“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today, to get through this thing called life.” If you aren’t familiar, these are some of the most famous lyrics from Minneapolis legend and entertainer Prince. The Minnesota city not only birthed him, but it has also worked to position itself as a destination that travelers of all interests want to visit.

I recently visited for a few days to get a firsthand look at all of the area’s hotspots, and now I want to put you on so that you are well equipped when you decide to pop in for yourself. While I certainly will not gloss over the fact that it was the place in which George Floyd ultimately lost his life, what I can say from my experience, is that the city—and local entrepreneurs and businesses—are working to ensure that the “Twin City” is a more inclusive and inviting place for visitors of all races.

From Black-owned business and must-try restaurants to a newish Four Seasons Hotel, here’s how you can explore Minneapolis like a true insider.

Where to stay

By now you’ve likely heard the viral social media sound asking the young child if they want to go to the Four Seasons in Orlando. Well, lucky for me, Minneapolis opened a property just two summers ago and it is absolutely gorgeous. Located in downtown, and within walking distance of just about everything you’ll need, the Four Seasons Minneapolis has all the upscale amenities you dream of, including: a full-service spa, rooftop pool and bar, multiple dining options and each room has plush robes and slippers waiting for you.

Upon my arrival, I was greeted with a cold glass of champagne before being escorted to my king room on the 26th floor. With a view of what felt like the entire city, I spent lots of time just taking in the views. Additionally there’s a complimentary house car on property that will take you anywhere within a 3-mile radius and there are bikes available for guests who want to explore on two wheels. On most weekends, you can catch a rooftop yoga session or other workout classes taught by locals.

Beyond the Four Seasons, there are tons of other hotels and boutiques within the area, so it just boils down to your personal preference.

Best places to eat

I was pleasantly surprised at the number of Black-owned eateries within walking distance from my hotel. For my morning caffeine fix, I walked across the street to check out Mocha Momma’s Coffee on the bottom level of the Minneapolis Central Library. With a mission statement of “mentoring urban youth with coffee so the community thrives,” I knew that I was in the right place. I went with an iced lavender oat milk latte—my usual order almost anywhere—and it hit the spot. On one of the morning when I needed a full service breakfast, I set out on foot to Breakfast Bar of Minnesota for the Southern staples I’m used to. Fried salmon croquettes, cheese grits, eggs and biscuits filled my belly before I started a very long day.

If you don’t mind going a little farther in the city, Houston White’s The Get Down Coffee Co. is a whole vibe in itself.

For lunch, I stayed at the hotel and went to the rooftop to check out Riva Terrance where I ordered the panzanella salad topped with skirt steak. Other must-try spots are: Butcher & The Boar for the smoked short rib and eggs for brunch (Pro Tip: ask for the jalapeño cheddar biscuit instead of tortillas), Borough for its fork-tender pork belly at dinner, Soul Bowl in Graze: Provisions + Libation and, in the spirit of something sweet, check out Edwards Dessert Kitchen—all in the North Loop neighborhood. While there, pop in to Cobble Social House (also Black-owned) for a few lights bites and a nightcap from its rotational cocktail menu.

Where to play

While I was technically in Minneapolis to cover the 2024 U.S. Gymnastics Olympic Team trials, I still had ample time to visit some of the city’s hotspots. If you’re like me and love to peruse local boutiques and shops, you’ll love North Loop. A few standout spots for me were: Queen Anna House of Fashion (Black-owned), D. NOLO (also Black-owned) and Martin Patrick, which although it’s geared toward men, I loved browsing the coffee table book selection as well as home decor.

Of course, you’re in The Purple One’s hometown, so it’s only right that you pay homage to him while there. If time permits or you’re able to snag a ticket for your dates, I highly suggest taking the trip to Paisley Park. If not, you can opt to swing by his larger-than-life mural near the interaction of N. 5th Street and Washington Ave. Or, as you’re heading back home, you can patron the official Prince store in the Delta terminal of Minneapolis’ airport.

For the artsy folks, the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District neighborhood hosts Open Saturdays from noon until 4p on, you guessed it, Saturdays. Typically in warmer months, you’ll be able to browse dozens of local art studios.

The strike by Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board (MPRB) workers in Minnesota continued into its 13th day Tuesday, following a July 10 announcement that the walkout would be extended indefinitely, after initially being proposed for just one week. The strikers are members of the Laborer’s International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 363, which covers roughly 300 full and part-time workers. Workers voted by a 94 percent margin to strike last month.

