Short weekend March 7-9 in Minneapolis. Suggestions please. (St. Paul, Minnetonka: spring break, rent)

[kayoticworld]

Hello Minneapolis, My wife and I will be visiting your fair city this weekend. This is both of our first time in Minneapolis (minus being in the airport twice before). I realize another tread was started asking A similar question, however it seems that the op in that tread will be visiting for much longer and may have different interest then we may have. My question is what are the absolute must-do’s in the downtown area in a very short weekend? I asked a similar question in the Austin forum months ago and got tons of great information and suggestions from the locals. Needless to say we had an awesome trip and I hope to replicate the same here.

We will be flying in early Friday (tomorrow) morning March 7th and we have some flexibility on the time we fly back home on Sunday the 9th(airline employee). I booked our hotel downtown, specifically the Hilton on Marquette Ave. We decided to stay downtown because I believe that is where the majority of our time will be spent. From what I can gather on reviews from Trip Advisor-there are plenty of restaurants, bars and entertainment in the area of our hotel. As of now we are planning on spending Friday in Downtown Minneapolis , All of Saturday-MOA, And most of Sunday in downtown until late afternoon. That is completely flexible off your suggestions. We won’t be renting a car and will be using the Light rail to get downtown, MOA, and the airport. If all goes well we will be returning for a longer period of time and rent a car when it’s a little warmer and visiting some of the lakes and partake in the outdoor activities the area is know for.

Things about us:

I am into art/photography-into the unconventional, outside the “box” kind of stuff
Wife is passionate about food/A complete foodie- open to all cuisines except I am not a seafood person.
We love live music, Open to all, but generally prefer Jazz, soul and R&B
Love to people watch-free entertainment.
Not sure that it really matters but I’ll throw it out there-Interracial couple (from what I hear quite common in Minnesota)
World Travelers (I love my Job J)
I am really into cities, architecture, street scenes, urban-walk ability
We are both very easy going people.
Both in our mid 30's.


Thanks.

[kayoticworld]

I found this statement to be very helplul in the other thread. Is this pretty much what we should do? Well the things downtown and in the MOA area?




If I was you, here's the must-see's I'd try and check out (in order):

(1) Mall of America (love or hate malls, you HAVE to see it if you're here, since everybody you know will ask you what it was like, as the MOA is all most people outside of the city/state know about it)
(2) Chain of Lakes (either Lake Harriet, Lake Calhoun and/or Lake of the Isles....lots of things to do at the lakes themselves and plenty of beaches, including a "party beach" in Thomas Beach on Calhoun)
(3) Downtown Minneapolis Entertainment (Nicollet Mall for happy hour, Hennepin Ave for theatre or Target Field for MLB baseball, and 1st Ave for bar-hopping -- planned your whole night!)
(4) Lake Minnetonka (gorgeous suburban large party/entertainment lake where million/billionaires live, and where you should try and rent a boat or at least hang out someplace on the lake, like in Excelsior or Wayzata)
(5) Uptown Minneapolis (for fun rooftop happy hour or nightlife on a nice day)
(6) Nordeast/University of MN (brew-pubs/breweries and dive bars, fun area for bar-hopping or going out)
(7) Other Minneapolis Districts (Linden Hills, Eat Street/Nicollet Ave, Lake Street, Hennepin Ave, 50th & France, Lyn-Lake, The Wedge, Loring Park, Central Ave, University Ave)
(8) Downtown Minneapolis Sights (Stone Arch Bridge, Izzy's Ice Cream at Gold Medal Park, or Mill Ruins Museum)
(9) St. Paul Districts (Summit Ave and Grand Ave are two streets worth seeing, and I believe there is also a mafia tour bus of some kind that you can take part in to see the city and learn about MN gangland of yore)
(10) Shakopee (Mystic Lake Casino, Canterbury Card Club, and Valley Fair Amusement Park)

[Thedosius]

Adding/augmenting (4) above, the Guthrie Theater is a must-visit for anyone coming to the cities. It is a theater complex which is open to the public to walk in and look around, and was designed by architect Jean Nouvel. There is a cantilevered bridge off the back of the Guthrie overlooking the Mississippi River, and the "amber room" at the top has the best view in the Twin Cities.

[codydog2]

I would add the Dakota Jazz Club and the Walker Art Center as possibilities.

[StPaulGal]

I'm sure others will have lots of good info for you, but I am just going to throw one thing out there: The MOA is right by the airport, and the light rail connects the two. Unless there is a specific reason to do the mall on Saturday, it might make more sense to spend Friday and Saturday downtown and then head to the MOA before your flight on Sunday. That would cut down on unnecessary back-and-forth and allow you to make the most of your short time here.

