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2026-01-25 02:33![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
southernmedicineIt's been a fun couple of days!
Thursday morning we got up early, dropped our dog at Blair's parents' house, and headed to Minneapolis.
We stopped at a spot we love on the way, called Norske Nook. Delicious food, and they're well known for their pies. We are a HUGE fan of the potato pancakes and Butterfinger pie.
One long voyage later, we pull up at the Radisson Blu hotel, which is a very modern, fancy place that is directly attached to the Mall of America. You're paying for high class and also the incredible convenience of being able to just pass back and forth between the hotel and the mall without going outside. All the rooms on our floor were recently renovated; it was so, so nice, with some really cool decor and comfortable, upscale rooms. The pool was being renovated and so was unavailable, which was sad, but the rest of it was well worth it.
We spent the rest of the day at the mall, shopping, riding some rides, and playing mini golf. We got Korean corndogs, cream puffs, boba, jerky. There's all kinds of amazing snacks and sweets. We had dinner at the hotel, in a very dim, intimate, fancy restaurant. The food was pretty incredible, honestly.
Friday we got up, packed, checked out, and stowed our stuff in the car so that we could head back into the mall for a bit. We did a little more shopping, and I got my ears pierced! First time. I've had the cartilage on my left ear pierced since I was sixteen, but I literally never have had my ears pierced before. Better late than never! I didn't even feel it. Got Caribou Coffee and Cinnabon before leaving.
After we left the mall, we made stops at World Market and Daiso, then headed home. We got home kind of late, after picking Velma up from Blair's parents.
It was COLD. With the windchill, it was like -40. I thought I would die. My fingers instantly went numb even though I was wearing gloves. I shivered for almost twenty minutes after getting into the car, even with the heat blasting. My lungs hurt. Moisture froze in my eyes and nose. I didn't know it was possible to be that cold.
Additionally... we were concerned about the goings-on in Minneapolis. We didn't see any ICE, or any protests, but there were signs that things were not right in the city. There was beefed up security at our hotel; guards standing by the front door and the check in desk at all hours. There were a lot of stores and restaurants in the mall that were shut down, with signage indicating that closures were due to inability to round up enough staff, or a desire to give employees time off for their safety. A lot of streets around the mall were quiet and empty. There was nonstop news coverage, and you could hear snatches of conversation from the people around. It's awful, what is happening, and our hearts are with the people of Minnesota.
Overall, however, it was a very nice couple of days that we really needed. We came home with lots of goodies - some practical and useful, some purely indulgent.
Thursday morning we got up early, dropped our dog at Blair's parents' house, and headed to Minneapolis.
We stopped at a spot we love on the way, called Norske Nook. Delicious food, and they're well known for their pies. We are a HUGE fan of the potato pancakes and Butterfinger pie.
One long voyage later, we pull up at the Radisson Blu hotel, which is a very modern, fancy place that is directly attached to the Mall of America. You're paying for high class and also the incredible convenience of being able to just pass back and forth between the hotel and the mall without going outside. All the rooms on our floor were recently renovated; it was so, so nice, with some really cool decor and comfortable, upscale rooms. The pool was being renovated and so was unavailable, which was sad, but the rest of it was well worth it.
We spent the rest of the day at the mall, shopping, riding some rides, and playing mini golf. We got Korean corndogs, cream puffs, boba, jerky. There's all kinds of amazing snacks and sweets. We had dinner at the hotel, in a very dim, intimate, fancy restaurant. The food was pretty incredible, honestly.
Friday we got up, packed, checked out, and stowed our stuff in the car so that we could head back into the mall for a bit. We did a little more shopping, and I got my ears pierced! First time. I've had the cartilage on my left ear pierced since I was sixteen, but I literally never have had my ears pierced before. Better late than never! I didn't even feel it. Got Caribou Coffee and Cinnabon before leaving.
After we left the mall, we made stops at World Market and Daiso, then headed home. We got home kind of late, after picking Velma up from Blair's parents.
It was COLD. With the windchill, it was like -40. I thought I would die. My fingers instantly went numb even though I was wearing gloves. I shivered for almost twenty minutes after getting into the car, even with the heat blasting. My lungs hurt. Moisture froze in my eyes and nose. I didn't know it was possible to be that cold.
Additionally... we were concerned about the goings-on in Minneapolis. We didn't see any ICE, or any protests, but there were signs that things were not right in the city. There was beefed up security at our hotel; guards standing by the front door and the check in desk at all hours. There were a lot of stores and restaurants in the mall that were shut down, with signage indicating that closures were due to inability to round up enough staff, or a desire to give employees time off for their safety. A lot of streets around the mall were quiet and empty. There was nonstop news coverage, and you could hear snatches of conversation from the people around. It's awful, what is happening, and our hearts are with the people of Minnesota.
Overall, however, it was a very nice couple of days that we really needed. We came home with lots of goodies - some practical and useful, some purely indulgent.
