Twin Cities Shuffle

It’s time to take your schedule off repeat and expand your most-visited, go-to hangouts list

If you’re not already familiar with Pandora’s Music Genome Project, it’s a fabulous piece of technology that takes the songs and artists you like, puts them through some mysterious Internet magic, and spits out suggestions for music with similar DNA. (And with startling accuracy: what fan of Paul Simon’s mellow melodies wouldn’t be delighted to discover the worldly folk beats of Xavier Rudd?) Here’s an admittedly lower-tech—but no less inspirational—playlist of deep-track Twin Cities amusements, based on the greatest-hits activities you already love to do.

Top-10 Single

Deep Track

A Saints game A Miesville Mudhens game
If you dig the intimate, folksy vibe of minor-league baseball, you’ll love the amateur-league games at Jack Ruhr stadium in Miesville, just south of Hastings. Cornfields surround the home of the Miesville Mudhens, Field of Dreams style, where regular non-Mauer Joes play ball for the love of the game.
Craft cocktails
at Bradstreet Craftshouse and Marvel Bar
Craft sodas at Eat Street Social and Dangerous Man
What’s the beverage-loving counterpart to a foodie? A drinkie? A bevvie? Whatever you call yourself, if you love a good craft cocktail, expanding into non-alcoholic territory lets you enjoy complex liquid concoctions outside socially accepted drinking hours.
Shopping at the
Mall of America
Shopping at Midtown Global Market
The all-local merchants at Midtown Global Market offer everything from international art to international candy bars plus dining options that go way beyond the usual food-court Cinnabon. Where else can you get a hand-stitched sweater from Iceland, an authentic piñata, and a chocolate-Surly-beer cupcake all in one spot?
Zumba, kickboxing, or sculpt classes at your gym Rock climbing at Vertical Endeavors or pole dancing at Knockout Bodies
Gym-based group-fitness classes are all well and good, but when you need a little glute-toning inspiration, a session of pole dancing or rock-wall climbing could be just the ticket, introducing you to new heights, genuine thrills, belly laughs, and muscles you didn’t know existed.
Minnesota
Orchestra
concerts
The Liquid Music series from the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
In the melancholy silence left behind in the wake of the Minnesota Orchestra’s canceled season, music-lovers needn’t sit at home with their CD players. SPCO’s Liquid Music series offers performances for adventurous audiences, including daring new compositions and electronic experimentation.