Minnesota Tourism

2014

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C M Y K PAGE E1 CallyourTravelAgentor 204-989-7011or1-800-263-3691 fehrwaytours.com 35 years of service MARITIMES SPECIALISTS 100% Manitoba Owned HAWAIIANISLANDS 13 Days – Feb. 5 Honolulu,Kauai,Mauiandmore! ALASKA 1st Nite FREE! Departs from Calgary/Edmonton 19 days, June 2 & 23 guaranteed MARITIMES Several Tours to Choose From NAGEL TOURS Call Your Travel Agent or 1-800-562-9999 www.nageltours.com•37yearsofservice CHIP OVER CLASS 4 RAPIDS TRAVEL EDITOR: John Sullivan 697-7293 john.sullivan@freepress.mb.ca I winnipegfreepress.mb.ca SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2014 E1 SATURDAY COLOUR COMICS INSIDE M INNEAPOLIS — If Wilbur Fo- shay's spirit is flitting around the top of his famed tower, surely he is smiling as he looks down on what his dream has wrought. Not that Foshay gleaned much enjoy- ment from it in his lifetime. The entre- preneur had built and sold two empires and was working on a third before his conviction for running a massive pyramid scheme earned him a 15-year prison sentence. True, he served only three and received a presidential pardon, but still. Let's just say, it put a damper on Foshay's enthusiasm. Timing was not on the businessman's side. He built the Foshay Tower — now the W Minneapolis Hotel — as a shrine to his success. At 32 floors (185 metres including its antenna), it was for years the Twin Cities' tallest building, mod- elled on the Washington Monument, in the Art Deco style, with lux interiors of African mahogany, Italian marble and terrazzo and gold-plated door- knobs and ceilings. It was the pinnacle of Foshay's em- pire, to be his home as well as his place of business. Construction cost $3.75 million in 1929. Yes, check that date. The tower's grand opening, days after the stock market started its his- toric plummet, saw 25,000 guests who listened to a brand-new John Philip Sousa march — commissioned by Fo- shay for the princely sum of $20,000. (The cheque bounced.) As the horror that was the great stock market crash unfolded, Foshay's empire tumbled. He never lived in his beautiful tower. (And the march was not played again until 1988 when a group of Minnesotans finally repaid Foshay's debt to Sousa's estate.) The building still towers over downtown Minneapolis, now renowned for its innovative urban renewal and emphasis on green spaces and active transportation. The seed for that was planted back in the day by Charles Loring, the father of Minneapolis' impressive park system. Loring, a wealthy flour miller in the late 1800s when the city was the milling capital of the world, encour- aged city council to work with the best landscape architects to create what has been called "the best-located, best- financed, best-designed and best main- tained public open space in America." The goal was to ensure Minneapol- itans could easily enjoy the natural beauty of their city, famous for its share of the state's thousands of lakes. Currently, 93 per cent of city dwell- ers live within six blocks of a park. That concept was top of mind when city council set out an ambitious plan for a 1970s urban-renewal project of about 26 acres downtown. The jewel of that is Loring Park, an area known for its diversity and its many arts and cultural events and surrounded by apartments from the early 1900s as well as new townhouses and condos. The Loring Greenway, running from the park to Nicolette Mall, downtown's pedestrian main street, provides the well-used active transportation link. It makes for not just a great place to live, but a great place to visit. Just park the car and walk most places downtown. Be sure not to miss: THE FOSHAY TOWER THERE are three spots to enjoy in the Foshay Tower once you've finished gaping at the beauty of the lobby. The Living Room Bar offers what may be the best deal in town with its 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. happy hour when drinks and small plates are $5. Bartender Kate recommends the Summer Sol- stice, a drink of tequila, watermelon, agave nectar, fresh lime and pom- egranate puree that arrives steaming (thanks to a little dry ice.) The small- plates menu is changed regularly; the king crab egg salad slider is a stand- out. The Prohibition Bar offers similar fare, but 27 floors up (originally to be Foshay's home) overlooking the Twin Cities' skylines. Do a full circuit of the lookouts, then settle into one of the many nooks around the bar to enjoy the refreshments. STEPPING OUT... By Julie Carl IN MINNEAPOLIS Downtown Minneapolis was once named 'best-located, best-financed, best-designed and best maintained public open space in America' Continued Please see MINNEAPOLIS E2 PHOTOS BY JULIE CARL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The Art Deco style Foshay Building is 185 metres tall and was modelled after the Washington Monument. CYCLE-FRIENDLY MINNEAPOLIS E3 E_01_May-17-14_FT_01.indd E1 E_01_May-17-14_FT_01.indd E1 5/15/14 8:44:32 PM 5/15/14 8:44:32 PM

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