Moving to MN from New jersey (east coast, state, better)

[wamer27]

Originally Posted by Unsure070

I keep thinking I’ll miss the Jersey Shore, but the lakes will hopefully make up for it. It’s a different kind of beauty for sure. I guess there’s good and bad everywhere. I know for sure I’ll miss the Pizza and the characters of the northeast, but I think “quality of life” has to trump all other things since I have kids to think about.

Whenever you make it here, try Pino’s Pizza in White Bear Lake suburb (place is tiny and kinda crappy, but it’s great) it’s my friend’s shop as he’s from Palermo Sicily. I was there when a New Yorker came in and said he and every New Yorker he knows in town all said it’s the best NY Pizza in town. He puts a lot of time and effort into his crust and his Italian relatives in town all share a family recipe, Cosetta’s in St Paul is a part of his family.

[WoodburyWoody]

Originally Posted by wamer27

Whenever you make it here, try Pino’s Pizza in White Bear Lake suburb (place is tiny and kinda crappy, but it’s great) it’s my friend’s shop as he’s from Palermo Sicily. I was there when a New Yorker came in and said he and every New Yorker he knows in town all said it’s the best NY Pizza in town. He puts a lot of time and effort into his crust and his Italian relatives in town all share a family recipe, Cosetta’s in St Paul is a part of his family.

There is also a Pino's Pizza in Woodbury, also east of St. Paul, south of White Bear Lake. Enzo is from Palermo, Sicily, then NYC and New Jersey before coming to Minnesota. Fantastic pizza-by-the-slice from a strip mall storefront.

[wamer27]

Originally Posted by WoodburyWoody

There is also a Pino's Pizza in Woodbury, also east of St. Paul, south of White Bear Lake. Enzo is from Palermo, Sicily, then NYC and New Jersey before coming to Minnesota. Fantastic pizza-by-the-slice from a strip mall storefront.

Enzo is my friend’s uncle. Friend’s other uncle Pino had the original one that just closed in a St Paul skyway.

[Unsure070]

Oh! Nice to know on the pizza! I know it’s the one thing I’ll miss the most!

[wamer27]

Originally Posted by wamer27

Enzo is my friend’s uncle. Friend’s other uncle Pino had the original one that just closed in a St Paul skyway.

I was wrong, Pino’s in St Paul skyway is not closed.

[WoodburyWoody]

Originally Posted by wamer27

Whenever you make it here, try Pino’s Pizza in White Bear Lake suburb (place is tiny and kinda crappy, but it’s great) it’s my friend’s shop as he’s from Palermo Sicily. I was there when a New Yorker came in and said he and every New Yorker he knows in town all said it’s the best NY Pizza in town. He puts a lot of time and effort into his crust and his Italian relatives in town all share a family recipe, Cosetta’s in St Paul is a part of his family.

Speaking of Cosetta's ...


https://www.minnesotamonthly.com/foo...od-restaurant/

[CARas2020]

Originally Posted by Camden Northsider

Not an East Coaster, but if you're used to a more urban feel, then I'd strongly advise looking within the cities of Minneapolis & St Paul. The East Coasters I know that moved to the city feel like they dodged a bullet in *not* moving to the suburbs here, which IMO tend to be pretty bland, insular, and homogeneous in almost every way imaginable. First ring suburbs are sometimes exceptions to this rule. If that's your thing then by all means, but newcomers to this area should really understand they'll see lot of posts here and elsewhere that make city life out to be some kind of bad/scary/dystopia of liberal insanity, vs the idyllic American dream offered by suburban tract developments amidst dying malls, big boxes, and national chains. My advice is to be wary of that hype-- there are beautiful neighborhoods throughout both cities proper.

I am a west coaster but actually grew up on the east coast. I am tire of big city life but we actually live in the suburbs. Might as well erase the borders and call it all Portland as you don't know when you leave one and enter the next unless you see a sign. Portland has turned into a horrible place. Homelessness is horrible and they are destroying the city truly with the cesspool of camps and garbage all over. As I have said in other posts I am in no way blaming them. We don't have extreme weather so they set up along the interstate as well in some neighborhoods right on the side walks. I do not know what it is like in Minneapolis. We visited a few years ago in the summer and I honesty did not see any homeless people or camps. We drove through and around many parts of the city but were not there long enough to see the entire city and suburbs. Traffic is horrific and it takes forever to get anyplace. But to be honest we have some good things like boring weather. For me that is actually a negative. yes it rains quite a bit but the summers are great as no rain and low humidity. We are close to the ocean (85 miles west) and close to Mount Hood good skiing and camping/fishing in the summer. Our public transportation is pretty good. We like Minneapolis have light rail and busses.

