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Every chance to spend a morning outside in this stunningly beautiful weather is an opportunity that must be taken advantage of. And now that the fair is over (so long, see you next year!), we can actually focus on other activities again. So grab your bike helmets, tune up your bikes, connect your bike trailer if you have kids, and sign up for this Sunday’s St. Paul Classic Bike Tour. It will be the perfect way to see St. Paul, get some exercise, and meet new people.
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A rock climber at Vertical Endeavors. (Note: I am fairly certain that I did not look this cool.)

Boy oh boy, am I ever sore today. My calves, my forearms, my shoulders—they all need a good rub down. But I feel like a rock star.

Last night my husband and I took a basic safety lesson ($30) at Vertical Endeavors (VE), an indoor rock climbing gym off 35E and Phalen Blvd. In two short hours, our instructor, Brian, taught us how to tie two necessary knots for “top rope climbing,” technical use of the climbing equipment, how to belay each other, and the proper lingo for communicating with each other as we climbed.
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By now all die-hard Minnesota State Fair fans have been to the fair at least once. But have you been to the Eco Experience in the Progress Center at Cosgrove St. and Randall Ave.? This is the first year I’ve ventured so far from the midway and endless food booths, and now I’m wishing I had done so earlier. It’s just a quick walk, but feels a world away.

First, there’s the Net Zero Eco House, which is ridiculously impressive and beautiful. Not only is it designed to produce the energy it uses with its three dozen solar panels, it also houses energy-efficient appliances and funky details like a kitchen countertop made locally from crushed walnut shells. The garage’s roof is covered in grass and the yard uses native landscaping and a rain garden so that it’s friendly to wildlife and doesn’t need toxic pesticides or fertilizers. As we refinish the basement in my own house, I’m inspired to investigate more green remodeling options.

Before popping into the Eco House, I stopped at the Countryside Market for a caprese salad on a stick—wildly tasty tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Naturally, the tomatoes and basil were supplied by a local farm. (Ironic how we don’t get much local food at the fair, given that much of the fair celebrates farm life!) As much as I love my pronto pups at fair time, the hot dog I’d eaten earlier didn’t compare to the natural juiciness and flavor of these tomatoes.

Wandering through the rest of the Eco Experience building, I couldn’t help but feel proud of all the green options available to Minnesotans. There’s an opportunity to sign up for wind power, to learn about green jobs, electric cars, wind/solar power, and composting. This part of the fair is educational and fascinating, without being pretentious. Now the next step: what to do with all this newfound, eco-savvy, know-how?

Como Park, Zoo & Conservatory is one of those places that’s so big, and so full of beauty and things to do, that sometimes I don’t know where to start. You can only do so much in one day. I think of it as the Central Park of St. Paul.

Whether you want to jog around the lake, rent a paddle boat, plan a picnic, listen to outdoor music, take your kid for a carousel ride, cross country ski, look at flamingos and monkeys, take pictures of endless gardens and colorful flowers, bike paved trails, or lounge in the grass with a book, Como Park has it all. This is one of those gems that St. Paul is truly, truly lucky to have. If you haven’t been there lately, what’s stopping you?

My 1-year-old son and I packed up earlier this week with stroller, water, and snacks, and set out for a 1.6-mile walk around the lake. We stopped along the way to pick up acorns and throw them in the water, to watch a dad and his kids fish off a small dock, and to laze in the grass and gaze at puffy white clouds on a perfect summer day. We didn’t make it to the carousel, but with all that there is to do at Como Park, that means we’ll just have to come back again soon.

While planning my upcoming trips (plural!) to the Minnesota State Fair, I was thrilled to realize that (although tasty and tempting), a fair adventure doesn’t have to be ALL about fried things on a stick. I definitely plan to attend the Minnesota Cooks events Sept. 1, when nearby farmers and chefs from restaurants all over the Twin Cities will pair up to create seven 45-minute cooking shows using Minnesota-grown ingredients.

JD Fratzke, executive chef at St. Paul's The Strip Club

Starting at 9 a.m. and running until 5 p.m. next Tuesday, you can watch chefs from Common Roots Café, Red Stag Supper Club, The Craftsman, Birchwood Café, The Strip Club, Trotters Café, Spoonriver, and others, as they create dishes like grilled pork loin with heirloom tomatoes, polenta with smokey black eyed peas, grilled lamb, and local corn grits with sweet corn, tomatoes, and tarragon. Need your taste buds ask for more?

Along with delicious, local eats, you can also learn about sustainable, green living at the Eco Experience Sustainability Stage. Every day at the fair, there is programming at this stage running from 9:30 a.m. until after 6 p.m. Check out topics like how to reduce your carbon footprint, solar on a budget, rain gardens, bike commuting, and keeping your home clean and green. Download a PDF of the schedule here.

See you at the fair!

Highland National Golf Course

So maybe you aren’t the next Tiger Woods or Y.E. Yang, but if you’re still on a high from last week’s PGA Championship at Hazeltine, pick up your clubs and head for the hills. The city of St. Paul maintains four golf courses, including the Como Golf Course, Highland National, Highland 9-Hole, and Phalen Golf Course. You can book tee times online for any of these courses at www.GolfStPaul.org.

