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I may be vacationing to Bloomington (5 min from airport) for 2-3 days in mid-Aug. Besides the Mall of America, what are all the must-sees & must-dos? Also, how's the weather? Any other important info would also be appreciated!
I like shopping, museums, dining, unique things. Thanks a lot!
Last edited by Forever Blue; 07-05-2009 at 10:43 AM..
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Guthrie Theater
Science Museum-they have a Titanic exhibit right now
Spend an afternoon antiquing in Stillwater, eat at one of the restaurants on the river
Fort Snelling if you like historical 'museums'
If you have time, a day trip up to Duluth
Check out The Walker Art Center just outside of downtown.
Walk through the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden across the street from the Walker.
Take a look at the Basilica of St. Mary, the first basilica in the U.S., for some fine classic architecture on your way back into downtown.
Take a trip up to the observation deck and museum at the Foshay Tower, once the tallest building west of the Mississippi.
Go to the Mill City Museum on the downtown riverfront to learn about Minneapolis' history as the flour milling capital of the world.
See St. Anthony Falls, the only natural waterfall on the Mississippi, from the Stone Arch Bridge right by the Mill City Museum.
Take a bus down Nicollet and have lunch at an ethnic eatery on "Eat Street", then walk a couple blocks to the gigantic Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
Take a bus into Uptown and shop a bit, take a trip around Lake Calhoun either on rented bikes or kayaks or just walking.
If you're looking for another waterfall experience, get off the train at Minnehaha Park to see the waterfall that inspired Hawthorne's poem "Song of Hiawatha".
If you want, you can head over to St. Paul for the Minnesota History Museum and the Science Museum of Minnesota.
Other museums in Minneapolis include The Museum of Russian Art and the Hennepin History Museum.
Between the Mall of America, Downtown, and Uptown, there should have been enough shopping. If you're looking for really upscale stuff, check out the Galleria in Edina.
I agree with all of the above; another fun - and very unique - museum is the Bakken Museum (a museum about electricity and magnetism, but with a social/cultural bent); it's located on the shores of Lake Calhoun.
Of all the things listed, I would put the Mill City Museum and the Stone Arch Bridge (and the Guthrie, etc., also in that general area) at the very top of the list.
Mid-August can be hot, so plan accordingly.
Depending on exact August dates (sounds like you'll be in town a little too early) then visit the MN State Fair - it's one of the largest in the country, and is a fascinating cultural experience (plus just a lot of fun).
These are all excellent recomendations. I particularly like two of them.
1. Minneapolis Institute of Arts, especially their collection of Chinese arts, very superb. You may find better collection of the European arts in the more famous museums in the larger cities, but the Chinese collection in MIA is a must-see.
2. Guthrie theater. There are many classic theaters in US, the inside of this one is just so modern that I felt pleasant and relaxed the moment I stepped in it. The atmosphere is excellent. Looking out every window there is an artsy scene. Having some wine beside one of the windows is divine.
I don't particularly recommend shopping in Minnesota but if you are from somewhere lacking in shopping and have no plans to visit those larger cities, you may check out the ones listed by DaPerpKazoo. I would also contribute my comments on the several shopping centers.
1. Mall of America. The largest collection of national retailers in the Twin Cities. It also has the largest number of stores in America, but like I said in another thread, if you expect a shopping paradize, you may very likely be disappointed because you will find many stores missing. Several stores are repetitive not only in name but also in merchandize. There are also many strip-mall type stores like Dollar Tree, Marshalls, Best Buy, etc. The third floor is mostly occupied by eating options, with restaurants and a large food court. The theme park in the middle is pretty annoying. It makes the mall seem larger because you have to walk more around it. I personally think in terms of upscale options, it already surpassed Galleria in Edina because of the openning of Burberry, Tumi, Lacoste etc, the Chanel and Gucci boutiques in Nordstrom, a large Fendi counter as well as the Jeans collection like Diesel and Rock Republic in Bloomingdales. They are mostly not exclusive stores but neither is Galleria. MoA is still far less upscale than most large Malls in big cities but in the twin cities I think it can take the most upscale title now. National stores in MoA that are the only one in Twin Cities include True Religion, Levis, Swarovski, Lacoste, Burberry, Nike, Guess, Oakley, Puma, Ruel, Columiba, and Bloomingdales and Nordtrom.
