Super Bowl sightings: Timberlake at Octo Fishbar; Paisley on a bed

Meet Justin Timberlake, Twin Cities foodie.

On Saturday, the pop megastar, in town for his much-anticipated Super Bowl halftime show, was at Manny's Steakhouse, that downtown Minneapolis palace for oversized slabs of meat.

The singer looked ultra casual in a dark stocking cap and sweatshirt. He came in during the early evening with a group of nine, said manager Alex Rudich (who wasn't present but heard all the details from staff).

Other customers mostly left Timberlake alone. "He was really nice to a couple customers who were sitting around him," Rudich said.

On Sunday, JT moved to the other side of the river, to Octo Fishbar in Lowertown, specializing in sustainable seafood.

He and his group of about six guys sat at a large booth near the kitchen. "They tried a bunch of stuff," owner/chef Tim McKee heard from his staff (he wasn't present either). While Manny's is a typical stop for many a celeb visiting the Twin Cities, Octo Fishbar is still fairly new.

"He was really nice," McKee said he was told. "They didn't want any pictures taken. I can understand that. Sometimes people just want to 'be.' "

The glossy guide touts the Foshay Tower, Peanuts statues, St. Paul's Rice Park — and ads for strip clubs, the first of which appears across a page with "Cool facts about the Bold North." The ad for King of Diamonds in Inver Grove Heights reads "Hot Fun!" and shows a woman wearing a lacy white bra and holding a football aloft as if catching a pass.

On an ensuing page entitled "Downtown Minneapolis Hot Spots," clubs Dream Girls and Déjà Vu have ads next to Gay 90s and Sneaky Pete's.

Kristen Montag, spokeswoman for Meet Minneapolis, said the publication is owned by Greenspring Media and the city convention bureau is under contract to distribute the guide, a "valuable resource full of information."

She added that while the ads are for "legal, licensed businesses, [they] detract from the positive messages about the city within the publication. We are disappointed that Greenspring included these advertisements."

Rochelle Olson

Just kidding. It was a no-brainer for Salo as she maneuvered her way to the front of a pack of fans, all trying to get a glimpse of the country star lying on a Sleep Number bed Tuesday in the old Macy's/Dayton's building on Nicollet Mall. Paisley was part of an afternoon pop-up event for Sleep Number at Super Bowl Live.

"I'm interested in buying a bed, and he's about the size of my husband," Salo quipped. "I would just lie next to him. I wouldn't touch him. Nothing creepy like that."

Salo and other Paisley fans rushed to Nicollet Mall as word spread via Twitter and Facebook that he would be at the Sleep Number exhibit. A few were lucky enough to get close enough to chat with the country singer, who took off his cowboy hat but kept his boots on as he lounged on the bed, before the 15-minute event was over.

Alyssa Stevens was one of those who made a "hard sprint" when she got word that Paisley would be on the mall. After getting her photos and video at the celebrity drop-in, she headed back to work. "I'm good to go."

Mary Lynn Smith

The first folks to take the leap were Special Olympians as fans cheered them on and danced to "Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot."

Other plungers were those who had fundraised for Special Olympics, earning the chance to take an icy soak in the name of the Super Bowl. Employees at HelpSystems, a software company in Eden Prairie, raised more than $8,500 for Special Olympics. About 30 employees dressed in leis and grass skirts took the plunge including CEO Chris Heim, who gamely agreed to wear a coconut bra to bolster fundraising.

Shelley Van Der Meide, chairwoman of HelpSystems' good neighbor committee, rallied support for the cause and recruited plungers. Van Der Meide said she's polar plunged for charity before: "I just kept saying, 'It's invigorating.'  "

Shannon Prather

PedalPub launched its first winter tour Tuesday evening, blasting Prince's "1999" as it slowly rolled down Hennepin Avenue downtown, embracing rush hour traffic and temperatures that felt like 10 degrees with the wind, as it tapped into Super Bowl festivities.

All of the participants were hardy Minnesotans, bundled up in jackets and gloves. As they pedaled, they did the Skol chant and passed Bud Light and Summit beer cans before stopping in front of the Prince star at First Avenue to take photos.

PedalPub normally shuts down from November to March, not because of cold, but because ice and snow can make it difficult to navigate in the 16-seat bikes. But with clear streets the 10 bikes will be available this week for shortened tours, cut from two hours to 90 minutes. Three PedalPub bikes will also be stationed around downtown, not to ride but to help spread the word and pique interest — especially among Patriots and Eagles fans.

KELLY SMITH