4-month visit to Minneapolis for a canadian gal living in Greece..
Jul 8th, 2012, 03:24 PM
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4-month visit to Minneapolis for a canadian gal living in Greece..
Hello everyone,
I'm visiting my cousins in Minneapolis for 4 months at the end of Augut till December.
I would like some help about what to do whilst there (day trips, sightseeing). I'm interested in the local point of view besides the tourist one. Place worth visiting, places to eat. Is there a cinema theatre or not because I'm a big fun of movies.
And some help from the ladies please: any insights about nail and hair salons ? I do my nails every month with gel technique and wouldn't like to give it up. Any suggestions about where to go? any reviews? I need a salon where they know what they are doing and the prices aren't sky high!! The same goes about my hair! I would much appreciate it!
Plus, I've heard that there are shops where you can buy clothes and shoes and stuff of great quality in low prices. If you could recommend some in the area you'd be helping me a lot, since i'm not equipped for Minneapolis cold weather and I will be buying locally coats and boots and stuff and my budget isn't very high!!
Finally, anything else you could think of that you consider important or helpful I'm all ears!
Thank you very much in advance!!!
I'm visiting my cousins in Minneapolis for 4 months at the end of Augut till December.
I would like some help about what to do whilst there (day trips, sightseeing). I'm interested in the local point of view besides the tourist one. Place worth visiting, places to eat. Is there a cinema theatre or not because I'm a big fun of movies.
And some help from the ladies please: any insights about nail and hair salons ? I do my nails every month with gel technique and wouldn't like to give it up. Any suggestions about where to go? any reviews? I need a salon where they know what they are doing and the prices aren't sky high!! The same goes about my hair! I would much appreciate it!
Plus, I've heard that there are shops where you can buy clothes and shoes and stuff of great quality in low prices. If you could recommend some in the area you'd be helping me a lot, since i'm not equipped for Minneapolis cold weather and I will be buying locally coats and boots and stuff and my budget isn't very high!!
Finally, anything else you could think of that you consider important or helpful I'm all ears!
Thank you very much in advance!!!
Jul 8th, 2012, 03:39 PM
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I realise that but my cousins also just moved in from Boston so we will be exploring together!Of course in their 2-month head start they'll see a lot of things and take me too when I arrive. I did my personal search I'm just asking for personalized suggestions and info... Thanks though!!!
Jul 8th, 2012, 03:39 PM
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Seems like your cousins can help you a lot more than we can.
Minneapolis, as stated above, is a huge city and will have plenty of hair and nail salons. Gel nails are common in the US too. Don't worry. Hopefully your cousins will be available to help you get around and familiar with the city.
Minneapolis, as stated above, is a huge city and will have plenty of hair and nail salons. Gel nails are common in the US too. Don't worry. Hopefully your cousins will be available to help you get around and familiar with the city.
Jul 8th, 2012, 03:57 PM
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Llast time I checked, there was more than one movie theatre. in fact, people go there to escape the weather, whether it's hot and humid like now, or freezing cold and dark. I think Minneapolis/
St Paul ranks about No. 10 in US population.
In some of the small towns, people say "well, see you in the spring" before they hibernate for the winter and never come out unless they're in a car.
Speaking of shopping, the biggest shopping mall in America is The Mall of America. You'll undoubtedly shop there. It also has a multi screen movie theatre too.
All the chain store shopping you'd ever want to see
St Paul ranks about No. 10 in US population.
In some of the small towns, people say "well, see you in the spring" before they hibernate for the winter and never come out unless they're in a car.
Speaking of shopping, the biggest shopping mall in America is The Mall of America. You'll undoubtedly shop there. It also has a multi screen movie theatre too.
