A summer visit to the U

Photo by Tom Foley

From M, spring 2003

Summer is a splendid time to visit the U's Twin Cities campus. Trees in their ripe, green coats frame Northrop Mall and the Mississippi River. Relaxed students nap on the grass. And, perhaps best of all, it's darned easy to find a place to park.

So whether you're on campus to walk down memory lane, survey a museum, or maybe catch a show at Northrop (like jazz artist Carla Bley and her 19-piece international band on July 1), why not make a day of it? Here are a few suggestions to help round out your campus visit.

Music on the plaza

Sit at umbrella-shaded tables or lounge on the mall and listen to salsa music, Irish folk, bluegrass--whatever the flavor of the day. Concerts are free every noon--June, July, and August--on Northrop plaza. For a schedule of performers, see www.northrop.umn.edu or call 612-624-2345.

Perusing for pleasure

The University's grandest bookstore opened in March in the renewed Coffman Memorial Union. The bookstore, on the ground floor next to Starbucks, is a worthy competitor to the mega-bookstores of our time. And you can pick up a University T-shirt or sweatshirt while you're at it.

A walking/biking/blading interlude

There is no better way to get a feel for how the campus embraces the Mississippi than by foot or human-powered wheels, i.e., a bike or in-line skates.

If you go down behind the old Mineral Resources Research Center on East River Road (see Maps below), you can try out the relatively new Old No. 9 Bridge--a repaved former railroad trestle. After you cross the river, you have two choices. You can take the bike path north (upriver), where you can admire the once wild St. Anthony Falls and historic milling district. If you then cross the Stone Arch Bridge, you can head back to campus via University Avenue. Or you can go south (downriver) on city streets, hang around the West Bank, and return to campus on the old standby--the Washington Avenue Bridge.

Time for a bite

The Twin Cities campus has no shortage of eateries, including old favorites like Al's Breakfast. Shuang Cheng in Dinkytown is known for its first-rate seafood. And around the corner at the Loring Pasta Bar, you can sit at sidewalk tables and eat artichokes. See the Unofficial University Area Dining Guide at the Web address below for more suggestions.

So kick back, enjoy summer while it lasts, and feel like a student on campus again--this time without the homework.

Useful Web sites for planning your visit

Music
www.music.umn.edu/welcome.html
www.northrop.umn.edu

Theater
www.cla.umn.edu/theatre/season/showboat.html

Museums and galleries
Weisman Art Museum: www.weisman.umn.edu
Goldstein Museum of Design: goldstein.che.umn.edu
Nash Gallery: artdept.umn.edu

Food
Campus Dining: www.umn.edu/dining/cdining.html

Maps
www.umn.edu/pts/maps.htm