2. Galleria. It is a pretty unique shopping experience, with mostly upscale local shops. Most of them are more into furniture and decoration instead of clothing though. Upscale-type national retailers include the only Tiffany store in the Twin Cities, the only BCBG Maxazira store, and the first Tumi store before MoA openned it. Its Coach store is also more upscale than other Coach stores in Twin Cities because sometimes it has some of the limited versions. Galleria doesn't have a department store but across the street there are Macy's and JC Penny in Southdale. Sometimes Pumps & Co in Galleria has some of the best Prada and Miu Miu boot collections in the Twin Cities, but they don't always carry them. Len Drunskin has some of the most unique urbanwear collections like Diesel, G-Star, Juicy, etc because there is no exclusive stores for them here in the Twin Cities. Again, they don't always carry them.
3. Nicollet Mall. It has fewer stores compared to the above two. It has one of the largest Macy's store in Twin Cities though which carries more brands than the other Macy's here. That Macy's even has a Louis Vuitton boutique inside. Nicollet Mall also has the only Neiman Marcus store, carrying dazzling brands, but the options are lacking because the store is very small. Most brands have less than ten pieces to choose from, especially the shoes collection is very lacking. The organization is a bit messy, not as good as Nordstrom in MoA in my opinion. The original Saks Fifth Ave store was converted into an off 5th outlet, so it carries 3 stories of discount designer brands which is plenty but the place is not well lit and the atmosphere is not very good. Nicollet Mall has the only Brooks Brothers store in the Twin Cities, and a Len Drunskin Men's store, which is the same as in Galleria but only carries men's clothing and accessories. Other stores are pretty ordinary and there are only 5 to 6 other national retailers, all of them very ordinary, like GAP, Ann Taylor and Banana Republic. The local boutiques are hard to comment because everyone has his/her own taste.
The most common stores here in Twin Cities are Aeropostale, Old Navy, GAP, Banana Republic, Express, Bebe, A&F，Coach, Talbots, Ann Taylor, Apple, Victoria's Secret, etc, as in anywhere else I believe. You'll not be disappointed if you want to find them. H&M has two locations, with one in MoA. Cole Haan has two locations, one in Galleria and one in Nicollet Mall. The only Anthropologie store is at 50th & France, a crossing that is pretty unique but it's too small to visit unless you particularly want Anthropologie. The only North Face store is in uptown, which is also too small for shopping visit I think. Besides Calhourn square is rennovating so it is pretty messy there. Calhourn Sqaure is also comprised of mostly local shops, but much lower end compared to Galleria. There is no department store in uptown. Uptown has the most stores with used clothing I believe.
National retailers that are not present here include Adidas, Kiehl's, Calvin Klein, Polo Ralph Lauren, Kenneth Cole, Anne Klein, Marciano, Clinique, Diesel, Zara, A|X, French Connection, Ben Sherman, G-Star, Sony Style, Kate Spade, Juicy Couture, Betsey Johnson, Eileen Fisher, Michael Kors, etc, and pretty much every premium designer brand except Burberry and Tiffany. A lot of them have some representations in department stores and local boutiques though, with the exception of A|X and Zara, and some designer brands.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaPerpKazoo
Take the Light Rail downtown from Bloomington.
Check out The Walker Art Center just outside of downtown.
Walk through the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden across the street from the Walker.
Take a look at the Basilica of St. Mary, the first basilica in the U.S., for some fine classic architecture on your way back into downtown.
Take a trip up to the observation deck and museum at the Foshay Tower, once the tallest building west of the Mississippi.
Go to the Mill City Museum on the downtown riverfront to learn about Minneapolis' history as the flour milling capital of the world.
See St. Anthony Falls, the only natural waterfall on the Mississippi, from the Stone Arch Bridge right by the Mill City Museum.
Take a bus down Nicollet and have lunch at an ethnic eatery on "Eat Street", then walk a couple blocks to the gigantic Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
Take a bus into Uptown and shop a bit, take a trip around Lake Calhoun either on rented bikes or kayaks or just walking.
If you're looking for another waterfall experience, get off the train at Minnehaha Park to see the waterfall that inspired Hawthorne's poem "Song of Hiawatha".
If you want, you can head over to St. Paul for the Minnesota History Museum and the Science Museum of Minnesota.
Other museums in Minneapolis include The Museum of Russian Art and the Hennepin History Museum.
Between the Mall of America, Downtown, and Uptown, there should have been enough shopping. If you're looking for really upscale stuff, check out the Galleria in Edina.
