We were in the mood to explore a new area of the Twin Cities. We chose the downtown area of White Bear Lake. It is clear that there is more to this town than the downtown area, but we only had a few hours.

Seeing as we were hungry, we looked around to see what was still open after 2pm. A resident told us about Washington Square. We decided that it was a good place to eat and were pleased with our meals. For some reason Baby Willow was not in the mood for the meal we ordered. Oh well. We ordered: a bunless burger with a side salad, Hawaiian sandwich with fries and chicken tenders. The hostess allowed us to sit in a corner so that we out be out of the way. Baby Willow has good and bad days. This was a good day other than the not wanting the chicken. The place was family friendly and the staff were very helpful and pleasant. I would go back to eat here.

After our afternoon meal or late lunch, we took a stroll around downtown. There is a mix of national chains and mom and pop boutique stores. We went to one that looked fun, Goodthings. We bought a couple of books for Baby Willow, but the store was full of gifts and ideas for nearly everyone. I love gift shops.

Once we discovered just how long we spent in this shop, we went to a city park and Baby Willow was able to enjoy the swing and the slide. It is right next to a rather large lake. We went to see the only public area we knew about on the lake which is a good 90% private shoreline. Baby Willow enjoyed the sand and the fallen leaves.

It became too dark and we needed to get home so we drove home. We saw some beautiful Victorian homes as well as another area that might be fun to explore on another day when we have more time. We ran out of time and hope to see the nature reserve near by one day.

Bye for now.