The Twin Cities! (August 13-15th)
We stayed in St. Paul with a friend and fellow entomologist. It was nice to have showers and to catch up on thank you notes (from our wedding) and go over the finances for the trip. Here are some cool things I saw in the Twin Cities.
- Bike lanes
- Great Parks! (in-between the cities, in the cities and along the rivers and all over!) We stopped at the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden within the Theodore Wirth Regional Park. The entomologists welcomed me into the garden.
Then we took an urban hike that took us across Stone Arch Bridge to see Mill Ruins Park, and connected us to Father Hennepin Bluff Park. Father Hennepin Bluff Park was connected to one of the islands in the Mississippi River.
3.They have a public natural swimming pool that is cleaned by plants and not chlorine. It is the first public natural swimming Pool in North America. https://www.facebook.com/webberpool/
5. Bike Share and Scooter Share System (you can leave the scooter anywhere you want)
6. New Bus Rapid Transit and Light Rail system to connect the Twin Cities.
7. There is a great need for attainable housing as more pricey housing is quickly being developed next to the public transportation lines.
My Favorites part:
I could stand in the middle of the city and not hear the city. What you do hear is the waterfall (Dam) and birds. The sound clip below is from the Father Hennepin Bluff Park standing on a trail on an island in the Mississippi River.
I am so grateful for Ian, Erica and their dog Shrimpey for giving us a place to crash and taking time out of their busy lives to show us around!