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Old 10-14-2008, 04:37 PM
 
2,507 posts, read 8,533,176 times
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You keep trying to find competition.
If you see The Dutchess, does it matter if you see it a week later? What a snobbish thing to say. Most cities only have one or two Landmark theaters, we have three. Both the Heights and the Parkway show movies that are out of the main stream. Block E has surprising variety for a megatheater.
I don't think you have a clue how utilitarian the people are here. Nobody gives a damn if they can buy Burberry or Armani here, we can buy nice clothes from a department store or such. We didn't trick you into thinking that those options existed here.
A bank is a bank. Our stores don't accept Yen or Euros either. When you move, transfer the account. When you visit, pay the ATM fee for a week.
You seriously buy groceries at a Seven-11? Minneapolis has farmers' markets, Co-op groceries, discount grocers, Trader Joe's, Kowalski's, Lund's and Byerly's. I'm pretty sure you can feed yourself quite well here.
Downtown is not dead, it is divided by use. You won't see people on Nicollet after hours or to see a show. You won't see shoppers on Hennepin.
Asking roads to be smooth here is like asking San Diego to stop burning down.
If you insist on knowing part of the reason why Mpls. is so special you should know that it is one of the wealthiest areas in the country and still doesn't feel compelled to be ostentatious. We don't need a Diesel store to show how well dressed we are, or an IMAX to show how cultured we are. You knew all of this before you decided to come here, so there was obviously something here that appealed to you that was more important than your the problems that you pettily complain about.
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Old 10-14-2008, 05:17 PM
 
1,263 posts, read 3,996,347 times
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I am happy as long as you admit that what I am saying are the facts. What you think is unimportant might be important for somebody else, so that's not for you to judge. You are totally fine with seeing a movie you are expecting for a long time two weeks later than other cities, or not being able to see it at all. You don't want to see IMAX, and you are totally fine with your department store collections. You don't have the frustration of learning that Saks Fifth Ave has a promotion and you can't participate, or Kiehl's has a promotion in its stand-alone stores posted on dealsea but you can't participate because you don't have a store here. You think a downtown that closes most of its shops by 7 during weekdays and 5 during Saturday and all day during Sunday is not dead. You are fine with the road conditions because you think there is right reason for that. Good, but that's just you, and I feel I am responsible to tell everybody about these aspects because they generally don't appear in your comments about the Twin Cities. Because, instead of asking the roads to be smooth, you can be cautious in moving here if you are concerned about it. You are not right in saying that I knew all this before I came. If I just read posts by you, I wouldn't know. And, not everybody in the Twin Cities moved here because they wanted to, or have planned to stay here for very long. I am glad as long as my message is getting through.

BTW, I don't need 7-Eleven very often, but if I feel that I need grab sth. late in the night, I would like to know that the option is there. Besides, I find 7-Eleven in almost all other cities I've been. Why not Minneapolis? The stores you mentioned are all general grocery stores, not convenience stores. You know I am not talking about a 7-Eleven at an oil pump. If I have good alternatives, I wouldn't say that, but I don't. The convenience store at Hennepin Ave of downtown Minneapolis is completely dirty and unpleasant. A chain like 7-Eleven would certainly clean that up. But they have no interest in coming here. You figure out the reason.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Minnehahapolitan View Post
You keep trying to find competition.
If you see The Dutchess, does it matter if you see it a week later? What a snobbish thing to say. Most cities only have one or two Landmark theaters, we have three. Both the Heights and the Parkway show movies that are out of the main stream. Block E has surprising variety for a megatheater.
I don't think you have a clue how utilitarian the people are here. Nobody gives a damn if they can buy Burberry or Armani here, we can buy nice clothes from a department store or such. We didn't trick you into thinking that those options existed here.
A bank is a bank. Our stores don't accept Yen or Euros either. When you move, transfer the account. When you visit, pay the ATM fee for a week.
You seriously buy groceries at a Seven-11? Minneapolis has farmers' markets, Co-op groceries, discount grocers, Trader Joe's, Kowalski's, Lund's and Byerly's. I'm pretty sure you can feed yourself quite well here.
Downtown is not dead, it is divided by use. You won't see people on Nicollet after hours or to see a show. You won't see shoppers on Hennepin.
Asking roads to be smooth here is like asking San Diego to stop burning down.
If you insist on knowing part of the reason why Mpls. is so special you should know that it is one of the wealthiest areas in the country and still doesn't feel compelled to be ostentatious. We don't need a Diesel store to show how well dressed we are, or an IMAX to show how cultured we are. You knew all of this before you decided to come here, so there was obviously something here that appealed to you that was more important than your the problems that you pettily complain about.

