Best of
the Twin Cities
Trying to impress visitors from the coasts is a sucker's game. They'll always see our metro as inferior, and there's nothing we can do about it. (If your guests are from the small-town Midwest it's much easier, just take 'em downtown during rush hour and watch their eyes pop.) So don't oversell anything. Tell them you know of a charming little park that might be pleasant to visit. Make sure it's not a super dry season so the waterfall will be more than a trickle. Check that there's a decent concert scheduled at the bandstand. Plan to stop by the statue of Minnehaha and Hiawatha and school your guests on some local Native history. Arrive hungry so you can show off the wonderful fresh seafood available at Sea Salt (yes, planes stop at our airport every single day, often bringing fruits of the ocean!). Sure, coastal attractions may think they have everything, but does, say, Central Park have a huge natural waterfall or seemingly endless stairs, the better to prove one's fitness? No, it does not.