[kayoticworld]

Originally Posted by codydog2

I would add the Dakota Jazz Club and the Walker Art Center as possibilities.

Thanks, will make sure to look into it.

Originally Posted by Thedosius

Adding/augmenting (4) above, the Guthrie Theater is a must-visit for anyone coming to the cities. It is a theater complex which is open to the public to walk in and look around, and was designed by architect Jean Nouvel. There is a cantilevered bridge off the back of the Guthrie overlooking the Mississippi River, and the "amber room" at the top has the best view in the Twin Cities.

That sounds awesome. Sounds like a great place to shoot some photos as well.

Originally Posted by StPaulGal

I'm sure others will have lots of good info for you, but I am just going to throw one thing out there: The MOA is right by the airport, and the light rail connects the two. Unless there is a specific reason to do the mall on Saturday, it might make more sense to spend Friday and Saturday downtown and then head to the MOA before your flight on Sunday. That would cut down on unnecessary back-and-forth and allow you to make the most of your short time here.

Thats a good point and one I have thought of. The only reason I figured to try the mall on Sat as oppose to Sunday is because we have never been there before. All the people I talk to are always talking about how massive the mall is. I figured if we go early Sat and spend the whole day doing the mall (or gage how we feel about the place), then we can figure out if we needed the time on Sunday to see some more. Nethertheless I realize either way we won't scratch the surface of that behemoth shoppers' paradise, so it may make more sense to do what you suggested. I've also thought about doing the reverse and just going to the mall after we land in MSP since I am not sure we can check in at the hotel that early in the morning. I guess a lot depends on what the hotel says when I call them after landing.
Thanks.

[golfgal]

I would suggest going to the Mall on Friday. There are lockers where you can store your bags if needed and it will be a LOT less crowded. Realistically you can "see" the mall in an hour or so, but shopping and experiencing the mall could take weeks if you went to every store .

[Thedosius]

Originally Posted by kayoticworld

That sounds awesome. Sounds like a great place to shoot some photos as well.

Indeed it is- here's a set of photos from someone's flickr account of the Guthrie, including pics from the amber room-

Guthrie Theater Exterior, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota - a set on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/1000808...7637956161336/

[MNTwins]

As an employee at the Mall of America, I warn you that this upcoming weekend is the final one of a free wristband promotion in the theme park and is the first weekend of Spring Break season. In short, it's going to be CRAZY this weekend to the point of being unnavigable. The place will be a $&@; show on Saturday. I would highly recommend going on Friday otherwise it'll be a miserable experience.

[r_shackleford]

Originally Posted by kayoticworld

Not sure that it really matters but I’ll throw it out there-Interracial couple (from what I hear quite common in Minnesota)

Unless you're a Swede and she's Norwegian, you should be fine.

I don't live near Minneapolis, so I don't keep up on exactly what's trendy. But a few of the places I go when I'm get there might strike your fancy. First, I second the suggestion to go to the Dakota Jazz Club. It's right by your hotel. Check their website to see who's playing this weekend and go to the show that looks most appealing to you. The music is not always jazz, but it's always something that benefits from a more intimate environment. They serve dinner there if you want, but I usually eat somewhere else.

The Mixed Blood Theatre might be up your alley. They perform plays in foreign languages or a mixture of languages- typically Spanish, I think. For example, I saw a play about a Mexican family living in the United States. The scenes with just the family were in Spanish, but everything else was in English. You could check to see what's playing this weekend. It's right on the edge of downtown and I think there's a light rail station nearby.

You also might like the American Swedish Institute. It's an old mansion and they use part if it as a museum. The mansion and its furnishings alone are quite impressive. If you go, be sure to take the tour. The story of the home and its owner covers an interesting cross-section of history.

I don't know the downtown restaurant scene too well. One of my stand-bys is the Dancing Ganesha. It's an Indian place that's just a few blocks removed from the busier areas on Hennepin or First.

I've never understood the fascination non-Minnesotans have with the Mall of America. It's like any other shopping mall, except it has two of everything and it encloses an amusement park. The only thing from you list of interest that you'll find at the mall is people watching. If you go, make sure to go to the Lego area. That's usually been interesting. I haven't been there in ages, though.

Have fun! And with the temperature potentially flirting with the 40's this weekend, be sure to look for locals wearing shorts, grilling, or going to the beach.