Last edited by fashionguy; 10-14-2008 at 05:44 PM..
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Old 10-14-2008, 06:26 PM
 
Location: Earth. For now.
1,289 posts, read 2,116,196 times
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Fashionguy, I agree with a lot of what you are saying. It's generally agreed in the retail sector that the Twin Cities are underserved. But again, I also agree with points that Minnehahapolitan is saying too. It really is true that the Twin Cities do not care for ostentatious displays of wealth. And many residents - and I do too - believe that a $500 cashmere sweater from Saks is a waste of money. I believe in quality, but I also believe in practicality. And quality can be obtained without resorting to the scam of designer labels. (But hey, I aknowledge that designer labels do offer unique choices. I just object to the often scandalous premiums that go with that.)

This is an area where its considerable wealth was earned through a scandinavian/northern european sensibility based on hard work in an inhospitible climate. That trait still dominates here. (I am in fact actually surprised that the Neiman Marcus store downtown is still in business.) This is the city that gave birth to - and still incubates - Target and Best Buy. It, in fact, prides itself on value more than anything else. As an example, IKEA only recently (2004) entered this market. But, to their own surprise, the IKEA at the Mall of America is one of their highest-grossing locations worldwide.

That said, I'd also like to see more variety and more stores open up around the Cities. I agree that we need to have more options.

On another note, you mentioned 7-Eleven. You might not know this, but they were all over the Twin Cities about 20 years ago. They mostly went under. Why? Because they were junk. They didn't offer value. All they offered was high-priced convenience.

Regarding theaters. Yes, Minneahahapolitan is right, as are you. The theater seats per capita refer to live theater, not cinema. The closest IMAX theater to you is but 8 miles away at the Science Museum of Minnesota. And it's not just an IMAX but an OMNIMAX domed theater. But no, they don't show commercial IMAX movies (just well-produced science movies) so maybe your alternative is the IMAX at the Minnesota Zoo, which is considerably closer than the one in St. Michael and often does show first-run Hollywood movies. However, to blacklist a metro just because it doesn't yet have an IMAX downtown is a little provincial.

There are lots more discussions that pertain to your question, but maybe we can reserve those for another thread...

Last edited by Astron1000; 10-14-2008 at 06:37 PM..
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Old 10-14-2008, 07:39 PM
 
2,507 posts, read 8,533,176 times
Reputation: 876
Quote:
Originally Posted by fashionguy View Post
I am happy as long as you admit that what I am saying are the facts. What you think is unimportant might be important for somebody else, so that's not for you to judge. You are totally fine with seeing a movie you are expecting for a long time two weeks later than other cities, or not being able to see it at all. You don't want to see IMAX, and you are totally fine with your department store collections. You don't have the frustration of learning that Saks Fifth Ave has a promotion and you can't participate, or Kiehl's has a promotion in its stand-alone stores posted on dealsea but you can't participate because you don't have a store here. You think a downtown that closes most of its shops by 7 during weekdays and 5 during Saturday and all day during Sunday is not dead. You are fine with the road conditions because you think there is right reason for that. Good, but that's just you, and I feel I am responsible to tell everybody about these aspects because they generally don't appear in your comments about the Twin Cities. Because, instead of asking the roads to be smooth, you can be cautious in moving here if you are concerned about it. You are not right in saying that I knew all this before I came. If I just read posts by you, I wouldn't know. And, not everybody in the Twin Cities moved here because they wanted to, or have planned to stay here for very long. I am glad as long as my message is getting through.

