The sun is shining. It’s a sunny 67 degrees, with a light breeze coming off the Mississippi River. I am on the patio at Vic’s Restaurant (201 Main St. SE). It’s the end of April and I have spent all day cruising through the cobbled streets of what we know as St. Anthony Main. The artist lofts soar overhead full of painters creating masterpieces in patchouli-scented lofts.
St. Anthony Main
The day began at Wilde Roast (65 Main St. SE) with cappuccinos at noon. A place to curl up with a book, get some work done I’ve procrastinated on all week or to visit intimately with a friend. The service staff is a parade of young men whose smiles never escape their faces. Following caffeine comes rosé because it is the season for rosé all day. A bottle begins at Wilde Roast, adding to the conversation my friend and I are having about new traveling ventures and what we expect this summer to bring. A hug to our server and we are out the door, first sprinting to the car to stop the parking enforcement because we’ve forgotten to pay our meter and then leisurely making our way to Aster Cafe (125 Main St. SE).
At the bar we order double espressos and the beet and feta salad to share while calling up work acquaintances to join our afternoon. It’s Tuesday and the scene is quiet with a languid air. After our quick snack and pick-me-up, it’s off to Nicollet Island Inn (95 Merriam St).
We ask for a tour of some of the rooms after getting champagne from Nic’s Bar, planning an evening far out from now to put some new dresses to use. This place is classic Minneapolis and I hope it never changes. The lights are always low and the colors bring a softness to the afternoon.
With a champagne buzz we take a walk down the Stone Arch Bridge, glancing at the Mill City Ruins below us, smiling at passersby doing the same.
We then meet our previously mentioned acquaintances and wander toward Vic’s where, all summer long on the patio, they offer $2 bottles of wine from 2-3pm, $3 from 3-4pm and $4 from 4-5pm. It makes for an easy agreement between friends, always getting one red and one white and making it even easier to enjoy surrounding company.
The city at dusk
It is slowly becoming evening, the sun setting into a reflection upon the skyline. This is our cue to move on and bounce into Jefe (219 Main St. SE). Here we order Mezcal cocktails and fill ourselves up on fresh guacamole and tostadas. It’s a dark, Gothic setting with twinkling lights and quiet couples escaping their weekday blues. We recognize our server from previous evenings spent sipping on tequila and go deep into a conversation about what the next step should be. We’ve tracked the cobble road all afternoon, feeling as though we’ve escaped the bustle of the city even with downtown a few steps away and have slowly relaxed into the evening that will probably bring us back to Aster Cafe for live music, Tuggs (St Anthony Main Event Center, 219 Main St. SE) for beers and burgers or Pracna (117 Main St. SE) for dirty martinis. Possibly a movie at St. Anthony Main Theater (115 Main St. SE) to wrap the night.
At this point, the cobblestone street has invited us to stay all day. Twilight has taken over the city sky, and we have no plans to leave.
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