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We know you’re on Facebook. We’re on Facebook.  And now Rosedale Center is on Facebook.

In order to get more fans on the FB, Rosedale is going to give away a $100 Rosedale Gift Card and a $50 lunch at the Macaroni Grill. That’s a heck of a lunch date!

All you need to do is become a fan of Rosedale Center on Facebook, and you’re automatically qualified! You can go ahead and add them HERE.

While St. Paul loves its Staycationers, we wouldn’t be very neighborly if we didn’t share you guys every once and a while. So thisweek we’re offering you a chance to win 2 vouchers for airline tickets, provided by Delta Airlines and courtesy of our friends at the Saint Paul Convention and Visitors Authority.  To enter, CLICK HERE up to once a day through September 5, 2009. If you do win, be sure to come back to us – don’t make us set a vacation curfew. Good luck!

BT MCing the Gear Daddies at the MN Zoo

From the station that brings you the “Cities Sampler” each year, we recruited BT to share his St. Paul sampler with us. Check out what BT likes to do when he’s not flippin’ disks on the Cities 97 Morning Show!

Honestly, the border pendulum swings both ways between citizens of our respective Twin Cities, but I’d have to say the weight falls a bit heavier on the west-to-east equation.  Here’s what I mean.  Sure, you’ve got a ton of St. Paulites who freak out heading westward into the “MinneApple” (as God-awful a catch-phrase as ever created), but frankly I think the percentage of Minneapolitans who can’t cross the river into the Capital City without acquiring a case of hives or conniptions is substantially larger.  So I’ve made it one of my missions in life to quell the unease and discomfort of those affected thusly.  Attention residents of the (also known as) “Mill City.”  You do NOT need a passport to cross the border into St. Paul!

All of St. Paul is cool in my book, but for today I’ll do a two-neighborhood “Cities Sampler,” if I may, and will begin with a focus on Lowertown.
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Alright- this is the LAST time  that we’re going to give away our Slices & Scoops package. It’s still $25 of slices at Punch and $25 of scoops at Grand Ole Creamery and it’s just as delicious. We would have moved onto something else, but the response from you all is still pretty wild ( read: lots and lots of entries.) Register to win by subscribing to our e-newsletter or send an email to info@stpaulstaycation.com with “Slices & Scoops ” as the subject. Good luck!

I lived in the Twin Cities for many years, and my decision to ask my friends from l’etoile magazine to put on an epic bash for the premiere episode stemmed from my love of the two cities — I feel like Minneapolis/St.Paul is where I really came into my own as a fashion designer. Not to mention, the fashion community here is so very supportive! I’ve got a lot to do today, so I’m just going to share a few of my favorite things about St. Paul! Hope to see you tonight!

The Cathedral of Saint Paul

I love to go here at night to see all the beautiful details of the sculptures featured in the cathedral’s architecture. There is always a new element to discover each and every time. Also, there is the most beautiful view of the city from every angle. I really do love Downtown St. Paul for its architecture, which is so amazingly maintained — it has a much more historic feel to it than downtown Minneapolis which, don’t get me wrong, I love too; it’s just that St. Paul has a very classic vibe to it that is different and wholey unique. We tend to take for granted the fact that we have two very different cities right next to each other — it’s a very cool thing!

Grand Old Day

This annual event is always a must-go for me. It’s a great time to get together with friends, wander the never-ending stretch of entertainment, laugh, and enjoy the carefree nature of the city. What impresses me the most it is that the whole festival is really such a community effort! From the art fair to the numerous live music stages to the local businesses that go above and beyond to make sure a good time is had by all — Grand Old Day is truly a neighborhood party (that everyone is invited to!). That kind of attitude is also what makes St. Paul especially cool. In my experience, the city has been a very welcoming place to visit.

St. Paul Art Crawl

There is something wonderful about experiencing an artist’s work in the personal environment in which it is created. The opportunity to interact with artists that specialize in different media, whom you may not normally have contact with is fantastic! I love to explore the beautiful old warehouse buildings and peek into the personal world of the artists.This event really speaks to the nature of the cultivation of the arts that is a part of the pulse of the Twin Cities. And Lowertown St. Paul (where the art crawl happens) is also just a really cool place to hang out. The Black Dog Cafe is great for a glass of wine, and the artists of the area are always coming and going, so it’s great people watching. Not to mention, the Farmer’s Market happens in Lowertown during the summer!

