St. Paul, Minn.: The older 'twin'

The Sentinel-Record/Rebecca McCormick OLDIE BUT GOODIE: Architect Cass Gilbert (1859-1934) is probably most famous for New York's Woolworth Building and the U.S. Supreme Court Building, but he also designed several buildings in his hometown of St. Paul, Minn., including the Pioneer Endicott, which opened in 1889. Once the home of St. Paul's newspaper, the historic building now houses pet-friendly apartments, a wine store with grocery, as well as a gourmet chocolate shop with a coffee bar.
The Sentinel-Record/Rebecca McCormick OLDIE BUT GOODIE: Architect Cass Gilbert (1859-1934) is probably most famous for New York's Woolworth Building and the U.S. Supreme Court Building, but he also designed several buildings in his hometown of St. Paul, Minn., including the Pioneer Endicott, which opened in 1889. Once the home of St. Paul's newspaper, the historic building now houses pet-friendly apartments, a wine store with grocery, as well as a gourmet chocolate shop with a coffee bar.

St. Paul and Minneapolis may be called Minnesota's Twin Cities, but they actually seem to enjoy flaunting their differences.

"St. Paul is Minnesota's capital city and the older 'twin' by 13 years," says Adam Johnson, St. Paul's vice president of marketing and media relations. "St. Paul is a laid back city. It doesn't want to be like any other place in the world, and it isn't.

"As far as twins go, Minneapolis and St. Paul are like Schwarzenegger and DeVito," he explains. "Others say Minneapolis is an Appletini; St. Paul, a fine Scotch."

During lunch with Adam and his staff, I learned St. Paul is home to 3M, makers of Scotch Tape, has a gangster history that includes police shootouts with John Dillinger, supports a flourishing craft beer scene and claims Garrison Keillor, of "A Prairie Home Companion," as a favorite son.

St. Paul also relishes their historic architecture, including the longest stretch of preserved Victorian architecture in the United States on Summit Avenue and the Cass Gilbert-designed state Capitol, which touts the second largest unsupported marble dome in the world.

In addition to their 104 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, they also added the entire Historic Lowertown District to the register in 1983. To my delight, nearly every block is punctuated with art galleries and other creative businesses.

One of the most prominent historic buildings in the city is the Cathedral of St. Paul, also known as the National Shrine of St. Paul. Each year, more than 200,000 guests and visitors tour the stunning historical landmark, a copy of St. Peter's in Rome.

The Cathedral dominates the St. Paul skyline from its position on the highest point in downtown.

"For the wider community, as well as for our parishioners, the Cathedral provides opportunities to enhance our appreciation for the arts," explained our guide. "The parish hosts a regular organ concert series showcasing the Cathedral's two Skinner organs. The Minnesota Orchestra and Vocal Essence are some of the groups that present concerts here each year."

Waves of immigrants that flooded into Minnesota in the late 19th and early 20th centuries fueled the diversity the archdiocese still enjoys.

I learned a little bit about St. Paul's open arms at the Minneapolis Museum of History, where three galleries are devoted to the culture, journey and traditions of the Hmong community, now numbering almost 40,000 -- many of whom arrived as legal refugees sponsored by voluntary agencies (VOLAGS) in the late 1970s after the Vietnam War.

A second wave of refugees, this time from Somalia, began arriving in 1991 after civil war in their country.

"As a longstanding open and welcoming community of faith, we consider The Shrine of the Nations a testament to the important roles immigrant communities have played, not only in the history of the Cathedral, but also in the development of our city. Shrines surrounding the sanctuary honor saints who are important to the many different ethnic communities who helped to build the Cathedral you see today."

History and hospitality are common threads in St. Paul.

Take the Wabasha Street Caves, for instance. Now an event hall built into sandstone caves on the south shore of the Mississippi River in downtown, they were used from 1933-1940 as the Castle Royal nightclub -- a combination of dining rooms, a bandstand, bars which became popular as a gangster haven during the Depression.

Other iterations of the caves involved growing mushrooms, aging cheese and storing beer.

These days, the caves are open for public tours; at other times, rented for private functions. And from what we heard, Thursday nights are always hopping when a big band crowds onto the stage and swing dancers take over the floor.

Not far away, The Commodore Bar and Restaurant on Cathedral Hill recently reopened to rave reviews.

Originally synonymous with literary legends, gangster life and a who's who of the glamorous jazz age of the 1920s and '30s, this restaurant now serves handcrafted cocktails and elegant meals as the centerpiece of their new swanky joie de vivre that includes marble floors, lots of polished brass and mirrors, crystal chandeliers, white linen table cloths, period glassware and live jazz.

From what our server told us, reservations have already been booked a year out; and at least one day a week is already completely full. I can see why!

Swanky also shows up in more functional locations like St. Paul's Union Depot, one of America's great rail stations from the early 20th century.

Commissioned in 1923, the railroad and post office operated here until it closed in 1971. Forty years and $243 million later, the building reopened as a hub for Amtrak, bus service and light rail operations, with additional indoor and outdoor public venue spaces on the 33-acre site.

Across the lobby from the building's original mechanical clock, a new restaurant serves busy commuters. A little further down the hall, a 9-foot x 24-foot Lite-Brite mural, the world's largest, shines "Forever St. Paul." And from what I hear, swing dance lessons taught to the music of a live band draw the crowds on Thursday nights.

St. Paul is hard not to love. For all her swankiness, she's got a snarky underbelly that shows up as healthy fun in places like the city's baseball park, where staging the world's largest pillow fight first attracted national attention.

Nick Cusick, St. Paul's public relations manager, says the St. Paul Saints minor league field has become known for its humorous promotions -- like nuns who give back rubs, entertainers dancing on top of the dugouts and people getting their hair cut in center field. Small wonder, considering Bill Murray is part owner of the park, named Best New Ballpark of 2015.

St. Paul has a long list of other accolades, including a recent nod from USATODAY as No. 1 in "The Eight Absolute Top U.S. Cities to Live In" and No. 1 in "Best Local Food Scene."

I could make my own list, but at the top, I would put some of the friendliest people anywhere. Next time, I want to meet the swing dancers!

Rebecca McCormick is an international travel journalist and photographer based in Hot Springs. On the road, you'll find her wearing lipstick and pearls, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and an iPhone in the other. Most likely, she'll be near live music or somewhere close to water -- especially if fishing is an option. Here at home, she plays cello in a professional string quartet. One day, she hopes to fly with carry-on luggage only. Email your travel questions to McCormick, [email protected].

Society on 11/29/2015

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