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Like a large chunk of American society, I watched Superbowl 52 (why they decide to use Roman Numerals, I don’t know… I decline to do so here) which was held at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. It was an entertaining game, filled with sports-talk fodder. Bigger than that, however, after a commercial break a view of the city of Minneapolis was shown, likely from the blimps that still lumber around major sports events. Although it was dark, it was enough for me. The idea was now in my head, “I would like to see Minneapolis.”
Fast-forward to July of 2018, as my wife and I made our way from New York City to Glacier Park in Montana (details here), we decided to spend two nights in Minneapolis. The aerial footage during the Superbowl reaped bounteous economic benefits to the city as my wife and I spent a modest sum of money making Minneapolis our home for a couple of nights. I was not quite sure what to expect. My father had good things to say since he had visited a couple of times (he works for U.S. Bank coincidentally), but word that Minneapolis was a must-see tourist destination hadn’t made it back to me yet. I must say, however, after two whole nights there, I liked Minneapolis.
As a New Yorker who is exhausted of New York, it is nice to visit places that have some kind of busy-ness, but without complete chaos. Minneapolis, in my opinion, balances the two fairly well. The city is well laid out, the residences are attractive and it is walkable. The Mississippi River which cuts through the city looks pretty filthy, but otherwise it is a very nice place and it was two nights well spent. ‘Is that it?’ you may be asking. Well, I will elaborate.
The Marquette Hotel
We stayed at the Marquette Hotel, which is located downtown. The hotel was nice, the staff was friendly and it is conveniently situated in the downtown area. We did not get to take full advantage of the property since our stay was fairly short, but I liked our room very much. I would stay again.
Downtown Minneapolis
Due to the fact that winters in Minnesota are a bit nippy (understatement of the year candidate), many of the buildings downtown are connected by skyways so people can minimize their time spent outside. I find that very nice. There are some squares and open areas that provide a nice touch and were well kept, at least while we were there. U.S. Bank Stadium is one of the more impressive arenas/stadiums that I have seen (good job dad!). The aptly named restaurant, Hell’s Kitchen, although located in the depths of a building, thus explaining the name, was pretty good. The same can be said of the diet-busting, diabetes-inducing Angel Food Bakery and Coffee Bar. I still don’t think I have burned off the calories from that visit. Also, for the few moments we spent in a car downtown, the traffic was not bad at all.
Minnehaha Park
Since I had not done any previous research into what there is to do in Minneapolis, it should not be a surprise that I had not heard of Minnehaha (and I thought my wife was joking when she first mentioned the name). It was a pleasant surprise. It is a beautiful park with a lot of park things to do and a waterfall; waterfalls make everything a little better. The park was accessible by public transportation but seemed completely detached from the city life. We had a good time strolling and taking millions of pictures in true tourist fashion.
#HighlyRecommended #PleasantlySurprised
Mall of America
Initially I was not inclined to go to Mall of America, but we took the tram ride and paid it a visit. We did not do anything in the way of shopping and I could not tell you what stores are there. However, what really caught my attention was the indoor amusement park. I didn’t get on any rides, but was incredibly impressed by the use of space. Typically indoor rides and amusement parks are underwhelming and have a sort of grime to them, but I wandered around this one, mouth slightly agape, riveted by the efficient use of space. Every corner allocated to the amusement park seems to be taken and the ride variety was much more than I was expecting.
It was also nice that some of the food court seating provided a view of the airport. Being able to watch planes take off and land while ingesting something greasy is always a good time. And by the way, since it is the largest mall in the country, I guess you can buy some things too.
#PleasantlySurprised
Maybe most things seem better when taken in small doses, but I liked Minneapolis and may even, dare I say, go back to visit. How many people get to say that?
WHYSOBLUE 