Rochester, MN in January
Dec 26th, 2006, 09:44 PM
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Rochester, MN in January
Would appreciate advice from any who have lived or visited Rochester, Minnesota in the winter.
My bf has an appointment at the Mayo Clinic & we could be there from 3days to a couple of weeks(?), we leave mid-Jan. I'm coming from STL and we just don't get as much snow here as they do there and that has me a little worried.
What I am looking for is advice on clothing/weather, transportation & food.
1. If I wear my usual jeans, long-sleeve t-shirt (or sweat shirt) with a coat will I be okay? Do I need to invest in some heavier outer wear? I'm planning on being inside as much as possible & trying to avoid travel on the streets.
2. Do we need a car? If we stay at the Marriott or a hotel within a block of the MC can we get along fine just walking? I may have to wheel him back at some point (streets wheelchair friendly?)
3. Since I don't know how long we'll have to stay I'd like to frequent diners/restaurants with reasonable prices & decent food that are close by.
Thanks in advance =)
My bf has an appointment at the Mayo Clinic & we could be there from 3days to a couple of weeks(?), we leave mid-Jan. I'm coming from STL and we just don't get as much snow here as they do there and that has me a little worried.
What I am looking for is advice on clothing/weather, transportation & food.
1. If I wear my usual jeans, long-sleeve t-shirt (or sweat shirt) with a coat will I be okay? Do I need to invest in some heavier outer wear? I'm planning on being inside as much as possible & trying to avoid travel on the streets.
2. Do we need a car? If we stay at the Marriott or a hotel within a block of the MC can we get along fine just walking? I may have to wheel him back at some point (streets wheelchair friendly?)
3. Since I don't know how long we'll have to stay I'd like to frequent diners/restaurants with reasonable prices & decent food that are close by.
Thanks in advance =)
Dec 26th, 2006, 11:59 PM
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Wow - the Mayo in January. Been there, done that. Good times.
I can't help on the dining thing because during my Mayo visits, I lived within driving distance and we just grabbed lunch in a Mayo cafeteria. But for everything else, here goes...
Jeans, sweater, sweatshirt and a regular winter coat will be fine. MInnesota is in a heat wave (although there are no guarantees it will last).
We did not have a white Christmas in most places. My city is on pace to end 2006 as the sixth-warmest year on record. It's been 15-20 degrees above normal throughout December.
Besides, the Mayo is pretty self contained. Skywalks and tunnels connect all the buildings (and some they don't own) so you can stay inside most of the time. I would bring gloves and hat, just in case.
If you're staying within a block or two, you certainly will not need a car - most of the Mayo parking ramps are that far away anyway. The streets are as wheelchair friendly as most city streets (but if there happens to be a big snowfall you might encounter snow pileups at the crossings - if so, I'd just use a cab).
Some other observations:
*Be sure to check out the Warhols and other original artworks hanging in the hallways.
* Keep your ears peeled. It's not unusual for some pretty good musical groups to play in various Mayo lobbies and atriums.
* Bring something to do. You will be waiting a lot.
* OPINION ALERT: The Mayo is very, very good - but not invincible. Please keep your skepticism and patient advocate hat on. They did my father's cochlear implant with care and skill. They've saved millions of lives and broken new medical ground.
On the other hand, I saw 13 doctors there over the course of several months and each and every one of them missed the fact that I had a severe case of a common disease endemic to Minnesota.
My family practitioner finally figured it out - with some Web research on my part. I'm not trying to scare you or trash the Mayo, just point out that they're doctors/human and you should not put your common sense on the shelf.
Best of luck to you and your boyfriend. If you have other specific questions, I'd be happy to try to help. I believe you will be impressed - the Mayo has its reputation for a reason.
I can't help on the dining thing because during my Mayo visits, I lived within driving distance and we just grabbed lunch in a Mayo cafeteria. But for everything else, here goes...
Jeans, sweater, sweatshirt and a regular winter coat will be fine. MInnesota is in a heat wave (although there are no guarantees it will last).
We did not have a white Christmas in most places. My city is on pace to end 2006 as the sixth-warmest year on record. It's been 15-20 degrees above normal throughout December.
