Hi, mikieguns,
You certainly have gotten the feedback that you shouldn't compare Chicago or New York to Minneapolis. I was born and raised in IL, and lived in Chicago for 6 years before moving to Minneapolis. It was a HUGE adjustment for me, but it has a lot to offer. Probably more to offer for those of us who live here versus those who visit. If you are an urban guy, then going to MOA was not what you should have done. It is in a suburb and us locals don't frequent it much. The Walker Art Center is a contemporary world-renowned art museum. The Minneapolis Institute of Art if phenomenal! The Guthrie Theater is a nationally known theatre company. We have great theatre besides the Guthrie. The lakes are wonderful to walk around, but of course, in the spring or summer or fall. The end of the winter is probably the worst time to visit Minneapolis. We have some great restaurants which we didn't have when I first moved here. Oh, I missed Chicago restaurants so! And certainly, we do not have the depth of great restaurants, but we do have some great ones.....Levain, Di'Amico, Allegro and Campiello (I haven't touched upon some great St. Paul restaurants). So let's compare Minneapolis/St. Paul to the second tier cities if you will, and there it shines beautifully. Please do not judge us on the MOA which unfortunately so many people do nor compare us to cities three to four times our size.