Skyway bar crawl

Ah, the dregs of winter. The holiday cheer has worn off. That New Year's fitness regime you so zealously embraced has been guiltily abandoned. The Twins' season opener, with its seductive promise of drinking beer in the spring sunshine, seems a long way off.

At this time of year, even the most motivated bon vivants shudder at the thought of bar-hopping along icy sidewalks. And while it's easy to succumb to the lure of Netflix, why not round up some friends for a skyway bar crawl -- an urban adventure that's bound to defeat your winter ennui?

With curiosity and a little planning, the Minneapolis skyway system can transform from a workday walkway into an evening playground that shields revelers from the elements. Forget traipsing around Uptown in blustery winds. Forget slipping on ice on the journey from Bryant-Lake Bowl to the CC Club. The following six bars are all completely skyway-accessible, which means you can comfortably (and fashionably) bar crawl with nary a step outside. The only wicked chill you face should be the ice in your cocktail glass.

What to wear: No one wants to sip a martini in salt-crusted Sorels. So why not defy that bizarre implicit agreement among us Midwesterners -- that we should dress down during winter -- by ditching the bulky gear? Shimmy into that cocktail dress and slip into those heels that your mom called "impractical." The skyway awaits.

Sure, the bar at the top of the Foshay Tower swings as evening falls, but we like this room with a view best when the sun sets. Burrow into a cozy leather couch with your sweetie or a sweet-talking stranger, swoon at the 360-degree views and party like it's 1929. On a snowy evening, Prohibition is a gorgeous perch.

Zelo's happy hour craftily soothes the winter blues. Think delish $5 flatbreads that make you forget that you parked on the wrong side of the street twice during the last snow emergency. Or $2 off wines by the glass to make you able to laugh about being towed both times.

Classic Irish cheer, now in Block E? Yes, please. Kieran's rocks its special vibe of cozy charm all year round, but we've always liked this place during the darkest days of winter. Yes, the digs are bigger, but the same properly pulled Guinness on tap and convivial drinking spirit rule here.

When Eat Street's Azia closed, I lamented that I'd no longer be able to cure my Minnesota winter malaise with a Femme Nikita -- that orchid-wearing vixen of a cocktail -- or indulge in the Twin Cities' ultimate bar comfort food: cranberry cream cheese wontons. Thankfully, you'll find both on the menu here, at dynamo restaurateur Thom Pham's latest downtown (ad)venture.

It's freezing outside. Jazz is hot. What else do you need to know? While the Dakota remains downtown's undisputed holy trinity of drinks, dinner and music, don't forget that it's also skyway-accessible.