Mankato, MN

 I headed out to the middle of Minnesota for work. For my troubles, I stuck with flying on United although I should have opted to fly Delta as they fly directly into Minneapolis from the west coast. I say so because I will not be able to maintain 1K status and it doesn't do me much good to stay committed to United going forward. Maybe I'll change my mind....

Luckily, I didn't really need AWD or 4WD as the snow was mostly gone for my car rental from Enterprise.

Unfortunately, I wasn't given a Hilton or Marriott property by the University I was visiting. I stayed at the AmericInn by Wyndham Mankato Center. The property seemed to have a mix-up on dealing with a corporate booking but it eventually settled. Overall, it was a serviceable motel/hotel and ironic to me because I just came from a Wyndham timeshare as well. I also didn't understand why all the King rooms were taken, the motel never seemed that busy.

AmericInn Mankato

AmericInn Mankato

On my last night, I opted to leave Mankato and check into the Homewood Suites Minneapolis - Mall of America. I had a 7 am flight the next morning and it was a better deal for me to drive out the evening before and stay at a more familiar type of property.

Since I was in town for work, I wasn't able to get out much. I did have to get my own dinner and was able to see some of the town and the towns between Minneapolis and Mankato.

River Rock Coffee & Tea - I visited the St. Peter location but there is a location in Mankato too. I found the coffee delightful and the pastry tasty. It was also a nice break from driving the 90 minutes to Mankato from Minneapolis.

Olives - When the local University thinks this is the nicest restaurant in town and it is the one inside the Hilton Mankato. I would have rather had them put me in the hotel rather than eating at this location especially when they didn't pay for the meal and expected me to use my per diem. Nice enough for a hotel restaurant and would have been ok with eating here if they also had put me at the Hilton. 

Baker's Square - I didn't realize that there are a few states that still have freestanding Baker's Square restaurants. I happened to see the restaurant driving into town and had to stop and buy a whole pie. Locally, there are pies being sold at Famous Dave's BBQ restaurant. I haven't been in a Famous Dave's and unsure where the relationship was established. But it was enough for me to think about visiting to get some Baker's Square pie. And only certain Famous Dave's BBQ restaurants have it so I'm curious if there was a franchisor that owned both Baker's Square and Famous Dave's.

Angel Food Bakery & Donut Bar - Nice enough shop inside the Minneapolis airport. If you're hungry, sure. If you're not, wait.

Chevy's Fresh Mex - There used to be Chevy's in my hometown but they retracted their footprint a number of years ago. Apparently, they are strong in Minnesota and it was in the same parking plaza as the Homewood Suites so I opted to go there for convenience as my last meal in Minnesota. I'm usually not a fan of American Mexican food and so Chevy's was fine enough. It reminds me of El Torito.

Shake Shack - Not in Minnesota but I stopped at the Denver International Airport on the return home and decided to have a burger and shake. I have always found their shakes much more satisfying than their burgers but I do enjoy the chicken sandwiches.

City Pho -  Not in Minnesota, located inside the Denver International Airport where I layed over. I thought it was interesting to see a Vietnamese airport restaurant in Denver of all places. I enjoyed the banh mi on the plane but it isn't cheap.