For those making the trip, I thought I would put the following thoughts together on what to do when out here. I'm happy to answer more specific questions if people have them. I'm not sure if my maps will show up or not.
LAY OF THE LAND:
The airport is a bit south of Minneapolis and St Paul. The Blue Line (light rail) connects the Mall of America (just south of the airport), the Airport, and downtown Minneapolis. It cost $3 to get downtown (maybe less off rush-hour) and gets you downtown I about 25 minutes. A taxi would probably run you $30-$40 to get downtown.
To the west of Minneapolis is Lake Minnetonka. To the extent you want to get away from downtown (and the weather is nice), you could do much worse than getting lunch in Wayzata at a place called Cov (http://www.covwayzata.com/), which has decent food and is on the water. Wayzata is a 15 minute drive west from Minneapolis. Other options are Lake Harriet which is a bit south of downtown, but is in a nice neighborhood and the lake is pretty. Tilia is a good place to grab food (or else Lake Harriett Brasserie). Or else try and get to St Genevieve that has gotten great reviews (http://www.bonappetit.com/city-guides/venue/st-genevieve).
To the east is St Paul, which connects to downtown Minneapolis by the Green Line of the light rail (and goes through the University of Minnesota and right by TCF Stadium). I think it is a 45 minute ride on the light rail to St Paul due to all the stops, and in the car, it is 20 minutes or so (assuming no traffic).
MINNEAPOLIS
TCF Stadium: Northern part of campus, and part of the Athletic area. Williams (hoops) and Mariucci (hockey) arenas are right across the street. Gopher hockey plays St Cloud State on Friday night, so might be a fun activity for some people. The crowds aren’t what they used to be (I’ve been told), but against an in-state opponent, I would think they should draw pretty well.
Dinkytown: The restaurant area of the Minnesota campus. Never struck me as all that great, and I would probably encourage people to the St Anthony Falls area, which is along the northern banks of the river between Nordeast and Stone Arch Bridge on the map below. There is some outdoor eating, bars, etc. down there, and it is a fairly scenic spot with the Minneapolis skyline across the way.
North Loop/Warehouse District: Some of the better restaurants reside in this part of Minneapolis. Bachelor Farmer, Sppon and Stable, Bar La Grassa, Smack Shack, etc. Also a Comedy Club down there (Acme Comedy) if that is your thing.
Downtown Minneapolis: Absent an event, the business district largely clears out at night. There are theaters along Hennepin Ave that do the travelling Broadway shows, State Theater, First Ave and a few other music/theater venues are down here. If there is an event at Target Field (Twins Stadium) or Target Center (TWolves Arena), that would inject some more life down there as well. In terms of dining, you kind of have the typical stuff (Fogo de Chao, Rosa Mexicano, Capital Grill, etc). Along Nicollet Mall are some dining/drinking options as well…including Brit’s Pub (nice outdoor/rooftop seating…better beer than food), The Local, Dakota Jazz Club, etc. At the top of the Foshay Tower (which houses the W Hotel) is Prohibition, which is at the top of the building and has nice views. Minneapolis doesn’t have a ton of bums, but the ones we do have tend to hang out on Nicollet Mall.
ST PAUL
Not my area of expertise, but if you wanted to go to the Wild game on Thursday night vs. Toronto, the Green line is probably your best bet. The Central Station stop would be the one I would recommend. There is a really good restaurant called Meritage down there by the arena, and also a bunch of bars/restaurants on 7th Street west of the arena.
Random Thoughts/Tips
· Wander over the Stone Arch Bridge at some point and get a bite or a drink in the St Anthony Falls neighborhood.
·I've gone to a few games at TCF. It is a nice venue, but a road trip here isn't like going to Nebraska. The city doesn't revolve around the Gophers and their fans are more 'pro type' fans and probably won't be quite as welcoming as you would get in Lincoln or Iowa City. Not to say they will be hostile, but it doesn't feel like a college environment the way some other places do.
· If you are a Stadium person, the new US Bank Stadium is massive and looks nice. I believe they offer tours.
· If you like museums or theater, check out the Minneapolis Institute of Art (free, except for special exhibits), The Walker (Modern stuff), the Guthrie (theater), State Theater, Orpheum, etc.
· Restaurants worth looking into (in addition to the ones I mention above) would be Butcher and the Boar (Downtown Meat/Beer), Manny’s (Downtown Steak), Hell’s Kitchen and Hen House (good breakfast downtown…nothing special otherwise), 112 Eatery, Saffron, Red Cow, Café Luract, 4 Bells, Brasa.
· Where to stay depends on what you want. I’d try and be near campus if you want the most convenience for the game (someone once mentioned The Commons is on campus), otherwise if you aren’t in late Friday out early Sunday, downtown somewhere near the light rail would work well. Although the core of downtown is maybe 10 blocks or so, so as long as you can walk a little bit, you should have no problem walking to the light rail (green line) and getting to the game.
