Feb / Mar

BIG 10 HOCKEY

Spring in the Twin Cities

Twin Cities in 48 Hours

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In THIS ISSuE

Big 10 Hockey

48 Hours in the Twin Cities

Spring In the Cities

Good Deals

Waiting Room Lounge

Meetings & Banquets

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Feb / Mar

www.bestwesternsaintpaul.com

Feb / Mar

BIG 10Hockey

Big Ten Men’s Hockey will debut with the start of the 2013 -2014 Division I Men’s College Hock-ey Season and feature member teams from Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin.

ICulminating this inaugural season will be the first Big Ten Men’s Ice Hockey Tourna-ment Presented by Polaris RZR® to be held at Saint Paul’s Xcel Energy Center March 20 – 22, 2014.The BEST WESTERn Bandana Square was built as the

Courtesy Minnesota Historical Society

Check out more informa-tions on website!

Check out more informa-tions on website!

Como Paint Shop addition in 1911 to better streamline the maintenance of there passenger cars. The original building was constructed of Little Falls cream colored brick with Mankato lime-stone trimmings, and St. Cloud granite sills.

The tournament will feature all six teams in a single-elimination format. The tour-nament will consist of five games (two games on Thursday, March 20; two games on Friday, March 21 and the championship game on Saturday, March 22). All-Session Ticket Packages include one ticket to each of the five games of the tournament.

Thursday’s quarterfinals will feature the no. 3 seed facing the no. 6 seed and the no. 4 seed battling the

no. 5 seed. The top two seeds will open tournament play in the Friday semifinals, with the no. 1 seed against either the no. 4 or 5 seed and the no. 2 seed facing the no. 3 or 6 seed. The championship game will be played on Saturday.

48 Hours inthe Cities

What is America’s greatest double act? Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers? The Blues Brothers?

For residents of the u.S. midwestern state of Min-nesota, there is an easy answer - the “Twin Cities” of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Relatively low crime rates, a plethora of lakes and picnic spots, interesting architecture and top-class sports teams make the pair a desirable place to live and to visit - as long

as you dodge the wicked cold if you are not into winter sports.

Reuters correspondents with local knowledge help visitors get the most out of a weekend trip in the area.

FRIDAY5 p.m. - Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, which even has tornado shelters in the restrooms, is to the south of both cit-ies.

7 p.m. - Dining options abound in downtown Minneapolis, which is dominated by skyscrap-ers and old warehouses turned into atmospheric bars and restaurants.

The Capital Grille on Hen-nepin Avenue, one of the main thoroughfares, is an excellent option if you like steaks (here).

FRIDAY (cont’d)8.p.m. - This area is also theaterland in Minnesota, with experts saying there are more shows on per week in the Twin Cities than anywhere else in the united States except new York.

The beautifully restored Orpheum Theatre on Hennepin Avenue has a broad range of plays, musicals and events, while the Skyway Theater or the Target Center (normally home of the Min-nesota Timberwolves basketball team) just down the road offers alternatives. Cinema is also king with the Coen brothers, the well-known u.S. di-recting duo, hailing from the city.

11.p.m. - A couple of usually packed Irish bars are located nearby to end the evening. Minnesota is also famous for music with Prince and Bob Dylan among those born here.

SATuRDAY10 a.m. - Eat breakfast at the Potbelly Sandwich Shop at the IDS Center on Eighth Street in Minne-apolis, which many see as the center of town giv-en the indoor foyer acts as a perfect shelter from the winter cold. Potbelly has a remarkable selec-tion of bacon, sausage and egg combos, hence the name. (www.potbelly.com).

If you are there in winter, the IDS Center links to the Skyway system of raised walkways which criss-cross the city and eliminate the need to go out into the cold when shopping or moving around town. The same system is used in St. Paul.

11.a.m. - A short walk away is the Mississippi River, which defines much of the Twin Cities as it snakes between the two. Riverside attrac-tions are few and far between so take a sum-mer picnic trip to one of the many picturesque lakes which surround Minneapolis such as Hia-watha Lake or Lake Cornelia Park.

