’17-’18 Saint Paul, MN

The Capitol building!

We had to go several bridges out of our way to get this view…worth it because I really wanted to see it.

Here’s the bookstore…

…and another cool façade.

After dinner Kai had a play date with his best buddy Astro. Astro’s owner is that young boy who is 10 years old and going into high school (in September? I’m not sure).

He is quite a kid for sure with full reign of the building like he should be the main character in a children’s adventure book.

January 4-5

Kai got his Lofty Dogs pack walk today with 11 of his new best friends. He was a little squirrely at first and then settled right in.

This is from a video Lofty Dog Mike took. You can see the whole thing on his facebook page and you will awwww.

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Another one.

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First level obedience training. Kai (and Cynthia Of Course) did a couple of puppy classes already so this is not socializing, oh no, those dogs are learning, and they have homework.

Cynthia’s office is in this refurbished historic complex.

“St. Paul’s Como Shops served as a major passenger-car repair facility on the Northern Pacific railroad between 1885 and the 1970s, providing employment to many St. Paul residents. The durability of the shops’ construction guaranteed their longevity, and in 1985 the facility was listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.”

The Atrium Building…

…and the inside. Cynthia’s office is on the second floor. I sat here and read for a bit (and dozed off!) while Cynthia checked in at work.

We took another skyway stroll this time to dinner at a restaurant on the street level of this building – Park Square Court (Previously known as: Noyes Brothers and Cutler Wholesale Druggists Building)

“What started out as a less-than-promising storefront on E. 3rd St. grew with the city of St. Paul to become the largest wholesale drug and medical supply company in the Northwest.

“…In 1889 Noyes Brothers & Cutler moved into their new (and final) building at 6th St. & Sibley St., where they would stay for the next thirty years. Designed by St. Paul architect J. Walter Stevens for $110,000, the five-story building has the Romanesque style which was popular at the time.

“…In 1971-73 the building was converted to retail shops, restaurants and offices and was renamed Park Square Court.”

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These are a couple of shots from the Park Square Court building.

It was quite interesting, and I didn’t spend enough time to figure it all out, but there were so many outside walls that had been integrated into the refurbishments.

We had a vast selection of Happy Hour food here at Barrio. All of the treats were densely flavored and half of them were totally delicious.

This is one of the street level enterprises easily accessed by the skyway system. It was zero outside and we took a nice stroll to dinner!

Then we had churros with spicy Mexican chocolate for dipping. YUM!

January 6

Another excellent skyway walk brought us a half block from…

…Dreadlocks for Dingos, a place for doggie daycare, overnighters, and grooming service, and where they have puppy play time every Saturday.

The doggie place is in the foreground and at the end of the block is an apartment complex in a very cool looking building.

Kai loves puppy play time and he looooves treats. Somebody’s getting a treat? Me too me too me too!

The owner of the big pit bull-ridgeback mix, the woman with the treats, is holding Kai back from doing his grizzly bear attach upon her dog’s head.

We went home for some food and to drop off Kai, and then we went for a tour of the state capitol building.

Cynthia took these two pictures from out the car window as we were creeping along looking for a parking place so we wouldn’t have to walk too far in 5 degrees and a Serious wind chill.

Look how quiet it is on a Saturday afternoon.

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And from the back.

“Inspired by the Beaux-Arts architecture of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, architect Cass Gilbert was determined to design a building in the classical style, but with all the modern conveniences of the time. The stunning result is a towering white marble dome, fluted columns, graceful arches and commanding statuary.

“…Construction of the current Capitol began on May 6, 1896 and was led by architect Cass Gilbert, who would go on to design the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington D.C. After nine years and a cost of $4.5 million, the Renaissance Revival-style building opened to the public on Jan. 2, 1905.”
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One of the many large historic art pieces.

A view out a Capitol window to the beautiful 1912 Cathedral of Saint Paul.

Our guide was anxious and pleased to tell us this dome is the second largest ‘unsupported marble dome’ in the World, first is St Peter’s at the Vatican and third is the Taj Mahal.

After the Capitol tour we went on to the Conservatory in Como Park. There’s a hot and humid rainforest in there that we stood around in to get some moisture soaked into our skin.

And there’s this…

…and this!

So sweet, and then we went on home where Cynthia cooked us a deeelicious salmon dinner.

January 7

We went to a Sunday Brunch at the Saint Paul Hotel. This is the more formal dining room.

“In 1856, John Summers invited travelers from all over the world into his home, which eventually became the Greenman House, a 60-room hotel erected in 1871 and destroyed by fire in 1878.

“By 1878, Mr. Summers and John Baugh, an Eastern hotelier, constructed a much larger and more modern hotel named The Windsor, known at the time to be one of the finest hotels in Saint Paul. The Windsor Hotel was operated successfully until 1880 when Baugh withdrew and sold his interest to Charles J. Monfort. Summers resigned in 1891 and Monfort acted as President and Manager until his death in 1904.

“For the next two years the hotel was utilized as an arcade and theater. As the city of Saint Paul continued to grow, the need for a new hotel became increasingly important. In 1908 Lucius P. Ordway, a prime mover in the new hotel project, secured ownership of the property with the intentions of constructing a new luxury hotel.”

A new skyway view.

We took Kai to a dog park and he raced around like a greyhound…

…never backing down for a second no matter how large or noisy his running mate. I’m leaving tomorrow and it looks like I’m going to miss getting a shot of Kai doing his grizzly bear.

This dog was waaay fast and none of the other dogs played his game of chase the tennis ball.

We drove around for a while afterward catching sight of the Arch Bridge and looking for a sunset.

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Cynthia took these pictures out the car window. Cool, yea.

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January 8

Last day…bye Kai, you cutie you, sleeping off his walk with Lofty Dogs.