Mandi's Twin Cities Travel Guide

ADDRESSES

CODEWEAVERS2550 University Ave W, Suite 439 South, St. Paul, MN 55114651.523.9300
BEST WESTERN2600 University Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414800.350.0022
YOUTH HOSTEL2400 Stevens Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55404888.250.3315
CHATSWORTH984 Ashland Ave, St. Paul, MN 55104651.227.4288
Lindburgh Terminal4300 Glumack Drive, St. Paul, MN 55111
Humphrey Terminal7150 Humphrey Drive, Minneapolis, MN 55450

There is a free airport shuttle regularly traveling between the two.

TRANSPORTATION

FOOT: Walking is okay, if you're downtown. Minneapolis has an indoor "skyway" system which is happy to get you lost in the loveliest and safest of places. But elsewhere, unless you're used to walking 1-3km in frostbite weather (yes, that north wind will topple yer arse!), it's a bit of an excursion.

TAXICAB: Call Rainbow at 612.332.1630, or Yellow at 612.824.4000, or (my personal favorite) Blue and White at 612.333.3331. It's okay if you don't speak English, neither does the cabdriver. Heh. When you call, they'll ask you where you're going, how many passengers, and if you're paying with cash or credit card. When you're downtown, there isn't usually a "stop" with a line waiting for cabs, and there usually isn't some door-dude hailing cabs for tips. Just stand at the corner and wave a cab down, Joe.

BUS: You can plan your trip (select "Trip Planner"). You'll need the address of your start point and destination. Depending on rush hour rates, a one-way trip is $1.25 or $1.75 and you'll need exact change. Tell the bus driver (who is typically very friendly) which street you need to get off or transfer at.

CAR: Minnesotans drive (not well, mind you), but that's the way it is. If you'd like to rent a car, I'm told that you can find per-day rates as low as $25. Split it with a couple guys from your hotel, and you might find it heavenly. Of course, weather can be adverse, and roads can be tricky after a snowfall. Be sure to get an ice scraper from the rental company.

HITCHHIKKING: Is illegal but exciting. I've never had a problem on the interstate, but locally, you'll have a hard time finding someone to pick you up. Especially looking the way you do. Heh.

EXCITING THINGS TO DO

Downtown Minneapolis has a bar/pub district where brave girls jaunt from door to door in their low-cut shirts and miniskirts no matter what the weather. I don't know why they do it. You might ask them! Best bet is to call a cab to get down there to start, and it's easy to find one on the curb to catch a ride home. Parking is painful, although not nearly as expensive or inconvenient as Chicago or San Francisco. Some places will charge a cover to get in the door, some will have live music or DJ's, and a rare few will have a dress code. Bring ID (gotta be 21 years old to drink booze), as you won't get in a bar without it. Downtown also now boasts "Block E", a sorry uber-corporate-chain-megopolis. I think it's a sin to put such a giant stain on Minneapolis' city, but Newman likes it. I prefer the old-school joints like the Fine Line Music Cafe and historic First Avenue/7th Street Entry. But I'm cool like that (grin).

Downtown St. Paul is a bit more conservative... older buildings, prettier parks, but the whole place shuts down about 6 or 7pm, and there is NO night-life.

The Mall of America, for all it's super-consumer glory, is actually quite interesting. Besides the super-shopping (they have a EVERYTHING) it's an entertainment spectacle. It's got comedy clubs, bowling alley's, video-gaming, raceway, an amusement park, an aqua-zoo, and movie theater. Don't forget where you parked.

Art: I have two favorites. The Walker Art Center has a super outdoor sculpture garden and indoor greenhouse (both are free), and the main museum is free on Thursdays. The Minneapolis Institute of Art is smaller, but not lacking in quality. Bonus, it's free EVERY day. I like free. Music and Events Calendar: The best resource for the cool stuff is here. They've got listings and reviews for everything from clubs to restaurants to local events, with a decent search calendar to boot.

A note on TIPPING:

We tip. and saying "please" and "thank you" with a smile goes a long way.

  • Bartenders: 50 cents to a dollar is typical
  • Cab drivers: a buck or two for short trips, three bucks for longer ones
  • Waiters/Waitresses: 10% is fine, 15% is standard, and 20% is extra.
  • Pizza delivery: 2 bucks is standard, unless they brought you 20 pies...
  • Bell-hop: do we even have these in the Twin Cities?
  • Information booth staff: free, no tip.
  • Cops: say "yes, sir" and "yes, ma'am" and be friendly. DO NOT offer them money. If you call me to bail you out of jail, you'd better be innocent.

    E-mail me privately if you have other questions or concerns: mandi at codeweavers dot com ENJOY YOUR STAY!!

    Smooches, Mandi CNG CodeWeavers, Inc.

    Here's a travel tip from Dilbert pointed out by Shachar.