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Best Place to Float Your Boat
With 14,310 acres of water, thirty-eight islands, thirty-one connecting channels, and more than a dozen shoreline communities, Lake Minnetonka is truly Minnesota’s playground. More than a century ago, it was a summer resort with steamboats and hotels; today celebrities and lucky homeowners curl up year-round in lakefront mansions, which sport some of the state’s most outstanding boat houses. Take the family onboard Steamboat Minnehaha (952-474-2115) to Wayzata or Big Island, followed by waterfront dining on the patio at Sunsets (952-473-5253), Bayside Grille (952-474-1133) or Maynard’s (952-470-1800). Hitting the decks at Lord Fletcher’s (952-471-8513) is a must-do summer ritual with boats outnumbering cars. Paddleboats, motorboats, pontoons, yachts, amphicars, and anything that floats gather every 4th of July off the waters of Big Island for a one-of-a-kind celebration. [top]
Best 63.5-Mile Stretch
Next time you’re told to take a hike, head to Vicksburg Lane in Plymouth to the Luce Line Trail for a 63.5-mile trek to the town of Cosmos in central Minnesota. Open year-round to runners, hikers, horseback riders, bikers, cross-country skiers, and snow- mobilers, the trail (partially gravel and limestone, partially undeveloped) is built on an abandoned railroad line. On this true tour of Minnesota landscape, you’ll pass slightly rolling hills, tall-grass prairie land, woods, and, of course, loads of lakes. Replenish all those burned calories at the convivial Ox Yoke Inn in Independence with a char-grilled burger and a pint of ale. 261 Co. Rd. 92 N., 763-479-2522. [top]
Best Cheap Seats
Squeezed between antiques shops and diners, Hopkins Cinema 6 is as retro as the town’s main street. Best part? The state-of-the-art big screen comes for small change. Two dollars buys you a seat—better yet, cash in on Tuesday $1 movies. 1118 Mainstreet, 952-931-7992. [top]
Small Town, Big Rumor
Jimmy Hutmaker is famous in Excelsior. Now in his mid-seventies, he used to wander the downtown and visit local businesses. Legend has it that in 1964 when the Rolling Stones came to the small lakeside community on their first U.S. tour, Hutmaker was in line at Bacon Drug in front of Mick Jagger. “Mr. Jimmy” ordered a Cherry Coke, but they were out of cherries. He turned to the lead singer and said, “You can’t always get what you want.” The rest is history. [top]
Fusion Therapy
For such a calming venue, Fusion Lifespa in Deephaven is making big waves. People caught on to the cozy, squeaky clean digs and those all-natural, chemical-free products—and now it’s tough to get in for a good facial, massage, or $17 manicure (the nail polish is free of all the bad stuff). But the best thing at this hideaway might be the forty-minute steam/ soak bath with self-serve scrubs and washes, rain showerheads, and light therapy. 18142 Minnetonka Blvd., 952-345-3335. [top]
Success Story
When Ruth Stricker said she wanted to create a center for balance, people said she certainly didn’t need a building for it. When she said she wanted to offer wine and massages under one roof, they said there’d be hanky panky. Twenty-one years later, Stricker’s The Marsh—A Center for Balance and Fitness in Minnetonka is a powerhouse combination of every element of well-being, be it acupuncture, rehabilitation, water aerobics, and meditation or laughter, chocolate chip cookies, and dinner parties. The seventy-one-year-old trendsetter was the first person in her district to get a massage license, now certification is easy and there are four spas within a mile of The Marsh. “I don’t study health clubs, I study the front page,” says Stricker, when asked about the future of The Marsh. Stricker isn’t quickening her pace. Instead, she’s keeping things slow and listening to her clients—many of whom are original members now into “active-aging, not antiaging.” In our fast world of e-mail and techno-stress, Stricker believes people are looking for somewhere to belong, and she plans to keep providing just that. 15000 Minnetonka Blvd., 952-935-2202. —Jennifer Blaise Kramer [top]
Secret Garden
OK, so everyone already knows about the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska, but maybe not that it’s the largest public garden in the Upper Midwest. Better yet, the annual auxiliary garden tours (tickets $30–$55, July 9, 11, 12) will unveil four private country gardens not yet seen by the public (followed by a Champagne Sunday brunch or weekday lunch buffet). So, in a sense, it is still a secret—or, at least, there’s an element of surprise. 3675 Arboretum Dr., 952-443-1400. [top]
Chanhassen: The Chosen City
In a city that offers more than ten churches, one in particular sticks out. The Temple of Eck sits on 174 acres—which is more than twice the size of the Mall of America and its parking lots. The hilltop temple is impossible to miss from the surrounding neighborhoods and Lake Ann Park and leaves its critics wondering about the mysterious “cult.”