The strike is the first in the park system’s 141-year history, an expression of the militancy among park workers and the growth of the class struggle internationally. Workers are demanding substantial improvements to safety, healthcare and wages. The Minneapolis parks system is regularly ranked among the top in the US, while the workers who make it run struggle to afford rent and basic necessities.

“How are you supposed to make ends meet?”

During picketing on Sunday, a striker with six years working for the MPRB told the WSWS, “I can tell you what my key points are and what I’m interested in getting out of this strike. It’s a fair starting wage for new people to come in.

“Right now, the starting wage is $18 an hour. I used to do this job with the park board as a summer job while I was a teacher. I quit teaching and did this job for three years and was rewarded with a promotion to full time with a $3 an hour pay cut. I didn’t appreciate that.

“They also told me I would be off weekends within a year and a half. And they lied to me about that in the interview. Instead I was going to be on weekends for a minimum of five years. I’ve worked on every holiday, except Labor Day for the last two years.

“The park maintenance people in the suburbs surrounding Minneapolis make about $8-$10 an hour more than we do. In the forestry department in Minneapolis, our top pay is $2 an hour less than the starting wage for the St. Paul forestry department. That’s a substantial amount of money.

“Again, for me, the biggest thing is the starting pay for new employees. With the cost of renting an apartment $1,500 a month, how are you supposed to make enough for that? I have a wife and two kids. How are you supposed to make ends meet?”

Democrats accelerate efforts to shut down strike

Closed-door negotiations between LIUNA 363 and MPRB continued into Monday and Tuesday. On Tuesday afternoon, MPRB presented a new “final” offer, demanding it be brought to a vote by Friday, according to local news reports. The proposal would include a 10.25 percent wage increase over three years—an effective cut to real wages given the sharp rise in prices in recent years.

LIUNA 363 negotiators stated they accept the wage proposal, but object to other elements of the offer. LIUNA Business Manager AJ Lange said Tuesday that he was “open” to bringing the contract to a vote but said “the board doesn’t dictate the internal procedures of the union and how we conduct our votes.”

The striking Minneapolis park workers are employed by the state government, placing them in a direct fight against the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, as the state Democratic Party is known in Minnesota. The DFL controls all nine MPRB commissioners, the MPRB superintendent, and the mayor.

The DFL park board has used the fact that property and commercial real estate taxes have fallen as a reason to impose this burden by slashing workers’ living standards. The Democrats’ refrain that there is insufficient money to provide workers a good standard of living and decent working conditions is a lie. The Biden administration and both parties in Congress are squandering tens of billions of dollars on its proxy war in Ukraine, and on arming and funding the Israeli government in its genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza.

There are growing indications that the Democratic Party is accelerating its efforts to shut down the strike and impose an austerity agreement. Democratic officials are particularly concerned to prevent the strike from becoming a catalyst for a broader upsurge of working class struggle, particularly in the midst of the explosive political crisis and instability in the run-up to the 2024 US elections.

Minneapolis Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey is “working with both sides to reach an agreement,” the mayor’s office said. LIUNA 363 officials have repeatedly appealed for Frey—a chief political representative of the Twin Cities corporate interests—to intervene.

Also on Tuesday, the city council passed a toothless resolution “supporting” the striking parks workers, while signaling that the walkout should be brought to an end. Appearing at a joint press conference with LIUNA 363 officials, city councilperson Aurin Chowdhury (whose candidacy was backed by the pseudo-left Democratic Socialists of America) stated, “We need to push for the end of this strike and that’s through a fair contract so we can return service to our constituents.”

The endless appeals by LIUNA 363 officials to the Democratic Party and the MPRB are a dead end. Any deal emerging from closed-door discussions with the city’s big business political representatives will inevitably be a betrayal of what workers have been striking for.

The most urgent task of workers now is to take the strike into their own hands through the development of rank-and-file committees. An urgent appeal should be made to other workers throughout the Twin Cities and the region to join and expand the walkout.

The arrogance of the MPRB board officers and their outright refusal of workers demands has provoked growing indignation, including at a July 10 MPRB public meeting.

Park Board Superintendent Alfred Bangoura opened the meeting reading from a prepared text declaring he would return to the bargaining table, “but only after 363 leadership allows membership to vote on the last offer.”

The hall erupted with boos and a worker shouted, “We already did! How many votes do you want!”

Pointing to Bangoura, a 10-year veteran park worker took the microphone and said, “He shouldn’t be saying that he knows Local 363 members are telling him that we don’t want to strike. Well? We’re here!”

