Minor exploration

(Please note this was written last Saturday, but internet difficulties meant I couldn't publish it until today.)

Howdy, people! After two weeks in St Paul, I finally went exploring a bit. I have been working a lot (due to the whole 8-hour shift thing, what a pain!) and so I had to drag myself out of bed for this expedition, but it was worth it. Here's what I found... Let me start by saying that I really like St. Paul. Aside from the unbelievably friendly people (oh my gosh how did they get so nice?!), it is very pretty and green. Here's a photo of one of the streets I was walking down today.



Driving around St. Paul, one constantly catches a glimpse of 2 very large domed structures. My curiosity was peaked right away and over these two weeks I have sought them out. They are so prominent that I didn't even need my gps to navigate to them, but rather just kept an eye on them and drove in that general direction. Even at night they are lit up like Christmas trees. So what are these two structures? The state capitol and the Cathedral of St. Paul. I think the prominence of these buildings speaks to the personality of the St. Paul area.

There is a street that connects the capitol and the church and standing at one, a person has a clear view of the other. The street? John Ireland Blvd. John Ireland being the first archbishop of St Paul and a notable religious and civic leader. For a brief summary of him, check out wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ireland_(archbishop). There is an interesting symbolism in having him connect these two buildings.

This might also be a fitting time to mention that there is a large Catholic influence in this area. About a year ago I read a book called Sisters: Catholic Nuns and the Making of America by John J Fialka, and learned about some of the contributions that women religious made in Minnesota. I smiled upon coming here and seeing the fruits of their labor all these years later. But, more on all of that later... Let's talk about the Cathedral first. Here it is:

It's an understatement to say that this is a massive (pun intended), impressive structure. It sits atop the highest point in downtown St. Paul. Standing in its presence elicits a spontaneous, unconscious "My God" from one's lips. I went to daily Mass there last Saturday and was surprised that there wasn't much to the inside of the church (although it was clearly large) and wondered what on earth happened to the rest of the space. Well, today I discovered that there is a gift shop, a chapel downstairs, even a museum. Interestingly, there is a "hospitality room" in which one can find tourist information on the state capitol. I would say that if you are ever in St. Paul you should check out the Cathedral, but I don't need to because if you are in St. Paul, you will see it.

I have yet to tour the state capitol, though it has been on my "to do" list since I first saw it on my drive to the hospital. It is a remarkable structure designed by Cass Gilbert and completed in 1905. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (You can read about it online at http://www.mnhs.org/places/sites/msc/history.html.) I will update you more after I have actually toured it. For now, here are photos, taken from St. Paul Cathedral.

I must also point out that in driving around today I ended up in the historical area of Summit Ave. There are beautiful historic houses along this street and I noticed one with an imposing fence so I went to investigate further, only to find that it is the executive mansion. Just right there amid all of the other houses on this street that I have passed by several times in the past two weeks. Here is a photo of the governor's mansion.

Since my expedition didn't start until late afternoon, that's as far as I got today. Afterward I went to a Caribbean restaurant (owner is from Trinidad) and enjoyed some familiar music, smells, and flavors. And now, I am off in search of some ice cream. I look forward to telling you more about St. Paul as I learn more and will definitely share deteails about the capitol after my tour.

Ta ta for now!