BTW, I don't need 7-Eleven very often, but if I feel that I need grab sth. late in the night, I would like to know that the option is there. Besides, I find 7-Eleven in almost all other cities I've been. Why not Minneapolis? The stores you mentioned are all general grocery stores, not convenience stores. You know I am not talking about a 7-Eleven at an oil pump. If I have good alternatives, I wouldn't say that, but I don't. The convenience store at Hennepin Ave of downtown Minneapolis is completely dirty and unpleasant. A chain like 7-Eleven would certainly clean that up. But they have no interest in coming here. You figure out the reason.
These issues don't appear because so few people here would even notice their absence. It wouldn't even dawn on me to note the absence of a Neiman Marcus. You live in Dinkytown, you have Santana Foods and Harvard Market within a half-mile of you. The family that runs Santana actually make a living off it, support them. 7-11 left Chicago too.
Do you honestly mean to tell me, though, that you didn't take a cursory tour of this city before you moved here. You never went downtown before you made a decision to move? You just happened to take the bus for all of your trips before you came to Minneapolis yourself and didn't notice how "bumpy" the streets were. Most everything you say is factual, but I will be happy as long as you understand that Mpls. is one of the few cities in America that still maintains an actual, regional culture. Neiman Marcus will never be a part of that. It truly bothers me that you consider that a problem once you moved here; as if you threw a dart on a map and figured this city would be the same as every other. Maybe what needs to be highlighted is not the "lack of retail amenities of Mpls." but the fact that you should study a place before you move to it. Minneapolis is not particularly less culturally unique than New Orleans, we just haven't built a tourism industry off it.
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Old 10-15-2008, 01:47 AM
 
1,263 posts, read 3,996,347 times
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I think I have to restate the fact that not all people move here because they think Twin Cities is good. Sometimes a lot of other factors outweight the city itself, like attending college, family, etc. Sometimes you just run out of options. With the "you are living here, so you must like it." attitude, I don't think any constructive suggestions can be given. I, for one, is attending school here. I will leave after school is finished, so it doesn't matter to me what the city is like. Also, I don't think the information I provide can be obtained by just a visit. During your first visit you a city, you focus on certain things and you overlook others. You happen to be on a bad road but you might think this is the only bad road the city has. When you take the bus, I don't think you notice the road conditions very clearly. The bus usually has lots of noise and also you focus your eyes on what's beside the roads not the roads themselves. The same thing happens to downtown, etc.

If everybody can do enough reasearch before they do anything, there wouldn't be any regrets of any kind. In the real world, that doesn't happen. Also I pointed out again and again that what I am talking about is just a few aspects. I never said Twin Cities suck as a whole. What I said might not be the most important aspects. However, they do exist and whether newcomers look at that or not is for them to decide. As a person living here, you can point out which part of what I said are not the facts, but you can hardly decide whether they will consider them or not. You can't direct every post to the conclusion that Twin Cities is a perfect place. That is just beyond your responsibility.

BTW, I was talking about Saks Fifth Ave, not Neiman Marcus. Minneapolis has a Neiman Marcus. Just don't want to mislead people. Thank you.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Minnehahapolitan View Post
These issues don't appear because so few people here would even notice their absence. It wouldn't even dawn on me to note the absence of a Neiman Marcus. You live in Dinkytown, you have Santana Foods and Harvard Market within a half-mile of you. The family that runs Santana actually make a living off it, support them. 7-11 left Chicago too.
Do you honestly mean to tell me, though, that you didn't take a cursory tour of this city before you moved here. You never went downtown before you made a decision to move? You just happened to take the bus for all of your trips before you came to Minneapolis yourself and didn't notice how "bumpy" the streets were. Most everything you say is factual, but I will be happy as long as you understand that Mpls. is one of the few cities in America that still maintains an actual, regional culture. Neiman Marcus will never be a part of that. It truly bothers me that you consider that a problem once you moved here; as if you threw a dart on a map and figured this city would be the same as every other. Maybe what needs to be highlighted is not the "lack of retail amenities of Mpls." but the fact that you should study a place before you move to it. Minneapolis is not particularly less culturally unique than New Orleans, we just haven't built a tourism industry off it.

Last edited by fashionguy; 10-15-2008 at 03:10 AM..
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Old 10-15-2008, 02:37 AM
 
1,263 posts, read 3,996,347 times
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Thank you for your understanding and consideration. Yes, I understand that this place is perfect for Minnesotan people. I mentioned that in my first post here. If you are born here and you live here for a long time, you really don't bother find anything beyond what the city can offer. But for somebody not born here, they might not share the same value and they might want more options.

