Thank you for the time machine! I had not thought about "Monkey Wards" for years. They were huge and on the border of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, MN. From the little town North of there we lived, MW was an all day trip, though the drive was only an hour during the 50's.
The Streets of Saint Paul: A Short History of Montgomery Ward on University Ave.
Afterward was a meal at the Nankin Chinese restaurant in downtown Minneapolis.
http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nankin_Cafe
Just ruminating...
~Richard