Day 8. (Lin) Minneapolis, we were told, is all about the lakes! So today we tried to experience them a bit, as well as a few other iconic Minneapolis spots. A bit of a lazy start allowed Jo, Eden, and me to go for a run from our friends’ house to Lake Harriet, in the southwest part of the city. Afterward, we drove to Wild Rumpus Bookstore, a totally fun youth/young adult bookstore with live animals (birds, a ferret, rats, etc.) and a fun atmosphere. From there we went to Uptown, parked, and rented a canoe and a paddleboat (don’t judge — a favorite of some of our crew!) to explore Lake Calhoun, the canals, and Lake of the Isles. All that paddling (and the heat!) made us hungry, of course, so we had to grab some excellent fish sandwiches at Tin Fish, perched on the edge of the lake. From there we drove to the Minihaha Falls, just off of the Mississippi River, which were fun and impressive (although better to see it now before the Yosemite Falls sets the bar impossibly high).

Because we were fully embracing our tourist status, the only next logical stop was…The Mall of America. It was, as advertised, huge. The Lego store was fun and entertaining as always, and then it was off to the main attraction: the sizable amusement park in the center of the gigantic square-shaped mall. The kids enjoyed a few rollercoasters — including one ridden by the girls that went upside down twice and all over (so much so that Helena almost lost her glasses). Impressive. It was also amazing how many Somali families were there, comprising 30-40% of the people there. Felt fun and diverse.

Having had our fill of middle American commercialism, we drove north to the Mill Ruins and the Stone Arch Bridge, which is a lovely bridge across the Mississippi with the Minneapolis skyline in the background.

Our final stop for the day was to have dinner with some old Boston friends. 4 kids + 4 kids = lots of rowdy fun.

All of us are excited to hit our first National Park tomorrow! Badlands, here we come.