Day 4 - Chicago to Minneapolis

This morning started out great. I woke up, being the only one in the apartment for various reasons and finished watching Little Miss Sunshine, which I had fallen asleep to last night. Really great movie, but be warned for those of you who have an aversion to seeing little girls cry, she's brutal. Anyway, being Sunday, I wasn't but so worried about getting to Minneapolis but so early. I knew that the museums and even the mall would be closed by 6 at the latest, so no need to rush. After some leftover pizza for breakfast, I started to get my stuff together. Of course, I couldn't find my camera's battery charger anywhere. Twenty minutes of looking and it was in the suitcase the whole time...ugh.

Anyway, Once I got on the road I really realized how large 'Chicagoland' is really. An hour on the road and I was still in it (so said billboards.) Finally I made it to Wisconsin. A little before lunch time, I started noticing signs for 'Taco John's.' It struck a chord, and I remembered Aaron saying that he had worked there for quite some time. In honor of his service to the chain, I had to try it. Apparently the things you see in the picture are 'potato ole's,' otherwise known as peppery tater tots. Taco Johns certainly fit the bill, and was on par with Taco Bell. One thing I noticed however was the huge plaque that they had on the wall. "Taco John's voted best Mexican food in Monomie, WI." Seriously, someone who opened up a real Mexican place could make a killing here.

As I got closer to Minneapolis, the terrain really started to change. All of the sudden I wasn't in the flat prairie anymore, there were hills and these crazy stone outcroppings everywhere. There were even stone buttes and natural fences a hundred feet high or more. Really beautiful, contrasting with the snow all around. It really wasn't that cold even in the city, actually it was a lot easier than Chicago, since it isn't as windy.

I found the hostel pretty easily. Great location, it's about a ten minute walk from the center of downtown. As far as accomodations, it's a little shabby honestly. My 'room' is about five feet by ten feet with a lamp and no TV. I can't complain though, for 25 a night and off-street parking to boot.

When I got all settled, I walked downtown to see what was what. Apparently all of the downtown is linked by these 'sky bridges' one floor up. They go from building to building and literally span the entire downtown area. It's crazy, you can go twelve or more blocks without going outside. Apparently, they're pretty used to snow a lot worse than right now. I picked up a flyer and saw that there was a bar/theatre that had a free music show so I stepped right up. Free is always the right price. It was actually really great, lots of old favorites and a really great atmosphere. I actually became friends with the two girls sitting near me, Becky (who's parents live in Georgetown apparently) and Allison. We sang along and had a grand old time.

Tomorrow I'll be heading to the Mall of America and some of the museums around downtown Minneapolis. Should be a blast, hopefully I'll remember to buy the wool socks I've been needing for these cold nights. (BTW, blogger is being bitchy and not uploading my pics. I'll put them up as soon as i can.)