Friday Fun Day

Well, it seems the last several weeks have really taken a toll on my blogging abilities, and I find myself in catch-up mode yet again. The good news is I have several updates to share over the next couple of weeks!

I took one recent Friday off to enjoy an afternoon about town with a friend. First up, lunch at View.
View is located in a B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L. building just across the street from the equally beautiful Lake Calhoun. I'd always wanted to try it, and thanks to my friend's coupon deal, I now had the perfect reason.

I really liked the restaurant's decor and the use of the color orange throughout. The lighting cast a rich hue over everything even during the middle of the day.

The one thing that struck me as odd though was that we basically had the whole place to ourselves. There were probably six other people there the whole time. Perhaps it was the chilly weather, because I found most of our experience to be quite good.

I had delicious strawberry lemonade to drink, which really shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone at this point. I've jointly become addicted to strawberry lemonade and root beer. Both of which, I hope to cure myself of in the near-term. ;)

To start, we shared the Mediterranean style grilled chicken wings. These were amazing. With a seasoning rub to die for and a splash of lemon juice, they were incredibly flavorful.

I then had the smoked turkey and avocado melt, which was served on multi-grain bread with mesquite smoked turkey, avocado, lettuce, tomato and cheddar cheese (note that it generally comes with Swiss). It also came with french fries and a pickle.

The french fries were awesome. Crispy and perfectly salty. The sandwich was also good, but nothing spectacular. While the turkey and fixings were great, the bread was kind of dry, making it a little less delicious.

Overall, I found View to be quite enjoyable. I'll definitely go back, at least for the wings.

After lunch, we headed to The Museum of Russian Art in Minneapolis, the only museum in North America dedicated exclusively to Russian art. I've always wanted to check out the museum - as any locals know, it is simply one of the most exquisite buildings in all of MSP.

With quite lovely landscaping...

Unfortunately, photos weren't allowed inside. But, the interior is just as breathtaking as the exterior. While we were there, the main gallery featured elegant works of Russia's countryside and touching portraits of the country's people.

There was also an enchanted art exhibit, displaying beautifully detailed Russian lacquer miniatures. The pieces were magical and showcased the rich history of the artistry throughout a number of Russian villages.

Admission is $7 for adults, however, you can score free passes through the Museum Adventure Pass offering at local libraries...probably one of my favorite things in life.