions as the Aquatennial Parade in July and the Block Party that precedes it on the Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis.

Minnesotans are a friendly people, neither wary nor suspicious of the stranger. They tend to accept someone at face value until behavior would alert them otherwise. The Twin Cities, as Minneapolis and Saint Paul are called, have a sufficient number of well-educated and energetic individuals so that a diverse and nurturing cultural life flourishes. Yet there remains a small-town ingenuousness, which is truly refreshing.

The 5.3 million Minnesota residents spread over a large, green, wooded area, buffered by the calming influence of lakes, so a spacious feeling infuses all social relations. The Twin Cities are relatively cleaner, safer, and more orderly than other cities one could mention. Things seem to work here better than they do in other cities. The length and severity of winter, plus the high heat and humidity of summer, are the state’s major negatives.

Because Minnesota is generally such a well-organized place, the citizens were profoundly shocked and disturbed by the collapse of the I-35W bridge in summer 2007. Infrastructure deterioration that becomes dangerous is usually caught and corrected here before there is a catastrophe.  There is now a memorial at the bridge to the victims.

Minneapolis

The Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis is an example showing how things work here. At a time when the inner cities of the U.S. were dying and losing their shopping traffic to suburban malls, the movers and shakers created an eight-block downtown mall for foot traffic and public transportation only, luring the shopper and cafe idler back to the downtown. Major cultural entities, such as Orchestra Hall, are on the mall. This large performing arts hall, with its movable baffles, is known for acoustic excellence. Downtown housing was also revitalized, within manageable distance, at sites such as the Loring Greenway.

The Nicollet Mall is sometime the scene of a Farmers’ Market.  When you get to a Farmers’ Market, inquire if a supply of the new apple varietal, Sweet Tango, is available.  The apple, developed by plant breeders at the University of Minnesota, has a beguiling mix of sweet and tart, which has made it a major hit.

A key adjunct to the Nicollet Mall is the extensive all-weather skyway system, the interlinking second-story passageways that join the buildings. Skyway here refers not to freeways, as  in other cities, but to an air-conditioned and heated pedestrian passageway, above the streets, connecting the downtown buildings. Today you can find 41 skyways joining lodging, dining, and shopping establishments in downtown Minneapolis, plus some in St. Paul. The effect is total comfort control, allowing you to view from indoors the outdoor weather, which can be punishing. Minneapolis and Saint Paul have evaded the limitations of their weather with these skyways.

(An even more elaborate expression of the enclosed space, suitable for weather-proof life in a harsh weather environment, is the Mall of America, near the airport, on the south side of the city. Whether the winter wind chill is minus 50 or the summer humidity is suffocating, the enclosed Mall of America provides a shopping and recreation refuge. What is notable about Mall of America is its size and audacity. The Mall is one of  the largest, fully-enclosed retail and family entertainment complexes in the U.S. The total enclosed space is said to be large enough to hold seven Yankee stadiums or 32 Boeing 747s. As you walk past 4.3 miles of storefronts on four levels, the mall could certainly be said to advance the concept of aerobic shopping.)

Some main buildings in downtown Minneapolis are the IDS Tower, with its large enclosed Crystal Court, the City Center with three levels of shops and restaurants, and the elegant Foshay Tower, once the landmark skyscraper of the city, but now a historical legacy. The Minneapolis Convention Center accommodates everything from rock concerts to auto shows.

One downtown restaurant with local flare is Hell’s Kitchen, 80 South 9th Street, located appropriately under ground.  The motto is “Damn Good Food” and there is an element of mirth in the place, such as the children’s menu characterized as the Rugrat Menu.  Old time movies play on the walls and live music can be heard on some evenings.  The food is hearty and unpretentious.  I enjoyed the Lemon Ricotto Pancakes and the Vegetable Frittata.  One specialty is the house-made peanut butter, a chunky butter blended with honey, which is also sold in take-home jars.

