While Mick Jagger can only talk the talk about visiting famous watering holes in Minneapolis, Jon Hamm walked the walk this past frigid weekend.
Actor Jon Hamm (no relation to the beer) soaks up Minneapolis' dive-bar scene around NHL game
"Mad Men's" Don Draper was spotted all over town at Palmer's, Dusty's and Bryant-Lake Bowl during the frigid weekend.
January 3, 2022 at 3:13PM
The Emmy-winning "Mad Men" and "Baby Driver" actor came to town to see his hometown St. Louis Blues take down the Minnesota Wild in the NHL Winter Classic at Target Field on Saturday, now officially the coldest game ever played in the NHL. Before and after the outdoor game, Hamm earned warm welcomes at a trio of local institutions: Dusty's Bar, Palmer's Bar and Bryant-Lake Bowl.
Hamm clearly took a liking to Dusty's, in particular, since he and his entourage hit the northeast Minneapolis saloon and Dago palace on Friday night — and then returned there Saturday after the game.
"Everyone in his group was fun and personable, and they were very generous to the staff," Dusty's bar manager Tony Thill reported.
Hamm also hit Bryant-Lake Bowl on Friday night, where he rolled several games. BLB owner Erica Gilbert said he chatted it up with other Blues fans and posed for photos while at the bowling alley/eatery. A "Jon Hamm was here" sign was spotted there after his visit.
Palmer's was the last stop on his watering-hole tour, and it was only somewhat by default: Bar owner Tony Zaccardi said Hamm wound up there on Sunday night after missing his flight out of town; or perhaps he suffered the fate of millions of other travelers hit by airline troubles. What a fitting stop Palmer's proved to be, though.
Zaccardi posted a photo of himself and the actor, um, hamming it up with one of the historic West Bank bar's many Hamm's Beer signs. It's not clear if the actor actually drank the old swill first brewed on St. Paul's East Side — word is he had enjoyed the Venture Pils from Duluth brewery Bent Paddle while at the BLB — but he did express his love for another famous local icon, Prince, with music scribe and radio host Cyn Collins while at Palmer's.
"It was super fun getting to chat with him about seeing Prince's last concert [Atlanta 2016], and sing along to Prince with him and friends," Collins reported from the bar.
Sounds like that old Don Draper charm is still intact; and weatherproof.
Sin City attempts to lure new visitors with multisensory, interactive attractions, from life-size computer games to flying like a bird.
