Minneapolis- Quiet downtown?

[uptown_urbanist]

Downtown Mpls is nothing like NYC, although that doesn't mean it's a deadz zone. Still, it can get very quiet during non-work hours (with certain exceptions) There are more and more people living there now, so maybe things will liven up with time. Certainly some areas of downtown get far more street action than other areas, although there does tend to be more activity in Uptown (during weekend daytime hours, at least)

And, as an aside, for the person who bashed LA's downtown: downtown Los Angeles offers some of the most bustling street life I have EVER experienced, certainly far more than anywhere in the Twin Cities.

[uptown_urbanist]

Originally Posted by Minnehahapolitan

I do. When downtown was packed constantly with people (pre-war, into the 1950s) there was absolutely nothing to do in Uptown. There was a grocer, pharmacy -- utilitarian retailing. "Midtown' had a Sears, a shoe store and a liquor store. All the people who make those areas vibrant now would have had to go downtown fifty years ago. Want a department store? Downtown. Most restaurants? Downtown. Want to get to the other side of the city? You had to transfer in downtown. Now those neighborhood areas are exponenitally more vibrant, and this is a better city for it. However, the market that serves downtown isn't exponenitally bigger to match it. It doesn't prohibit a vibrant downtown, but the city needs more people to make it happen. Luckily for us, that is just what is happening.

Just had to respond to this - while I agree with the overall post (downtown was bustling in earlier years, etc.) I want to correct this perception of Uptown's past. The 1920s, in fact, were arguably a kind of golden age for Uptown, and it continued to a top non-downtown entertainment and shopping destination through the '50s. It was well-connected to the rest of the city by street car lines, and was a place where people lived, worked, and played. There were metro-wide destinations like the Rainbow Cafe, multiple theaters, a huge ice rink and ballroom, not to mention schools, offices, and lots of other shopping and dining opportunties. Sorry for the lecture; it's just that I've heard too many people incorrectly use Uptown's "history" to justify trying to limit its growth today. I'd rather see it return to the days when there were busy streets and lots of activity at all times of day.

[knke0402]

Before Uptown was full of weirdos.

Not saying weirdos are bad, its just how it is. It is what it is.

Anyway, Minneapolis's Downtown is rather intimidatiing to access from surrounding neighborhoods simply because of the freeways- 94, 394, 35. Plus- like Minnehahapolitan said, the areas such as Noreast, Uptown, Lakes, Dinkytown, etc are centers of attractions in their own right.

Minneapolis just needs more people. It needs to be more dense. Places with very vibrant downtowns, usually have many high rises - that are for residents and not just office space. Minneapolis isn't a city filled with large residential skyscrapers, and isn't very densly populated. But that is why MPLS is great. But it would be nice to see Minneapolis with a population of around 500,000 instead of 369,000. More people, more action.