Follow in the footsteps of Peanuts cartoonist Charles Schultz, who learned to golf at the Highland National Golf Course. It was also renovated in 2005 and now boasts a longer and more challenging course. Golf instruction is even available by PGA and LPGA pros.

Nearby, the fairways at the Highland 9-Hole golf course are framed by large, mature trees and this course is perfect for all levels of golfers. If you haven’t played here before, try it out during one of the summer “Saturday Night Nine for Nine” events from 4-7 p.m. It costs just $1 per hole! Half price beer and wine is served from 5-8 p.m., so you can’t beat that deal.

Phalen Golf Course

Or try Como, which is great for average golfers, featuring rolling hills and water hazards.  Meanwhile, the 18-hole Phalen Golf Course is a par-70, with a driving range, putting green, and stretches along the west side of Lake Phalen in Phalen Park.

From beautiful weeping willows to devilish sand traps and large greens, these courses offer both scenery and challenges to keep you coming back for more.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about City House, a newly renovated municipal grain terminal at the edge of the Mississippi River. The space is gorgeous, and is filled with both natural light and decades of history. If you haven’t already stopped in while running or biking the adjacent Mississippi River Trail, now is the time to check it out.

The St. Paul Riverfront Corporation is hosting a City House party tomorrow, from 5-7:30 p.m., with a brief presentation, along with food and a cash bar. Mayor Chris Coleman will be there, along with Ignacio San Martin, Professor of Architecture and Director of the University of Minnesota’s Metropolitan Design Center. There is a suggested donation of $25 per person, and RSVPs are requested to 651.293.6860.

Check out my previous posting on City House to learn more about it. To rent the space and have a killer view of the river, Harriett Island, and downtown St. Paul for a future event, visit www.stpaul.gov/parks or call 651.292.7010.

What: City House, open daily from dawn to dusk; Party is tomorrow, Aug. 20 from 5-7:30 p.m.

RSVP: 651.293.6860

Location: Off Shepard Road & Chestnut Street/Eagle Street (they merge)

The new, sustainably-built Mississippi Market on W. 7th Street.

Many long-time St. Paulites were sad to see Mississippi Market’s Randolph/Fairview location close for purely sentimental reasons. But with the new location at 1500 7th Street W., the St. Paul natural foods store took the opportunity to construct a building that is as green as they come, built to the gold standards of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

What’s more, with over 13,000 square feet, the new market now boasts a deli area (try the salmon cakes or spanikopita!) with a small hot food bar, a large seating area to stay for lunch or dinner, a classroom/meeting space, and a gigantic bulk foods section where you’ll find everything from Israeli couscous and pearl barley, to flax seed and several flavors of granola. Of course, that’s in addition to what Mississippi Market fans already expect: gorgeous, organic produce (much of it locally-sourced) and a natural body care/homeopathic section. I found the atmosphere to be somewhat lacking in personality and décor, but the knowledgeable sales people and delicious food add enough color to my shopping experience.

Next time you need to pick up ready-made pasta salads, hummus, baguettes, or other on-the go foods, a stop at Mississippi Market is a must. It’ll make your final summer picnics or quick dinners at home both healthy and tasty!

Much like my Frisbee game (and my golf game), my disc golf game is utterly, horribly terrible. Admittedly though, my first foray into the world of disc golf provided a few good laughs (at myself) and one or two proud moments when I got lucky and threw the disc with something one might even call good aim.

A disc golf basket

Not familiar with disc golf? Neither was I until this year. It’s also known as Frisbee golf or frolf, and much like you would assume by its name, you throw a flying disc into a basket. If, unlike me, you’re a decent throw with the Frisbee, you’ll probably enjoy this game. Check out one of the following disc golf courses and let me know how you fare. If you’re a veteran disc golfer, clue in a newbie: which one is the best?

The 18-hole disc golf course at South St. Paul’s Kaposia Park is apparently one of the busiest disc golf courses in the Twin Cities, right along with the wooded Acorn Park in Roseville. After your disc golf came at North Valley Park in Inver Grove Heights, stay for a picnic, too.

If you find yourself loving the disc golf action, you can stock up with supplies at Fairway Flyerz, a disc golf store 3/4 mile away from Acorn Park.

Like many Minnesotans, August symbolizes more to me than just sunshine and cook-outs— it also symbolizes the rapidly approaching end of summer. (Not to be a downer.) Rather than let my winter-is-looming anxiety take over, I’m packing in as much hot, outdoor fun as I can. Here’s my line up to stay busy for the next week. There’s a little bit for everyone, from golfing and swimming, to hiking and learning about bugs!

Highland Nine Hole Golf Course

Sat., Aug. 8 — Golf the Highland Nine Hole Course for just 9 bucks! You can also play for just $1 per hole if you’re not up for all nine holes. Tee times are available between 4-7 p.m., with discounted wine and beer available from 5-8 p.m. This is a regularly occurring Saturday night event that is a hit with experienced and beginning golfers alike. Click here for more info.

Sun., Aug. 9 — Walk St. Paul’s riverfront with a ranger and learn all about the wildlife, ecology, and history of this Mississippi River area. You’ll learn a ton and have fun! Why take a boring walk alone when you can have an expert telling you exactly what you’re looking at? Meet at the Mississippi River Visitor Center, just inside the Science Museum of Minnesota for the 1:30-3:30 p.m. walk. For more info, call 651-293-0200.
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