Mall of America
Earlier this month, we took a nice mini vacation up to Minnesota, to visit the Mall of America. No, we are NOT big mall people. I honestly can't remember the last time I went to a mall around here, but we liked the fact that it was a very doable drive and has lots of things to entertain two young children - oh, and it was important that everything be indoors because of Luke's bad spring allergies. Once Luke got his food allergy results back, we seriously thought about cancelling the trip. Then, through the miracle of Craigslist, I found a couple who have a bunch of short-stay rentals near the MOA. We stayed in a 2-bedroom duplex for two nights and a little basement apartment for the other two. We had nicer digs and a full kitchen in both places so that I could cook. Which actually never happened because we found plenty of places with wheat-free options, but it was nice that we had the choice. Oh, and we spent less than a cheap hotel room. Perfect!
Once at the mall, we ate at the Rainforest Cafe, visited the PEEPS store (yay!), spent a good deal of time (and moolah) at the Lego store, and had fun visiting a few other places like a toy store, game store, etc. We did Nick Studios the second day, which was pretty much an all day event. Luke and Ben rode a bunch of rides, Gabe and I took it easy. Luke found that he liked ribs so we ate at Famous Dave's. We picked up easy dinner stuff from a nearby Whole Foods. I forgot how much I like that place....and how pricey they are. The next day was IKEA!! Woohoo! I had my eye on some shelves for the library/schoolroom/craftroom/office. We decided they could be my birthday present. This was another all-day event. For dinner, we went to a place called Galactic Pizza where we had great gluten-free, vegan, pizza and awesome service. Also, the delivery guys dress up as superheroes. What's not to like?
On Saturday we packed up and got an early start. It was, after all, the day before Easter and we wanted to get an early start! The drive home seemed to take forever, but it always does! We made good time and were able to unload and put everything away before collapsing into bed!
Here are the only two pictures I took on this trip:
A view from the Guthrie Theater:
[caption id="attachment_700" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The Mill"]
[/caption]
My Pizza-Lovin' Guys:
[caption id="attachment_701" align="aligncenter" width="169" caption="Galatic Pizza"]
[/caption]
Once at the mall, we ate at the Rainforest Cafe, visited the PEEPS store (yay!), spent a good deal of time (and moolah) at the Lego store, and had fun visiting a few other places like a toy store, game store, etc. We did Nick Studios the second day, which was pretty much an all day event. Luke and Ben rode a bunch of rides, Gabe and I took it easy. Luke found that he liked ribs so we ate at Famous Dave's. We picked up easy dinner stuff from a nearby Whole Foods. I forgot how much I like that place....and how pricey they are. The next day was IKEA!! Woohoo! I had my eye on some shelves for the library/schoolroom/craftroom/office. We decided they could be my birthday present. This was another all-day event. For dinner, we went to a place called Galactic Pizza where we had great gluten-free, vegan, pizza and awesome service. Also, the delivery guys dress up as superheroes. What's not to like?
On Saturday we packed up and got an early start. It was, after all, the day before Easter and we wanted to get an early start! The drive home seemed to take forever, but it always does! We made good time and were able to unload and put everything away before collapsing into bed!
Here are the only two pictures I took on this trip:
A view from the Guthrie Theater:
[caption id="attachment_700" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The Mill"]
[/caption]My Pizza-Lovin' Guys:
[caption id="attachment_701" align="aligncenter" width="169" caption="Galatic Pizza"]
[/caption]
I got your card - that was awesome =)
ReplyDeleteAnd just because I'm concerned for my little wheatless buddy, Famous Dave's ribs are NOT wheat free. All but two of their sauces have wheat, their seasoning has wheat, and their "naked" ribs are still grilled right along with all the others. I know this because Famous Dave's ribs are, hands down, my favorite ribs in the world... and I can't have them anymore. =( I have a great baked/broiled ribs recipe that I can send you (with LOTS of garlic, if he likes that).
Argh, that doesn't surprise me! Yes, please send me your rib recipe. We actually decided to let him have wheat again and the first 3 days were symptom-free...and then it was right back to the bad stuff. Tons of post-nasal drip, coughing, etc.So he's back off as of today to see if it is indeed the wheat or just seasonal allergy upswing. Sigh. Thanks for all your help!!!
ReplyDelete