According to members, the self-proclaimed “Religion of the Light and Sound of God” found its home in Chan because in 1980 “Living Eck Master” Sri Harold Klemp had a vision that the temple should be in Minnesota. In January 1984, Klemp (a native of Wisconsin) and two other Eckists came to Minnesota in search of property, and in 1989 the nonprofit organization bought all the land between Lake Ann, Powers Boulevard, and the current frontage road along Highway 5.
The $8 million temple and center is the “spiritual home” for Eckenkar, which teaches exploring soul travel, dreams, and past lives. The temple, topped with a ziggurat-style gold-colored roof, represents the different levels of “centeredness.” A theme in Eckankar, according to members, is “as above so below,” and it is reflected in the no-expense-spared architecture of the temple (patterns in the carpet match those in the ceiling).
The teachings of Eck ostensibly date back to before 3000 BC, but Paul Twitchell founded the modern form of Eckankar in 1965 in San Diego, California, where there is still a center today. (There are other centers around the world and also temples in Canada, Africa, and Connecticut.) Eck claims 1,000 members in the metro and 50,000 worldwide in more than 100 countries. Eleven buildings are planned for the Chanhassen “campus.” An administration center has already been built and contemplation trails and ponds added. —Sarah Howard [top]
Saddle-Up!
The west metro offers some of the best horse stables and farms where you can ride, store, or breed horses—and find your inner Brit with some polo. Carver County Park Reserve in Victoria sports six miles of horse trails, and the Twin City Polo Club has had its boots in the western countryside for decades. Polo was first played in Minnesota by the U.S. Army at Fort Snelling in the 1920s. The official club started there and made its way to Wayzata then to Shakopee, settling in Maple Plain in 1964. Now in its fortieth season (which runs from mid-May through September), TCPC has more than twenty members who pay a fee, provide their own horse, and play matches, which are open to the public four days a week. They also host three tournaments: the 4th of July Tournament; the Annual Polo Classic, a fundraiser for Children’s Home Society of Minnesota; and the Binger Cup. 6755 Turner Rd, 763-479-4307
To be a true horseman, you need the proper gear.
Check out these shops:
• Head to husband-and-wife-operated BNB Tack & Western Wear in Waconia for traditional Wrangler jeans, Western-style shirts, a limited supply of saddles, plus cowboy-chic hats and boots. 242 W. 1st St., 952-368-0299.
• Locally owned Equestrian Outfitters in Delano stocks everything you need to ride a horse, including boots, apparel, and saddles, for polo lovers and old-fashioned wranglers. 45 Babcock Blvd. W., 763-972-8005.
