Loring Park vs Uptown (Minneapolis: lease, transfer, neighborhood)

[martindco]

Hello all,

I'm 21, and just recently moved out of an apt between uptown & loring park (across from stevens square). I transferred from a music school in st. paul, and still undecided if I'll be going to MCTC or MCAD. Both areas seem to be similar in many ways; coffee shops, hipsters, artists, etc.. Pricing tends to run a little higher in uptown, but can anyone tell me the type of vibe they felt while living in LP, uptown, or both? Thanks!

[nick is rulz]

Loring is dumpier and harder to park in with less going on.

[Slig]

Loring Park itself is nice and you're basically in downtown Minneapolis so the location is cool but parking is a problem there. I've talked about uptown in other posts, for me it's a cool place to visit but I wouldn't live there again, it just isn't my style. Uptown Urbanist has had a more positive experience and would give you a contrasting point of view.

[uptown_urbanist]

Somehow I missed this thread earlier. Loring Park is nice, but seems a little quieter to me. I haven't lived there, though. I think it would be a fine choice. Uptown varies by which neighborhood you're looking at; some areas are more upscale and expensive and, yes, I'll admit it, have a higher percentage of annoying people. Since you mention hipsters and coffee shops I'm guessing you're probably talking about the Wedge area of Uptown - that's really hipster central. Hipsters annoy me, but I love that neighborhood because it extremely walkable, has some nice housing options, has tons of stores and restaurants, and has good bus connections. There's a range of people living there, so it's not all hipsters in their 20s. (although probably enough so that if you are a hipster in your 20s you'll be in good company) Parking can be tough, if that matters (although like Slig says, it's going to be tough in Loring Park, too, probably even more so than in Uptown). You can sometimes rent a garage space if you don't have access to one of your own. (it's a very easy neighborhood to live in without a car, though, if that's an option for you) Uptown has a lot of stuff going on, and has become a destination for evening things. Depending on where you live it's also an easy walk from the lakes, which is great. Really, I think you can't go wrong with either location. (assuming you pick a decent building with non-irritating neighbors)

I think both areas are nice. Both offer an urban living experience with a lot of positives. If I were going to MCAD, though, I think I'd just live in Whittier within a couple of blocks from school. You have the restaurants, artists, coffee shops, etc., plus a walking commute and a cheaper rent than you'd pay in Uptown. (it would be an easy enough commute to MCTC from there, too, for that matter)

[martindco]

hey slig thanks for the reply.. sorry I forgot that I wrote this. Anyway I signed a yr lease in LP and curious, do you know of any places to park for free around the area?

[Slig]

Not really, parking is by far my biggest complaint about the area.

[martindco]

hmm..