St. Paul in the Fall

What a beeyootiful wedding. It was at the totally swank St. Paul Hotel. Janna and I stayed with her mother's sister's husband's sister's son and his wife (Janna's uncle's nephew, for those of you keeping score). They were sooper nice and they had a jacuzzi in their basement apartment, in their wonderful house in the Historic Hill.

Yes, we visited the Mall of America. We kind of figured if we didn't go it'd be like visiting Keystone, SD and not seeing Mt. Rushmore. We walked almost the whole thing (it was good exercise), and then, by eating in the foodcourt, we put back on all the pounds we might have lost. We did, sadly to report, scream like little children on the twirling roller coaster.

We also went to a really sooper history museum called the Mill City Museum. They had a really cool freight elevator ride, and a wonderful view of the mighty Mississip. After that, we walked around downtown Minneapolis and went in a two-story Target, mirabile dictu.

The next day we checked out the St. Paul Cathedral after I ran 5.5 miles from our host's house to the State Capitol Building to the downtown riverfront and back up some giant hill. However, I can't lose a beat in this 4 miler training or Dave's gonna take me down.

On Friday night, Janna and I arrived in MSP from IAD (Allen or John Foster, I've always been curious?) via ORD and proceeded on a harrowing taxi-ride to our posh digs. We asked him if business was slower in November and he mentioned the onset of "eight years of suffering." Seeking clarification, we were treated to an incisive analysis of George Bush's economic policies as they applied to Muslim taxidrivers in the greater Twin cities area and the resurgence of China as an international economic power. None of this would have been terrible, excepting the relative incoherency of these complaints, if the taxi driver had any clue where he was. Fortunately, our more than gracious hosts were able to guide us safely, if not quite lately, to their domicile.


However, to top it all off, right before the wedding, Janna and I explored downtown St. Paul, and took a picture of the crowd in front of the Fitzgerald theater (so now we can say that we've been to Prarie Home Companion show and to the Fitzgerald, although not at the same time). Then, after the wedding, Garrison himself showed up at the St. Paul Hotel, and looking rather annoyed, had his picture taken with Allie and Matt.

Peace.