In terms of shopping, I am not just talking about designer labels though. Designer labels completely lack any exclusive store here. That's just an example. I myself is not that crazy about designer labels, but I do like the option to browse in order to get the trends. I like Saks Fifth Ave just because of its cosmetics selection. Each year they have promotions in store. Some brands I mentioned, like A|X Armani Exchange, or G-Star, or Diesel, are not that expensive, at least not more expensive than say, Coach whose store available here in almost any shopping mall. Stores like Zara or Nike are completely normal ones. Kiehl's is just a cosmetics brand, with modest price. Kate Spade, Furla, Juicy Couture, etc. are completely comparable to Coach. They do have fewer stores than Coach nationwide though. The point I am making is, when a store opens in the United States, expensive or not, Twin Cities are usually not the first or second set of cities they would consider to open a store in. Yes, that's most probably because of the reason you mentioned. The people here don't spend a lot, and therefore the market is smaller than it appears and not attractive despite the city's first-tier size. Also the taste of Twin Cities tend to be uniform, because all stores are almost the same for all the shopping malls here. There are lots of repeats and not like in other cities, there are higher end, trendy, lower end, etc. When MoA first opened, it was just a get-together of all the stores that we already have. But you also have to admit that though the reason is very well explained, the immediate result is that you have fewer options. What I can get here is no different than a college town in any-ville, USA. Although there I have one shopping mall and here I have like 4, but the selections are almost the same. Consider you would like a Kate Spade bag instead of Coach, you want to try that in store, and you find that it is available only in stand-alone stores. Those situations happen. I am not sure I agree with you on that putting a designer lable on you back is to show your wealth. It is just a perspective of spending in my opinion, and apparently what I am talking about is not all about designer labels, it is about variety. Like the IKEA you mentioned, it is rather inexpensive. And hey, IKEA is from North Europe. Even a company from North Europe only opened its first store here 2004. I am not sure North Europe still shares the same value with Twin Cities, at least they don't think they do. I am glad that they performed well though. I hope a lot of others can follow and find the market here is not that conservative, and make Twin Cities more living up to its size in the retail aspect. For example, God bless the two Staples that just opened this year. We don't have staples till now.


For IMAX, thank you for your information. That's very kind of you. However, as I mentioned in my first post, I would rather stick to driving to St. Michael, because I think it is a real theater there and has better quality, not like in the zoo with a single screen and not any theater atmosphere. I almost thought I was in Disneyland waiting in line for a special show when I saw Spiderman there last year. That's also a proof that not all people think IMAX is completely unnecessary. Because even if it is in the zoo and it has a single screen, there are still so many people waiting in line, and the IMAX tickets for this year's The Dark Knight sold out very quickly. I am not blacklisting the Cities. I just listed a few facts that I think can be helpful. I never said Twin Cities suck, blablabla....

For banks, I would like to point out a reason I just thought of as to why Twin Cities have fewer competitions. As Minnehahapolitan said, a bank is a bank, and everybody needs a bank. Of course Twin Cities can support a variety of large banks as other big cities do. The thing is, because the location of Twin Cities is not that great, in order to maintain a good economy here, the Cities have to provide a lot of compromise for local companies. That is reflected on the city's attitude to NWA. As a result, most aspects here are dominated by one or two local companies and there are not much competition. NWA really dominates here and as a result, the airline tickets here are generally more expensive than other large metros. But on the other hand, NWA helps MSP International not going downhill that fast by making a lot of connections here. MSP was once among the top 10 airports in US. Now it can barely make it to the top 20. Whether you would like to face it or not, the importance of Twin Cities is falling. There are less traffic here. Anyway, the city makes a lot of compromises with NWA, like moving all other airlines into Humphery terminal because NWA threated to leave if the city doesn't build a new airport for it. I guess the same situation happens for US Bank and Wells Fargo. I guess that might also be the reason why Staples doesn't come here for such a long time, to protect Best Buy.

I would also like to point out that the matters I mention are just examples I think of immediately. They are not everything I base on to draw the conclusion that Twin Cities have less to offer than one would expect for its size. If you want to know what I am talking about as a city that would exceed your expectation of its size, take a look at Portland. The extensive light rail and street car system. A healthy downtown, without so many showy tall vacant buildings as in Minneapolis, but with lots of nice shops and selections. When I try to find a reasonable store, Portland seldom disappoints me. Twin Cities have their attractions, and a lot of people on this forum have stated those aspects again and again. I think the negativities I provide is a good complement, and useful for at least some people.




Quote:
Originally Posted by Astron1000 View Post
Fashionguy, I agree with a lot of what you are saying. It's generally agreed in the retail sector that the Twin Cities are underserved. But again, I also agree with points that Minnehahapolitan is saying too. It really is true that the Twin Cities do not care for ostentatious displays of wealth. And many residents - and I do too - believe that a $500 cashmere sweater from Saks is a waste of money. I believe in quality, but I also believe in practicality. And quality can be obtained without resorting to the scam of designer labels. (But hey, I aknowledge that designer labels do offer unique choices. I just object to the often scandalous premiums that go with that.)