Last edited by fashionguy; 07-05-2009 at 02:50 PM..
Thanks a lot guys for taking the time to post a lot of good info! The main reason I want to go is for the Mall of America. I LOVE to shop, but now I'm having a tad bit of 2nd thoughts.
I'm sure I'll love the mall, but are there any unique womens' clothing stores that are not in California? Just so you know where I'm coming from, I like the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, CA, Beverly Center in Beverly Hills, CA, but too expensive, Fashion Island in Newport Beach, CA has a lot of different shops. The Perimeter mall in Georiga & Aventura mall in Florida are great!
There's certain malls that I consider good & not so good. If a mall is an outlet mall or similar to it, I may not like it as much.
I HATE Old Navy, Marshall's, Mervyn's, Burlington Coat Factory, Kohl's, Nordstrom Rack, TJ Maxx, Ross, & stores like them, so will I like the MoA?
Thanks a lot guys for taking the time to post a lot of good info! The main reason I want to go is for the Mall of America. I LOVE to shop, but now I'm having a tad bit of 2nd thoughts.
I'm sure I'll love the mall, but are there any unique womens' clothing stores that are not in California? Just so you know where I'm coming from, I like the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, CA, Beverly Center in Beverly Hills, CA, but too expensive, Fashion Island in Newport Beach, CA has a lot of different shops. The Perimeter mall in Georiga & Aventura mall in Florida are great!
There's certain malls that I consider good & not so good. If a mall is an outlet mall or similar to it, I may not like it as much.
I HATE Old Navy, Marshall's, Mervyn's, Burlington Coat Factory, Kohl's, Nordstrom Rack, TJ Maxx, Ross, & stores like them, so will I like the MoA?
Yes, you will like the MOA. MOA has some of those stores but there are plenty of unique stores you will only find at MOA too. It is no where near outlet mall status. You are going to find your typical nationwide stores but you will find some local and regional ones as well. The sheer size of the mall is worth a trip. Keep in mind that many of the people here that don't like the MOA are men and don't think anything outside of Minneapolis is worth visiting.
There is also the added bonus of no sales tax on clothing in Minnesota so that alone is worth a good shopping trip.
So basically you hate affordable clothes? Trust me, whatever overpriced clothes you can't find at Mall of America you'll definitely find at Galeria or Nicollet Mall.
P.S. Mall of America has both Old Navy and Marshall's and those are the few places I will go to buy clothes. Two thumbs up to cheap clothes
MoA is not an outlet mall, but it has Old Navy, Marshall's and Nordstrom Rack (but it also has a true Nordstrom store). Old Navy even has two stories. It also has numerous GAP and Foot Locker stores. You know, those Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker, Foot Locker Kids, etc. However, you can just ignore them if they are not to your liking. There are plenty of other stores. MoA is definitely a lot less upscale than Beverly Center, but I looked up online and compared it with Glendale Galleria, and I think they are comparable. You can go to the website of the malls to find which stores are different. While I think it is difficult to find national retailers that don't exist in California, MoA also has some local Minnesota stores. Recently MoA has improved. For example, 2 years ago it openned a store called Pandora selling jewelry from Denmark, and was one of the first to open it in US. I think California doesn't have that store yet. I guess you should go ahead to pay a visit. Just don't set your expectation too high and you'll have a good time if you love shopping.
Out of the shopping centers in Twin Cities, I still would recommend MoA over Galleria Edina because MoA has more varieties, and its upscale options are on par with Galleria now. I am just providing some of the negative information so that you'll have less of a chance to be disappointed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Forever Blue
Thanks a lot guys for taking the time to post a lot of good info! The main reason I want to go is for the Mall of America. I LOVE to shop, but now I'm having a tad bit of 2nd thoughts.
I'm sure I'll love the mall, but are there any unique womens' clothing stores that are not in California? Just so you know where I'm coming from, I like the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, CA, Beverly Center in Beverly Hills, CA, but too expensive, Fashion Island in Newport Beach, CA has a lot of different shops. The Perimeter mall in Georiga & Aventura mall in Florida are great!
There's certain malls that I consider good & not so good. If a mall is an outlet mall or similar to it, I may not like it as much.
I HATE Old Navy, Marshall's, Mervyn's, Burlington Coat Factory, Kohl's, Nordstrom Rack, TJ Maxx, Ross, & stores like them, so will I like the MoA?
Last edited by fashionguy; 07-06-2009 at 04:53 PM..
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