The Cowles Center for Dance & Performing Arts, 528 Hennepin Avenue in the downtown theatre district, adds an elegant performance venue, opened in 1911.  The Shubert Theatre was moved to the site and a Cowles building added, joining the Schubert with the sturdy and historic 1888 Masonic Temple, forming a block-long performing arts milieu.  The setting is particular lovely at night when the Cowles Center is lit in varying colored lights.

Target Field, the new downtown stadium for Minnesota Twins baseball, is a handsome facility that adds much energy to the area.  I took in a Twins game, well attended by fans on a Thursday afternoon, despite the fact that the 2011 season win-loss record was not something to celebrate.  One aspect of the new stadium is how many local restaurant vendors and food purveyors participate.  My hot dog was no ordinary and anonymous dog, but rather an Italian sausage dog from a restaurant known as Market Pantry.  My popcorn was not a mere multi-national bland offering, but a handcrafted popcorn from the dedicated and chosen supplier, Angie’s Kettlecorn.

A bike pick-up and drop-off system, Nice Ride MN, is expanding in the urban region.  Entrepreneurs with pedicabs also compete for the opportunity to take the visitor around.  I engaged Ryan Dean of Shottyz.com to pedal me from Twins Baseball over to a look at Loring Park.  Segway tours are also popular, offered by Magical History Tours.

One arts attraction to savor, not far from the Nicollet Mall, is the Walker Art Center, with an adjacent seven-acre Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. The Walker hosts major traveling shows and exhibits pieces from its own extensive collection, such as the pixelated portraits of artist Chuck Close. The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is a pleasure to walk in and meditate over. It will pull you back for each future visit to the Twin Cities. The most famous sculpture is the lyrical Spoonbridge and Cherry by Claes Oldenburg. This is a large spoon with a cherry on it. Part of the humor of the sculpture is the spacial perspective of this usually small object, a spoon, seen so large, with the Minneapolis skyline quite small in the background.

The other cultural area to focus on is the Riverfront District, where you’ll find the Mill City Museum and the Guthrie Theater. This setting is adjacent to St. Anthony Falls, the only major cataract on the Mississippi River. Because of the huge energy potential of the cascading water, many saw mills and then flour mills were organized in Minneapolis, especially 1858-1930. Minneapolis became one of the world’s leading producers of flour. The Mill Ruins Park recalls this heritage, which included intricate waterways providing mechanical power to various mills. Railroads carried out the flour. Today you can walk out on the Stone Arch Bridge, originally a railroad bridge, and look back at the mill area and downtown Minneapolis. This is a remarkable urban walk, showing the Mississippi and the current configuration of St. Anthony Falls.

Back on shore, be sure to allow time for the highly entertaining movie “Minneapolis in 19 Minutes Flat” at the Mill City Museum. The Mill City Museum presents re-enactors who portray characters in 19th century milling history. There is also a notable Flour Tower tour that re-creates the mechanized world of the flour mills. You rise eight floors to the top of the mill and learn how the water power from St. Anthony Falls propelled all the intricate milling machinery.

Next door is the world-renowned Guthrie Theater, which has flourished in Minneapolis as a quality repertory company since 1963. I first enjoyed the Guthrie in the 1960s at its original location near the Walker Art Gallery.  The company has resided since 2006 in a handsome new riverfront home.  The building, designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, has both main stages and smaller performance spaces.  There is a striking cantilever bridge outdoor overlook, called The Endless Bridge, facing the river.  This outdoor platform is the perfect spot for a pre-performance pause in the twilight.  A restaurant on the 5th floor, called the Level Five Café, offers elegant dinners, with no risk that you will miss the play by being stuck in traffic.

Whenever I get back to Minnesota, taking in a play at the Guthrie is on my must-do list.  The 2011 performance of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, done with a clever early 20th century look, reminded audiences of how universal and timeless is Shakespeare’s genius at portraying the hopes and foibles of the human animal.  One premise of this play is that wit and repartee, so fun at the onset of a love relationship, can inhibit the progression of love when delight in wit becomes an end in itself.

