A vote for St. Paul
ST. PAUL - As the capital of Minnesota, St. Paul may be no stranger politicians, but it will be the center of the political universe Sept. 1-4 when the international spotlight shines on this Mississippi River city.
Starting on Labor Day, downtown's Xcel Energy Center will be the site of the Republican National Convention, a megaevent that will showcase the town for a worldwide audience and bring 45,000 people to the Twin Cities. The economic impact for the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro region is expected to exceed $150 million.
"Think about having 15,000 media here," said Karolyn Kirchgesler, president and CEO of the St. Paul Convention and Visitors Authority. "You can't buy that kind of advertising."
St. Paul beat out three other finalists - New York, Cleveland and Tampa - to capture the GOP nominating convention. The Democrats also had hoped to meet in the Twin Cities, the population center of a crucial swing state in national elections, but the Republicans beat them to the punch by just hours, according to some accounts. Both parties also knew the convention would generate buzz in neighboring Iowa and Wisconsin, two other battleground states where the 2004 race was close.
St. Paul itself is heavily Democratic; in fact, President Bush didn't win a single precinct there in his 2004 re-election. But Minnesota has a GOP governor and its congressional delegation is split evenly between Republicans and Democrats.
The Twin Cities last hosted a national political convention in 1892, when the Republicans met in Minneapolis to nominate President Benjamin Harrison in his unsuccessful re-election bid.
Convention-related festivities this year will be spread across the metro area, which has a population of more than 700,000. Minneapolis (pop. 382,000), larger and slicker than friendly rival St. Paul (287,000), is viewed as more cosmopolitan and has more skyscrapers. St. Paul prizes tradition and lures the history-minded traveler with pockets of Old World charm.
Folks on both coasts - and in other parts of the country - commonly refer to the Twin Cities as Minneapolis, leaving off the St. Paul part of the equation. St. Paul boosters were annoyed when in 2006 a New York Times headline declared "GOP Picks Minneapolis as '08 Site of Convention."
Michael Hernandez, group sales and convention services manager of the St. Paul Convention and Visitors Authority, said, "One of our challenges is that we get overshadowed by Minneapolis. It's a struggle."
During the Republican convention, St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center will get the lion's share of TV airtime. The big night will be Sept. 4, when Sen. John McCain accepts his party's nomination as president.
Built in 2000, the arena is a concert venue and home of the National Hockey League's Minnesota Wild. Drawing 1.69 million visitors annually, it is St. Paul's most popular destination, followed closely by the Science Museum of Minnesota, a hands-on showplace across the street.
Adjacent to the Xcel is the St. Paul RiverCentre, where media will be housed. RiverCentre is linked to a skyway system that allows access to hotels and restaurants near historic Rice Park, established as a central square in 1849 and still the hub of downtown.
The fanciful Landmark Center, a pink-granite "castle," serves as a majestic backdrop for Rice Park. Built in 1902 as a federal courts building, it was saved from the wrecking ball in the 1970s and now houses many arts organizations, plus four small museums, including one that features musical instruments.
Also facing Rice Park are Ordway Center for the Performing Arts and the 1910 Saint Paul Hotel, a well-preserved grande dame that will house the GOP delegation from Arizona, McCain's home state. No doubt the hotel's elegant St. Paul Grill, with views of the park, will be packed with party bigwigs. (The Hyatt Regency Minneapolis will be the headquarters for the Republican National Committee.)
Network TV crews looking for local color downtown surely will find Mickey's Dining Car, an authentic 1930s diner that serves up eggs and hash browns 24 hours a day. Featured in the "Mighty Ducks" and other movies, the diner has 18 stools and four booths. A chalkboard notice reads: "We will gladly serve those who behave; those who don't we won't."
Downtown's 1910 Fitzgerald Theater is the broadcast home of Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion," a live variety program carried most Saturday evenings on public radio stations across the country.
Many of St. Paul's heritage sites are conveniently clustered in a small geographical area close to downtown. On Summit Avenue, the country's longest street of Victorian architecture (4 miles), the cavernous, domed Cathedral of St. Paul is a block from the 1891 James J. Hill House, the brooding, Romanesque Revival mansion of the builder of the Great Northern Railway. Down the street are the Governor's Mansion and home of novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald.
The Minnesota State Capitol, just across a freeway that symbolically separates church and state, adds another massive dome to the St. Paul skyline. Free tours spotlight the marble-pillared rotunda, gilded chambers, carved woodwork and frescoes in one of America's most awesome state capitols, the masterpiece of Minnesota architect Cass Gilbert, who also designed the Arkansas and West Virginia capitols and U.S. Supreme Court building. The governors' portrait gallery includes Jesse Ventura, the former wrestler and radio host who served a term.
The Minnesota History Center, a museum located between the Capitol complex and Cathedral, captures the essence of the state. Don't miss the "Weather Permitting" exhibit, which covers ice fishing, snow shoveling, snowshoeing and dogsledding.
To celebrate the Minnesota's sesquicentennial this year, the museum's "MN 150" exhibition pays homage to people and things associated with the state. Examples: The Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings, make-believe icons including Paul Bunyan and Betty Crocker, and such political titans as Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale.
St. Paul boasts more miles of riverfront - 26 - than any other city along the entire stretch of the mighty Mississippi. At Harriet Island, visitors can go back in time on a paddle-wheeler cruise or at a melodrama staged at the Minnesota Centennial Showboat. Riverfront trails invite hiking and biking.
On high bluffs above the juncture of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, costumed soldiers and settlers make frontier days come to life at Historic Fort Snelling, a reconstruction of a 1820s U.S. Army post.
