This is my 12th annual summer recap post—I've been writing them every September since 2013. They've become a nostalgic throwback to a time when blogging was a more personal medium, when the text before a recipe was a thoughtful essay instead of a way to cram in SEO keywords. My blogging is rarely algorithm-driven (I doubt the internet was begging for my all dressed chips taste test or a roundup of my favorite Minnesota State Fair foods), but as more and more people have found this blog I've focused on providing useful resources rather than personal narrative.
But I do still write this blog primarily for myself, and these summer posts give me an opportunity to reflect on my favorite season. So let's dive in to the summer of 2024, and as always, thanks for reading.
Destinations visited:
- Montreal, Canada
- Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota
- Fence, Wisconsin
- Duluth, Minnesota
My main summer travel was a week-long trip to Montreal at the end of June with Josh. We stayed on the edge of downtown near the Old Montreal neighborhood and spent our time exploring the city, eating croissants, and visiting museums. One of the highlights was the Jewish food tour that I wrote about in-depth on Still Proofing, my Jewish-focused newsletter.
Closer to home, I took a two-night trip to Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota to do research for a guidebook project. I'm a lifelong Minnesotan but it was my first visit to the state's only national park, and I appreciated the opportunity to see such beautiful scenery without any crowds.
In August, Mike and I rented an RV for a three-night trip to his family cabin near Fence, Wisconsin, which is a rural area in the northwestern portion of the state. We learned that we are definitely not RV people but Mike appreciated revisiting a place that is deeply meaningful to him.
Finally, Mike and I closed out the summer with a quick Labor Day weekend trip to visit my parents in Duluth, for a family gathering that also included my grandparents and my sister Rachel and her family.
Favorite Twin Cities spots I revisited:
My time in the Twin Cities was mostly spent revisiting my favorite places, including the wonderful restaurant patios at Hai Hai, Namaste Cafe, and Saint Paul Brewing. Obviously, I had to hit up all my favorite ice cream places, including Sonny's Cafe, Sebastian Joe's (plus I wrote about their 40th anniversary), Grand Ole Creamery, Bebe Zito, and Treats. (I wrote a whole post about my favorite ice cream spots in the Twin Cities if you want to read more.)
At Target Field, Mike and I witnessed a portion of Jose Miranda's historic streak of 12 consecutive hits, tying the all-time MLB record (he tied the Twins record during the game we attended on July 5). The Twins lost but it was a great game—the Twins scored seven runs, including a grand slam, in the ninth inning.
We also revisited my favorite outdoor places in the Twin Cities, with walks around Lake of the Isles, Lake Harriet, Bde Maka Ska, and Lake Nokomis, plus a picnic at Minnehaha Falls and a walk along the Mississippi River in St. Paul. In the suburbs, we had a picnic at the beautiful Rivers Edge Commons in Elk River and a fun evening of mini golf at Lilli Putt in Coon Rapids.
How I spent my birthday: Mike and I kicked off my 37th birthday celebration with breakfast at Diane's Place, where we ordered coffee and nearly the entire pastry menu to share. Then we walked around Lake Harriet with a stop for truffle popcorn at the Bread and Pickle, and then I spent the afternoon scrapbooking. We had a fabulous dinner on the patio at Moscow on the Hill—the accordion player even serenaded me with the Happy Birthday song in Russian—and then we took a long walk down Summit Avenue. By the end of our walk, dusk had fallen and we spotted dozens of fireflies, which felt like an auspicious way to start the next year of my life.
How I spent my wedding anniversary: Mike and I spent the early morning hours of our anniversary at the ER—he was eventually diagnosed with shingles (he's mostly recovered now), but his illness started somewhat atypically with severe abdominal and back pain. Luckily, our plans were pretty low-key anyway. We shared a delicious board of local cheeses and meat from The Grater Good, split a red velvet cupcake from Target in honor of our red velvet wedding cake, and sipped champagne out of our engraved wedding flutes. After the drama of ER visit we were incredibly grateful to spend the rest of our day together at home and not the hospital.
Song of the summer: I'm not on TikTok so I missed It's Corn by Tariq, The Gregory Brothers, and Recess Therapy when it originally went viral in 2022, but it encapsulates both my love of corn and the whimsical, weird sensibility that Mike and I share.
Life goals accomplished: I've been lucky to observe many of Minnesota's native mammals in the wild: moose, porcupines, coyotes, foxes, even an otter. However, I'd never seen a beaver and spotting one became a minor obsession. I finally accomplished my goal this August, when Mike and I saw a beaver swimming in the Mississippi River near downtown St. Paul.
I also saw my favorite band, the Gaslight Anthem, at the Fillmore—their music really resonates with me as an introspective person with big feelings, and the concert was an incredible experience.
Best thing we grilled: Juustoleipä, a Finnish cheese also known as bread cheese or squeaky cheese, tastes amazing on the grill. Similar to heating it in a skillet or the microwave, it gets gooey while holding its shape, but when you grill it over charcoal, there's a wonderful flavor boost.
How many hours I spent at the Minnesota State Fair: On opening day, I spent 4.5 hours covering new foods for the Heavy Table and doing some shopping on my own, and Mike and I spent 13.5 hours at the fair on the first Sunday of its run. The heat index was nearly 100 degrees, but we were having so much fun we barely noticed. Highlights included draft horse barrel racing, meeting state fair mascot Fairchild, and eating deep-fried delicacies including cheese curds, pickles, spiral potatoes, and cookie dough. (You can read an hour-by-hour recap of my personal day at the Minnesota State Fair, including how much money I spent, over at Racket.)
It was truly a perfect day at the fair and a wonderful way to close out the final days of summer.
More summer highlights posts: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.