I need to complain about a few idiotic things about Minnesota and the Twin Cities.

[back2M]

IMO - Originally from Mpls and visiting every couple of years I am always amazed at how people expect convenience 24/7. The best thing out of 24/7 is giving people jobs.

Where I live in a town population of 300,000 there is one Kmart open 24 hours, there is one grocery store open until midnight and then Macdonalds in the city open until 3 am, other ones close at 10pm. By the way that Macdonalds always has alot of violence as all the drunks go eat after leaving the bars so a couple of Police cars have to be there to control violence. (taxpayers money-so a fast food joint can make a profit on drunks!)

There are a couple of gas stations open 24 hours and they have the bars on the windows as has been robbed at night so many times. Less robberies happen during daylight hours.

Stores are open 9-5:30pm M-F Sat 9-5 and Sun 10-4 (grocery stores do open 7am-8pm) and there is Thursday late night shopping until 9 pm.

Liquors stores being closed on Sunday? Stock up before if your a drinker or having a celebration. I think this law was due to a religion aspect at one time?

If your a shift worker (lots of mines in my area so lots of shift work) they just shop when the stores are open. Fast food 24 hours, aren't we getting fat enough?

Please appreciate what you do have and stop expecting EVERYTHING to be available 24/7 and at your finger tips.

[uptown_urbanist]

Originally Posted by golfgal

I'm in Minneapolis plenty, but never for the dentist .

Move to the suburbs if you want 24 hour grocery stores, Walmarts, etc. Again, I can walk to our 24 hour Cub and our 24 hour Target if need be--our 24 hour Walgreens sure is nice if you need late night medication after going to the 24 hour Urgent Care too....liquor stores are only open until 10 or 11, whatever the law is, we only have 3 of those in walking distance though, too bad I guess. Love the 24 hour drive throughs at several of the fast food places because we can walk to those if need be too--they are great when the kids get back from a school activity after midnight and are hungry--you know how teens are, but maybe not because your kid is only 5.

The OP said St. Paul/Maplewood---which is hardly sleepy, but if you ventured out of your small neighborhood you would know that....

WHY do you constantly insist on claiming that I never leave my neighborhood?! Seriously, I don't live in a bubble, and I think your constant slandering is rude. OK, I was wrong -- you said that your most common trip to Minneapolis was doctor, not your dentist. Whatever. You've many, many times on this forum gone on and on about how you have little need to go into the city -- that you have everything you want in Rosemount and vicinity. Fine. I'm still not convinced that you are familiar with the various Minneapolis neighborhoods or downtown, though, given how often you have said that you spend so little time there. Just like I don't know the hours of the stores out there in Rosemount. But the OP doesn't live in Rosemount and presumably isn't moving, so even if Rosemount is THE place to be for late-night activity in the Twin Cities (and who knew? Guess we should be directing all those night owls looking for urban 24/7 adventure to your neighborhood) that doesn't do much good if he or she is living elsewhere.

I guess I made it through life without ever having walked through a late-night fast food drive through. I suppose that's a plus if you like that kind of thing. That's not limited to the 'burbs, though. Bad design and bad food is, unfortunately, found in neighborhoods throughout the Twin Cities, and is not limited to Rosemount.

I don't think any part of the Twin Cities is all that busy at night. Maybe we're just looking at it from different perspectives. But, that said, some locations in the Twin Cities have a lot more activity late at night/early in the evening than do others. St. Paul is NOT known for its late-night scene, and as far as I know, Maplewood doesn't exactly have that reputation, either. Not that people aren't out shopping or getting late-night prescriptions filled; I'm sure they are, as they are in all parts of the metro area. But really, those are not locations where one goes because they want to have a vibrant night life. I don't think that's really a criticism -- many people, after all, don't like a lot of night life in their neighborhood, as most people want to be able to sleep at night. Just look at Uptown, where late-night noise is frequently a source of neighborhood complaints. I think it's a tough balancing act there; it's nice to have people out on the streets at night (I think), but not nice when they're too loud and keep people from sleeping! But you probably know all about that balancing act, given that out there in Rosemount so many of your neighbors are out walking around at 3 am and doing their dining and shopping.

In any case, the Twin Cities in general (and perhaps Rosemount is an exception) is really not known for its 24/7 lifestyle, although there are a few neighborhoods that have more activity at night than others. I don't think most parts of St. Paul or Maplewood really have a reputation as being bustling places in the early morning hours. That doesn't mean that there's no early morning activity -- I'm sure that, just like anywhere else, there are people getting emergency prescriptions filled, doing their grocery shopping after working a late night shift, or even just having a late night out at Perkins with friends. But really, a few late night grocery stores and a pharmacy does not a 24/7 neighborhood make.

[Beenhere4ever]

Originally Posted by trip_shakespeare

Sidewalks and cross walks - every few blocks - do not, in and of themselves, make for a pedestrian friendly street - especially when those sidewalks are not properly shoveled and set so far from the various stores that it is difficult, if not impossible, especially during the winter, for an elderly or disabled person to navigate.

Hey, that's Minnesota. It is not "idiotic". It is how we convince riffraff to move elsewhere!

[cubd1]

Hmm, good responses.

Again, I did say it's something you have to get used to. It's not necessarily a bad thing!

I think all those stores *are* there, but I have to find them. I do believe there are fewer fast food joints and big shopping centers than the places I'm used to (Arizona and Las Vegas -- particularly Arizona -- there is no shortage of big grocery stores in that state). I also think Aldi's and Knowlton's and a few other little grocery stores make me feel like I've stepped back into the 80s when I go in them. But that's the charm about this area.

I've never really liked Target or considered it comparable to Wal-Mart, but I suppose it is the "Wal Mart" of this area, for obvious reasons.

I also think the point about the Sunday booze law benefiting the bars and keeping them busy is a GREAT point and one I had not considered. It would definitely boost the social life on Sunday at bars and that's good.