MINNEAPOLIS DOWNTOWN

“City of lakes” perhaps - but certainly a ‘city of architecture’. We love this image of downtown Minneapolis on the corner of 5th street south & 2nd avenue south. 

VINTAGE CLASSIC

This oversized pink gold climate-proof UG, circa 1951 (c/o Hodinkee), is a perfect this season must. And in a world where cell phones have made the necessity of a wristwatch obsolete, and timepieces have been transformed into something else altogether, you really need no reason invest in fashionable accessories that just happen to have the bonus function of telling time - a vintage watch. From a Patek Philippe Calatrava or classic Cartier we can’t get enough. And best all we have located the perfect places to find that must have accessory in each of our North American locations. Click on each link to find our pick: NYC, Chicago, Washington DC, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Montreal, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Miami.

PICTURE PERFECT WEEKEND

Visiting Minnesota over Easter or early spring? It doesn’t matter which side of the Mississippi you find yourself you’ll be amazed at what you can discover. With more than 10,000 state lakes, 22 regional trails and 330 metro area parks, there’s no end to the ways you can enjoy the outdoors. And indoors you can even more, with Conde Nast Traveler recently calling Minneapolis “the Midwest’s cultural capital.” Want to know more? Our head concierge Lesley will pre-plan your perfect visit. Tweet her via Twitter (@SofitelMN) before you arrive with the hashtag #AskLesley. (Image: kimason on Flickr via betomad)

FIRE FIGHTERS MUSEUM

Most of our museum finds relate the world of the arts. The Minneapolis Firefighters Hall & Museum is something different entirely, and features over 12,000 square feet of historic items from Minnesota fire departments dating back to the 1860′s. There are fire trucks, fire equipment, historic photos, and interactive displays for children.The museum collection includes a Thief River Falls steam pumper, a 1919 Mankato aerial ladder, a 1932 engine,  and lots of other historic firefighting apparatus, and equipment. The museum also houses  a library with an extensive collection of literature on fire department apparatus, history, and all things relating to firefighting. 

THEATRE IN MN

Did you know that Minneapolis/St Paul has a thriving drama and theatre community? This week The Guthrie Theatre opened both Taming of the Shrew and Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare.  History Theatre opened ‘Courting Harry’, the true story of two St. Paul childhood friends who grow up to take seats on the Supreme Court.  You can also discover some local color as Bryant Lake Bowl opens ‘How to Swear Like a Minnesotan’.  Continuing this week the award-winning favorite ‘Other Desert Cities’ at the Guthrie and Mixed Blood Theatre continues ‘Elemeno Pea.’

Le Petit Marché, the authentic French bakery at Sofitel Minneapolis offer traditional French favorites such as fresh French baguettes, chocolate éclairs, tiramisu, macaroons, specialty desserts and pastries. Paris was never so close…

ROSES ON FEB 14

Valentine’s Day is of course a day of love, and most often celebrated with roses. Did you know that red roses are considered the flower of love because the color red stands for strong romantic feelings? And that the red rose was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love? 210 million stems are expected to be sold in North America tomorrow, with 60% grown in South America. But interestingly most hybrid roses produced for the Valentine’s Day market are bred for perfect form and longevity in the vase, often at the expense of the fragrance (except in a Sofitel lobby where fragrance is an expectation…) 

#Valentine’s Day is of course a day of #love, and most often celebrated with roses. Here some #roses this morning in #nyc #mn #chicago #montreal.

Although Frank #Gehry’s ‘Standing Glass Fish’ has become a beloved icon of #MN’s cultural life, we are just as fond of its home - The 22-foot creature sits in a fantastic lily pond among the Mexican fan palms and calamondin orange trees of the crystalline Cowles Conservatory at #walker Arts Center. A #MN #must!