History and nostalgia buffs also have fun touring the Wabasha Street Caves, three man-made sandstone grottoes carved into the side of a river bluff. In the 1930s, one cave was Castle Royal, a speak-easy that attracted gangsters, including John Dillinger and Ma Barker. Legends from the Big Band era - Glenn Miller, Harry James and the Dorsey Brothers - performed at the club, and every Thursday night an orchestra brings back the old days. The cave proprietors also operate crime-themed bus tours with actor-guides in gangster garb.
To discover Minneapolis' roots, head to the Mill City Museum, a limestone factory building where General Mills made Gold Medal Flour until 1965. The mills that once flourished here along the Mississippi fueled the growth of Minnesota and made Minneapolis the flour milling center of the world.
Exhibits and old commercials shown on vintage TVs at the museum rekindle memories of kid-favored cereals. The Baking Lab whips up goodies to sample, lending a delicious aroma to the place. The Flower Tower elevator ride stops at different floors, each with a milling process scene described by a "worker." Part of the old mill is in ruins, the result of a 1991 fire, but that just adds to the yesteryear aura.
"Minneapolis in 19 Minutes Flat," shown in the museum's theater, provides a humorous, fast-paced introduction to the city.
Minneapolis' once-blighted riverfront is now a trendy place to hang out and the new home of the nationally famous Guthrie Theatre, a stunning three-theater complex. Industrial buildings along the cobblestone streets of St. Anthony Main, a district easily reached from the Mill City Museum by the Stone Arch Bridge, have been converted into loft apartments, restaurants and clubs. A platform at Water Power Park makes a good perch for viewing St. Anthony Falls, which early settlers harnessed to turn the wheels that ground wheat into all that flour.
If you're not a Republican delegate or member of the press with convention-floor credentials, you can get a political fix at CivicFest: A Very Minnesota Celebration, set for Aug. 29 through Sept. 4 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The exhibition will include a model White House, first ladies' gowns, political memorabilia and a replica of the Oval Office, where visitors can stand behind the president's desk, sign a bill into law and receive a souvenir photo.
Other CivicFest exhibits will focus on the American eagle as our national emblem, the American flag, U.S. Constitution and Minnesota history and tourism. A re-created convention floor, complete with bunting and balloon drops, will feature archival convention footage and a Jumbotron simulcast of live convention sessions.
As if the Twin Cities don't have enough going on Labor Day weekend, the Minnesota State Fair (Aug. 21 through Sept. 1), one of the biggest and best in the nation, will bring more crowds to St. Paul.
For serious shoppers, a Twin Cities stay is not complete without a visit to suburban Bloomington's Mall of America, home to more than 520 stores and 50 restaurants. The centerpiece of America's largest shopping/entertainment center is the new Nickelodeon Universe, the first-ever amusement park themed after Nick TV shows.
St. Paul, Minn.
GO: To explore the history of a city a bit off the tourist radar screen
NO: If your idea of a Minnesota vacation is North Woods, not city streets
Need to know: St. Paul Convention & Visitors Authority, (800) 627-6101; www.visitsaintpaul.com
Getting there: Minneapolis/St. Paul is about 400 miles northwest of Chicago, a seven-hour drive via I-90 and I-94. Several airlines serve Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport from O'Hare and Midway airports. Amtrak's Empire Builder stops in St. Paul on its way between Chicago's Union Station and Seattle.
Getting around: Fare on the Twin Cities' Metro Transit buses and trains is $1.50 to $2. The Day Pass for unlimited rides is $6.
Where to stay in downtown St. Paul: Holiday Inn RiverCentre, 175 W. Seventh St., (651) 225-1515, www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/home
Embassy Suites, 175 E. 10th St.,(651) 224-5400, www. embassysuites1.hilton.com/en_US/es/hotel/MSPSPES/index.do
Crowne Plaza St. Paul Riverfront, 11 E. Kellogg Blvd., (651) 292-1900, www.cpstpaul.com
Hilton Garden Inn, 411 Minnesota St., (651) 291-8800, http://hilton gardeninn1.hilton.com.
St. Paul Hotel, 350 Market St., (651) 292-9292, www.saintpaul hotel.com
Where to eat downtown:
DeGidio's, 425 W. Seventh St., (651) 291-7105, www.degidios.com. A casual Italian place dating back to St. Paul's gangster era.
Forepaugh's, 276 Exchange St., (651) 224-5606 www.forepaughs.com. Savor continental cuisine with a French touch in an 1870 Victorian mansion renovated this year.
Great Waters Brewery, 426 St. Peter St., (651) 224-2739, www.greatwatersbc.com. Enjoy handcrafted beers and live entertainment on the patio of this brewpub.
Mickey's Dining Car, 36 W. Seventh St., (651) 222-5633, www.mickeysdiningcar.com. Try the burgers, Mulligan stew, bean soup or buttermilk pancakes at this classic 1930s diner.
Pazzaluna, 360 St. Peter St., (651) 223-7000, www.pazzaluna.com. An upscale Italian eatery open for dinner only.
St. Paul Grill, 350 Market St., (651) 224-7455, www.stpaulgrill.com. Splurge and have a steak or lobster tail with tangy au gratin potatoes in this classy room in the St. Paul Hotel.
Sightseeing costs (adults): Civic Fest: A Very Minnesota Celebration (Aug. 29 through Sept. 4), $15; Gangster Tour (noon Saturdays), $22; Historic Fort Snelling, $10; James J. Hill House, $8; Mill City Museum, $10; Minnesota History Center, $10; Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of America, $29.95 for unlimited-rides wristband, all ages; Padelford Packet Boat Co. riverboat cruises, $15; Science Museum of Minnesota, $16 for exhibits and Omnimax movie; Wabasha Caves tours, $5.
Fun Card: Contact the St. Paul Convention & Visitors Authority for the St. Paul Fun Card, good for discounts on lodging, attractions, dining and shopping.