2 p.m. - As lovely as nature is, there is nothing like a big shopping spree and the Twin Cities boast the Mall of America, which opened in 1992 as the biggest in the united States.

There are 500 stores, a cinema, bars, restau-rants, a sea life centre and a sizeable theme park for children in the middle of the giant in-door complex (www.mallofamerica.com/). The Mall is the last stop on the tram from down-town Minneapolis.

6 p.m. - After your shopping bonanza head to the other end of the tram line and catch a game of baseball at Target Field, home of the Min-nesota Twins Major League team (minnesota.twins.mlb.com/). Check on ticket availability and fixtures before going.

This modern baseball park, host of the All-Star game in 2014, has a family atmosphere and superb sightlines and a vast range of fast food and drink outlets for dinner. Try a delicious corn dog. If you want a beer, make sure you have ID as even 30-somethings are challenged.

Matches normally last three-and-a-half hours but the possibility of overtime can mean a late finish.Remember to take your camera. A shot of the game with the stadium and the skyscrapers of Minneapolis right be-hind as the sun sets is breathtaking.

SunDAY9 a.m. - Grab some breakfast at your ho-tel and head to St. Paul to experience what the second twin has to offer. An extension of the Minneapolis tram is being built so take a taxi, bus or your rental car (although parking can be tricky in the center of both cities).

Start off at St. Paul’s State Capitol build-ing, adorned with a golden dome, spy the stylish cathedral on your right and head down the hill and pop into the engaging Minnesota History Center, ar-guably the state’s best museum (here).

11 a.m. - From the History Center head west along Summit Avenue, Minneso-ta’s most exclusive and one of its old-est streets. It is where the governor’s mansion and many elegant buildings associated with St. Paul native F. Scott Fitzgerald are situated.

Turn back along Grand Avenue towards downtown and you will pass a number of excellent restaurants for lunch such as Cafe Latte, which has a huge selection of desserts (www.cafelatte.com/).

2 p.m. - Once back in downtown St. Paul, check out the glorious interior of the Landmark Cent-er, completed in 1902 and used as a federal courthouse and post office. It is now a cultural center.

Capital building in St. Paul with the Cathederial in the back ground

Minnesota, there is an easy answer - the “Twin Cities” of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

3 p.m. - The excellent Science Museum of Minnesota is nearby on the other side of Rice Park, above the large drop down to the Mississippi below.

The museum (www.smm.org/) boasts varying special exhibitions and an om-nitheater with a 27-meter domed screen.

5 p.m - If you have time for an early dinner before departing then Red’s Savoy Pizza house on Seventh Street (here) is a an ex-perience. There are no windows and the decor fails to brighten up the place but that is half the charm.

(Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)

Capital building in St. Paul with the Cathederial in the back ground

Future is TODAY!

Renovation PLuS!

The BEST WESTERn Bandana Square is excited for our upcoming renovations and up grade to the !

We are glad to announce the addition of a new elevator and updated lobby, meeting space, fitness centre.

Each room will include a 40 inch televi-sion, upgraded room furniture, refrig-erator, microwave and single cup coffee makers with, upgraded bath amenities, and complimentary Wi-Fi.

The hotel’s pool area will have new upgraded soft furnishings manicured grounds and are a mainstay of the prop-erty and why guests return year after year.

In addition, the hotel’s brand new beau-tifully appointed Breakfast room offers a full complimentary breakfast includ-ing hot eggs, waffles, breakfast , pastries and breads, a full assortment of cereals, a variety of milk products, plus yogurt, coffee, and a variety of juices

“We believe that with our new renovations we will exceed the expectations of travellers and our local friends with our beau-tiful hotel.”

