The Thunderbird Motel

I decided that Minneapolis deserved another post, mainly so that I could show the pictures of where we stayed while we were there. Since I've been back, I've answered a variety of questions about the trip.

Q. Did you have a good trip?
Yes. We had fun, talked to great people, and spent too much money. What's not to like?

Q. How was the weather?
Cold, but not much colder than when I left Little Rock. Minneapolis warmed up while we were there. When I left, it was in the teens, a rare temperature around here. When I got back, it was 75 degrees. I put the top down and drove home from the airport.

Q. Did they have much snow?
Eh, not that much. Minneapolis is about 2 feet lower than normal in snowfall this year.

Q. Did you see a mosquito?
No, not unless you count all the souvenir items. There must really be a problem, but I didn't see any kind of critter except those stuffed and mounted in the hotel.

Bringing me to my next round of observations...the motel.
When we travel for Leisure Arts, we usually go to hotels around convention centers...Marriotts, Hiltons. This place wasn't either one of those, although it was a national chain...and I've definitely stayed in less attractive places on my own dollar so it was fine. It was just...interesting. The central decorating motif...Native Americans. There was a large statue out front, ceramic figurines in the lobby in a case with stuffed coyotes, motel wall-art of Native American scenes, random design elements worked into the bathrooms and on the doors, a hall of tribes for the meeting rooms, a blinking fire in the restaurant (orange light on, orange light off), and the view from my window...a totem pole with covered wagon in the background. I think it all stems from being built originally as the Thunderbird Motel. When it was purchased, the new owners must have liked the theme well enough to keep it. And I love a good theme, so it was fine. Makes a good story, right? We'll see if we end up there again next year.







And I was intrigued by the bottle opener bolted to the wall in the bathroom. I'm easily entertained.