Friday, April 05, 2019

Final Four Travel Guide

I think this is Mac
Several years back (I can't recall which year, but it hardly matters - think it might've been 1995), our friend Mac and a pal were drinking at a local establishment on the day before Final Four Saturday when they struck up a conversation with a guy neither of them knew. One beer led to another led to a discussion about the Final Four led to the guy offering to fly them on his private plane to the game and pay for their lodging. Sounded sketchy at the time, and it sounds even sketchier now, but it was a legit offer and the guy was a stand-up cat. Mac and his buddy had a whirlwind weekend in Seattle (?) and have an all-timer of a story to tell.

Which leads me to the real point of this post. If any of you are out this evening and meet someone who's inclined to fly you to Minneapolis to watch basketball, you're gonna need some advice on things to do. Since I'm the resident expert on the Twin Cities, you've come to the right place.

Obviously, drinking is important, and Minneapolis has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to good, local brews. Fulton, Summit, Steel Toe, Utepils, and Insight all pour terrific stuff, but if you're in the Cities, you've got to make a stop at Surly. Located near the University of Minnesota, Surly's 90,000 square-foot beer hall might be the largest such place I've ever seen. The beer's phenomenal and rolls deep - they've got at least 18 varieties on tap at any given time, and the food is out of this world. I'd give a lot of consideration to skipping the crowds at US Bank Stadium (which is, in its own right, a gorgeous facility) and hunkering down at the bar at Surly to watch the games.

Goddamn, am I hungry
If you like, food, and I know you do, Minneapolis is a paradise, as well. I'm not gonna give you a list, but you can find lots of them. No, I'm gonna send you to a little place in a residential neighborhood that serves the best pizza I've ever eaten. When you walk into Pizzeria Lola in south Minneapolis, the first thing you see is a massive copper-clad pizza oven - it dominates the room. And the stuff that comes from it is absurdly good. The crust is chewy and yeasty, with just enough char, and so thin that it's easy for a small man to eat an entire medium pie. Goddamn, but that's good pizza. Prepare to wait for a table, because folks love Lola.

You're gonna need to stretch your legs after sitting for hours watching hoops, and fortunately for you, US Bank Stadium is only a few blocks from the Stone Arch Bridge, a pedestrian-only crossing that affords great views of the city (including the Guthrie Theater, which is an architectural marvel) and the Mississippi River. Minnesotans love their outdoors, so you'll be certain to see lots of them out and about. Say hi, 'cause they're a friendly bunch.

You'll likely want some culture, too, because I know how this crowd rolls. The Walker Art Center is world-renowned for its diverse performing and fine art programs. Head there for a little bit of peaceful reflection between action. And I insist that you catch a show at First Avenue, one of America's great music venues. It's where Prince first played Purple Rain in front of a crowd, and while I can't post that video because of copyright issues, it's amazing. Speaking of Prince, his Paisley Park is open to the public and only 20 miles west of Minneapolis.

Enjoy your stay in the Twin Cities. It's a very cool place, full of friendly folks, great food, good beer, and a wide range of art and music. Tell 'em I sent you. It won't make a difference, but it's an excellent conversation starter.

54 comments:

Whitney said...

RE: Rootsy’s last post comments. Didn’t see the No MS All-Stars. I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac, a little voice inside said don’t look back, you can never look back.

Having a late lunch seated at the bar. Two older gents down the row teeing off on the Dane Fischer hiring. Not holding back. We shall see.

zman said...

Just in case anyone wants to get me a belated birthday gift:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1982-alfa-romeo-gtv6-3/?utm_source=transactionalemail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=bat_watched_listing_ending_soon

rob said...

w&m hoops getting run in conversation in a bar? hey, no such thing as bad publicity, right samantha huge?

Whitney said...

TribeAlert: WMPD has received a third-party report of an on-campus sexual assault last night between 9 and 10. For more info. go to: http://www.wm.edu/alert/

Not awesome

TR said...

I will be in Minneapolis for 20 hours next week. Looking forward to doing at least one of these things if I can get some free time the night I land.

Rob - the bar at the St Paul Hotel should get a nod. Tree-mendous seld

rob said...

that's an excellent suggestion, tr. great old-school hotel with an amazing selection of whiskey and good food.

zman said...

I made a Major Lazer reference on a conference call today but no one got it. Hold the line!

mr kq said...

Late to the party but that’s how I roll - love the car posts. Enjoying a Solace Partly Cloudy, pregaming before watching my daughters boyfriend play in a court tennis tourney. Apparently he’s a phenom. Any of you tennis folk ever tried it? Looks nuts.

TR said...

I love the heat from my gas fireplace in my family room, but I’m not a fan of having to run it a week into April.

rob said...

i feel like there's a collective ho-hum over russell westbrook's third consecutive season averaging a double double. that's an absurd achievement. and we're all, eh, whatever.

