Weekend Trip to Minneapolis

This weekend, I had the chance to visit Minneapolis for the first time.  From what I remember, it was a fun trip.

We started off seeing a Twins game at the new Target Field.  Aside from the fact there is no smoking area and they don't let you re-enter if you go outside, it is a very nice ballpark.

Whenever I go out of town, I like to find a cool dive bar near my hotel that acts as a "home base".  Luckily, I stumbled into an awesome old place called Cuzzy's.  Nobody's quite sure how old this tavern is, but it's old.  For the past 20 years, people have decorated the walls with dollar bills.  There's probably $5,000 stuck to the walls.

Not only does Cuzzy's have a cool old school vibe, but they have a good choice of beer on tap and a kitchen that's open early and late.

There is a Montana connection in the Twin Cities.  Like this downtown spot in the warehouse district called the Montana Coffeehouse.

I was also surprised by the number of adult clubs downtown.  It seemed like I passed a strip club on every corner.  I'm not exactly sure what kind of establishment this is, but I passed a place called the "House of Balls".  Needless to say, I did not go in.

We also got a chance to see an awesome punk show at a great venue called the "Triple Rock Social Club".  This bar was immortalized by the band NOFX, who released a song titled "Seeing Double at the Triple Rock" several years ago.  The club more than lived up to its reputation.  It's a small place, in the middle of a predominantly Muslim neighborhood.  And, just like all great punk clubs, it was covered in flyers, stickers and graffiti.  Like this pic from the men's room, which has probably been out of order for the past decade.  As an added bonus, there was a gyro stand just down the street that was still open when we stumbled out of the bar at 2 am.

I would have never made the trip were it not for my old college pal Eric.  He's on a mission to see all of the major league ballparks.  This was park #20 on his list.  My brother Steve tagged along for the weekend.  Not sure when, or if, I'll ever make it back to the Twin cities, but it was another fun adventure.  Cheers, Minneapolis.