Terry Weitgenant and Reiko Tanaka knew right away when house hunting 10 years ago that the condo in the Airye Condominiums in St. Paul's Lowertown was the place for them.
"What sold us immediately walking in were the views. It was incredibly expansive with straight views to the [State] Capitol, and, from the bedroom, we could see the river," said Weitgenant. They were also delighted by the fact that they could see both the St. Paul and Minneapolis skylines from the 42nd-floor unit.
On top of that, the 1,460-square-foot condo had an open-concept kitchen, living room, dining room and family room. And it had recently gone through a full remodeling. "Everything was modern and had an urban, timeless design," Weitgenant said.
After moving in, they enjoyed the updated spaces that also provided the perfect backdrop for Tanaka, a photography lover and food blogger.
"One of my favorite things is the kitchen. It has a white timeless design and a clean look with French subway tiles that sparkle and reflect light really well," she said. "Then I have this big kitchen island, and it just provides so much storage. I collect dishes for my food photography, and there's enough storage for all of my dishes."
They found that the sunshine beaming in from the floor-to-ceiling windows was also picture perfect. "The sunsets are spectacular here," Weitgenant said. "Golden hour is just incredible. The entire unit just gets flooded with orange light."
"We just about take a picture every night," Tanaka added.
They've also enjoyed two balconies — one on the east side of the unit and another on the west — for taking in their surroundings. That's especially true during fireworks, such as when the St. Paul Saints play a home game on a Friday night or July 4th rolls around. "The Fourth of July is truly amazing. You stand on the balcony and the entire horizon is filled with fireworks" from different shows, Weitgenant said.
