Mes Amis

Over the last couple of weeks I've been reminded again and again of how many great friends I have in my life. I feel so grateful to all of you for always being there for me when I need you. Here is a brief list of recent New to Me activities avec mes amis:

1. 112 Eatery - Bookclub had an excellent meal to celebrate our 10 year anniversary (to the day)! We were all sad that Renee was too sick to make it but vowed to do it again in less than a decade. I could have had an entire meal of the sea scallop appetizer and cauliflower fritter side dish. I knew the menu was not very veggie friendly but was still disappointed at my limited options. Very good (if salty) food at reasonable prices. Felt at home in the Warehouse District exposed-brick urban atmosphere.

2. Roat Osha - Uptown's newest restaurant was disappointing. With the same owners as Tum Rup Thai, I did not like the atmosphere as much (TV's and not as intimate). Am still working on appreciating Thai food and did like my dish with pineapple but was not impressed by the prices, service, or anything besides the free and convenient parking. 

3. Health issues day at Leadership Twin Cities allowed me to tour both HCMC and Courage Center, two interesting health care facilities that I had not previously had reason to learn about. Not as thought-provoking was the post-session happy hour at suburban Doolittle's. I have such a hard time saying anything nice about the suburbs.

4. A free gift card led me to Gabe's "Roadhouse" for a decent fish fry the other night. What is a roadhouse anyway? Pretty much felt like I crossed the border to Wisconsin for a few hours. Not necessarily a bad thing.

5. I've been looking forward to the opening of Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton at the Walker and the exhibition did not disappoint. The small size of the work was a surprise, but the quality of the paint and the themes of youth and beauty were seductive and so easy to like. Curator Laura Hoptman's lecture, 'End of the Century', was very interesting especially in her explanation of the "arriere-garde". Speaking of influential women, see also this interesting article on the women running Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art and the Walker Art Center.

6. For a quintessentially Minnesotan art experience, the Art Shanty Project on Medicine Lake cannot be beat. My favorite shanty was the paper tube structure with origami. Eating buttery baked potatoes in the Art Car Taxi stand was another highlight. And the polar bear sliding around on ice was awesome.