Downriver from the Guthrie, a new, white structure has replaced the 35W bridge that fell, tragically, in 2007.  The 13 who died are memorialized at a tasteful monument of vertical posts on the river bluff near the Guthrie.  The new structure is quite lovely at night when seen with its reflection in the water from the water-level park in front of the Mill City Museum, just south of the Stone Bridge.  An unusual feature of the new 35W bridge is the technical ability to illuminate it at night with light of any color.  During my visit a deep blue was the chosen spectrum.

Another cultural institution along the riverfront to indulged in, beyond the Guthrie, is the silvery-skinned Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, 333 East River Road,  at the University of Minnesota.  The Weisman is a stunning piece of local architecture to observe.  Architect Frank Gehry designed this stainless steep showplace.  Proceed to the campus and get a close-up view of the building from below it, next to the river.  This multi-angled architectural tour de force catches the sun on its many-plane façade.  The design is a striking contrast with the usual sturdy, rectangular box look of much Minnesota architecture.

The restaurant to relish if you want some of the best in Minneapolis fine dining is chef Tim McKee’s award-winning La Belle Vie at 510 Groveland. I opted for the eight-course Chef Tasting with the Wine Flight wine pairings, which amounted to a three-hour pageant of taste sensations. Possibly the Roasted Squab With Foie Gras and Shell Pea Caramelle was my favorite course, paired with an Archery Summit Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon. The quietness of the elegant dining room, a low decibel and chandeliered masterpiece, makes conversation possible. The wait staff have the polish of Guthrie Theater actors, except that they are dealing with fact rather than fiction. The culinary artistry on your plate will rival the quality of anything on the walls of the Walker Art Center, which is across the street.

For a Minneapolis food alternative that is economical, ethnic, and diversified, go to the so-called Eat Street district, a 17-block stretch of Nicollet Avenue south of the downtown. I parked between East 25th and 26th and looked around at the Chinese, Vietnamese, Mexican, and Arabic eateries before choosing Seafood Palace for dinner. At this Chinese place my choices were the Pot Stickers, Honey Walnut Shrimp, and Sweet and Spicy Beef Baby Short Ribs. The repast was delicious. I then walked across the street to Arabic Sinbad’s for a walnut-stuffed dessert pastry.

The Northeast Neighborhood is an up and coming area worth putting on a visitor’s radar because of its emphasis on culture, fine dining, art, and community.  The cultural hub is the Ritz Theater, 345 13th Avenue NE, guided by Michael Romens.  The Ritz hosts a variety of innovative shows.  I caught a Middle Eastern dancing performance of the Jawaahir Dance Company during my visit.

A few steps down from the Ritz is the Northeast Social restaurant, 359 13th Avenue NE, which is booming.  The innovative cuisine, an American bistro style guided by owners Sam Bonin and Joe Wagner and chef Geoff Little, shows a strong Minnesota commitment both to regional farmer-direct supplies and to sourcing worldwide when the result can be unique flavor profiles.  I enjoyed a tasting menu evening.  My favorites were the scallops with truffled corn puree, the heirloom tomato caprese with house pulled mozzarella, and the English pea gnocchi with fennel and grape tomatoes.  The front window opens to the street in pleasant weather and a bell clangs occasionally when the order is given to raise a glass and call out “Social!”  The restaurant is closely tied into the community, with many staff members living nearby.  The owners characterize the Northeast Social as a “gathering place for social indulgence.”  Sam Bonin’s front of the house hospitality and the good value of the menu prices are further pluses.

One big arts magnet in the Northeast Neighborhood is the former Northrop King Building (www.northrupkingbuilding.com), 1500 Jackson Street NE.  This former cluster of structures for the giant seed company now houses 190 artist studios.  I happened to meet ceramic sculptor Steve Hemingway, of Hemingway Ceramics, and learned about his raku-fired pieces.  The First Thursdays in the Arts District open house is the best time each month for a visitor to go there and meet the artists.  There are also two annual art crawl events, Art-A-Whirl in the spring and Art Attack in November.  Both are good opportunities to meet artists and see their works.

