Moving to Minneapolis from Chicago...Any Ideas? (St. Paul, Minnetonka: apartments, condos)

[BankerChex]

Hello members,

I have accepted a job in Minneapolis (Downtown), starting mid-July 2008. I currently live in Chicago (10 years now), originally from So. FL--guess the next move would have to be Canada to keep up with the trend!

A little about me: I'm 28, single guy (straight), making good money. Basically, I'm looking for the hippest and hottest places to live, learn, and meet new people. Access to Food, Music, and the Arts are very important. I've heard Uptown (Lake/Hennepin) is THE place to live for all three. Downtown (Nicolett) has also been mentioned as a good place to live. Closer to downtown the better. Any thoughts?

I am very excited about this new opportunity, and greatly appreciate any advice and additional sources of information. Thanks for the responses!

[sugarbeet]

I think you'll like living in Uptown, Downtown or the North Loop. Uptown will have the most round-the-clock activity, yet if you're working downtown you may really appreciate a short walk to work. You might find Downtown and North Loop too sleepy in off hours. Loring Park is between Uptown and Downtown, so a nice compromise. Lots of apartments/condos and an easy walk to downtown. I don't think you can go wrong in any of these areas.

[Jeanie Hoholik]

Minneapolis has some great areas, but be prepared...it's no Chicago. Here's a fun website for you when you arrive...Thrifty Hipster - Minneapolis and St. Paul - Bars, Clubs, Happy Hour

Best wishes!

[BankerChex]

Jeanie,

Booyah, the Thrify Hipster website rocks! Thanks for the info!

I'm thinking about Loring Park . . .better to have access to the Skyway, close to work, and walking distance to, well, life. It seems a lot of bars/restaurants close at 2am, which is right in line with Chicago.

In the meantime, I'll keep on reading, searching, obsessing...still six months to go before the move. Definitely looking forward to meeting the beautiful people of MSP.

Thanks again for the responses and info!

[Ephrocka]

I used to live in Uptown and have since bought a house a little bit away. I would certainly recommend the area to any new arrival. Loring Park area is good since it is close to Downtown and Uptown. You will also be close to the Walker Art Museum and the Sculpture Gardens. If you can swing it there are some extremely nice condos that look over the Sculpture Gardens but they are expensive.

When you get here be sure to visit Chino Latino in Uptown. The Local is a great Irish bar that is a great place to hang out in the winter. Drink Uptown and Stella's Fish Market are the place to be in the summer with the outdoor roof patios. You can not forget the rooftop bar at Brit's Irish Pub downtown which has grass bowling.

The Uptown Bar and Grill, Nye's Polonaise Room Downtown and Liquor Lyle's Uptown are some of the great dive bars. Hit the Uptown grill for breakfast and a Bloody Mary. Don’t miss out on the happy hour at Lyle's for the 2-4-1s to get things started. For a unique experience go to Nye's and sing along with the piano player or dance to the World's Most Dangerous Polka Band.

The chain of lakes in the summer is where lots of fun can be had. Buy a mountain bike or some roller blades (Penn Cycle or Eric’s Bike Shop). Find a friend with a boat on Lake Minnetonka and party at the big island sand bar where everyone anchors and ties their boats together for great parties.

Welcome to Mpls!

[Lillietta]

It's much more limited than Chicago for singles. Mpls basically is a very family lifestyle community.

[athorson710]

Check out 110 Grant Apartments. It's located right by Loring Park. I lived there from March 06 to March 07 and had a great experience. Get into it.