This is an area where its considerable wealth was earned through a scandinavian/northern european sensibility based on hard work in an inhospitible climate. That trait still dominates here. (I am in fact actually surprised that the Neiman Marcus store downtown is still in business.) This is the city that gave birth to - and still incubates - Target and Best Buy. It, in fact, prides itself on value more than anything else. As an example, IKEA only recently (2004) entered this market. But, to their own surprise, the IKEA at the Mall of America is one of their highest-grossing locations worldwide.

That said, I'd also like to see more variety and more stores open up around the Cities. I agree that we need to have more options.

On another note, you mentioned 7-Eleven. You might not know this, but they were all over the Twin Cities about 20 years ago. They mostly went under. Why? Because they were junk. They didn't offer value. All they offered was high-priced convenience.

Regarding theaters. Yes, Minneahahapolitan is right, as are you. The theater seats per capita refer to live theater, not cinema. The closest IMAX theater to you is but 8 miles away at the Science Museum of Minnesota. And it's not just an IMAX but an OMNIMAX domed theater. But no, they don't show commercial IMAX movies (just well-produced science movies) so maybe your alternative is the IMAX at the Minnesota Zoo, which is considerably closer than the one in St. Michael and often does show first-run Hollywood movies. However, to blacklist a metro just because it doesn't yet have an IMAX downtown is a little provincial.

There are lots more discussions that pertain to your question, but maybe we can reserve those for another thread...

Last edited by fashionguy; 10-15-2008 at 03:14 AM..
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Old 10-15-2008, 11:20 AM
 
Location: Mableton, GA USA (NW Atlanta suburb, 4 miles OTP)
11,334 posts, read 25,981,033 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fashionguy View Post
Whether you would like to face it or not, the importance of Twin Cities is falling. There are less traffic here. Anyway, the city makes a lot of compromises with NWA, like moving all other airlines into Humphery terminal because NWA threated to leave if the city doesn't build a new airport for it.
The Humphrey Terminal only has 10 gates and serves a few airlines like AirTran, Midwest, and Sun Country.

I tend to fly Midwest when I travel to the Twin Cities from Atlanta, and I think using Humphrey gives Midwest a big advantage. Smaller security lines, quieter, and less waiting in general than in the main Lindbergh terminal. Gives me more time to anticipate the warm cookies I'll be served on the plane.

To my knowledge, NW has never threatened to leave the Twin Cities (except perhaps by dying), and it really couldn't do that without something like the DL/NW merger happening first, since NW has most of its operation here including its computer center (MSP Building J), System Operations Center (Building F), and other facilities.

Besides, NW has to deal with the MAC (Metropolitan Airport Commission), not the Twin Cities directly.

I moved from MSP to ATL four years ago, and I'd take MSP any day. Believe me, having the busiest airport in the country or the world (or both by some measures) does not a mature metro area make. The City of Atlanta has so many political, financial, and infrastructure issues compared to the Twin Cities that it's hard to keep track of them all. Thankfully Atlanta is only 10% of the metro populationwise and less than that areawise, and most of the surrounding suburbs are doing a better job of governing themselves...

Quote:
I guess the same situation happens for US Bank and Wells Fargo. I guess that might also be the reason why Staples doesn't come here for such a long time, to protect Best Buy.
I remember when banks like Midwest Federal, TCF, Firstbank, and others had a very strong presence in the Twin Cities, and you still see a lot of credit unions and local banks around. Heck, even First Minnetonka is still around.

Most banks tend to be regional, as do many restaurant chains. That the nature of the beast. I see a lot of banks here in Atlanta like BB&T, Suntrust, etc., that are quite large, but which don't have a presence in the upper midwest at all, but the reverse is also true (Wells Fargo has no presence here, and neither does US Bank). BoA does, but most of the people I know tend to dislike them.

The list of restaurant chains in common between Atlanta and the Twin Cities is long, but so is the list of restaurant chains that only exist here or there. The Twin Cities has White Castle, Perkins, Denny's, etc., which never existed (or no longer exist) in Atlanta, while Atlanta has Folks, Waffle House, and Sonny's.