Another restaurant in the Northeast Neighborhood closely tied into the art scene and the rapidly evolving farmer-direct food sourcing strategy, celebrating Minnesota and Wisconsin suppliers, is Red Stag Supper Club, 509 1st Avenue Northeast. Red Stag is the first LEEDs-certified restaurant in Minnesota.  This Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design award means the building and operation conform to a high standard of environment goals.  The many strategies implemented to get this best-practices LEEDs status include LED lighting, which cuts energy bills and take-out food containers that can be composted rather than thrown away. Faucets in the building turn off automatically.  The cooking oil is re-processed into hand soaps used in the restrooms.  The food at this light and airy space is tasty.  I enjoyed the cauliflower and peas soup du jour, the red-sauce Pasta Bolognese, and the Grilled Flatbread, with walnut and spinach pesto and house made mozzarella.  The décor theme is of a Northwoods-style supper club.  A Friday night fish fry dish could be walleyed pike or locally-raised tilapia.  “Here you can dine well, but with a conscience,” said sous chef Jerry Fodness.

The historic diversity of the Minnesota economy, making it resilient in recessionary times, contributes much to the relative social harmony that a visitor will observe. Historically, Minnesota people supported themselves first with the fur trade. The huge white pine forests of the state, once thought to be endless, propelled the second major industry, lumber. Wheat farming and milling, plus general agriculture, offered the third avenue to wealth, as time proceeded. (Some of the former Minneapolis grain elevators, which appear like cathedrals of commerce at various places in the midwest, have been transformed, ingeniously, into condominiums.) Corn and soybeans are now major crops, with the demand for ethanol increasing the price of corn and the value of agricultural land. Another major growth area is in computer and high-tech products, with companies such as Honeywell, 3M, and IBM propelling the economy ahead.

Minnesota is primarily populated by white northern Europeans, so racial and ethnic diversity is not the state’s strong point, although there is now a substantial Hispanic population, plus a smattering of other groups, from Somali to Hmong, among the Irish and Scandinavians. When you talk to individual African Americans about their situation here, they may contrast the area favorably with cities where racial hostility lingers just below the surface. Minnesota is also a relatively white-collar region, making it an attractive migratory destination for the educated and the skilled.

Exploring the Lakes

After exploring downtown Minneapolis, consider a look at the lakes of this water city. You might first want to view the lakes by car, then return to walk or bike them. Hiking and biking paths circle the main lakes and connect them to each other. You can even rent canoes at Lakes Calhoun and Harriet. There are a total of 22 lakes within the Twin Cities and 57 miles of trails. The 48 free swimming beaches on the lakes are popular in summer, when residents replenish their solar batteries in preparation for winter. As mentioned, the wisdom of the early city fathers, who set aside much of the lake-edge real estate as public parks for all of the people, creates a feeling of wellbeing and cohesiveness among the citizens.

Each lake has its own character. One of the more tranquil lake experiences is a walk around Lake of the Isles.  This lake’s walking and biking path emphasizes the wild wetlands shoreline with much birdlife, including herons, Canadian geese, and mallard ducks.  The setting is quiet and contemplative, a contrast with the beach exuberance of Lake Calhoun, for example.  As you walk around the lake, pause at 2011 Lake of the Isles Parkway to peruse the signage about the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway, a 50-mile ribbon around the metro area, established in 1998.  You can also see the route online at www.byways.org.  Equipped with this information, you could drive, walk, or bike a well-chosen scenic loop in the metro area.

Lake Calhoun, especially on its south side, is the place where beautiful bodies can be seen and shown. Though all the lakes have swimming beaches, the beaches on Lake Calhoun, the largest and deepest lake, are especially salubrious. Calhoun offers good swimming, sunning, sailboat-launching, and volleyball, with a view of the Minneapolis skyline in the background. Lake Harriet has a whimsical band shell for performances, lots of sailboats, and presents a woodsy, rustic feel. Within the lakes area, the most famous street of great homes, originally those of milling magnates, is Mt. Curve Avenue.