Besides, the Mayo is pretty self contained. Skywalks and tunnels connect all the buildings (and some they don't own) so you can stay inside most of the time. I would bring gloves and hat, just in case.
If you're staying within a block or two, you certainly will not need a car - most of the Mayo parking ramps are that far away anyway. The streets are as wheelchair friendly as most city streets (but if there happens to be a big snowfall you might encounter snow pileups at the crossings - if so, I'd just use a cab).
Some other observations:
*Be sure to check out the Warhols and other original artworks hanging in the hallways.
* Keep your ears peeled. It's not unusual for some pretty good musical groups to play in various Mayo lobbies and atriums.
* Bring something to do. You will be waiting a lot.
* OPINION ALERT: The Mayo is very, very good - but not invincible. Please keep your skepticism and patient advocate hat on. They did my father's cochlear implant with care and skill. They've saved millions of lives and broken new medical ground.
On the other hand, I saw 13 doctors there over the course of several months and each and every one of them missed the fact that I had a severe case of a common disease endemic to Minnesota.
My family practitioner finally figured it out - with some Web research on my part. I'm not trying to scare you or trash the Mayo, just point out that they're doctors/human and you should not put your common sense on the shelf.
Best of luck to you and your boyfriend. If you have other specific questions, I'd be happy to try to help. I believe you will be impressed - the Mayo has its reputation for a reason.
Dec 27th, 2006, 06:20 AM
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You'll be just fine in Rochester wearing what you'd wear on a winter day in St. Louis. Keep in mind that the area around The Clinic Clinic, Methodist Hospital, and St. Mary's Hospital was built with patients in mind. In addition to you, there will be hundreds of other out-of-towners visiting that day, so they have made the campus easy to navigate. The worlds best doctors would not tolerate a campus that is difficult to get around for their patients.
You'll actually be walking indoors most of the time. In fact, if you stay at the elegant Kahler hotel I don't think you would need to step foot outdoors once, due to a series of heated, lit, carpeted tunnels.
As for restaurants... good question. When I have brought family members there, it has been an in/out trip in the same day, so I never educated myself on the breakfast or dinner scene.
The previous poster makes a valid point for any clinic ... nobody has absolute truth when it comes to science. However, the anecdotes I hear of someone at the Mayo getting an accurate diagnosis far outnumber the incorrect ones, especially in rare medical issues.
You'll actually be walking indoors most of the time. In fact, if you stay at the elegant Kahler hotel I don't think you would need to step foot outdoors once, due to a series of heated, lit, carpeted tunnels.
As for restaurants... good question. When I have brought family members there, it has been an in/out trip in the same day, so I never educated myself on the breakfast or dinner scene.
The previous poster makes a valid point for any clinic ... nobody has absolute truth when it comes to science. However, the anecdotes I hear of someone at the Mayo getting an accurate diagnosis far outnumber the incorrect ones, especially in rare medical issues.
Dec 27th, 2006, 07:00 AM
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My restaurant experiences are too old to be valid, but a check of chowhound.com might help.
You don't need a car unless you want to venture out of town (and, for most, it will feel like a town not a city.)
If you feel the need or desire to get away for a bit, take a car for the day and visit Lanesboro or some of the small river towns, like Red Wing. It's a different river than down in STL.
As for clothes, add a sweater to your winter STL gear and you'll be fine. Good gloves and a hat are essential if it turns cold. Think shed-able layers.
You don't need a car unless you want to venture out of town (and, for most, it will feel like a town not a city.)
If you feel the need or desire to get away for a bit, take a car for the day and visit Lanesboro or some of the small river towns, like Red Wing. It's a different river than down in STL.
As for clothes, add a sweater to your winter STL gear and you'll be fine. Good gloves and a hat are essential if it turns cold. Think shed-able layers.
Dec 27th, 2006, 07:44 AM
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Today's temperatures:
rochester - 37 and sun
st. louis - 42 and clouds
Really not that much of a different in climate, to be honest. Rochester is closer to Iowa's climate than to that of Northern Minnesota (International Falls) which is notorious for winter weather.
rochester - 37 and sun
st. louis - 42 and clouds
Really not that much of a different in climate, to be honest. Rochester is closer to Iowa's climate than to that of Northern Minnesota (International Falls) which is notorious for winter weather.