All the chain store shopping you'd ever want to see
Jul 8th, 2012, 04:04 PM
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I don't know Minneapolis at all...! But one recommendation for anywhere in the US is to use Yelp. It's such a great resource for reviews of everything from restaurants to nail salons. (I've lived in my NY neighborhood for decades, but never knew where to get my shoes repaired until recently, when I looked on Yelp - and found I'd overlooked a tiny place with an excellent reputation for all this time! Oh, and while in south Florida for work, Yelp found me a delicious "mom & pop" Greek restaurant in an area filled with boring chain places...) Yelp has a mobile app with a great "nearby" option, too.
I'm sure you'll find plenty of places for clothing once you've explored a bit. The national retailer Target often has cute/current styles, much more than you'd expect from a store like that. Also, there may be H&M in Minneapolis. Macy's is always a good place for warm coats, and national chains like Gap and J Crew will carry cute accessories like hats, scarves & gloves...
FWIW, it might help others give you feedback about Minneapolis if you know which specific neighborhood your cousins have moved to.
Good luck!
I'm sure you'll find plenty of places for clothing once you've explored a bit. The national retailer Target often has cute/current styles, much more than you'd expect from a store like that. Also, there may be H&M in Minneapolis. Macy's is always a good place for warm coats, and national chains like Gap and J Crew will carry cute accessories like hats, scarves & gloves...
FWIW, it might help others give you feedback about Minneapolis if you know which specific neighborhood your cousins have moved to.
Good luck!
Jul 8th, 2012, 06:55 PM
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Minneapolis is part of a much larger metro area - the other large city is St. Paul. Together they are commonly called the Twin Cities or just 'the Cities' by locals. Minneapolis itself has a population of about 400,000 but the entire metro area is over 3 million. So, plenty of shopping, movie theaters and salons to fit any budget.
Cheapest theater I know of is the Riverview, $2-3 for a movie but they are generally months behind the latest releases. Otherwise the theater at St. Anthony Main has $5 Tuesdays where tickets for any movie are $5. Otherwise I think everywhere else is pretty much the standard $7-8 or more for a movie unless you go to a matinee.
http://www.riverviewtheater.com/
http://www.stanthonymaintheatre.com/index.html
Shopping: if you are truly on a budget your best bet may be a thrift store for boots/coats. You may want to wait on that until you see what the weather is like this winter - since you're only staying through December it may not be real cold. Generally the coldest time is mid-January through mid-February. Some years are unusual with little snow, others are awful - some times it stays relatively warm into December, other years it gets really cold. So, rather than wasting money on a lot of winter clothes that may not be entirely necessary, you're probably better off waiting and seeing what the forecast is like as winter gets closer. Cheapest way to go is layer your clothing using things you'll wear in the future, rather than spending a lot of money on a really warm coat that you won't use again. Actually, the cheapest thing to do is borrow some clothes from your cousins - if they could handle a Boston winter that clothing would be fine for December in Minneapolis. Otherwise, there are plenty of clothing stores for various budgets - Burlington Coat Factory might be a good cheap option for new clothes.
Things to do:
August: go to the State Fair in St. Paul
http://www.mnstatefair.org/
September through mid-October: visit some state parks in the area, go to the North Shore for a weekend (North Shore is the area from Duluth and northeast of there along the shore of Lake Superior), check out the many city and regional parks in the metro, drive along the Mississippi River south of the metro and stop in some of the small towns. Best to do all of this during those 2 months as the weather will still be decent and the trees will start having fall color in late September through about mid-October. After that, the leaves fall off and the scenery is not so pretty to look at.
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/map.html
That is a map of the state parks in Minnesota. For reference, Fort Snelling is the only state park in the metro itself, close to the airport (about 15 minutes from downtown Minneapolis). Jay Cooke is just south of Duluth. Gooseberry Falls is really the start of the North Shore and continuing on up to Grand Portage. That should give you an idea of where things are in relation to Minneapolis. It's about $7 to enter a park for the day but $25 for an annual pass which gets you into all of them, so if you are planning on going to several you should get an annual pass. Just note that it is vehicle specific (it's a sticker that goes on your windshield) so it won't work if you're renting a car or using different vehicles for your trips. Best (cheapest) to figure out who's car you'll use the most and put it on that one.
