Rainy Sunday

At the meeting of John Ireland, Summit, and Selby sits the highest point in Saint Paul – The St. Paul’s Catholic Cathedral.Minnesota’s ledge says that when they built the capital the top was a few feet higher than that of the Cathedral. The Church viewing this completely unacceptable commissioned a new cross to be added to the very top of the dome. Thus making the Cathedral the Tallest structure in Saint Paul and one of my favorite sights in Saint Paul.

Sunday Adventure in the Twin Cities: June 14^th
Which Twin: Saint Paul
Neighborhood: Cathedral Hill and Selby Ave
Player: Katrina Rae and Gwynn

Heading out with our usual excitement we found ourselves blessed with a sunny and warm morning. Finding that it was still technically in the a.m. I led us down Selby to one of those great city coffee shops, Nina’s Coffee Café. Pronouncing it Neenah’s instead of Nine-ah’s is a surefire way to be recognized as a new costumer but rewards you with a gentle smile and a correction from one of the baristas as well as the local patrons. There are tables and overstuffed chairs scattered everywhere in this single floor coffee house that use to sit right on top of Common Good’s Book Store, owned by Mr. Garrison Keillor (Which that day we figured out CGB moved to Snelling and Grand so… Next Time Saint Paul!). So there we were sitting on in some old church pews Katrina and I sipped our wonderful Thai Ice Coffee (highly recommend) and talking about our previous week when the first few rain drops fell.

Not to be deterred by a little rain – and with the wonderful addition of Katrina’s umbrella – we took on our stroll to take an up close look at the Cathedral. No matter the weather, this is one of the best views of Saint Paul. It is a gorgeous spot and just as we cross the street to get our full view of the church the bells start to toll. There was something magical about being there, the right time, the right place, and the right weather created a feeling of being wonderful. With giddy excitement Katrina turns and exclaims “That has to go in the blog”

Hopping back in the car and only slightly wet we drove further down Selby back towards Dale to visit a little Thai place for a quick bit to eat. Mango greets its costumers with big wide open doors and windows for natural lighting. As well as a unique inside colored with greens and oranges. Splitting some pot stickers and spring rolls we simply spent our luncheon watching the rain through the open doors, missing the downpour by only a few moments.   

Luckily it cleared up enough for a walk outside and to stop at a few stores along the way. BlackBlue: a males clothing store was like walking into Duluth. Packs and Maps lined the walls and there was literally a canoe sitting in there. The clothing was fantastic – defiantly a Minnesotan/Outdoors Feel there. Following next door is Primp: a women’s clothing store that Katrina and I both agreed should just be out closet.

Selby Ave is a unique area lined with beautiful homes both old and new. One of these renovated old Victorian homes is now none other than the Chocolate Chateau. What more could two girls ask for? Everything inside the Shoppe was chocolate themed; towels folded to look like desserts, chocolate scented candles and a Chocolate Version of Monopoly. After about 15 minuets of simply looking at the cases of decadent desserts we choose our treats and settled in to sip a glass of red wine with them.

We left the Chateau with the smells still lingering on us but quickly jumped into the car to make a quick shopping stop on Grand before heading home. I love that about Saint Paul, everything is just a few blocks away from each other. We drove away down Selby Ave just as the rain began to pour again – what a wonderful way to end our Sunday.

Saint Paul