· Tripadvisor is always a good resource. Here is their Minneapolis page.
o https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g43323-Minneapolis_Minnesota-Vacations.html
LAY OF THE LAND:
The airport is a bit south of Minneapolis and St Paul. The Blue Line (light rail) connects the Mall of America (just south of the airport), the Airport, and downtown Minneapolis. It cost $3 to get downtown (maybe less off rush-hour) and gets you downtown I about 25 minutes. A taxi would probably run you $30-$40 to get downtown.
To the west of Minneapolis is Lake Minnetonka. To the extent you want to get away from downtown (and the weather is nice), you could do much worse than getting lunch in Wayzata at a place called Cov (http://www.covwayzata.com/), which has decent food and is on the water. Wayzata is a 15 minute drive west from Minneapolis. Other options are Lake Harriet which is a bit south of downtown, but is in a nice neighborhood and the lake is pretty. Tilia is a good place to grab food (or else Lake Harriett Brasserie). Or else try and get to St Genevieve that has gotten great reviews (http://www.bonappetit.com/city-guides/venue/st-genevieve).
To the east is St Paul, which connects to downtown Minneapolis by the Green Line of the light rail (and goes through the University of Minnesota and right by TCF Stadium). I think it is a 45 minute ride on the light rail to St Paul due to all the stops, and in the car, it is 20 minutes or so (assuming no traffic).
MINNEAPOLIS
TCF Stadium: Northern part of campus, and part of the Athletic area. Williams (hoops) and Mariucci (hockey) arenas are right across the street. Gopher hockey plays St Cloud State on Friday night, so might be a fun activity for some people. The crowds aren’t what they used to be (I’ve been told), but against an in-state opponent, I would think they should draw pretty well.
Dinkytown: The restaurant area of the Minnesota campus. Never struck me as all that great, and I would probably encourage people to the St Anthony Falls area, which is along the northern banks of the river between Nordeast and Stone Arch Bridge on the map below. There is some outdoor eating, bars, etc. down there, and it is a fairly scenic spot with the Minneapolis skyline across the way.
North Loop/Warehouse District: Some of the better restaurants reside in this part of Minneapolis. Bachelor Farmer, Sppon and Stable, Bar La Grassa, Smack Shack, etc. Also a Comedy Club down there (Acme Comedy) if that is your thing.
Downtown Minneapolis: Absent an event, the business district largely clears out at night. There are theaters along Hennepin Ave that do the travelling Broadway shows, State Theater, First Ave and a few other music/theater venues are down here. If there is an event at Target Field (Twins Stadium) or Target Center (TWolves Arena), that would inject some more life down there as well. In terms of dining, you kind of have the typical stuff (Fogo de Chao, Rosa Mexicano, Capital Grill, etc). Along Nicollet Mall are some dining/drinking options as well…including Brit’s Pub (nice outdoor/rooftop seating…better beer than food), The Local, Dakota Jazz Club, etc. At the top of the Foshay Tower (which houses the W Hotel) is Prohibition, which is at the top of the building and has nice views. Minneapolis doesn’t have a ton of bums, but the ones we do have tend to hang out on Nicollet Mall.
ST PAUL
Not my area of expertise, but if you wanted to go to the Wild game on Thursday night vs. Toronto, the Green line is probably your best bet. The Central Station stop would be the one I would recommend. There is a really good restaurant called Meritage down there by the arena, and also a bunch of bars/restaurants on 7th Street west of the arena.
Random Thoughts/Tips
· Wander over the Stone Arch Bridge at some point and get a bite or a drink in the St Anthony Falls neighborhood.
·I've gone to a few games at TCF. It is a nice venue, but a road trip here isn't like going to Nebraska. The city doesn't revolve around the Gophers and their fans are more 'pro type' fans and probably won't be quite as welcoming as you would get in Lincoln or Iowa City. Not to say they will be hostile, but it doesn't feel like a college environment the way some other places do.
· If you are a Stadium person, the new US Bank Stadium is massive and looks nice. I believe they offer tours.
· If you like museums or theater, check out the Minneapolis Institute of Art (free, except for special exhibits), The Walker (Modern stuff), the Guthrie (theater), State Theater, Orpheum, etc.
· Restaurants worth looking into (in addition to the ones I mention above) would be Butcher and the Boar (Downtown Meat/Beer), Manny’s (Downtown Steak), Hell’s Kitchen and Hen House (good breakfast downtown…nothing special otherwise), 112 Eatery, Saffron, Red Cow, Café Luract, 4 Bells, Brasa.
· Where to stay depends on what you want. I’d try and be near campus if you want the most convenience for the game (someone once mentioned The Commons is on campus), otherwise if you aren’t in late Friday out early Sunday, downtown somewhere near the light rail would work well. Although the core of downtown is maybe 10 blocks or so, so as long as you can walk a little bit, you should have no problem walking to the light rail (green line) and getting to the game.
· Tripadvisor is always a good resource. Here is their Minneapolis page.
o https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g43323-Minneapolis_Minnesota-Vacations.html