• Long Lake’s Equestrian Paradise has English riding gear in casual and show wear for men and women. Polo clubsters stop here for tall or paddock (short) boots. 2460 Industrial Blvd. W., 952-473-0546. [top]
Best film spot
Rather than chasing Prince or attending a late-night impromptu concert, there’s another reason to visit Paisley Park in Chanhassen— one that’s drawing celebrities and endorsers, including Kevin Garnett (for Gatorade). That’s our man above. The 12,500-square-foot sound stage has serious technology for music videos, commercials, photo shoots, and film production. From the catwalks to the soundproof stage and salon, it’s sure to make anyone feel like a star (it’s also available to rent and tour). Or maybe purple furniture and the occasional presence of Prince just exudes glamour. 7801 Audubon Rd., 952-470-2409. [top]
Best Place to Be a Swinger
Chaska’s Hazeltine National Golf Club, hands-down the metro’s most prestigious golf course, is home to the 106th U.S. Amateur Championship this August. No stranger to big names, the course hosted the U.S. Open in 1970 and 1991, as well as the PGA Championship in 2002 (when Tiger Woods made himself at home in Eden Prairie’s Bearpath) and will do so again in 2009. It’s also slated to be the site of the 2016 Ryder Cup. Edina’s Interlachen Country Club, perhaps the metro’s most venerable club course, will host the 2008 U.S. Women’s Open. Amateurs with a competitive streak but no club membership should check out Deer Run Golf Club in Victoria. On “Fast Play Fridays” if foursomes can’t finish their first nine holes in less than one hour and fifty-five minutes, they get the boot—and a refund. Good luck. 8661 Deer Run Dr., 952-443-2351. [top]
Feel-Good Grocer
St. Louis Park just got a lot busier. Fans have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Trader Joe’s, and now commuters metro-wide are steering to Excelsior & Grand in search of cheap wine and healthy food. It may be the only place around where you can get sushi, cheesecake, pizza, and a bottle of cabernet for under $20. Thankfully, it’s got a big parking lot. 4500 Excelsior Blvd., 952-285-1053. [top]
Dining Bests
Forster’s
For fifty-five-plus years, this family-run meat market has been catering to local carnivores. Shoppers choose from seventy-nine homemade sausages and smoked meats, including the cold-smoked, dry-aged rib eye steak. Aside from the butcher shop, there’s a coffee shop (pictured) for steak and eggs, pancakes, sandwiches, burgers, sausages, and nightly take-away dinner specials. 11255 Hwy. 55, Plymouth, 763-559-5775
Best in Burgers
Pull the car up, roll down the window, and order a pair of cheeseburgers and a sack of fries at the best burger stand in the Twin Cities—Wagners Drive In in St. Louis Park. The burgers are hand-ground Angus chuck, griddled, topped with sautéed onions, cheese, and “bunned up,” morphing from a great burger into a wondrous icon of all that is good about living a food-focused life. 3712 Quebec Ave. S., 952-933-1857, closes for winter
On the edge of Eden Prairie sits Lions Tap, an iconic Minnesota burger bar that proves the theory that a great joint’s parts are easily eclipsed by the whole. The beer is cold, the fries are crispy gold, and the burgers are small meaty missiles that are way too easy to eat. The small freshly ground patties are superjuicy, hand-formed, griddled, and served with your standard choice of toppings. Go for a double! 16180 Flying Cloud Dr., Hwy. 212 and Co. Rd. 4, 952-934-5299
Best Twosome
Despite the revolving door of chefs, Ravello in Long Lake is one of the better choices for dining in the western hinterlands. On my last visit, the mache salad was perfect, the penne Bolognese was sturdy and authentic, the seared scallops were warm and trembling on the inside, crusty and well seasoned on the exterior, and the pan-roasted Chicken Ravello was moist and crusty. This is the sister restaurant of Biella in Excelsior, and together they represent the first wave of good restaurants to have arrived in the western lakes area. Ravello, 1935 Wayzata Blvd. W., 952-473-7373; Biella, 227 Water St., 952-474-8881
Guilty Pleasure #5
Like it or not, this busy, hectic megabar cum restaurant boasts some really great food, efficient service, and a breezy room that’s cool in the summer and cozy as a cabin in the winter. Minnetonka’s Redstone is giant-sized with a hot bar scene, but the rotisserie and grilled items are reliably some of the best of their class to be found locally. Don’t skip the pizza-style flatbreads or the buffalo shrimp appetizer—a scratch take on the classic bar-food chicken wing that’s made with ocean-caught shrimp and a homemade blue cheese dressing and qualifies as one of my top-five guilty pleasures around town. 12501 Ridgedale Dr., 952-591-0000 —A. Z. [top]
Retail Bests
The Mall that Started It All
Edina’s Southdale, the nation’s first enclosed mall, is poised for a rebirth. It’s home to Marshall Field’s top TC suburban location, the first local Mini Cooper show room, and the ridiculously popular Cheesecake Factory. It’s also the northern anchor of the most influential strip of retail that’s not under one roof in the metro. First, there are the sophisticated shops of the legendary Galleria (home to flagship locations of Pottery Barn and Williams-Sonoma, as well as exquisite independents and Tiffany & Co.), plus France Avenue is also the home base of now-national retailer Room & Board. Add to that a freestanding Marshall Field’s Home Store, Byerly’s, Centennial Lakes Plaza, and, coming soon, a SuperTarget and Westin Hotel—with residential floors. Heck, you could just move into the neighborhood and never have to leave. (There’s even a library and manmade lake.)
