Diamond Jubilee: High Bridge Overlook, St Paul, MN

In a city built onto bluffs and hills, a famous overlook gives good views of downtown St Paul and the Mississippi Valley. I set off from the hotel after a brief rest and retraced some of my steps toward Smith Street. There I found "High Bridge" which crosses to a viewpoint on the opposite bank.

Along the way I passed the randomly placed "Large Green Chair".

The Smith Street Bridge (High Bridge) lives up to its name.

I easily found the viewpoint and looked back over some of the places I had walked earlier that day. I thought St Paul's downtown looked wonderful from that vantage point. I was struck at how green the city appeared. The twin domes of the capitol and St Paul's stood next to each other in almost silhouette on the horizon.

Even more surprising was the view in the opposite direction (Minneapolis). Where on earth was the city? Because the river park is wide and the some bluffs intervene, the fact that St Paul's "twin" lies just up the river is unnoticeable. I was blown away at how much nature was immediately accessible to the residents of the Twin Cities.

July 2021

The day was drawing to a close and I needed to get back to the room. I had one more stop to make along the way - a highly recommended German restaurant (right at the end of High Bridge).