Wednesday, January 26, 2005

Metro Area Fun

Last Saturday, I took my first ride on the LRT to the Mall of America. The route finally opened all the way to the mall in December. Even though it was a Saturday night, the trains were only two cars long, which meant almost half of the riders had to stand. There was time when I'd vist the mall on a weekly basis, but now it's more like every few months. I rode Timberland Twister, which is a great rollercoaster that always keeps you guessing as to which way your car is going to dive.

On Sunday, I visited the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. You can check out some of the pictures I took there. It amazes me that admission to their main collection is free, and you only have to pay for special exhibits. I spent three and a half hours there and only got about halfway through. My interests tend toward the ancient Chinese and Indian rooms, and sculpture more than paintings. I guess the modern European stuff is more familiar. I had a similar experience at the Metropolitain Museum of Art in New York, where the room with Thai sculptures really made an impression on me.

Riding the LRT and the Timberland Twister and visiting the MIA are activities that I had been meaning to try, but never got around to doing before. I decided to try to do something new around the Minneapolis/St. Paul area each week.

Ratings:
LRT - 2 stars - too crowded, and not very fast
Timberland Twister - 3 stars - fun, but costs nearly $5 for one ride
MIA - 4 stars - free, and chock full of beauty and history

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