Train travel has a mystique, a nostalgia bordering on anachronism. It’s fast but at the same time, it’s slow. It’s as much about the experience itself as the destination.
The arrival last spring of a new Amtrak passenger train, one doing daily Chicago-St. Paul round trips, felt timely. Maybe it was because this was the year the Midwest stopped feeling like a place to just pass over. Barreling across Wisconsin and the eastern edge of Minnesota at 79 miles per hour, the new Borealis revels in our hunger to explore, revealing our landscape at its finest and in all of its seasonal iterations.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
Compared to the Empire Builder that makes similar Midwest stops but ventures on to the Pacific Northwest, the Borealis is a bit faster (about 30 minutes), promises to be more reliable (no cross-country delays) and arrives in St. Paul around dinnertime – better than the 11 p.m. schedule of Empire Builder.
While the reason I like train travel so much is certainly linked to how much I hate to drive, it is also great for my psyche, an arresting shakeup to my everyday normal – the throaty whistle of the horn, the lurching, swaying bumps of the moving rail cars, and the shifting tableau beyond the glass windows until the Borealis pulls into the striking neoclassical St. Paul Union Depot.
On my trip up last summer, I arrived Friday night and returned late Sunday morning – not a lot of time, yet enough to rejuvenate with culture, food and history. Leaving the car behind was liberating; I walked everywhere, but had the weather been iffy, I’d have happily used a rideshare.
To get to my hotel in downtown Minneapolis, I took the Metro light rail Green Line, which was direct and affordable ($2). But I wouldn’t ride it again – not only was it slow (45 minutes from Union Depot to the Metro stop a block from my hotel), I didn’t feel comfortable (I witnessed firsthand some of the Metro’s widely reported public safety issues).
In the end, I overestimated how much I’d be able to see and do in Minneapolis. My list was long before I arrived and only grew once I got there! I’ll bite off another chunk on the next train trip.
Route: Chicago to St. Paul, Minnesota
Stops in Wisconsin: Eight
Departs MKE: 12:40 p.m. from Intermodal Station, 433 W. St. Paul Ave.
Arrives: 6:30 p.m. at St. Paul Union Depot
Cost: One-way $43-$155; business class upgrade $47
Stay
Hotel Emery
The charm of Hotel Emery’s previous life as a bank building resonates in the lobby, outfitted in marble and brass, with huge fluted columns. The rooms are modern and comfy, and the location nifty – blocks from the Mississippi River and the Mill District. From $179/night. 215 Fourth St.
Other Picks
High End: Hewing Hotel, from $252/night. 300 N. Washington Ave.
Budget: Hampton Inn & Suites Minneapolis/Downtown, from $94/night. 19 N. Eighth St.
See
Mill City Museum
Built on the ruins of a historic mill near St. Anthony Falls, this homage to Minneapolis’ flour-milling history is fun, informative and family friendly. Beyond the vintage advertising displays and a bakery lab (with samples!), one gem is the Flour Tower, an elevator that uses light, sound and special effects to recreate a working flour mill. 704 S. Second St.
Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
One of the largest urban sculpture gardens in the country, it features 40-plus works of art, including the massive phone pic opportunity Spoonbridge and Cherry. The garden is adjacent to the Walker Art Center (walkerart.org), pure modern-art cool. 726 Vineland Pl.
Guthrie Theater
I didn’t catch a show here (they put on classic and contemporary plays), but I did explore the impressive building, the highlight of which was the Endless Bridge, a cantilever that extends 178 feet from the side of the building, 55 feet above the parkway. I snapped a lot of pics of the river and city up there! 818 S. Second St.
Eat/Drink
Union Hmong Kitchen
A delicious entry to MPLS’s significant Hmong culinary culture. and part of a mini food hall in the hip North Loop. $15-$21. 520 N. Fourth St.
Mara
The bar of this Four Seasons Hotel restaurant offers fabulous people-watching and elegant cocktails. 245 Hennepin Ave.
Owamni
The James Beard Award winner offers culturally significant Native foods (wild game, beans, corn) that connect to land and ancestry. $9-$90. 420 S. First St.
Shop
The North Loop is a district full of old warehouses converted to restaurants, bars and breweries, and retail, with a bit of the vibe of Milwaukee’s Third Ward. I found two great shopping stops across the street from one another:
MartinPatrick3
This 22,000-square-foot mega boutique is a very cool space to wander around browsing designer clothes, apothecary, accessories and gifts. 212 N. Third Ave.
Nolo
This fashion co-op has four retailers of established and upcoming designers. It feels like the kind of place you’d find one or two key pieces to complete your seasonal look – a fun, chunky sweater, soft, yummy pair of jeans, or statement-
making handbag. 211 N. Third Ave.
Northrup King Building
In the Northeast Minneapolis Art District, the Northrup King Building is the state’s largest art complex – home to 350 artists and small businesses. On Open Studio Saturdays (12-4 p.m. through Nov. 9), you can shop ceramics, paintings, jewelry and more – and meet the makers. 1500 Jackson St., NE