“And that’s not his call. That’s our call. If he’s got that much power, we’re just slaves then. Because that’s what slavery is… and that’s what you’re all treating us like. And the community won’t stand for it.”

The worker skewered Bangoura about the fact that he pays a mere $1,300 a month on a $210,000 salary to live in a large, refurbished 19th century house located on Lyndale Farmstead Park. He compared that to the $2,000 a month that he has to pay.

“You pay my rent and I’ll pay yours. And I’ll feel better. Because $1,300 sounds way better than my $2,000. And you make way, way more than I do.”

“A general strike—straight across the board”

Asked about the role of the DFL in the park board strike, the parks worker on the pickets Sunday referred back to the 1985-1986 strike by UFCW Local P-9 at the Hormel meatpacking plant in Austin, Minnesota.

“This is a more peaceful strike as opposed to the Hormel Strike when the Governor [Rudy Perpich-DFL] brought in the National Guard. I was a young man back then. And I felt like the union got squashed there and the workers lost their rights, they lost their working conditions, they lost their pay and they lost their jobs.

“We have the right to strike. Just like anybody else, I need my pay check. But here I am. I’m sticking with these guys. I’m sticking with the people that are fighting for us as opposed to the management people that are fighting against us.

“With that being said, I love this job. I want to continue with it, but I want to see new people coming into the job and having a fair chance in life. You’re not going to get that at $18 an hour.

“If you unite all the city workers together, that would really shut the city down. People would be aware of how important everybody working together would be; a general strike—straight across the board.”

However, LIUNA and the AFL-CIO have done nothing to mobilize the power of the city’s working class behind the strike and will not do so.

Local 363 has based its campaign on the perspective of pressuring the Democratic Party to compromise. But at the July 10 monthly park board meeting, the commissioners and the superintendent sat stone-faced and unmoved through a raucous meeting of angered strikers. Finally, board president Meg Forney broke in and told strikers, “… I need, as I indicated, to close open time and go about our business,” and the board walked out of the meeting.

The strike can be won, but a new strategy is needed.

A rank-and-file strike committee should be formed by parks workers to open communications with other sections of workers and coordinate their struggles.

Parks workers must turn to and fight to mobilize the power of the entire working class. Strikers should go to the worksites of other city workers, lobby teachers, postal workers, healthcare workers, railroad workers, airport workers, utility workers and construction workers, not only in Minneapolis but throughout the Twin Cities metro region. A special appeal should be made to college students who have been protesting the Biden administration’s support of Israel in carrying out genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza.

Opinion editor’s note: Star Tribune Opinion publishes a mix of national and local commentaries online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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Despite their promises for a greener environment, our city and regional leaders have failed us in creating the much-needed tree canopy for the city of Minneapolis.

Local, regional and global climate experts have all agreed that urban cities like Minneapolis need to create a bigger tree canopy to ward off the effects of climate change and keep our city cool. Minneapolis is in particular danger due to the devastation caused by the emerald ash borer. Leaders at the city and county level have pledged to create a green environment, but their actions speak otherwise.

One only need look at the numerous projects underway around the city to rebuild roads and sidewalks to understand our leaders are all words and no action. Concrete is poured everywhere, with no space left for the trees that could help us thrive.

Just outside Mayor Jacob Frey’s front door, the project to rebuild Hennepin and 1st Avenues is a primary example. The project manager stated “there will be no trees on these blocks,” just concrete. Where is the mayor? Does he not care his neighborhood will be another concrete jungle? That his and other children will grow up without trees and will suffer the results of climate change?

The community surrounding this area in particular gave significant input on the need for a tree canopy and greener spaces. Those concerns remain ignored and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and Hennepin County president (representative of this area and responsible for this project), refuse to engage or answer inquiries. We only heard that “the plan is the plan.” A walk around the North Loop and downtown show the same disregard for green space and a tree canopy.

I recently visited Medellin, Colombia. Some might say this is a “Third World” city. However, I witnessed a city committed to creating the greenest urban environment on Earth. They have planted trees and other greenery in every possible inch of space. It is magical to walk the streets. Can’t Minneapolis have the same as an advanced and progressive city?

Talk is cheap. Actions have meaning. Plans can be changed. It is time for our leaders to live by their words and take action to preserve and enhance our great city by building the greenest city in America.

Daniel Duty is a resident and business owner in northeast Minneapolis.