The651.com

I’m not one of those people who often enjoys the luxury of a vacation. My “freelancer” status usually prevents me from doing much aside from running around like a chicken with its head cut off, meeting deadlines, managing events and basically working seven days a week. I am constantly in “panic mode” and have become pretty much used to it. The last “real” vacation I took was in 2001. I went to Las Vegas to visit a friend, and as luck would have it, 9/11 happened while I was there, putting an obvious damper on anything “vacation” related. That’s just the way my life rolls.

Since then, aside from business trips, I’ve attempted a few weekend excursions that have always proven more distressing than relaxing, and the urge to jack back into my laptop to continue working has always been a sick addiction that I can’t quite kick. This weekend, however, I tried a grand experiment. I grudgingly left my laptop at home and made a leap of faith — I was going to try to relax.

This past Saturday I went all out, Saint Paul style. A STAYcation in the truest sense. My day started out at the Details Salon Spa in the Lowry Building in Downtown St. Paul. Greeted by a fleet of pretty girls and the charming salon owner, Brian, I was turned over to resident esthetician, Jodi, for a “refreshing facial.” Being the tightly wound beast that I am, it took a minute for me to let my stress-guard down, but eventually I succeeded, for the most part anyway. Jodi did a number of relaxation techniques on me that included massage and aromatherapy. She applied two masks to my skin, one for exfoliation and one to tone down the uneven redness that my pale, Irish complexion has a propensity towards. All in all, a calming experience that I came out of smelling wonderfully — as Details uses Aveda products almost exclusively.

Feeling refreshed and smooth skinned-ed, I strolled across the street to check into the historic Saint Paul Hotel. One of the most opulent hotels in the Twin Cities, The Saint Paul Hotel has an air of sophistication and old-timey charm that the newer, more contemporary hotels just can’t compete with. After an easy check-in, I made my way to the room which featured a big, plush bed, and a classic selection of decor (think dark woodwork, elegant patterns, and decadent fabrics) — not to mention, Aveda products in the bathroom.

After settling in, I ordered up a delightfully unhealthy lunch of room service from the St. Paul Grill, complete with an open faced steak medallion sandwich smothered in sautéed onions and bleu cheese, fries and a Coke. I ate less than half, and, acting like the rich person I was pretending to be for the day, I unceremoniously put tray back out into the hallway to be taken away. $26 well spent.

Next up was a spin through Rice Park to take in the Flint Hills Children’s Festival, which was positively teeming with, you guessed it, children. I milled around the plaza, listening to world music while dodging strollers and rampaging kids decked out in face paint. There were interactive arts activities galore going on all around me, and the adults seemed to be enjoying it as much as the children were. I was due back at the salon for a manicure so, I dipped out of the park, but not without feeling a bit of nostalgia for the good old days, when screaming at top volume in public was deemed “cute,” not “crazy.”

A hand massage and a few coats of dark burgundy polish later, I headed back to the hotel to meet my manfriend, who was to be my escort for the evening. We freshened up and hit the American Burger Bar just a couple blocks away. Still on my unhealthy, meat-fueled mission, I ordered the “Juicy Klucy,” the Burger Bar’s cheese-stuffed (and cheese-covered) half pound burger. My date went with the “Sliders,” a fancy platter of mini-burgers that included a selection of Angus and Kobe beef burgers and a shrimp burger displayed prettily on an oblong white plate along with a heaping basket of fries. The service was quick and friendly, and the burgers were delicious, though again, I wasted more than half of my huge meal — but hey, I was on Staycation, and Staycations don’t have time for doggie bags.

We met another friend down at the Northern Warehouse to take in a new art exhibit entitled Grey. Green. which featured artists Tim Armato, Mitchell Dose, Aaron Dysart, and Andrew Lange. The exhibit was an interesting, minimal blend of mixed media work and video art. One piece featured a white pedestal from which a bare tree branch sprouted, casting a shadow on the wall behind it. A projector was cleverly aligned with the tree’s shadow, projecting little animated leaves that would fall when you shook the actual tree branch. Other standouts included colored glue sculptures fashioned into logs and branches, and a 5 lb bag of sugar with neon green string tied around it that extended out of the window to a light pole across the street. Weird stuff to be sure, but weird has always been a favorite of mine.

A few blocks away, the Back Alley Gallery was having an opening for the collaborative exhibit, Naturally, featuring the art of longtime friends Dwitt and Christopher Bowman. A tromp down the stairs into the basement of the cool old building in which the gallery is housed brought us to a bright, colorful space jam-packed with hip art lovers and wall to wall paintings, prints, illustrations and mixed media work. Immediately grabbing a price list, we were pleased to see that all the work (over 180 pieces) was priced at $250 or less, much of it under $50. My manfriend picked up a couple signed, limited edition art prints at a mere $15 a pop while we mingled with the friendly patrons and partook in some wine and a few handfuls of gummi worms and spiders — an apt treat to go along with the whimsical and vibrantly-hued show. Naturally will be open this coming weekend, Saturday and Sunday from Noon to 5 p.m. as well, so stop in and catch a deal on some of this awesome art! Want to know more? Check out my interview wit Dwitt last week, HERE.

We decided we needed a few drinks to cap off the evening so we made our way to Camp, the newish gay bar on Robert Street. It was still relatively early for the crowds, being that it was only around 10 p.m., but we hunkered down in the back room where flashing lights and 80s videos were being projected onto a wall. Our bartender, Nate, was a true delight, creating specialty drinks for us that he had invented himself. One featured a pineapple juice, cranberry, vodka, and Triple Sec, and tasted nothing at all like alcohol, though we were assured the drinks were 75% vodka. Nate had been recently featured as Lavender Magazine’s “Bartender of the Week” and was happy to show off his drink mixin’ skills for us. He is also the only bartender at Camp who will let patrons do body shots off of him, as was proven when a shrill bachelorette party over-ran the bar around 11. Having heard enough drunken screeching from the contingency of 20-something girls, we headed back to the hotel. Along the way we ran into a very nice couple who had also been at Camp, and were, coincidentally enough, also on a Staycation AND staying at our hotel. Score for Saint Paul STAYcation!

Upon our safe return the hotel, we were surprised to find the lobby packed with exuberant, well dressed, (and well lubricated with alcohol) people, including a trio of costumed fairy-women. The piano bar was in full swing and people were merrily chattering and cheek-kissing all around us. After a day of not seeing a single person I knew, I was happily surprised to spot the one and only Robyne Robinson, Fox 9 News anchor and jewelry designer du jour. We had her up to our room for a night cap and some late night Pizza Luce delivery, and after she left, we fell asleep buried in high thread count sheets — and the warm, fuzzy feeling that only a successful day of relaxation and fun can bring.

All in all, my St. Paul STAYcation was a good time that I am eager to repeat, and that I encourage all of you to experience. See your city with a new set of eyes! We’ll be filling you in on all manners of fun activities and custom itineraries all summer, so check back often!