Minneapolis

Minneapolis, the Twin Cities' larger half (with Saint Paul), is one of America's most liveable and consistently underrated cities — a northern Minnesota metropolis with excellent arts institutions, a thriving live music scene (Prince's hometown), remarkable diversity, an outdoor culture that embraces rather than retreats from brutal winters, and a culinary scene that has developed dramatically in the past decade. The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is one of America's finest regional museums — its permanent collection of 89,000 objects covering 5,000 years is free to visit and excellent. The Walker Art Center, with its outdoor Minneapolis Sculpture Garden (featuring Claes Oldenburg's Spoonbridge and Cherry), is one of America's premier contemporary art institutions. First Avenue, the club where Prince played regularly and filmed Purple Rain in 1984, remains a functioning music venue and pilgrimage site. The Minneapolis Skyway System — an enclosed, climate-controlled elevated pedestrian walkway connecting 80 blocks of downtown buildings — is remarkable winter infrastructure. The Chain of Lakes (Bde Maka Ska, Lake Harriet, Lake of the Isles, Lake Nokomis) is the city's finest outdoor asset — in summer, everyone bikes, swims and kayaks; in winter, the frozen lakes are used for ice skating and ice fishing. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota is one of America's finest wilderness destinations, accessible in 3 hours. The James Beard Award-winning restaurant scene is consistently excellent.