Nicollet Avenue starts at the front of the Minneapolis Convention Center on Grant Street then heads south to the Midtown Greenway on 29th Street. The avenue is a pedestrian and transit mall along with upscale shopping and dining. The avenue is also known as Eat Street due to the diversity of delicious foods available such as African, Asian, American, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean or Mexican, there are 55 restaurants and food markets located throughout the 17 blocks of avenue.
There are many iconic buildings along the avenue such as the IDS Center, Orchestra Hall, the Minneapolis Public Library and the Minnesota Planetarium. During the summer months the avenue hosts the farmers markets and during the winter season the Holidazzle parade light the mall.
The mall was used to film the iconic cap toss by television character Mary Richards for the opening credits of The Mary Tyler Moore Show; this was filmed in front of what was the Dayton department stores. This scene was named as the second greatest moment of television history by Entertainment Weekly. A statue of the character was erected by TV Land in 2002 as a dedication to the television show.
In 2001 the Dayton's department store was renamed Marshall Field then Macy's in 2006, which was to the dismay of locals. Target Corporation is the corporate descendant of Dayton's and has a large presence on the mall including a two-level retail store.
Other department stores at the mall include Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th Outlet. National retails and local boutiques at the mall include Crystal Court, City Center and Gaviidae Common. The City Centre has a group of shops such as GNC and Hallmark with Brooks Brothers opening on the second floor after closing down at another Minneapolis Mall.
Channel 4 station WCCO-TV broadcasts from studios located in the south end of the mall, including a `window to the world' news studio located on the first floor of their studio, which allows shoppers to view reporters delivering the news.
The mall is served by Metro Transit buses, which include high frequency routes; the only other vehicles allowed on the two-lane road include taxis and emergency vehicles. During non-weekday rush hours bikes are allowed into the mall, and a free Metro Transit has been introduced on a circulator route.
Other transport available at the mall include the Hiawatha Line light rail system, which opened in 2004 with a Nicollet Mall station, which connects downtown Minneapolis to the airport, Mall of American and a Central Corridor line is available from downtown St. Paul, which will stops at the Mall.
Loring Park is located at the south end of the mall and can be access from the Loring Greenway link.
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