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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.

For some shopping, I’ll hit the stores of the Retro Loop.  You can outfit your house, your bar and your person in “Mad Men” style which is a style that never goes out of style.

A perfect day must include live music.  I saw the Twilight Hours play at the free Music at Mears Park, which is Thursday nights during the summer.  You can still catch Maria Isa on Aug. 20th and Jeremy Messersmith on the 27th.  The park is charming, food vendors abound and lots of people bring their dogs!

We’ll end the day at Circus Juventas, where the new production “Yulong” is going on.  You’ll see Cirque de Soleil quality acrobatics and production values for a fraction of the cost.

These kids take my breath away every time I see them.

And, I think Circus Juventas’ founders, Betty and Dan Butler, really exemplify the passion and can-do attitude that make St. Paul special.  The only professional circus school for kids in the country?  Yeah, we got it.