It may look like a fast food restaurant and it’s not in the prettiest part of St. Paul but Trung Nam French Bakery, operated by immigrants from Vietnam, bakes the best almond croissants. So that’s where I got with a friend for coffee and flakey perfection this morning.
Category: St. Paul
A Special Place
Dwight showed a friend and me around the University of Minnesota teaching and research greenhouse where he volunteers. This gorgeous space has four rooms, each with a different climate, including this desert room. The rainforest room smelled and felt wonderful on this frigid day.
Designed to Impress
With temperatures hovering around 0°F it was a day to minimize outdoor activity. Rode the light rail to St. Paul with a friend. Warmed up in the Landmark Center where we peered into rooms, including the Chief Justice Room.
A Tiny Museum
Every now and then, when out cycling, I like to take in the latest exhibit at The Smallest Museum in St. Paul. The current show is “Paint it Before you Eat it” by local artist Lisa Burke who “loves the idea of art that can fit in one’s pocket, or in an Altoid box.”
Finding Stories
Explored St. Paul’s Highland Park neighborhood. Found some gems: the former Hollyhocks Club, a 1930’s-era gangsters’ hangout; impressive landscaping and construction at the former Ford Plant; the 1871 Mattocks School, a one-room schoolhouse, now a Spanish immersion classroom.
Old Muskego Church
On our cycle ride, the 1845 Old Muskego Church, the first Norwegian Lutheran church built in the United States. Chatted with a worker restoring the exterior using logs rescued from a barn from the same period. He unlocked the door so we could see inside. Click through for photos of the wonderful interior.
On High Ground
Not exactly the source of the Nile, but interesting nonetheless while cycling with a friend through Reservoir Woods Park. An image search for this 30-million gallon tank, part of St. Paul’s water system, brought me to photos of Mongolian yurts.
Swans for Hire
Cycled with a friend to St. Paul’s Lake Como where swan pedal boats clustered offshore.
Ice Elephant
Walked the skyways of downtown St. Paul. Ventured outside briefly to admire the Winter Carnival ice sculptures at Rice Park.
Coffee with an Earworm
On a random cycle ride, a pitstop for coffee came with an earworm.