Dec 28th, 2006, 12:28 AM
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Ask the docs and nurses and lab workers where they eat.
There are restaurants nearby, they'll know which ones are worth the trip/price.
And it's a nice way to take a patient's or a partner's mind off things while they're doing "medical stuff" to him.
There are restaurants nearby, they'll know which ones are worth the trip/price.
And it's a nice way to take a patient's or a partner's mind off things while they're doing "medical stuff" to him.
Dec 28th, 2006, 02:19 AM
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In a prior career, I used to visit Rochester, MN quite a bit.
The lowest January temperature I ever encountered there was minus 40 degrees. While that was not typical, temperatures of minus 10 to minus 20 in January are not unusual.
In those temperatures, I think that you need more than a sweater.
If your boyfriend is ill enough to need to visit the clinic, he is probably ill enough to not benefit by a one or two block walk in that kind of temperature. I would not want to make that walk, and I'm in perfect health.
The lowest January temperature I ever encountered there was minus 40 degrees. While that was not typical, temperatures of minus 10 to minus 20 in January are not unusual.
In those temperatures, I think that you need more than a sweater.
If your boyfriend is ill enough to need to visit the clinic, he is probably ill enough to not benefit by a one or two block walk in that kind of temperature. I would not want to make that walk, and I'm in perfect health.
Dec 28th, 2006, 03:27 AM
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The all-time January record low for Rochester was -35, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency.
The normal daytime high in Rochester in January averages about 20 degrees. Last year it was much warmer -- the daytime highs for January varied from as low as 28 to as high as 46.
It's not Palm Springs, sure, but there's no need to scare people. Is 40 below possible during her trip?
Sure.
Not very likely.
Bring a coat, hat and gloves. You'll be fine.
The normal daytime high in Rochester in January averages about 20 degrees. Last year it was much warmer -- the daytime highs for January varied from as low as 28 to as high as 46.
It's not Palm Springs, sure, but there's no need to scare people. Is 40 below possible during her trip?
Sure.
Not very likely.
Bring a coat, hat and gloves. You'll be fine.
Dec 28th, 2006, 11:46 AM
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"Today's temperatures:
rochester - 37 and sun
st. louis - 42 and clouds
Really not that much of a different in climate, to be honest."
I wouldn't base an opinion on one day ... average high in January for Rochester is 20 with an average low of 4. In St. Louis, it's 38 and 21 -- meaning the average low in St. Louis is warmer than the average high.
rochester - 37 and sun
st. louis - 42 and clouds
Really not that much of a different in climate, to be honest."
I wouldn't base an opinion on one day ... average high in January for Rochester is 20 with an average low of 4. In St. Louis, it's 38 and 21 -- meaning the average low in St. Louis is warmer than the average high.
Jan 5th, 2007, 02:22 AM
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Thanks to all who've replied. I bought myself a heavier coat (will still be useful here-STL) & pulled out my hat & gloves.
To Worktowander, thank you for the heads up on the artwork & music, those'll make for good distractions while we wait. As for being proactive, you bet we will. This is our last resort after seeing several of "the best" here. I guess they call it "practicing" medicine for a reason.
We'll be sure to ask the staff for their recommendations too. Chowhound has some good leads as well.
Again, thank you. =)
To Worktowander, thank you for the heads up on the artwork & music, those'll make for good distractions while we wait. As for being proactive, you bet we will. This is our last resort after seeing several of "the best" here. I guess they call it "practicing" medicine for a reason.
We'll be sure to ask the staff for their recommendations too. Chowhound has some good leads as well.
Again, thank you. =)
Jan 30th, 2007, 03:31 PM
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HuglMnstr -- I am hoping that you will see this and please update what you found in Rochester.
I will be going there next week for about 10 days at Mayo and DH will becoming with me, so I am looking for info for him similar to what you sought for yourself.
Did you rent a car? Where did you find to eat?
If you want to email me direct, that's ok.
Thanks,
Debi
I will be going there next week for about 10 days at Mayo and DH will becoming with me, so I am looking for info for him similar to what you sought for yourself.
Did you rent a car? Where did you find to eat?
If you want to email me direct, that's ok.
Thanks,
Debi
