Alexis on the Sexes: Get classed
Q: My two-part New Year's resolution was to learn a new activity and to try harder to meet someone. I think a class might be a good way to kill both those birds with one stone. I'm pretty open as to what kind of class I'd like to take. Can you recommend a good starting place to look for classes and activities? Thanks!
--Bill, 23
A: You just missed winter registration for adult enrichment courses through the City of Minneapolis, but watch the website for spring. Classes vary from wire jewelry-making to rain-barrel construction and everything in between. Your best bets are language, arts, photography, coed volleyball and cooking classes. If you've got skills -- and really, almost anything goes -- sign up to teach a course. It gives you the perfect excuse to interact with all the participants and get to know the ones you want to start seeing after class. For more information, call the Minneapolis Community Education office at 612-668-3939 or bookmark the Adult Enrichment page.
Cooking classes attract possibly the most diverse group of people of any class you can take. We all eat, right? And the investment of learning a few new tricks in the kitchen is a smart one, since we've all become accustomed to dining out a little less often. My recommendation for cooking classes is to bring a friend. Folks generally don't sign up solo, and the fun atmosphere makes for great socializing in groups of four or more. You'll find the best variety of classes at Whole Foods Minneapolis and Kitchen Window. Check out the Whole Foods calendar at www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/minneapolis or call them at 612-927-8141. Classes fill up fast at Kitchen Window, so watch the class catalog at www.kitchenwindow.com, call 612-824-4417 or just stop by their spacious new digs in Calhoun Square.
The Loft Literary Center hosts all kinds of classes for aspiring writers, whether you can barely punctuate a sentence or you're ready to sell that screenplay you've been working on since the 12th grade. Click on Classes & Festivals at www.loft.org or call one of their friendly directors at 612-379-8999.
The Twin Cities art culture knows no boundaries -- we erect high-concept ice houses on a frozen lake and create a festival around it every year, for Pete's sake -- so it's no surprise that you have choices when it comes to art classes. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts offers fascinating courses on art history as well as hands-on classes for sketching and drawing. They also host interesting lectures, all of which are very affordable or even free. Find the Adult Programs page at www.artsmia.org.
MNartists.org is a massive database of local artists and organizations dedicated to making our vibrant arts scene as accessible to the public as possible. There is an extensive calendar of events and classes going on all over the Twin Cities and beyond. From the website's Calendar page, choose the Classes/Workshops category. This site is constantly being updated, so check it often.
I've written about coed recreational sports leagues before, and I can't say enough good things about them. I played adult kickball for five years and have a novella's worth of war stories about all the game-time glory (and injuries), not to mention the bar-time antics afterward. You're automatically introduced to friends of friends when you join a team, and there are always new people to meet on the opposition. Check the parks and recreation website for the city you live in, or check the Midwestern Unconventional Sports Association (MUSA) at www.kickoplex.com. If it's a GLBT team you seek, go to www.glassports.org.
- Alexis McKinnis is taking your questions about sex, dating and relationships. Send them to advice@vita.mn or submit anonymously at www.vita.mn/alexis. Don't leave out the juicy details!