And grocery stores? the Twin Cities has Cub, Byerly's, etc., while the market down here is dominated by Publix and Kroger. The latter used to be in the Twin Cities a long time ago and was driven out. Cub used to be down here and was driven out.

Face it -- regionalism is the norm.

Last edited by rcsteiner; 10-15-2008 at 11:28 AM..
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Old 10-15-2008, 11:36 AM
 
Location: Mableton, GA USA (NW Atlanta suburb, 4 miles OTP)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fashionguy View Post
4) Banks

I really don't understand why Twin Cities doesn't even have a BoA branch, or a Citi branch or a Chase branch? It is especially inconvenient for somebody travelling here. Those are the most popular banks and are the ones that are likely to offer some reward program, so people have accounts there. US Bank and Wells Fargo are the two big banks here, but they are virtually non-existent in the east coast or overseas. Twin Cities is like a city isolated from everywhere of United States. Well, geographically, it is, but I don't know the physical location has such a large impact.
Hate to burst your bubble, but the Atlanta metro doesn't have any Chase or Citi branches, either.

None.

Welcome to reality. There are areas of the US, some of them actually well-developed and with their own population centers, that do not follow in the footsteps of the east coast. Really.

BoA has a strong presence here in Atlanta, but most banks are Suntrust, Wachovia, or BB&T. Regional banks, just like you find in the Twin Cities.
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Old 10-15-2008, 12:40 PM
 
Location: Mahtomedi, MN
989 posts, read 2,949,815 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rcsteiner View Post
Hate to burst your bubble, but the Atlanta metro doesn't have any Chase or Citi branches, either.

None.

Welcome to reality. There are areas of the US, some of them actually well-developed and with their own population centers, that do not follow in the footsteps of the east coast. Really.

BoA has a strong presence here in Atlanta, but most banks are Suntrust, Wachovia, or BB&T. Regional banks, just like you find in the Twin Cities.
Wells Fargo becomes the largest bank in terms of branches and number of states when it finishes the wachovia aquisition. More than Citi, Chase or BoA.

If I went to NYC and said there is no Wells Fargo, that would be laughed at too.

All these banks have rewards and mostly the same services. If you do business with them at any signifcant level, you don't need to worry about out of network ATM fees either. Those charges get refunded.
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Old 10-15-2008, 03:19 PM
 
72,813 posts, read 62,127,610 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by xz2y View Post
I moved from SE Michigan to Minneapolis in August and wanted to share a few first impressions.

Driving: It seems to me that the drivers are not as rude or aggressive as SE MI, and in general, will let you merge into traffic on the highways. However, the traffic congestion and road construction are terrible! It takes me an hour (or more) to drive from SW Mpls to the East Bank during the morning and afternoon rush hours. Gasoline prices are lower than SE MI (lower state gas tax).

Minnesota "Nice": While it may be a cliche, it is true that people are nicer in general and more polite compared to SE MI. They will line up for things rather than push and shove their way to the front of the line, for example, and most people I've met are quite friendly and helpful. I've even had sales associates come up to me in Target and ASK me if I needed help finding something. That's unheard of in most big box stores I've shopped in, where the sales folks are virtually nonexistent and often surly.

Restaurants: My experience so far is that restaurant food is a bit expensive. I've been in moderate places, cheap places and higher end, and all seem high priced for what you get. I'm not sure if it's due to taxes on restaurant food or just higher prices in the big city. I also haven't really found a good, cheap, ethnic restaurant. The chinese, vietnamese and thai places I've been to were overpriced and bland. I'm sure there are better places out there, but I haven't found them yet.

Grocery stores: Nice selection, from basic (Cub) to higher end (Byerly's and Lunds). Even Target has a good food section. Groceries seem expensive, but everything is going up. In particular, dairy products are more expensive than SE MI but grain products and veggies are less, so it's probably a wash.

IKEA: The biggest IKEA store I have ever seen. Friendly staff and great selection!

Recreation: I love Lake Harriet and the bandshell in the summer. Also fun to walk around the lake for exercise. Still exploring many of the sights around the city.

Culture: Tons of options to explore. I've only seen the Russian Art Museum so far and it's a gem.

Job opportunities: Unfortunately, my job hasn't worked out (I didn't like it at all), so I'm back out there looking again. Hopefully the soft national economy isn't affecting the TC too much. Unemployment is up everywhere, but the TC have a lot of diverse industries. I'm optimistic so far.

Any others care to share their first impressions?

Other than the job situation, it sounds like MPLS is kind of nice.
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