https://www.paisleypark.com/ Archives - Jim Murty’s TravelTravelTravel

That year they partied like it was 2-0–1-9 but after a Covid hiatus let’s go crazy for Aer Lingus’s return to the Twin Cities again.

Prince’s home cities of Minneapolis and St Paul’s is laying out the purple carpet to its Irish and Hibernophile pals.

You know, those like us who fly through Ireland with pre-clearance to the States.

All across America

Ireland’s national airline carrier is resuming its service between Dublin and Minneapolis-St. Paul today, April 29, with four weekly round trip.

Which marks the full restoration of the airline’s pre-pandemic North American network of 18.

When the Dublin-Denver flights, which will also operate four times a week, come on tap from May 17.

I will endeavour to fit in a trip again to LAX, on Friday for the American Travel Fair, IPW.

Music is the flute of life

Now, of course, we know Minnesota for its links to the Purple One.

And you can lap it all up at Prince’s palatial Paisley Park.

But it has also been home to among others…

The Andrews Sisters, Judy Garland, Bob Dylan and Lizzo and her magic flute.

Of course, it will not have gone unnoticed on Irish visitors that the Twin Cities are a shopping hub.

With the Mall of America bringing shoppers from all around the world.

Deal us in

And so if you want to see why Minneapolis-St Paul is where the doves fly.

You can too with Ireland’s national airline carrier.

So let’s go crazy for Aer Lingus’s return to Twin Cities.

Dublin to Minneapolis from €209.97.

America, Countries, Flying

Flying high to Minneairpolis with Delta

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Season of trips and mellow flyfulness, Autumn is here and we’re flying high to Minneairpolis with Delta.

The Autumn, or the Fall as the Americans so lyrically refer to the third season of the year, is ripe for new flight routes.

And Ireland, or Airland as it could easily be called, is among one of the most connected countries per size in the world.

Only this week we see routes open up from May 24 with Delta Airlines from Dublin to Minnesota.

Minneapolis, where the doves (and Delta and Aer Lingus) fly, has seeped into our consciousness because of one Prince Rogers.

And all purple roads (and yes they have coloured their signs in Prince plum) lead to Paisley Park.

Take me to the Mall game

So let’s go, let’s go crazy.

And we all know when two Irish women get together then they’ll persuade each other to hit the shops.

And when that mall is the biggest shopping centre in the States, the biggest in the Western Hemisphere, the Mall of America.

Then you’ll not see them all day.

We’re thinking then that the only way to keep an eye on them is to go along on a couples trip.

And if you’re the sporty type then you’ll want to explore the Twin Cities’ teams.

Home run

Happens that the Mall of America is an appropriate place to start.

Because there’s a plaque in the mall’s amusement park commemorating the former location of home plate.

And one seat from Met Stadium was placed in Mall of America at the exact location it occupied in the stadium.

It commemorates a 520ft home run hit by hall of famer Harmon Killebrew in 1967.

All of which you’ll be dreaming of seeing at the new ball park, the Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome, also home to the Vikings American Football team.

Of course The National Sprawl of America (3 million sqft of retail space/520 stores) boasts entertainment galore within its walls.

Life is a roller coaster

With the largest indoor theme park in the States, the Nickelodeon Universe, formerly Camp Snoopy at its centre.

The rides include the roller coasters SpongeBob SquarePants, Rock Bottom Plunge, Fairly Odd Coaster.

It also boasts an 18-hole astroturf miniature golfing section Moose Mountain.

While at the Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium, guests travel through a 300ft curved tunnel through 14ft of water.

To view over 4,500 sea creatures including sharks, turtles, stingrays and many more.

And what gets even better is that Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium offers sleepovers, scuba diving, snorkeling and birthday parties.

Delta’s seasonal service will operate five-times weekly.

The Minneapolis route will complement the airline’s existing seasonal flights to Atlanta and Boston.

And the year-round service to New York JFK.

Delta will also return service to Shannon adding a seasonal service to New York effective May 25.

America, Countries, Music

Sing for Minnesota and Prince and Dylan

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I’d heralded in the last year with a party like it’s Two-Zero-One-Nine and a celebration of the Purple One’s state. 2021 will catch up so let’s sing for Minnesota and Prince and Dylan.

2019 was special not least because I clocked up more air miles than an astronaut.

Minne marvel: Minneapolis. http://www.visitusa.org.uk

But also because Aer Lingus launched its inaugural flight from Dublin to Minneapolis. Unhelpfully, though, that was when I was already on my travels so I’ve still got to check in.

This year will be even better in Prince’s backyard as Paisley Park reopens after Covid and the Mid-West state also celebrates folk poet Bob Dylan’s 80th birthday in his home town of Duluth.

The legends

It always comes as a source of inspiration to me that our musical legends don’t generally hail from the glittering cities of the world but rather Mississippi/Memphis (Elvis), Liverpool/Hamburg (The Beatles), Gary, Indiana (Jacko) Barbados (Rihanna) and Minneapolis (Prince) and Duluth (Dylan).

For Prince fans, and the rest of us, the reopening of the sex thimble’s iconic recording studio and home at Paisley Park will have us letting out high-pitched screams.

So what can we expect? A lot of purple (obvs), his wardrobe and yes only a Rock God can pull some of those outfits off while it also helps to have a hairy chest.

The Ultimate

Chest a minute: Prince. http://www.prince.com

You can wonder at his eclectic elecrtric guitars and pianos… and, er, his ping-pong table and pick up a paddle and play. The table tennis that is.

Three packages are advertised on their site: The Ultimate Experience ($160), The VIP Experience ($85) and The Paisley Experience ($45). And for the $160 I’d want to get behind a Little Red Corvette. Only saying!

Now while Prince was the idol of the Eighties, alongwith Michael Jackson (and let’s face it for all time) the Poet Laureate of the Sixties was another Minnesotan Bob Dylan.

Mr Zimmerman

The answer my friend: Bob Dylan. http://www.bobdylan.com

Dylan was born Robert Zimmerman in Duluth which is 154 miles north of Minneapolis on Lake Superior.

Again an unlikely port of call for a Rock God.

The young Robert spent the first six years of his life in the port by the Greatest Lake of them all before his family relocated to Hibbing 75 miles north-west.

So each have a claim to the Great Man.

Man of Minnesota

And how do they solve such things in Minnesota?

Well Minnesotans and sharing and caring and are celebrating their favourite son together.

Duluth Dylan Fest , the Hibbing Dylan Project, Visit Duluth, the Hibbing Area Chamber of Commerce, Iron Range Tourism and the Minnesota Discovery Center have all formed a band (Dylan reference there) under the title Year of Dylan.

The year will run between Dylan’s 80th and 81st birthdays which will be celebrated both in Duluth and Hibbing.

It will all get under way at the Dylan Monument at Hibbing High School on May 22, as well as music at Dylan’s boyhood home in Hibbing.

Who’s your favourite?

I’ll keep you updated as we go along but let’s just celebrate this Mid-West state and sing for Minnesota and Prince and Dylan.

Tag: https://www.paisleypark.com/

Let’s go crazy for Aer Lingus’s return to Twin Cities