Where have I been? I went on an adventure to see my boyfriend who currently lives in the frozen tundra of the Twin Cities. OK, it wasn’t that bad. Honestly, I think I hate rain more than I dislike the frigid temperatures and the snow.
I can add another state to the list of those in which I’ve spent some time. My goal is to go to all 50. Minnesota was interesting. Yes, the people were nice. Paul claims that driving is an exception to that rule. I think that’s universal to every place in the world. Definitely in California, just look at the posts inspired here in my blog.
So, what did I do in Minnesota? No. I didn’t make snow angels. We went hunting for Peanuts statues. Not statues of nuts, but statues of the characters created by Charles M. Schulz.
Most people in Northern California know he lived in Santa Rosa and that town is inundated with Peanuts memorabilia. What I didn’t know is that Charles Schulz grew up in St. Paul. In fact, I saw the building where his father had his barber shop. It’s a restaurant now. Across the street there was a bank that had four of the statues in its lobby. One of each kind. Ok, no plain Snoopy. I never could understand why or how Snoopy slept on top of his doghouse though.
In the lobby of Associated Bank
Paul told me that at one point he thought there were about 100 Linuses, 100 Lucys, 100 Charlie Browns, 100 Snoopys and 100 Snoopys on his doghouse statues all across the Twin Cities. No one seems to know what happened to them all. Some I’m sure were not able to withstand the harsh winters. Some were sold off to private collectors. I wonder if some ended up in Santa Rosa?
Outside a veterinary hospital. Notice the IV bag.
Inside the baggage claim at MSP.
Tribute to Miracle on Ice
It’s pretty random where these statues can be found. There are a few blogs that have taken the time to list their exact locations. I’ll list them at the end of my post, just in case you find yourself in the Twin Cities soon and want to go on the adventure yourself.
I went to my first hockey game while in Minnesota. No, it wasn’t NHL. It was better. It was college. I’ll get into that story in my next post, but it was at the University of Minnesota. So, before the game, Paul & I walked around in the subfreezing temps to find these statues:
In the lobby of the Med Center at UofM
Just outside the Med Center at UofM
In the tunnel near the School of Pharmacology at UofM
We also just drove around randomly seeking out statues. I love doing that kind of thing. It’s like a scavenger hunt, but more fun. So, while I also got a tour of Minneapolis and saw the Metrodome and Target Center, I also saw more statues:
Outside an art gallery
Across the street from the Star Tribune
St. Paul also had it’s share of sport related sites. I didn’t know that there was a minor league team in that city. And of course, they have a hockey arena. From what I could tell, it looked like a high school used it quite a bit. Oh, did I mention there were statues at each of these places too?
Outside the St. Paul Saints stadium
Inside the Highland Ice Arena
Feel free to read more about the exact locations of these statues at these fine blogs:
Be sure to tune in tomorrow for the continuation of my adventures with my boyfriend Paul. Calm down. It’s going to be sweet and funny.