When Tricia Cornell returned to the United States after living in Central Europe for five years, she could have chosen to live anywhere, but she chose Minneapolis. The theater and arts scenes, the Twin Cities' manageable size, the lakes (10 of them in Minneapolis alone), and, yes, even the weather, all proved irresistible to her. She's still finding new reasons to love the area, as innovative new farmers markets open, greenways expand, and hometown chefs attract national attention.

During her time abroad, Tricia authored more than 15 guides to six European cities and wore out several pairs of shoes. Today, she edits Minnesota Parent Magazine and Minnesota Good Age. And she's still wearing out a lot of shoe leather as a freelance writer for local alt-weekly City Pages and Minnesota Monthly, where she's tracked down everything from the best breakfast joint to the best yarn store.