Saint Paul

Following a perusal of the Minneapolis downtown and the lakes, venture into Saint Paul. Stop first at the highest hills, actually large glacial moraines, overlooking the downtown. There you’ll find, within sight of each other, four of Saint Paul’s main attractions.

The handsome State Capitol Building, said to be one of the world’s largest unsupported marble domes, was built of stunning white marble. Walk inside to see the blue-painted interior of the dome.

The Saint Paul Cathedral is a monument to the Catholicism that has flourished here, starting with the Jesuit missionaries and then greatly nurtured by the huge Irish migration in the 19th century.

Between these two edifices lies a large building called the Minnesota History Center, with ample exhibits on the Gopher State. Here you can realistically experience a tornado, for example, in one ingenious exhibit.

Tucked behind the Cathedral at 240 Summit Avenue is another sort of cathedral, the monumental home of James J. Hill, the railroad tycoon who accumulated one of the largest fortunes in these parts in the 19th century. Beyond taking a look at the lavish wood-panel interior of the house, walk around to the back and slightly down the hill to view the full scope of the structure, built to celebrate its river view.

Then drive down Summit Avenue a few blocks to see the many other palaces constructed for the captains of industry who flourished in the Twin Cities towards the end of the 19th century. Novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald’s fascination with wealth in his fictions, personified in the character J. Gatsby, originated because this Minnesota-native author lived in a more modest row house on Summit, near Dale Street.

Minneapolis and Saint Paul, perennial rivals, generate jokes about “Sinning in Minneapolis, Confessing in Saint Paul” and “Cross from Minneapolis to Saint Paul and you need to set your watch back 50 years.” These jokes evoke an element of truth. The cities may be twins, but they are far from being identical twins.

After looking at these icons on the Saint Paul hills, proceed to the downtown, near the river, and start at Rice Park. This small park, dedicated in 1849, unifies downtown Saint Paul in a stylish, small-town plaza ambiance. Rice Park is the intermission strolling place for the Ordway Theater. At noon the fountain at Rice Park is a brown-bagger site, sometimes complete with a free band or orchestral performance. Opposite the Ordway is the stately Saint Paul Hotel, a 1910 grande dame property that has been restored to multi-star elegance. The hotel’s Saint Paul Grill restaurant is a fitting fine-dining site at which to savor regional specialties, such as wild rice soup, followed by walleyed pike. Scattered around Rice Park area are lyrical bronze sculptures of Charlie Brown and other cartoon characters created by Minnesota favorite son, Charles Shulz.

Also located at the Rice Park plaza is an elegant stone Victorian, called the Landmark Center, architecturally one of the treasures of the Twin Cities. This fine, spired federal structure now houses history and arts organizations. Step inside to see the four-story interior and perhaps lunch on soup and sandwich at Anita’s Cafe. When the Landmark opened in 1902, it was the scene of an historic court struggle between Teddy Roosevelt’s anti-monopoly biases and the aggressive business practices of the great railroad consolidator of Saint Paul, James J. Hill. The Supreme Court finally ruled in 1905 that Hill had restrained free trade.

The Minnesota Character

Beyond seeing the physical setting of Minnesota, a visitor who brushes elbows with enough people here will begin to get a sense of the Minnesota person. The components that went into the character of Minnesotans have produced a person who is generally progressive, well-educated, independent, outward looking, friendly, and trusting. Hubert Humphrey, Eugene McCarthy, and Walter Mondale were all known for these decent, idealistic, democratic tendencies. The local phrase “Minnesota nice” sometimes serves as a code word for such instincts. Minnesotans tax themselves heavily, at the state and local level, to maintain their quality of life.

Travelers fortunate enough to visit Minneapolis-Saint Paul are likely to echo the judgment that this northern travel destination enjoys a particularly appealing quality of life.

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Minnesota: If You Go

The overall tourism entity is Explore Minnesota Tourism, www.exploreminnesota.com.

For Minneapolis info, the source is Meet Minneapolis, www.meetminneapolis.com.

An entity promoting a variety of Metro Twin City vacation options is www.mspvacations.com.

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