Two days in a row now, I’ve opted for a climate-controlled walk. With temperatures hovering around zero, I took the light rail to the Mall of America for a mall walk with friends. We walked past hundreds of stores, all of which, with one exception, did not interest me. After the walk, I did take a look around the LEGO store.
Category: Indoor Walk
The climate-controlled dilemma
To paraphrase Oscar Wilde: there is only one thing in the world worse than the Skyway, and that is not having the Skyway. While I don’t care for the way it stifles life at street level, I certainly appreciated it today. I enjoyed walking part of the 9½-mile system in shirtsleeves with friends even though it was single digits and windy outside.
MoA Post-Holiday Walk
As the last remnants of Christmas were being packed away, my friend and I navigated three labyrinthine floors of the Mall of America. Our only purchase was coffee and pastries in a cafe operated by a credit card company.
Recalibrating
When I took this picture at sunrise, the outside beckoned, but the ‘feels like’ temperature was -6°F. Dwight and I agree the ‘feels like’ temperature scale should be adjusted for age: for us, it feels closer to a bone-chilling -20°F. I used to jog in this weather, but today, I’m opting for a Skyway walk.
Life in a Climate-Controlled World
It was a brisk 12°F when I set out for my walk today. Eventually, I sought refuge in the Skyway system. Here, I’m making my way through the Northstar Center. Once an office tower, the building has been repurposed to include apartments. Given lower office occupancy rates post-pandemic, there’ll be more such conversions. Downtown Minneapolis has emerged as one of the fastest-growing residential neighborhoods in the Twin Cities.
Skyway Sanctuary
The sun was shining, but the wind was biting, so four miles of my walk found me in the Minneapolis Skyways where I rediscovered gems like the lobby of the 1923 Medical Arts Building.
Avoiding the ER
Icy sidewalks drove me to the skyways, where I walked through interesting spaces, including the Westin in the former Farmers and Mechanics Bank building.
The Gopher Way
Emerged from The Gopher Way, a system of tunnels and skyways at the University of Minnesota.
Imaginary Airport
On my Skyway walk, I imagined I was in an airport heading for a warm-weather destination. Here, in Hennepin County Government Center, monitors direct individuals to court-related rooms. Security screening is just around the corner.
Something New
There’s 9½ miles of skyways in Minneapolis. My goal today was to find a section I’ve never walked before. This section, running through Thrivent Financial’s headquarters, was new to me. Until 2013 Thrivent only served Lutherans; today they serve a broader market.