5 hr layover at MSP. Mall of America or Downtown? (Minneapolis: city hall, rent)

[PunjabiBuckeye]

My roommate and are flying to Cancun from Columbus, OH in March, and intentionally got the flight with a 5hr layover at MSP, from 8:20am to 1:20pm on a Tuesday. We would like to be back at the airport by 11:30am, so I'd say we have about 2-2.5 hrs to get out of the airport.
We want to depend on light rail, and either go to Mall of America (his inclination) or Downtown Minneapolis (my inclination). We don't plan to shop, just sightseeing, and maybe coffee.
Is there one you'd recommend for the experience, or proximity? What's the more Minnesoata experience of the two?
(One benefit of Mall of America would be being indoors most of our layover, as we're not bringing much winter clothing since on our way to Cancun and no checked baggages).

[rzzzz]

Mall of America. There is nothing to do downtown on a Tuesday morning in March. However, Mall of America does not open until 10 am.

[irootoo]

Mall of America will be way more fun than downtown in March. It would be different if it were May-October, but you will more than likely want to stay indoors and there's lots to see and do at MOA.

[Meraki]

MOA - but the stores don't open until 10 AM. It is extremely close to the airport and you can take the rail there and back easily. The actual mall itself is open early in the morning and there are lots of mall walkers, and then the coffee shops are open as well.

[Mplsite]

Neither: hit up local spots near the LRT. Peace Coffee for some of the city's best and most creative espresso drinks ( I had an excellent one chilled with pureed avocado) near Lake Street station. 38th St station for the Cardinal Tavern for a MN dive bar experience (open at 8am!) And just a couple short blocks west Northbound Brewery for one of many great local breweries which have cropped up. 50th St station for Minnehaha Falls: you can rent a bike via the Nice Ride bike share to go along Minnehaha Creek or the Mississippi. Downtown is for lawyers, bankers, and Target execs: not a very "Minnesotan" experience and neither is a mall full of national chains.

[rzzzz]

I'd normally recommend minehaha falls but in march it will be cold and sloppy and the hiking trails closed. TBH in March I'd probably just stay in the airport and read a book or watch a movie on my iPad.

[rogead]

Contrary to what some have inexplicably suggested, there are numerous things to do downtown, particularly sight-seeing. This would by far give you a better experience of the city and of the state. The problem in this instance, is that you would be devoting a third of your available time to transportation from and back to the airport. You really don't have the time to enjoy a trip downtown.

Aside from the sheer spectacle of its size, There really aren't any sights to be seen at The MOA. You will find tons of things to do, however, none of them will in any way give you an experience that is unique to Minnesota. Just imagine a big mall with which you're familiar, multiply by a factor of four or five, and you have The MOA.

With the time you have available, there are more than enough amenities within the airport itself to keep you busy. I would suggest that you do that, and save further exploration for a trip in which you have more time.

[MplsTodd]

I'll offer a contrary view. If you're interested in experiencing a city versus a mall and have an interest in architecture, downtown offers plenty to see. First March weather is hit or miss, it could be nice and sunny or windy and cold. In downtown, the skyway system makes weather irrelevant. Additionally, very few cities have a real skyway system ( really just Mpls, St. Paul and Calgary, though Cincinnati has a small system). Therefore, I think the skyway system is an attraction unto itself-- it's filled with scores of coffee houses, convenience stores, quick fresh and fast food restaurants. It also lets you see the innards of downtown buildings that you typically don't get to see in many major cities. Here's an idea for a nice walk around the downtown core, using mostly the skyway. Within a few blocks you could see:

Exit at Govt Ctr station, check out the Richardson Romanesque City Hall Tower, with statue of Former VP Hubert Humphrey (former Mayor of Mpls), cross 5th Street to Hennepin County Government Center, a rather plain 1970s vintage tower, with a huge 400 foot atrium. Take skyway across 3rd Avenue to US Bank Plaza, two white towers from early '80s built as HQ for Pillsbury Co (white as the doughboy). Another huge atrium here. Cross Second Avenue skyway to Canadian Rail Center, (aka 120 south 6th) Minneapolis's oldest postwar, international style tower, with another atrium courtyard with restaurants and coffee houses. Adjacent to this is the Rand Tower, a cool Art Deco tower with a cool elliptical stairway between skyway level and first floor, with a cool Art Deco statue on first floor.
You could brave the elements and cross Marquette Avenue to the Westin Hotel (at 6th & Marquette). While crossing, look up to your left and check out Caeser Pelli's Wells Fargo Center, one of downtowns big three towers and often highly ranked in surveys of best high rises in the US. The Westin Hotel is in an old bank building, with dramatic bas relief sculptures on the building facade and a beautiful old banking hall as a lobby. You could take another cool stairway up to an overlook of the banking hall and the head into Gavidae Common II, a multi-level mall, which has been repositioned as a mixed office-retail development. You can take the skyway across 6th street to the original Gavidae Common, a far more impressive multi-level mall, that again has been repositioned as retail/office use (downtown used to have a ton of retail pre MOA). Crossing the seventh Street skyway brings you to:
* IDS Crystal Court a large naturally lit town square atrium at the base of IDS Tower, designed by Phillip Johnson and featured in the Mary Tyler Moore show back in the '70s (not to mention the Husker Du video for Love is all around"). There's still a decent amount of retail here (gap, banana republic, Hubert white).

*Foshay Tower: a funky, iconic Art Deco tower that was built in 1929 as a replica to Washington monument. Features cool Art Deco design in lobby and elevators. There's a museum , observation level at the top: it costs about $10 or so though and has varied hours, so I'd Google Foshay tower museum before going.
* nicollet Mall: lots of restaurants, the old flagship Daytons Department Store between 7th and 8th (with statue of Mary Tyler Moore throwing her hat in the air at 7th), which is now a Macy's plus a two-story Target at 9th Street, and Target's HQ at 10th.
Walk down 9th street to Hennepin Avenue where you'd see several historic theaters (State, Orpheum, Pantages) between 10th and 7th street along Hennepin. Walk one block on 7th Street from Hennepin to First Avenue and you'll be at First Avenue/7th Street Entry still arguably the best rock club in Mpls and the Midwest and home of Prince's Purple Rain, plus the Replacements, Soul Asylum, Husker du et al classic shows. Walking down First Avenue towards the 5th Street LRT Station, you can check out Butler Square, an old brick and timber warehouse that was the first major renovation project in downtown back in the '70s, when it was converted into office space. The building has a really cool (wait for it...) atrium.

That walk would give a nice perspective on the downtown core. When weather is nicer then you could check out the downtown riverfront, with Mill Ruins Park, the Guthrie a Theater, St. Anthony Falls and the Stone Arch Bridge.

[rzzzz]

Sorry, but nobody wants to go look at a closed First Ave at 9 am on Tuesday or tour the abandoned retail experiments of the 90s.

If you want to see a giant mall, get a Cinnabon and look at Lego World, go to Mall of America.

If you want some fresh air, go to Minnehaha Falls.

If you want minimal hassle that won't end in disappointment, stay at the airport.

If you want an authentic Minnesota experience, rent a car, tune the radio to AM 830 and drive to Super Target in Roseville.

[TxTnVtMn]

I'd say the amount of time you have precludes downtown. Too long of a ride, not leaving you with much time. Unless you are fan of transit projects.

Go to MOA. I was down on the idea of it when we moved to MN 18 months ago. Big mall, lots of chains, what's to like, etc.

But, it is actually a nice experience. There are some fairly unique stores. LL Bean is a great, recent addition. I think some MN folks have soured on the genuine novelty of MOA. I look forward to my trips there.