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Old 07-19-2010, 08:50 AM
 
4 posts, read 9,862 times
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Hey guys, me and my friend are going to takes drive up from Chicago to visit Minneapolis for the first time. It is a place I may consider moving to in the future so I want to see it first hand.

Do you guys have any recommendations for what to do the first time as musts? I plan on trying to see a game at the new Target Field and we would like to spend a good afternoon at one of the big lakes nearby for some laying out and maybe some canoeing or biking.

We are on a budget so if you have any food recommendations for breakfast/dinner that are quality but not overly pricey that would be great.

We also plan to stay in downtown (3 nights)
Thanks for any advice!!
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Old 07-19-2010, 09:13 AM
 
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check out the chain of lakes in south minneapolis. uptown is an area near the chain of lakes that you might want to explore.
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Old 07-19-2010, 09:25 AM
 
Location: Columbus OH
1,606 posts, read 3,342,269 times
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I'd recommend the following:

1. plan to walk around the Central Riverfront and see the Guthrie Theater (views from endless bridge), maybe check out the Mill City Museum (if you want to see what led to Mpls being here in the first place), the Farmers Market on Saturdays at Chicago Ave and 2nd Street, walk over the Stone Arch Bridge and check out St Anthony Falls, on the other side of the river check out Main Street and even walk over to East Hennepin to see some of the shops and restaurants (Kramarczk's, Nye's, Punch Pizza or Pizza Nea)

2. Walk down Nicollet Mall--check out The Crystal Court at IDS Center (at 7th Street), Macy's has a great salad bar for $9 or $10 for lunch on the 12th floor. Target Field is worth checking out even if you don't get a ticket. You can walk down to the Loring Greenway and go through Loring Park to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and Walker Art Ctr (for modern art). The Mpls Inst of Arts is also well worth a visit (at 3rd Avenue and 24th Street).

3. Rent a bike at one of the many bike stations in downtown and ride around the city--I'd bike the river down to either Midtown Greenway or Minnehaha parkway and then ride west to the lakes district, going around Harriet, Calhoun & Isles, but also stopping in Uptown and/or Lyn-Lake to eat and get a drink. Lots of good Thai restaurants in Uptown.
Nice Ride MN - Home

4. Also spend a day in St Paul: Check out the mansions along Summit Ave and the shops along Grand Ave (especially between Victoria and Lexington), drive over to Selby Ave between Western and Dale and see if you can go curling at the St Paul Curling Club. Go downtown and check out Rice Park (the prettiest urban square in the Twin Cities) and Mears Park in Lowertown.

Other good relatively inexpensive places to eat in downtown:

Hell's Kitchen (on 9th Street near marquette)
Key's Cafe (9th Street between marquette and 2nd Ave)
Gluek's (6th Street near Hennepin)
Black Sheep (Coal-fired) Pizza (Washington Ave N at about 6th Ave N)
Ping's Chinese (Nicollet Ave at 14th Street)

Hope you enjoy your visit!
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Old 07-19-2010, 10:59 AM
 
4 posts, read 9,862 times
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Gosh, thanks for the great tips... I will make sure to print this out and keep track.

Keep em coming if anyone has any other ideas. Its much appreciated!
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Old 07-19-2010, 12:14 PM
 
Location: MINNESOTA
1,178 posts, read 2,706,475 times
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Stone Arch Bridge is awesome....
Segway Tours on the Mississippi
Lake Calhoun and Lake of the Isles and Lake Harriet
Target Field
Mall of America
Light Rail
St. Paul, the capital, rivercenter
Loring
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Old 07-19-2010, 12:17 PM
 
Location: Minneapolis, MN
10,244 posts, read 16,369,864 times
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I'd recommend using this website to scope out good happy hour specials in restaurants in the Minneapolis area:

Thrifty Hipster - Minneapolis and St. Paul - Bars, Clubs, Happy Hour
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Old 07-19-2010, 01:20 PM
 
1,807 posts, read 3,094,759 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wishman35 View Post
Hey guys, me and my friend are going to takes drive up from Chicago to visit Minneapolis for the first time. It is a place I may consider moving to in the future so I want to see it first hand.

Do you guys have any recommendations for what to do the first time as musts? I plan on trying to see a game at the new Target Field and we would like to spend a good afternoon at one of the big lakes nearby for some laying out and maybe some canoeing or biking.