For more info on Thursday’s premiere party at Landmark Center click HERE

As a KARE 11 News fixture for quite some time, Diana Pierce knows and does Minnesota like no one’s business. Diana was kind enough to share some photos with us from one of her favorite events – the Saint Paul Classic Bike Tour – and had this to say about it: “The Saint Paul Classic Bike Tour is a great family event. It is well-organized and the rest areas are well-spaced. The food at the stops was great too. Our family had a great time and we are now making it an annual outing.” Here are some pictures of Diana, as well as some shots of the event to give you a little idea of all the happenings:

Diana getting ready to ride

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FOX 9 Morning News Feature Reporter M.A. Rosko has seen and done it all – FOX 9 makes sure it is so. From biking to beer to cupcakes, see what keeps M.A. coming back to Saint Paul for more!

Here’s my perfect day in St. Paul.

Let’s start with a bike ride.  When I’m on my bike, I always end up in St. Paul, because let’s face it, St. Paul has great bike trails! The Mississippi River Trail skirts Crosby Farm Regional Park, then Shepherd Road and downtown St. Paul.  I might take a rest stop and watch the barges.  Or, the Gateway Trail can take you clear up to Stillwater, if you’re game.

So now, after pedaling a few miles, I feel I deserve a beer.  The Happy Gnome, at 498 Selby, is like an around-the-world vacation for a beer lover.  From Surly to Lift Bridge, to the most obscure varieties…dragon’s milk, anyone?… they have an incredible variety of beers, many of them on tap.  The food is excellent as well.  I recommend the beer dinners, in which Chef Matthew Hinman pairs dishes with different beers from a particular brewer.  On August 13th, you can check out a New Belgium dinner.

For dessert, I’ll get some help with portion control.  A single-serving cupcake from “Cupcake,” on 3338 University Ave. SE is perfect for those of us with a monstrous sweet tooth and no self-control.  Or, perhaps a four-truffle (personal sized) box of Chocolate Celeste chocolates.  And I’m kind of a freak about the cinnamon ice cream (and pumpkin, in season) at Izzy’s.

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I’m originally from North Dakota.

Although I grew up in a small town south of Fargo, I’ve always felt a connection to the Twin Cities.  The first zoo that I experienced was during a family trip to Como Park.  Our Lutheran church had a progressive (but short-lived) program called “Journey to the City”.  Impressionable youth were transported into the inner city to eat at missions, meet A.I.M. leaders, attend gospel celebrations and pick up on the vibes of psychedelic night clubs.

Later years found me visiting friends and classmates who had “made the move”.  Several trips were made – seeking out jazz, folk and blues in the Cities.  The timing of my move to the Cities was the result of circumstance.  I mistakenly received a rejection letter for graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin Madison, the result of an administrative error.  When UW-Madison discovered their blunder, I had already accepted a position at Saint Mary’s Hospital (now Fairview University) in Minneapolis.  It was 1980.

My first residence was in South Minneapolis for six months, followed by a move to the Seward neighborhood for almost two years.  I remember the first time I really “went to Saint Paul” to visit a friend’s sister.  The experience was quite disorienting as I left the comfort of the “grid system”.  However, I returned with a strong sense and appreciation of “neighborhoods”.  I left the homogeneity of Minneapolis.  I crossed the river and settled in Desnoyer Park in 1982.  In 1994 I purchased an 1889 row-house in the Summit University neighborhood.  Saint Paul is definitely home.

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Groan. Yes, out loud. Groan because I just headlined a sweet giveaway by referencing the cheesiest line from a movie that came out 12 years ago. (Where has the time gone?) This week you should enter to win 4 passes to the Science Museum of Minnesota’s Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition. Time to move on and grow-up people: see over 200 real artifacts and more to get the real story on the most infamous boat ever. (If you must, you can make a list of all the things James Cameron got wrong…we won’t judge.) Register to win by subscribing to our e-newsletter or send an email to info@stpaulstaycation.com with “Titanic” as the subject. Feel free to register up to once a day. Good luck!

I was sitting on the front porch of my 100-year old St. Paul house the other day feeling really good about the place I call home. My friends who live elsewhere often laugh when I tell them, ” I should have grown up in St. Paul!” There is a nice, relaxing feel to our city and something so incredible about the community itself. I was thrilled when I was asked to write a blog for this site because the city means so much to me. It is home.

Many times when you plan a vacation, it is to getaway and enjoy some different scenery. You can get that right here… closer to home. One thing I truly enjoy is all the options we have to eat great food in the city of St. Paul. I have had some fantastic meals lately so I must share some ideas with you if you are planning a “staycation” and want to treat yourself to an evening out on the town without breaking the bank.

If you are hankering for a burger, two places come to the top of my mind. One of them is Groveland Tap on St. Clair at Fairview. It is a great neighborhood pub that serves Summit beer ice cold and then fires up the grill to make you a delicious burger. If you are a vegetarian, they make a fabulous veggie burger as well. (continue reading…)