Best Shopping Districts
The western ’burbs also sport some of the metro’s best shopping districts. The destinations took hold during the era of streetcars when major intersections became retail hubs. At Edina’s 50th & France—half of it straddles the tony first-tier suburb, the other half is in Minneapolis—street-smart city meets country club sophistication, and it appeals to shoppers looking for luxury. It’s no surprise that Monique Lhuillier chose Edina, of all the suburbs in the country, for her second boutique outside of Beverly Hills.
The streetcar lines also made their way to Lake Minnetonka—the playground and summer resort destination of the cities’ elite—where Wayzata and Excelsior continue to boast the best shopping along its shores. (You’ll recall Bonnie Raitt recorded her first album on one of the lake’s islands). Wayzata’s Lake Street and Excelsior’s Water Street (see also Crossroads on page 354) are worthy day trips—both filled with boutiques offering a lovely mix of chic clothing, gifts shops, and arts and antiques shops. It’s like having Newport, Rhode Island, in our backyard.
A Store We Adore
Wayzata’s Cherie Boutique Française has the best-edited collection of European (mostly French) and boutique lines of perfumes, soaps, cosmetics, and apothecary. 775 E. Lake St., 952-475-2212
Unexpected Treasure
I–394 is tops in luxury auto dealerships, including Lexus of Wayzata, Sears Imports (Mercedes Benz and BMW), the new Morrie’s Maserati of Minneapolis, the new Carousel Porsche and Carousel Audi—the largest Audi dealership in the world (no kidding).
Trendsetter
Don Byerly’s first grocery store debuted in Golden Valley in 1968, but he took the grocery world by storm and earned international attention in 1980 when he opened the nation’s first luxury grocery store. With its crystal chandeliers, carpeting, and gift shop, the St. Louis Park Byerly’s proved that shopping for groceries was about much more than bread and butter. [top]
Fun Facts
Shorewood, Eden Prairie, and Burnsville rank among the country's top 100 cities with the biggest homes. St. Louis Park is the birthplace of Joel and Ethan Coen, Thomas Friedman, and Al Franken. Actress Kelly Lynch was born in Golden Valley. Sports Illustrated named Edina High School the country's eighth most-athletic school. If lights dim at Axel's in Chanhassen, chances are Prince is in a private room back by the bar. Scenes from Mallrats and Drop Dead Gorgeous were filmed at Eden Prairie Center. In July 2005, Chanhassen was ranked sixteenth on the 100 Best Places to Live list by CNN/MoneyMoney magazine. [top]
| Western Stats | | | | High | | Low | | 65,894 Plymouth | 2000 population | New Germany 346 | | 113.2% Savage | 1990–2000 pop. Increase | Long Lake -7.2% | | $153,881 Woodland | 1999 Med. household income | Spring Park $36,071 | | $500,000 Woodland | Median housing value | New Germany $89,800 | | 46.6 years Spring Park | Median Age | Jordan 29.2 years | | 98.9% Loretto | Whites, non Hispanics | Hopkins 80.2% | | 99.3% Woodland | High School Grad or more | New Germany 73.2% | | 73.2% Woodland | Bachelor’s degree or more | Norwood/Young 9.5% | | 27.8% Minnetonka Beach | Graduate degree or more | New Germany .9% | | 8.5% Woodland | Unemployed | Minnetonka Beach 0% | | 37.2% Hopkins | Never Married | Elko 15.5% | | 75.3% Victoria | Now married | Spring Park 39.9% | | 13.9% Hopkins | Foreign born | Woodland 0% | | 300 Prior Lake | 2004 Building permits | | | $629,488 Lake Mtka. | Average home sale | | | West ‘burbs increased 21.6% to 449,447 in 2000 | | | |
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