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Insider Guide: Mayor RT Rybak

Named "Most Athletic Mayor" by Men's Fitness magazine, Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak doesn't just talk the talk when it comes to leading an active lifestyle. An avid biker and runner, he takes full advantage of the city's parks, paths, lakes and byways. Here's how he suggests to get out and enjoy.

Five Best Outdoor Fitness Adventures in the City

Mountain bike and cross country ski trails in Theodore Wirth Park
Within a mile of downtown, you can find world class mountain bike trails in summer and cross country ski trails in winter - all forged through deep woods and around lakes and streams. Extreme workouts deep in nature with the skyline as a backdrop.

Swim in any of the city's lakes, especially Calhoun and Harriet
Our lakes aren't just for viewing. I jump in and swim in them three times a week in the summer.

Bike the Grand Rounds
Minneapolis now has 100 miles of bike trails connecting lakes, creeks, two waterfalls and miles of beautiful neighborhoods.

Canoe or kayak the chain of lakes
Start at Lake Calhoun, head over to Lake of the Isles, visit the beach on Cedar Lake and explore the channels connecting all three. End up back at Tin Fish for a Fish Taco overlooking Lake Calhoun and the setting sun.

Run the river at Sunrise
Mist rises off the Mississippi as you set off across the Stone Arch Bridge, past the luxury condos in converted flour mills, across wooded walkways near the mouth of Bassett Creek and through the land-that-time forgot neighborhood on Nicollet Island.

A Few More of Mayor Rybak's Favorites

Favorite restaurant
Anything at the Midtown Global Market

Favorite place to shop for clothes and accessories
Hubert White, Friedman Shoes on W. Broadway or Roberts Shoes on Lake Street.

Favorite idea of a night on the town
Stroll through the Walker Sculpture Garden, grab a drink at Bar Lurcat in Loring Park, eat dinner at Solera on Hennepin, see a late jazz set at the Dakota and grab a late-night snack at 112 Eatery.

Favorite characteristic about the people or culture of Minneapolis
We are a get-up-and-do-things people: We volunteer, play sports, create and invent. Not many couch potatoes here.

Favorite Minnesota-made products
Honeycrisp apples, Caldrea, and SPAM

Favorite Minnesota musician or performer
Cookie Coleman

Favorite place you take a visitor that makes them go "WOW!"
Midtown Global Market, Guthrie Theater or Minnehaha Falls

Spill it-what's the city's best-kept secret?
Arts in north Minneapolis: Capri Theater, Lindstrom Center for Arts, Juxtaposition Arts and Homewood Studio are just a few.