Day 7: Exploring 1 of 10,000 lakes and stuff

Ever since our camping setback, our sleeping and eating schedule has been off. Yesterday, we didn't eat dinner because of the large late lunch we had. This morning we skipped a real breakfast and went right to lunch, which consisted of one of the famous Minneapolis "Juicy Lucy's". For those of you unfamiliar with this menu item, it is essentially an inside out cheeseburger. My grandma makes similar burgers, so this was not a new concept for me. Scott Lee and I debated over which dining establishment we should go to for our Lucy; one on hand there is tradition and the restaurants fighting over inventing the burger (Matt's, 5-8 Club) and on the other there are places that have taken the idea to the next level in pursuit of perfection (The Blue Door). We decided on the latter.

The Blue Door is a nice spot in a nice neighborhood and very busy for a Tuesday. The burgers are good, but unspectacular. This is probably unfair, but I've just had two very good hamburgers. The sides are appreciated however - tater tots and fried green beans. I could see myself eating regularly in an place like this if I lived in a neighborhood like this, so there's that. We head to Lake Calhoun next before departing to watch the World Cup.

The Brit is another place I could be a regular at, particularly if I at all cared about soccer. The bar itself is interesting enough in the interior - ample space and bars and screens make this a great place for sports and gatherings - but the roof is what makes this place a true keeper (see what I did there with the soccer pun?).

This green space is usually a lawn bowling court but during major events in the summer months it doubles as a seating area for the giant projection screens showing sports, the Holland/Uruguay match in our case. The game is a nice break in what has become a tiring schedule. As a bonus, the soccer is even somewhat exciting, though I could do without the live crowd cheering every touch or cleared ball.

With greasy food and sports checked off the daily to do, it is time to move on to some culture, ethnic cuisine and local entertainment. We proceed to the Walker Art Center, one of the five major modern art museums in the country. It is unfortunately closed, as is the sculpture mini-golf they offer, so we take a walk in the sculpture garden to kill some time before dinner. The garden is pleasant and features some interesting pieces, including this renowned cherry and spoonbridge instillation. I enjoy walking around art like this; one even has become a rough draft for a future deck in a future backyard.

We need a break from diners and burgers so we head to a rotisserie recommended by both Marissa Miller and J Peterson. I get this Paseo-esque pork sandwich, which could stand to be spicier but is overall very tasty. The bread is a winner, as is the creamed spinach Scott Lee orders. The service is quite brisk, giving us plenty of time to see the Mall of America (MOA) despite once again having a late dinner.

I've been to the MOA once before and don't remember it being this large. The amusement park inside is massive and the Best Buy we stop at to get a camera cord is easily full big box size. We decide to continue bad movie summer and see Knight and Day (Scott Lee to review later), which much like the MOA in general begs the question: why?

Here is my two sentence and one picture review of the atrocity of cinema that is Knight and Day: Boring, trite, predictable and incomplete, this movie now joins such legendary movies as Virtuosity and 28 Weeks Later on my list of bad movies that should have been good list. Don't see it, even if you really, really like this guy.

Tomorrow's Agenda:
Route: Minneapolis > Madison > Milwaukee
Estimated Distance: 337 miles
Estimated Time: 5 hours, 58 minutes