One day in Minneapolis (south suburbs) - where should I go? (Bloomington: hotels, houses)

[emelvee]

I'm flying in Sunday morning for a job interview on Monday. I'll have the afternoon and evening on Sunday to check out the area. I'm staying in Bloomington, near the airport. I want to check out the area from around Lakeville down to Northfield, as this would be where my job would be and I want to get a feel for neighborhoods, prices, etc. It's just me this trip - wife and daughter are staying home.

I was thinking of visiting Mall of America, mainly just to say I've been there. lol. Any suggestions of other quick trips to make? Or should I skip MOA? Any suggestions for a place to eat (I love a good burger)? Thanks in advance!

[demtion35]

Skip the moa go to Minnehaha Falls, or the Mill Ruins Park near downtown it a museum that used to be a flour mill long ago, or the Lock and Dam near there also

Minneapolis, Minnesota: The Mill District, Saint Anthony Falls, and the Mississippi River - Tim Voss' Photos | SmugMug (http://alleyraven.smugmug.com/Landscapes-and-Cityscapes/Minneapolis-Minnesota/Minneapolis-Mill-District/5386324_UTTKL#684973540_ARhXi - broken link)

Minnehaha Falls

Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board - Historical Sites

[BillWallace]

While in Northfield you should definitely drive around the campuses of both St. Olaf and Carlton College. They are both highly regarded schools and have nice locations.

Since you are going to be in the south metro - try Wild Bill's Saloon in Apple Valley on County 42 just east of Cedar Avenue. They have $5 burgers for any burger on the menu on Mondays. Of course, there are lots of good options for burgers.

[Radical_Car]

Skip MOA and say you went there. Its just a regular mall, you won't be missing out on anything, just look at pictures of it online, it's just as good as going there and you can claim you've been there.

[golfgal]

If you are in Bloomington near the airport, the MOA is probably within walking distance from your hotel-or a quick shuttle ride. All the hotels have free shuttles to MOA but there is also free parking. It is not "just a mall". Go there, pick up a tee shirt for your daughter and wife.

If you want some home style cooking, Suzie's Kitchen in Rosemount has pretty good food. It's a fun place to eat.

If you are going to be driving around the south suburbs you probably won't have time to go to Minneapolis and the Falls.


Another area for you to look into for a place to live would be Hastings. You might want to add that to your route when you are looking for neighborhoods too.

[emelvee]

Thanks for the tips. I'm probably going to spend the afternoon looking at homes and neighborhoods. Thinking about it, I'll likely be exhausted by late afternoon (need to get to get up at 4:00 am Sunday to get to the airport for my 6:15 am flight. ). We'll see how I feel after visiting the areas I'm focusing on for potential homes.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

To the sounds of it is you're not going to have a whole lot of time to site-see if you're going to spend the day looking at houses. It gets dark here really early right now and I wouldn't recommend hanging out around the river and Minnehaha Falls at dusk in 30-40 degree weather...doesn't sound too appealing to me. They are great sites, but are alot better during the warm months.

I agree with Golfgal on this one. You're better off checking out homes during the day and then going to Mall of America in the evening to get dinner and check out the mall. Locals often scoff at the Mall of America since there are malls all over the metro and in alot of ways it really is just a really big mall. I still think it's worth checking out though. My wife loves MoA and as a result we probably make it down there a couple times a month.

[Radical_Car]

Originally Posted by Slig

To the sounds of it is you're not going to have a whole lot of time to site-see if you're going to spend the day looking at houses. It gets dark here really early right now and I wouldn't recommend hanging out around the river and Minnehaha Falls at dusk in 30-40 degree weather...doesn't sound too appealing to me. They are great sites, but are alot better during the warm months.

I agree with Golfgal on this one. You're better off checking out homes during the day and then going to Mall of America in the evening to get dinner and check out the mall. Locals often scoff at the Mall of America since there are malls all over the metro and in alot of ways it really is just a really big mall. I still think it's worth checking out though. My wife loves MoA and as a result we probably make it down there a couple times a month.

Well ya it is just another mall, but since it does get dark early now, you may as well go and check it out. It is worth going, though for me personally the allure wears off pretty fast, but it's still worth checking out since you'll be close to it. Why not? Ignore my earlier post, hee hee.

[Minnesota Spring]

Probably a no brainer, but really make sure to bring a warm coat, hat and gloves! Otherwise, you will be miserable if you're speding time out doors. Being from NC, your body will be in shock for a while once you step outside.
Its supposed to be cold, windy, rainy, icy, snowy this weekend. I'm still in shock considering it was in the 70's last week

[golfgal]

Just a head's up-we are expecting freezing rain here tomorrow morning so your plan to drive around town might not work out. You might want to have a back up plan just in case. There is a large movie theater at the MOA if need be.