Visiting Twin Cities Jan 19-23 (poss. move), what to do? (Minneapolis: homes, theater) - Minneapolis - St. Paul - Minnesota (MN) -Twin Cities - City-Data Forum

phxbelle · 01-18-2010, 06:08 PM

I will be visiting the Twin Cities while doing some interviews. Is there anything in particular I should do or see to give me a real feel for what the Twin Cities is like?

knke0204 · 01-18-2010, 08:06 PM

Dress warm first off.

Go see downtown Minneapolis, check out St. Paul.

Ben Around · 01-18-2010, 08:39 PM

Go see the lakes in Mpls. Have a beer at the Happy Gnome in St Paul. Check out the restaurants on Eat St. See the mansions on Summit Avenue. Listen to a band at the Turf Club.

Cruz Azul Guy · 01-18-2010, 09:20 PM

Don't bother going to see the lakes in January unless you are itching to ice skate or ice fish. Otherwise there really isnt anything to see there.

Haver · 01-18-2010, 11:15 PM

The St. Paul winter carnival might be going on then. They schedule it for sometime around Jan 20, which is statistically the coldest day of the year in the Twin Cities.

Lucky you.

MplsTodd · 01-19-2010, 07:51 AM

I have no idea what interests you have, but here are a few ideas:

1. Check out the area around Lake Calhoun, Harriet, and Isles: Even though they're frozen over, they're still worth seeing as this area is one of the most attractive features of the area. If you skate, you can skate at the rink on the northern section of Lake of the Isles. In the SE part of the city (not Southeast Minneapolis, but that's a technicality), there's going to be the national Pond Hockey Tournament going on at Lake Nokomis. There will be teams from all over the US competing.

2. Check out the Stone Arch Bridge, Mill Ruins Park, St Anthony Falls along the downtown riverfront. Depending on how warm it is, you may want to walk across the bridge to get a good perspective on the city. Nearby is the Mill City Museum (which would give you background on how the city started) and the Guthrie Theater, which is open to the public and offers good views from its endless skyway (the section jutting out over the West River Parkway).

3. Wander the skyway system, see the IDS Crystal Court, walk along Nicollet Mall

4. Visit a museum--we have lots of great art museums (in Mpls), plus the State Historical Society and Science Museum in St Paul

5. Visit Grand Avenue and Summit Avenue in St Paul. Grand has lots of shops, while Summit is lined with elegant old Victorian homes--with the most impressive ones on the east end (east of Dale) near the Cathedral of St. Paul.

Cruz Azul Guy · 01-19-2010, 08:06 AM

phxbelle · 01-19-2010, 09:39 AM

Thanks everyone, these are some great ideas. I'm actually in a nice little coffee shop in Shakopee at the moment. Honestly I don't find it THAT cold, I'm hoping that's a good sign. I will definitely do some of these things while I'm here.

Ben Around · 01-19-2010, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slig

Don't bother going to see the lakes in January unless you are itching to ice skate or ice fish. Otherwise there really isnt anything to see there.

I disagree. See MplsTodd's post below, that's what I had in mind.

Cruz Azul Guy · 01-19-2010, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ben Around

I disagree. See MplsTodd's post below, that's what I had in mind.

That's fine, I personally find the lakes area to be 100 times more attractive in the warm months. The area is bland, snow covered and depressing right now...not to mention cold.