Marls said...

Possibly because you are underselling it? He is averaging a triple double for the third straight season.

rob said...

to be more precise, i'm talking about the sporting world, not team g:tb. i don't think the world at large is making a big enough deal out of it.

TR said...

The issue is that it’s not always correlated to team success. He went rebound-hunting to get his 20-20-20 game last week and it was a bit pathetic.

Their ceiling is a 2nd round loss in the playoffs.

Danimal said...

14 of 30 caddies looping for the women today at ANGC are locals, including 4 of the top 10. Kupcho and Panthong in final 2 groups....also Yasuda and Moore...pretty cool stuff

rob said...

both women’s hoops semis last night were really entertaining. hope the men can keep up today.

Mark said...

I love my family dearly but a weekend like this that finds them out of town from Friday evening to Sunday morning is really nice every once in a while.

Also doesn’t hurt that it’s 80 degrees and sunny. Don’t ever let anyone tell you a pool is a bad investment.

Whitney said...

Who you guys rooting for tonight?

mr kq said...

AU and TT. Eff the establishment.

TR said...

I dadded my ass off today - 2 youth baseball games and cleaned out the garage. Wife just took the kids to a high school play. I have a 20 oz ribeye, a bottle of red, my dog, a fully charged pen for my oil, NCAA basketball and the Yanks. Time to get loose.

Whitney said...

Hard to root against UVA in these parts. I always have, but my vitriol for them has waned. I can get behind them. They play some stellar defense.

TR said...

It’s easy to root against Bruce Pearl. I am doing that.

Whitney said...

This is so vintage UVA.

Mark said...

TR is winning this Saturday. I too have a fully charged pen. Think I’ll put it to use after I finish eating wings.

Pretty entertaining for a low scoring game.

Whitney said...

Oh my

Shlara said...

I didn't think I could loathe UVA more, and then this game happened

Mark said...

I’d feel bad for Auburn fans but they just started paying attention to basketball two weeks ago for the first time since the Chris Porter era.

Big balls on Kyle Guy.

Mark said...

As someone who’s never lived in northern Virginia, why is UVA seemingly universally loathed by any and every one who didn’t attend the institution? Is it due to a collective arrogance and douchiness?

Mark said...

Or does it go beyond that? I say this as I remember Shlara besmirching everyone who attended my alma mater in this space many years ago.

zman said...

Minisummit with Squeaky and JCKOS for Budos Band. I give no shits about this final four.

zman said...

Yes Mark. UVa is doichebags.

TR said...

Tremendous Chris Porter reference. What a flash in the pan.

Shlara said...

Z is correct.
UVA is douchebags
Gator fans are just obnoxious.
There is a difference

rob said...

i was rooting for uva because auburn. and because i think highly of tony bennett.

TR said...

Fat Gary Sanchez picked off twice in two games. Hate that dude.

Mark said...

Is this the worst Final Four in terms of NBA prospects? Probably not since Culver and DeAndre Hunter are. It’s supposed to be lottery picks but I’m not a fan of either one. The only guys I like are Jerome and Winston and that’s as off the bench guys.

Mark said...

That hurts, Shlara. Words hurt.

Mark said...

By the way, Shlara, you hung out with me and two other Florida alums many years ago in DC and I’m pretty sure you enjoyed yourself. We’re not all bad.

Mark said...

To my point about Auburn basketball “fans”, a bunch of them ran out and rolled Toomer’s Corner after Kyle Guy’s missed three. They didn’t realize a foul was called. War Eagle.

Mark said...

I’ll say it: I like Matt Mooney’s part.

zman said...

We have a Schmandy sighting

Whitney said...

Not all UVA alums are douches. But it’s a vast majority. Calling campus “the grounds.” Calling a sophomore a “second year” and such. Douches.

Mark said...

That’s pretty douchey.

TR said...

You forgot to add wearing ties to football games.

Mark said...

Fair point. That’s a very fratty SEC thing to do. Other than Florida, all the SEC frats do it .

Mark said...

Florida is just trashy enough to distinguish ourselves from the rest of the SEC.

Mark said...

Helllo, Gheorghies.

zman said...

Hello.

zman said...

Budos Band kicks ass by the way.

Whitney said...

hi gheorghies!

zman said...

I am so tired.

rob said...

just did my taxes. the reduction on deductions for state/local taxes hammerfucked me to the tune of owing $11k to the irs. that smarts a bit.

Mark said...

Oh yeah. The change in deductions fucked my family as well. We didn’t owe money but we got FAR less back.

Unrelated: we had two premature “Hi Gheorghies last night”. Bunch of night owls in this space.

Dave said...

yup. we're paying for the first time ever. normally we got a bit back.

TR said...

CNN’s Tricky Dick series is fantastic. Makes me forget how batshit crazy that network has become.

It’s very different from Vivid Video’s Tricky Dick series.