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I really don't think it's difficult to live without a car in the Twin Cities. There are even quite a few suburbs that wouldn't be difficult to live in without a car.
Uptown is not more than 1/3 mile from downtown. If you're measuring from Lake/Lagoon to Nicollet Mall station, that's about 2.5 miles, but the Loring Park neighborhood of downtown Minneapolis is only separated from the Wedge neighborhood of Uptown by I-94.
Dinkytown is only the western hub of the U of M area. There is plenty more to see and do along Washington Ave between East Bank and Stadium Village stations.
Portland has (as far as I am aware) more miles of on-street bike lanes, but Minneapolis has a massive network of off-street trails leading way, way out into the deep suburbs and beyond, which is infrastructure that Portland doesn't really have an equivalent to. Not saying Portland doesn't have plenty of bikability advantages over Minneapolis, but that's why you didn't see quite as many bike lanes.
If I wanted, I could bike from Excelsior to Minnehaha Falls (22 miles) entirely on off-street trails that look likethis.
I really don't think it's difficult to live without a car in the Twin Cities. There are even quite a few suburbs that wouldn't be difficult to live in without a car.
Yeah, I know. Had to visit to make sure. Just have to pick a good spot for it.
Loring Park doesn't feel like downtown to me. Maybe just the very edge of it? So I'd measure from destination to destination and Target/Macy's is sort of the center of downtown.
It's also worth noting that biking in Portland and Minneapolis is much easier than Seattle given the latter's steep inclines and hills. Biking from Downtown to any other neighborhood is a serious exercise given that you'll be biking up an incline that goes up 100-200 feet in elevation within a mile's distance.
Seattle pretty much ruined me for seafood anywhere else...being from the center of the country and all. Damn.
Although my micro-brew experience left me wanting...I wonder if you Seattle-ites are on a *teensy* high horse about your beer. I totally prefer the Colorado scene that made me fall in love with good beer. Could have just been my experience. I need to get back there.
Sorry, off-topic! (Although this thread devolved into a battle of one-upsmanship quite some time ago)
Washington State has more breweries than any other state except California and by far the most per capita. Seattle has so many great breweries and the local beer scene is incredible. I think it surpasses Colorado.
Washington State has more breweries than any other state except California and by far the most per capita. Seattle has so many great breweries and the local beer scene is incredible. I think it surpasses Colorado.
Mind you, Washington residents have a deep obsession for IPA in particular. I still find that IPA tastes like urine, but hey, all power to IPA drinkers!
Hey guys...I'm moving from my not so awesome southern town in the spring, but am undecided on where to go. I'm not going for a job or anything, but simply because I need a change. After doing some research I've narrowed my options down to Minneapolis, Seattle, and Portland (Oregon), but am unsure of what would be the best fit for me.
I'm looking for the following:
-city feel without being too huge and expensive (basically, something that feels like NYC or SF, but less hectic and definitely cheaper). I guess...big enough to offer the commodities of a city, but not too big to trump all sense of community.
-affordability
-good and diverse restaurants (important for two reasons--I love good food and I work in the restaurant business...bonus if they have tea shops)
-an active film or theater scene I could participate in
-language schools/lessons available...not a top priority, but would be nice
-second hand/consignment/vintage shops...love them, want them
-good, dependable, clean public transit, bike lanes, walkability...my main goal is to be car free. This is the biggest issue.
-active music scene
-vegetarian friendly
-relatively safe for a single female (as much as a city can be)
Weather honestly doesn't matter that much..I've gone from the nasty heat/humidity and rainy seasons of Florida to snowy Boston winters, so weather is hardly a factor. You have to deal with it no matter where you are.
So..if you know anything about these cities..which one do you think fits this criteria the best?
I've lived in Portland and Minneapolis and have a brother in Seattle.
Portland and Minneapolis feel nothing like New York. Neither does Seattle, but out of the three it perhaps has a little taste more than the other two.
Minneapolis is the least expensive of the three.
All have decent restaurants, although I'd give Seattle the nod just because the size of it over Portland means it has more. It's also a wealthier city than Portland, so there's more people dining out. Because of the shorter winters, fresh food is better for more of the year in Seattle and Portland.
None are allstars in film or theatre, but all have decent small-city theatre and film scenes. Oddly, Portland is probably best for film, Minneapolis might be best for theatre.
Seattle probably has the most language schools, but all are big enough you should have a selection.
All have vintage shops.
None would be easy to be car-free in if you also need affordability. They each have decent transit, but they will not be comparable to San Francisco or Chicago, let alone New York, when it comes to transit. All have a fairly strong outdoorsy, "get out of the city on the weekends" culture, and you won't be able to fully participate in that without a car.
Music scene is different between the three and hard to compare, but solid in each, in their own ways.
They're all modern and progressive, so being a vegetarian will be easy in any of them. Portland might get a *slight* edge here, but very slight.
They're all relatively safe.
NOTE: You say weather doesn't matter but I have lived through winters in both Minneapolis and in Boston and a Boston winter does NOT prepare you for the deadly cold of Minneapolis. Especially if you plan to try and be car-free, the cold in Minneapolis is seriously much, much worse than Boston. When I lived in Boston there were no days when it was too cold to go outside and walk around, just a lot of inconvenient snow. In Minneapolis, my eyelashes would freeze together walking from the house to the car some mornings. It is much, much colder than Boston in the winters. Do not go there expecting Minneapolis winter to be at all comparable to Boston winter.
Mind you, Washington residents have a deep obsession for IPA in particular. I still find that IPA tastes like urine, but hey, all power to IPA drinkers!
I'm not an IPA lover myself. They taste more like soap to me. I prefer beers that actually taste good.
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I totally prefer the Colorado scene that made me fall in love with good beer. Could have just been my experience. I need to get back there.