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/index.html
This is the main page for the state parks. Starting some time in September they will have a section for fall colors, showing where in the state the fall colors are starting, at peak or beyond peak. That's helpful when trying to decide where to go visit to maximize your scenic views.
http://www.northshorevisitor.com/
Under the "Activities" tab there are lots of suggestions for things to do and see along the North Shore. However, the whale watching thing is a joke.
Rest of your time: Explore the cities, go shopping, visit Minneapolis Institute of Arts (free), Walker Art Center (free on Thursday evenings), Como Zoo and Conservatory (free), check out the theaters in town for plays, etc., tons of ethnic places to eat....
There's a Minneapolis Greek Festival the 2nd weekend of September which might interest you (assuming you are Greek, not just living there now).
http://www.mplsgreekfest.org/
That's a decent start, there is much more to do of course.
Cheapest theater I know of is the Riverview, $2-3 for a movie but they are generally months behind the latest releases. Otherwise the theater at St. Anthony Main has $5 Tuesdays where tickets for any movie are $5. Otherwise I think everywhere else is pretty much the standard $7-8 or more for a movie unless you go to a matinee.
http://www.riverviewtheater.com/
http://www.stanthonymaintheatre.com/index.html
Shopping: if you are truly on a budget your best bet may be a thrift store for boots/coats. You may want to wait on that until you see what the weather is like this winter - since you're only staying through December it may not be real cold. Generally the coldest time is mid-January through mid-February. Some years are unusual with little snow, others are awful - some times it stays relatively warm into December, other years it gets really cold. So, rather than wasting money on a lot of winter clothes that may not be entirely necessary, you're probably better off waiting and seeing what the forecast is like as winter gets closer. Cheapest way to go is layer your clothing using things you'll wear in the future, rather than spending a lot of money on a really warm coat that you won't use again. Actually, the cheapest thing to do is borrow some clothes from your cousins - if they could handle a Boston winter that clothing would be fine for December in Minneapolis. Otherwise, there are plenty of clothing stores for various budgets - Burlington Coat Factory might be a good cheap option for new clothes.
Things to do:
August: go to the State Fair in St. Paul
http://www.mnstatefair.org/
September through mid-October: visit some state parks in the area, go to the North Shore for a weekend (North Shore is the area from Duluth and northeast of there along the shore of Lake Superior), check out the many city and regional parks in the metro, drive along the Mississippi River south of the metro and stop in some of the small towns. Best to do all of this during those 2 months as the weather will still be decent and the trees will start having fall color in late September through about mid-October. After that, the leaves fall off and the scenery is not so pretty to look at.
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/map.html
That is a map of the state parks in Minnesota. For reference, Fort Snelling is the only state park in the metro itself, close to the airport (about 15 minutes from downtown Minneapolis). Jay Cooke is just south of Duluth. Gooseberry Falls is really the start of the North Shore and continuing on up to Grand Portage. That should give you an idea of where things are in relation to Minneapolis. It's about $7 to enter a park for the day but $25 for an annual pass which gets you into all of them, so if you are planning on going to several you should get an annual pass. Just note that it is vehicle specific (it's a sticker that goes on your windshield) so it won't work if you're renting a car or using different vehicles for your trips. Best (cheapest) to figure out who's car you'll use the most and put it on that one.
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/index.html
This is the main page for the state parks. Starting some time in September they will have a section for fall colors, showing where in the state the fall colors are starting, at peak or beyond peak. That's helpful when trying to decide where to go visit to maximize your scenic views.
http://www.northshorevisitor.com/
Under the "Activities" tab there are lots of suggestions for things to do and see along the North Shore. However, the whale watching thing is a joke.