So a few questions first: Off the topic when we visited we went to this place that had a Ferris wheel, we bought lunch and rode the Ferris wheel while we ate . Can somebody tell me the name? For the life of me I can't remember it. I have no idea even which part of the city it was in.
2. Overall how do you think public transportation is both around the city and out to the suburbs?
3.Which part of Minneapolis and Saint Paul have the best high schools?
4. How is healthcare? Right now we have HMO Kaiser and we love them. I am cured from cancer but still have to follow up. Just ended chemo in October and have been cancer free since then.
5. We would be looking to rent a hose because I have to have a garage for my woodworking. Are certain areas more likely to have house rentals. And looking on places realtor.com Is that a good place to get a "feel" for rental houses?
6. Are there smaller communities that aren't filled with big box xorporate crap? Is that even possible?

Thank you.

I'll keep reading the threads so i hope I am not asking questions already answered.

[wamer27]

Originally Posted by CARas2020

I am a west coaster but actually grew up on the east coast. I am tire of big city life but we actually live in the suburbs. Might as well erase the borders and call it all Portland as you don't know when you leave one and enter the next unless you see a sign. Portland has turned into a horrible place. Homelessness is horrible and they are destroying the city truly with the cesspool of camps and garbage all over. As I have said in other posts I am in no way blaming them. We don't have extreme weather so they set up along the interstate as well in some neighborhoods right on the side walks. I do not know what it is like in Minneapolis. We visited a few years ago in the summer and I honesty did not see any homeless people or camps. We drove through and around many parts of the city but were not there long enough to see the entire city and suburbs. Traffic is horrific and it takes forever to get anyplace. But to be honest we have some good things like boring weather. For me that is actually a negative. yes it rains quite a bit but the summers are great as no rain and low humidity. We are close to the ocean (85 miles west) and close to Mount Hood good skiing and camping/fishing in the summer. Our public transportation is pretty good. We like Minneapolis have light rail and busses.

So a few questions first: Off the topic when we visited we went to this place that had a Ferris wheel, we bought lunch and rode the Ferris wheel while we ate . Can somebody tell me the name? For the life of me I can't remember it. I have no idea even which part of the city it was in.
2. Overall how do you think public transportation is both around the city and out to the suburbs?
3.Which part of Minneapolis and Saint Paul have the best high schools?
4. How is healthcare? Right now we have HMO Kaiser and we love them. I am cured from cancer but still have to follow up. Just ended chemo in October and have been cancer free since then.
5. We would be looking to rent a hose because I have to have a garage for my woodworking. Are certain areas more likely to have house rentals. And looking on places realtor.com Is that a good place to get a "feel" for rental houses?
6. Are there smaller communities that aren't filled with big box xorporate crap? Is that even possible?

Thank you.

I'll keep reading the threads so i hope I am not asking questions already answered.

Betty Dangers Country Club has the Ferris wheel in NE Mpls. Place has been for sale for about a year and closed down after Christmas, but I saw a sign on Friday mentioning it was opening this spring.

[CARas2020]

Originally Posted by wamer27

Betty Dangers Country Club has the Ferris wheel in NE Mpls. Place has been for sale for about a year and closed down after Christmas, but I saw a sign on Friday mentioning it was opening this spring.

Thank you so much!!! It was a fun little place. All we did was ride the ferris wheel. Great views from the top.


My daughter really enjoyed it.

[wamer27]

Originally Posted by CARas2020

Thank you so much!!! It was a fun little place. All we did was ride the ferris wheel. Great views from the top.


My daughter really enjoyed it.

If it stays as is and you guys enjoy Christmas decorations, etc...the inside in December will knock your socks off. I don’t know else to explain it, I don’t know how so much can be put within it??