On the afternoon of Day 7 we drove almost 300 miles west from Green Bay to Minneapolis for a two-night stay in the "City of Lakes". The nickname stems from the fact there are more than twenty lakes within the city limits of Minneapolis. In fact, the name 'Minneapolis' is derived from the Dakota word for water (mini) and the Greek word for city (polis). Minneapolis also lies on both banks of the Mississippi River just north of the river's confluence with the Minnesota River. It is the largest city in the State of Minnesota and the 48th largest in the United States. Adjoining Minneapolis is the city of St. Paul, together they form the famed Twin Cities with a combined metropolitan population of 3.5 million. We went to Minneapolis because this would be the starting point for our journey down the Great River Road the following day (Day 9). We stayed in the Lofton Hotel, a lovely establishment, in the beautiful downtown west area just across the street from the Target Center arena, home to the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves and the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx. Directly in back of the Target Center is Target Field, the baseball park where the Minnesota Twins play. On Day 8 we had a full day of sightseeing in the city. We began shortly after breakfast by walking the area around our hotel to see the Bob Dylan mural. We then drove to visit Mills Ruin Park and walked across the Old Arch Bridge to see the St Anthony Falls, the only waterfall on the Mississippi River. From here we drove to the Walker Art Center, a contemporary art museum in the Lowry Hill neighborhood of the city. It was Monday and many of the city's museums were actually closed on this day. In front of the Walker Art Center is the famous Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, an 11-acre open park with 40 permanent art sculptures and installations. It is one of the largest urban sculpture gardens in the country. We walked through the entire park enjoying the unique sculptures on display. We then drove over to the Minneapolis Institute of Art, one of the nation's best art museums with a collection spanning 20,000 years of human existence, but, alas (or drats), they were also closed on Mondays. Our next stop was a visit to the Minneapolis Mall of the Americas. And if you think visiting a mall on a road trip is a lame endeavor then you haven't heard about this mall. Located in Bloomington, Minnesota, ten miles south of downtown Minneapolis, this is not only the biggest shopping mall in the United States, but also the largest in the Western Hemisphere and the 12th largest overall worldwide. This place is huge ! Roughly 40 million people come here annually. It spreads out in four sections encompassing a gross area of 129 acres. More than 500 stores are arranged within its four levels. But what makes the mall a strong tourism draw is the number of family-friendly attractions located inside, like the Nickelodeon Universe, an amusement park complete with roller coasters and water rides, and the Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium. And these are just two of almost 20 different attractions within this mega mall. You'll find glow-in-the-dark mini golf, a FlyOver America flight simulator ride, in-door rock climbing, the Amazing Mirror Maze ( a labyrinth of reflections), the interactive Crayola Experience, a bowling alley, virtual reality games, a comedy club and even a haunted house. And that's just half of the attractions! We spent two-and-a-half hours in this place and barely saw a fifth of it. That evening we spent the night at the Canterbury Park Racetrack and Casino playing baccarat. The previous evening we had also gone to the casino. Between the casinos in Green Bay and Minneapolis, my brother and I racked up $600 in winnings which we used to help defray the cost of gas, meals and museums over the coming days. The following morning we embarked on the Great River Road portion of our trip.