Fridays Five Favorite Things - Minneapolis

1. The accents - Being from a place where the accent of the people greets you the minute you step off the plane/bus/train, I have a fond appreciation for the vast array of American dialects. My favorite of course is New Orleans own "Y'at" accent because there is nothing else that reminds me more of home than hearing "Hey baby, hows ya mamma and ya daddy doin'?" But a close second has to be the accents of Minnesotans and North Dakotans. It's just so friendly and inviting. It has a sing songy quality to it that I just love. I have found myself saying "Oh" a lot in the past few days!
2. The Lakes - Minneapolis is beautiful. I had no idea what to expect in regard to how the city would look. I felt like everywhere I turned there was a lake surrounded by people. It was the coolest thing. Alissa was explaining that each of the lakes has its own personality in terms of the people who you will see spending time there. There's sort of the young hippie lake, the yuppy sophisticated lake, and the family friendly lake. A little something for everyone I guess.
3. The shopping - Any place that has a shopping center titled "The Mall of America" is fine by me. And although I thought that was where the locals would do their shopping (a bit like thinking New Orleanians spend every night in the Quarter I suppose) I quickly learned that there were other very quaint areas of shopping in Minnie. We went to the Galleria and had a great time trying on super fancy (but very on sale) shoes. My favorite area was called "50th and France." It is a charming little neighborhood with specialty shops and boutiques that were to die for. Allie got a fantastic pair of gold fringe flats at one little store. I'm still having shopping envy that I didn't try those on!
4. The dining - When I learned that Mark would be going home to NOLA for the bachelor party and I'd be going to Minneapolis for the bachelorette party, I certainly didn't think I would be taking home the prize for best foodie weekend. But I think I did. We had lunch at this precious bistro with an outdoor patio. I had an amazing raspberry mojito. I love afternoon drinks! For dinner we ate at a super cool place called 112Eatery. Amazing! I had the fois gras meatballs and we shared these snap peas in a rep pepper flake oil. For dessert we split the butterscotch pudding topped with caramel and smoked sea salt. Holy cow it was amazing. Saturday we had a lovely brunch followed by a very fun dinner! I really can't say enough of the food culture there. It was unexpected and very much appreciated!
5. The people - I went on this trip only knowing the bride-to-be, and I left with a whole host of new friends. The girls couldn't have been more warm and inviting. I felt at home with them immediately. It was truly wonderful to meet such amazing women. We talk a lot in the South about how hospitable we are, and there's certainly something to be said for being a sweet southern girl, but I have to hand it to the Mid-Westerners, they too are quite the host! Thanks ladies for such a great weekend and for showing me a part of who you are. Minneapolis is wonderful!