Merin & Vishnu
Things To Do
Stone Arch Bridge + Mill City Museum
The stone arch bridge is a famous Minneapolis Land Mark, because it is a bridge that is built with stone arches -- 'nuf said. You can get a great look at the historic St. Anthony Falls in the Mississippi River, there's a cute little riverwalk with cobblestones, you can explore the area by the river and see if you can go into the giant tunnel systems that drain into the river. I hear there are people living down in the tunnels, maybe they're friendly? There's also a Museum just at the Stone Arch Bridge! Does Grain excite you? It should. Riding the Grain elevator was Merin's highlight from visiting Minneapolis. "This Grain Elevator is the best thing I've seen so far!" -Vishnu, 2004, aged 9 & somehow also -Merin, 2024 Aged 29
Mall of America®
The Mall of America is a big mall. Even though it is no longer the biggest in the world, it's the biggest mall in our hearts. This mall has EVERYTHING, a minigolf course, a movie theater, a SpongeBob rollercoaster, a full aquarium, a hot sauce store that makes you sign a waiver to taste its spiciest hot sauce, the HALL of MIRRORS, a mall cop named Dave who's alright by me, multiple Victoria's Secrets, a desecrated Rainforest Cafe, Kohl's Cash, free parking, direct shuttle from the MSP airport. One full revolution inside the mall is one mile, so you can track your laps effectively, and you can see the IKEA from the parking lot (it is not connected). So, if that sounds fun to you, come to the mall! Vishnu has hated the mall since they turned Camp Snoopy into a Nickelodeon Theme Park and refuses to process this change.
India Fest 2025
It turns out, India Fest, the biggest gathering of Indians in Minnesota is happening on the same day as our wedding at the St. Paul Capital Grounds. There will be food, dance, a parade and cultural events. If you wanted to skip our wedding for this, we won't be offended. As long as you give us a gift, and let us know in advance enough to save money on catering, we're good. The St. Paul Capital itself is really great! They offer free tours that you can just show up to (check the website though). It's an architectural marvel and rated one of the best state capitals in America! That's not just state pride talking, it's nationally agreed upon by state capital nerd consensus!
Como Park Zoo and Arboretum
The Como Zoo is a free zoo, with a great arboretum. For 0 dollars, you can go see a sad Gorilla. For 5 Dollars, you can use this vending machine they have from the '60's that will mould a plastic gorilla sculpture live in front of your eyes! Oooh! You can show your plastic gorilla to the real gorilla and watch it contemplate its life right in front of you! Aaah! The arboretum is beautiful too. We love plants!
Minneapolis Institute of Art
The MIA is a free art museum full of artifacts from around the world, much of which was procured through ethically dubious means. In fact, they have an extensive South-Asia collection. In fact, they have items from Kerala itself! In FACT, there's a sculpture from Kerala, a local waterfowl deity called "Velya Annan" (big brother), that has not seen the motherland in decades. Man... if only it could return... Here's the heist: I disguise myself with a moustache, you disguise yourself with a moustache, we disguise the sculpture with a moustache and pretend it's our big brother. He is Velya Annan, after all. The three of us (Me, you, the sculpture) loudly laugh and joke our way inconspicuously past the museum guards and into a Lyft going straight the airport. I check myself into customs and it's smooth sailing from there. If any representatives from the MIA are here, this isn't serious, because this paragraph is my big brother and we're joking around in an inconspicuous manner. 🥸
Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
In this picture, Vishnu pretends to pick up a large sculpture of a big spoon. You too, can pretend to hold this spoon from a distance. The world is your cherry spoon. Vishnu took Merin on a date here once and she was razzled, dazzled, and dare I say, gobsmacked. She still liked the Grain Elevator More.
Lake Bde Maka Ska
Did you know Minnesota has more shoreline than California, Florida and Hawaii combined? It's true, even if our shoreline is a lot less interesting. Minneapolis itself has 22 lakes, like Lake of the Isles, Lake Nokomis and Lake Bde Maka Ska (the first and only lake in history to answer the question "evide Maka ska?"). Go Canoing! Go Kayaking! Go for a walk! Go Biking! Get a concussion from a Lime Scooter going 20 miles an hour around the lake! The world is your oyster!
Minnehaha Falls
ever wanted to see waterfall that's IN a major city? Yeah, me neither.