Rest of your time: Explore the cities, go shopping, visit Minneapolis Institute of Arts (free), Walker Art Center (free on Thursday evenings), Como Zoo and Conservatory (free), check out the theaters in town for plays, etc., tons of ethnic places to eat....
There's a Minneapolis Greek Festival the 2nd weekend of September which might interest you (assuming you are Greek, not just living there now).
http://www.mplsgreekfest.org/
That's a decent start, there is much more to do of course.
Jul 8th, 2012, 10:29 PM
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Minnesota historically had a large amount of immigrants from Germany, Scandinavia (Norwegian, Swedish) and Eastern Europe (Poles, Czechs). I don't know what sites there are today to show that past to you, but it's always been fascinating to me how many new immigrants moved there and made it a center for their ethnic groups.
Garrison Keillor is known for having fun with everything Minnesota--the history, the weather--on his radio show, A Prairie Home Companion. Here's a place to find it via Internet: http://jrabold.net/radio/2pra.shtml Official show website: http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/
Garrison Keillor is known for having fun with everything Minnesota--the history, the weather--on his radio show, A Prairie Home Companion. Here's a place to find it via Internet: http://jrabold.net/radio/2pra.shtml Official show website: http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/
Jul 9th, 2012, 04:59 AM
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Kellance, It would help if you could give us the general location of your cousins. As others have said, Minneapolis is a huge city. We can better assist you if we know where you will be living -- just the general area or suburb will do.
Jul 10th, 2012, 03:57 PM
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Well as promised I asked and found out that we'll be staying in Edina..Does that help more?
Is it a nice place in MN? I assume it is because they have great taste but they are new in town also so I was just wondering.... Any comments or words of wisdom now that you know the exact area?
Thanks again.!!!
Is it a nice place in MN? I assume it is because they have great taste but they are new in town also so I was just wondering.... Any comments or words of wisdom now that you know the exact area?
Thanks again.!!!
Jul 10th, 2012, 06:48 PM
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Edina is a very nice suburb of Minneapolis. The area around 50th and France has a number of upscale shops. I would wager you won't have any problem finding good salons in that area but they will probably be expensive. Edina is not cheap.
Doesn't really change any of my previous advice. The metro isn't super sprawling. You are right on the border of Minneapolis so everything I talked about earlier is within reach.
Doesn't really change any of my previous advice. The metro isn't super sprawling. You are right on the border of Minneapolis so everything I talked about earlier is within reach.
Jul 10th, 2012, 06:49 PM
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I don't think you could be in a better location. Edina is wonderful. It is quite close to Downtown Minneapolis. Very easy to get to "downtown" if you like. However. Edina has so much to offer, you will probably never leave. My very favorite area is "50th & France" (see link below). There are wonderful shops and the best restaurants in all ranges. The Edina Landmark theater is a wonderful movie house that runs more off beat shows. 50th & France is a great area to walk around. They have an amazing outdoor art fair each June.
The other great part of Edina for shopping is Southdale Mall. It was the first mall ever built in the U.S. It is huge. Filled with shopping, movies, and food.
Edina parks are excellent. The city transit system can get you nearly anywhere. Edina is very "upscale", so you will have access to the best of everything. Have a read on some of the following web sites for more about Edina.
http://www.50thandfrance.com/business.php
http://landmarktheatres.com/Market/M...dinaCinema.htm
http://m.simon.com/default.aspx?id=1249
http://www.edinamn.gov/index.php?section=gallery-2
The other great part of Edina for shopping is Southdale Mall. It was the first mall ever built in the U.S. It is huge. Filled with shopping, movies, and food.
Edina parks are excellent. The city transit system can get you nearly anywhere. Edina is very "upscale", so you will have access to the best of everything. Have a read on some of the following web sites for more about Edina.
http://www.50thandfrance.com/business.php
http://landmarktheatres.com/Market/M...dinaCinema.htm
http://m.simon.com/default.aspx?id=1249
http://www.edinamn.gov/index.php?section=gallery-2