We are on a budget so if you have any food recommendations for breakfast/dinner that are quality but not overly pricey that would be great.

We also plan to stay in downtown (3 nights)
Thanks for any advice!!
Glad to hear you're coming up....hope you enjoy your visit!

On the subject of the Twins game, I would get on tickets ASAP. You can try stubhub....they buy up a lot of tickets, but you may not be able to find any that aren't over face-value. If you want to risk it, you can often get tickets for games that have been returned by players or large groups a few days before the game at mntwins.com....but that is pretty risky.

I agree with the recommendation of the Chain of Lakes; check them out. Minnehaha Falls are really cool too. Since it sounds like you have a car at your disposal, you might consider going out to a larger lake like Lake Minnetonka, as well.

Other recommendations (and knowing that you are on a budget): The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is one of the best encyclopedic art museums in the country, and it is *free* every day, all day (artsmia.org) Acme Comedy Club does a *free* open mic night every Monday (acmecomedycompany.com), doors at 7:30, show starts at 8. Acme is one of the "five best" comedy clubs in the country (whatever that means...), and their open-mic is pretty much gold-standard. As another poster mentioned, Thrifty Hipster is a great site to go to to check out nightly happy hours. Off the top of my head, though, I would recommend Triple Rock in the Cedar Riverside area-- two-for-ones on Tuesday nights, and-- drumroll, please... FREE ALL YOU CAN EAT BACON on wednesday nights. They also have a large dance floor, and often book bands for a pretty cheap cover ($5 or so...). So, if you're here during the week, those are some things to consider.

Otherwise, for cheap eats, I would check out Eat Street (Nicollet between about 15th-28th) over downtown. Buses run for free on Nicollet Mall between Washington and Grant St (14th), so you could take one from your hotel, and then you would have a few blocks to walk to great food. But, downtown is good, too, and you'll see menus listed in restaurant windows. You'll find that prices at nicer sit-down places tend to be cheaper here than on the Loop or Gold Coast in Chicago. Get a Jucy Lucy at Matt's or 5-8 Club before you go, too (it's a regional favorite-- akin to the Chicago style hot-dog, Cincinnati chili, Philly cheesesteak, etc.)

And of course, check out the sculpture garden. Hope you enjoy your stay, and if you decide to move up here, good luck to you. If you have any more questions, just ask-- I'm sure most posters here would be happy to help (most of us LOVE this town, and spend a lot of time exploring it )
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Old 07-19-2010, 02:53 PM
 
4 posts, read 9,862 times
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What about the beaches... We are planning to hit up one of the beaches at Lake Calhoun or Lake Harriet. Which do you recommend?

... also for a day like this Wednesday where it is 85 and sunny...what time do I need to get there to stand a chance at a spot?

Finally what is the parking situation at the lakes?

Thanks for the help guys!
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Old 07-19-2010, 04:13 PM
 
701 posts, read 1,708,770 times
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Beaches...go to Calhoun to be with others in your age group. Harriet is usually more families. If you play volleyball, there are usually some games going at the north west side of Calhoun. Get there anytime..it's not like going to the ocean where everyone puts out a blanket to stake a spot. Parking is along the road for free or in the lots for a small fee.

I'd eat lunch at Tin Fish and rent a canoe (Both on North East side of lake) to explore Lake of the Isles--and be sure to go through the canal over to Cedar Lake where there are great views of the skyline.

Edina Grill or Highland Grill are great for breakfast. Punch Pizza is a good value dinner spot.
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Old 07-19-2010, 06:14 PM
 
Location: Chicago
409 posts, read 1,241,291 times
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^the sand volleyball at Calhoun is in the Southwest corner of the lakes.

Thomas Beach, on the south/southwest edge of Calhoun is the busiest beach for young people. Parking is a bit of an issue, I would recommend biking to the nearest NiceRide station (probably the Uptown Lunds) and walking to the beach from there.

When you go to the Guhrie to check out the view from the endless bridge, head up to the amber room. Go to the elevators and hit the top floor. It's beautiful.

I would go to the Eat Street area on Nicollet Avenue between 22nd and 28th. Authentic Chinese, Vietnamese, Greek, Mexican, Italian, German, Thai, and more! Seafood Palace, between 25th and 26th on Nicollet, is sit-down Chinese with huge lunch portions that all come with soup and egg rolls, all under $6.
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