What a day we had yesterday, a lovely road trip outside the Cities, one of our favorite things to do, to learn about and appreciate where people live. It was a gorgeous summer day.
We headed to Little Falls, which wasn’t so little because of spring rains. The water coming down the spillways was ferocious and the water appeared golden.
The Northern Pacific Depot pictured here (by Paul Purdes) was designed by Cass Gilbert in 1899. Today it houses the Chamber of Commerce. (Among many landmarks, Gilbert designed the MN State Capitol and NYC’s Woolworth Building, an early skyscraper.)
Famous people from Little Falls include Louise Erdrich (birthday June 7th) and Charles Lindbergh. (I did my best to imagine them walking around downtown.) There is a Charles Lindbergh Museum and a Fishing Museum here but it wasn’t a museum kind of day for us.
We had plans to visit Bookin’ It, the local independent bookseller, but we were dismayed to learn that it has closed (Steve talked to the owner on the phone).
For lunch, we visited A.T. The Black & White, a wonderful downtown restaurant that began in 1931 as an eight-stool diner serving hamburgers. Today, it is owned and operated by Amanda and Tomas Zimmerman, two Cordon Bleu chefs. Their large dining room was once a hardware store and they’ve filled the space with local history. The food was delicious. Steve had the Boom Boom Chicken Wrap and I had the Smoky Golden Beet Reuben. Both were memorable. Best of all, the waitress shared stories and information about the city.
I love this kind of day and my traveling companion is a commendable explorer, adventurer, and conversationalist. Forevermore, we will feel connected to Little Falls. It was a Good Birthday.