We have added enhanced guest experience, while creating a unique hotel

The BEST WESTERn Bandana Square will undergo a truly exceptional renovation. not only have we included the standards required to be-come a BEST WESTERn PLuS hotel, but have gone beyond to provide an enhanced guest experience, while cre-ating a unique hotel that embraces its location in the history of the northern Pa-cific Como Shops

The snow is melting, the days are getting longer, and the temperature is getting warmer – it can only mean that spring is here in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Looking for ideas for things to do in the spring in Minneapolis? Here’s some spring activities in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

•Splash in puddles with your kids.•Go skiing or snowboard-ing for cheap – local ski

For over 100 years, Como Zoo and Con-servatory in St. Paul, Minne-sota has charmed millions

Spring in The Twin Cities

hills usually slash lift ticket prices at the end of the season until their snow finally melts.•See one of 170+ inde-pendent movies at the Minneapolis-St. Paul In-dependent Film Festival, held at the of April.•Go maple syruping.•Attend a Minnesota Fashion Week runway show, party or boutique event – usually the sec-ond week of April.•Take your kids on an Easter Egg hunt.•Get a carwash and blast the salt and road crud off your car.•Catch a St. Paul Saints Game•Celebrate Earth Day at a fair, festival or help clean up a local park at an Earth Day cleanup event. Earth Day is April 22, Earth Day events are held on the closest weekends.Wear shorts.

•Go for a hike and look for signs of spring – bird-song, green shoots, rush-ing streams and creeks.•Yard sale season is here – spring clean your house and hold your own ga-rage sale, or go shop-ping for bargains.•Visit the Como Zoo and Conservitory - awww, fluffy chicks and little lambs!

Affordable tickets and the Saints entertainment team make for great fam-

ily fun

•It’s warm enough to wear a kilt! Attend, or spectate at the annual Minnesota Tartan Day celebration at the Min-nesota State Capitol. On or around April 9.•Appreciate the lack of mos-quitoes… the peace won’t last long.•Admire Minnehaha Falls – the falls are at their strongest in the spring with the water from melting snow.

•Dress as the Borg or Princess Leia at Minicon, the Midwest’s longest running •SciFi conven-tion. Easter Weekend.•Head up to the north Shore and go agate hunt-ing – the winter storms have likely washed plen-ty of Lake Superior ag-ates onto the beaches.•Plan your garden – how about constructing a rain garden?

THE STATE OF MInnESOTA IS A GREAT DESTInATIOn. unu-SuAL AnD HISTORIC SITES ARE LOCATED THROuGHOuT THE STATE AnD OFFER A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHInG TO THOSE THAT TRAVEL WITHIn HER BORDERS. THE OnLY quES-TIOn THAT REMAInS IS, WHERE TO BEGIn?

good deals for Meetings & Rooms

7 DAY ADVAnCE purchase:Book 7 days in advance and save. Available to all travellers. no cancella-tions or changes. FuLL PAYMEnT REquIRED AT TIME OF BOOKInG, nOn-REFunDABLE.Taxes may apply. A credit card is re-quired at check-in.

MEETInG & EVEnTS:Soo Line, Milwaukee and northern Pacific Confer-ence Rooms,Our 3 Meet-ing Rooms provides an atmosphere for produc-tive business discussions. Comfortable tables and chairs, and available AV equipment and catering

service make this room a perfect spot to accom-plish your business meet-ing objectives.

GREAT GROuP DEALS:Treat your group to a memorable and practical meeting place that brings business and casual to-gether.

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Located in the common area of the BEST WESTERn Bandana Square. This is a great place to grab some slidders a pizza and a few drinks. Why brave the cold when you can walk down to the lobby have a few drinks, watch a good game and enjoy all the hotel has to offer.

Treat your attendies to a relaxing social hour at our Waiting Room Lounge. With Seating of up to 30 it provides a fun relaxing break from the day and a chance to network withothers from your event. Let us help you come upwith an amazing way to treat your guests to some-thing special.

Welcome

the Waiting Room

meeting & banquet space

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Hotel Assistance

info@bestwesternsaintpaul.com

Hotel Management

Feel free to contact management: gm@bwbandanasquare.net

General Information

1010 Bandana Blvd W.Saint Paul, Mn. 55108Phone: (651) 647-1637Fax: (651) 647-0244

Submissions

Editorial Submissions: editorial@bestwesternsaintpaul.com

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