Welcome to Hello, Weekend—our new guide to the best things to do, see, and pack for the best weekend every weekend.
We’re thinking of catching some live music and some sustainably sourced northern cuisine, but first…
What’s Going On
At Home…
There’s nothing better than a long weekend morning that stretches all the way into an afternoon, all while ensconced in gossip and sparkling wine. But that’s also probably why restaurants started noting time limits for tables on their brunch menus. Luckily, The Morning After Brunch event in Dallas gives you the opportunity to have a full Saturday out brunching and no one can judge you for it because you bought a ticket and everything. There, you’ll be able to try (food and drink) samples from the city’s best brunch spots all in one spot!
And Abroad…
Punxsutawney Phil may have predicted an early spring, but if the immediate present has you feeling cold and gray, a visit to London’s NOW Gallery may be in order. There, you’ll be able to experience artist Emmanuelle Moureaux’s latest installation Slices of Time. This large-scale installation, which is made up of cut out color paper in 100 different colors, invites visitors to contemplate their place in time with regard to the past and future. (The installation runs until April 19.)
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Where We Want to Go This Weekend
Minneapolis is a city that has been reaping the benefits that were sowed amid the early years of its cultural rebirth. It’s now awash in exciting restaurants in a range of cuisines that have had time to establish themselves. As a reflection of its progressive municipal politics, it was named the number one city for parks in the U.S. by the Trust for Public Land. And its music scene (it’s famously Prince’s hometown and it’s also where Lizzo cut her teeth before her rocketing fame) makes it a must for lovers of just about any genre. The “Minne Apple” could easily go toe-to-toe with any east coast metropolis—but with the added benefit of midwestern niceness.
Stay: Located in the North Loop neighborhood, Hewing Hotel acts as a perfect base of operations for exploring downtown. Though, with its luxuriously cozy rooms, on-site restaurant featuring Scandinavian cuisine, and rooftop spa pool and sauna (with excellent views of the city, natch), you might not get up to as much exploring as you’d originally planned.
Do: First Avenue is perhaps most famous for its connection to Prince, who performed at the venue regularly and used the music club as the setting for Purple Rain, and it remains one of the best places to catch live music in Minneapolis.
Eat: The Bachelor Farmer menu focuses on a style of cuisine that “honors Minnesota and the North,” featuring ingredients that are seasonal and sustainably sourced. Or, if all you need is a good cup of coffee or a homemade pastry (who doesn’t need a baked good every now and then?), you can stop by their café.
What We’re Reading on the Plane
It is fair to say (and perhaps necessary to point out) that Ottessa Moshfegh’s 2015 novel Eileen isn’t for everyone. But if it’s for you, it’s really for you. The story follows the week leading up to the titular narrator’s disappearance from her frigid New England hometown, which she only ever refers to as “X-ville.” In that time, we’re introduced to her job as a secretary at a prison for boys, her abusive and alcoholic father, and a myriad of (frequently off-putting) fixations. Considering the novel’s nearly nonstop parade of disturbing passages, it may sound odd to describe Eileen as a page turner, but with such a singularly strange and complex protagonist at its center and the masterful construction of Mosfhegh’s prose, you dread the idea of having to stop reading more than you dread the idea of uncovering the next, dark corner of the story.
What We’re Downloading to Watch on the Plane
Early on in her new comedy special, Weakness is the Brand, Maria Bamford asks the audience, “Why does everything have to be so good?” How many things described as “genius” or “amazing” rise to that level of greatness? “Is it really that interesting? Haven’t we seen it before? Einstein! Beyoncé! The Muppets! Japan!” Sure, we as a society are pretty quick to dole out these high levels of praise, but it’s a challenge to watch Bamford describe “going three rounds” against her mother to see who the better person is or sing a song about argument “saturation points” with her husband and not think, This is legitimately great!
What’s in Our Carry-On
It’s possible that hat boxes are still a fixture for the more moneyed echelon of travelers, but for the rest of us who roll the dice on whether or not we’ll even have the chance to put our spinner in the overhead bin, consolidation is the name of the game. So when it comes time to board your flight to sunnier climes, you can use the TopTote Leather Hat Clip to attach your wide-brimmed hat to your tote or backpack so that in the eyes of God and airline regulations, your hat is merely an extension of your allotted personal item.