A native's informal guide to Minneapolis & St. Paul. Sixth of several.
I'll delve into Nicollet Ave. south of the Convention Center -- aka Eat Street -- in the next Prequel. Let me start here, talking about the sights, sounds, restaurants and bars you may see as you walk along one of Minneapolis' major streets. I'll briefly talk about other areas of downtown as they come up.
But first, some leftover business from the previous Prequel on the Convention Center:
The Convention Center has five scooters to rent. Ask at the info desk or call Sandy Anderson at the Guest Services Dept. 612-335-6163. Rent by day or half-day; $50/day return within 4 hrs $15 return on credit card. If Guest Services knows in advance (eg Monday for Thursday's NN) they can order more through Mobility Shop. These are for the convention center and not allowed offsite, though they are open to discussion. Meanwhile, if you want to rent a scooter on your own (for outside the convention center) call Mobility Shop 1-888-404-5554. You would use one of the five from Guest Services, though I imagine that can also be negotiated in advance.
The Hilton Minneapolis is 1001 Marquette; that is, one street to the west of Nicollet and 10 blocks from the Mississippi River.
The Millennium Hotel Minneapolis is at 1313 Nicollet Mall. That is, between 13th Street and Grant Street on Nicollet Ave. S.
The Minneapolis Convention Center is between and south of these hotels, at 1301 Second Ave S. It straddles several blocks and bends according to the street. The sign above is directly across the street from the Convention Center. You walk through a nice park and wind up on Nicollet Ave. near 13th Street. You can also get to Nicollet Ave. by turning left (west) as you exit the Convention Center. You'll wind up on Nicollet Ave. and Grant Street (which is between 13th and 14th).
From Grant Street north to Washington Ave. (roughly 2nd Street), Nicollet Ave. is closed to automobile traffic and known as the Nicollet Mall. There are exceptions, such as getting to the parking ramps for the Millennium and the Hyatt, but for the most part traffic on Nicollet Mall is just buses and the occasional bicycle. (See Prequel #4 for more on public transportation, including the Free Ride along Nicollet Mall.)
Sorry for the boring picture, it's a boring little mall... but useful.
One block west of Nicollet Ave. on LaSalle is a tiny commercial area. In that mall are a SuperAmerica gas station (with small grocery/sandwich selection), a liquor store, The Lotus (mostly a Vietnamese/Chinese take-out place, though you can sit down if you want) and an odd other store or two.
More interesting is the The King and I across the street. Nicely done Thai food in an elegant setting. When it was a few blocks away on Nicollet Ave, The King and I was one of my favorite. Then they moved, stopped their lunch buffet and added a few bucks to every entree. Still good, but the luster was off. Nonetheless, one of the best Thai places in town. (There are several.)
Back on Nicollet...
Peditaxi on Nicollet Mall. There is no set fare, as they work mainly for tips. Schedules are intermittent, so say the least, but one will come along eventually. You can also rent a horse drawn carriage, but I've never done that.
Walking down (north) Nicollet Mall from the Millennium, you'll encounter the Westminster Presbyterian Church. Watch the sidewalks for shadow-like insets and interesting manhole covers (more on that later). The church also sports one of Mpls' many pieces of public art.
Statue in front of Westminster Church, dedicated with a quote from Galatians 5:1.
Compare:
"Family Tree" at the Fifth Street Towers (on 5th Ave, near the LRT stops)
All of a sudden you're at 12th Street and things get more interesting. On the left is the downtown YWCA, with it's own Health and Fitness Club.
Looking northeast to Peavey Plaza, with the Hilton in the background.
On the west side of the plaza is Orchestra Hall, home of the Minnesota Orchestra. On the Nicollet side of the block is Peavey Plaza, a very nice place to hang out. They occasionally have free concerts and such. There are several concerts scheduled during Netroots Nation.
A short video (1 min) of Peavey Plaza, from the fountains to Orchestra Hall and the view of downtown Minneapolis.
Peavey Plaza during one of the free concerts. Concession stands in the background.
Aha, you have been asking for days, what about booze? Finally, we get to a watering hole:
Brit's Pub and Eating Establishment across the street from Peavey Plaza. Many people like this place more than I do, a not uncommon occurrence, but it certainly has a fair amount of British-style beers and other beverages and a British menu.
Crossing 10th Street, we start to get into fast-food area. These are You can probably guess what these places are like.
Full disclosure #1: I have not been to most of the high-end steak houses and restaurants downtown, and am not qualified to comment. So I won't. Do not take my silence as a disrecommendation, just that I haven't eaten there.
Full disclosure #2: I have not eaten at most of the fast-food/lunch places downtown. There are a lot of them, and they change. As above, I neither recommend nor disrecommend any place I haven't tried.
I've never been to Hell's Kitchen, but my foodie friend Bruce recommends it, and it's open at 6:30am weekdays for breakfast and has a weekend brunch starting at 7:30. Bruce also recommends Wanderers, on 5th and Hennepin, and I wouldn't doubt him.
I have been to Haskell's & The Big Cheese (81 S. 9th St.) often. Especially for downtown, a large selection at a reasonable price. If you don't have access to a vehicle, this would be my liquor store of choice for conventioneers.
A word about the skyways:
Two of the numerous eating places and places of business in the Minneapolis skyways.
The skyways are extensive, and the way to get around downtown when it's cold or raining. With luck, the former won't be a problem and the latter won't be too bad. While the skyways themselves are open pretty much 24/7, so you can walk from the Convention Center to the even at night, the businesses in the skyways are likely to be closed outside normal business hours.
Back to the Mall:
Nicollet Mall often has all sorts of interesting characters, including these Fun City Dogs "Daycare and Cage Free Boarding for your Dogs". Note small plaza and sculpture behind them, and Mexican restaurant to the right. To the right of Maxa is a Chipotle.
I was in The Dakota and Jazz Club once, to see Fred Eaglesmith. Eaglesmith was great, but I was less impressed by the Dakota. Again, many others like this place more than me. Still, they get great acts. Best to get reservations well in advance.
Yesterday (6/8/11) a friend and I ducked into The News Room to try it out. Oh the sacrifices I make for Netroots Nation. It's a better-than-average medium-end place with interesting decor: under the glass tables are hot lead press slugs, and the walls are lined with old-timey newspapers and headlines. We didn't try the bar, but it looked extensive. I had a tuna BLT, which was delicious, and she had a turkey panini, which was also good. Entrees roughly $10-$25. I asked: They don't deliver, but you can order and pick up. (I wouldn't be surprised if most places will allow pick up as well; worth asking.)
Keys Cafe and Bakery is probably the best you can do for breakfast: Open 6:30am weekdays, 71m Sat. and 8am Sun. It's tempered by the right-wing politics of the owners (though I couldn't find a link supporting such).
Believe it or not, there's actually a Target discount store on 9th St. and Nicollet. Two floors worth, with a cart escalator. Not precisely a grocery store, it has a lot of food and snack items. As with Keys, their politics are, shall we say, less than Progressive, as they changed their policy on LGBT issues to support Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer in the last election. These new policies are being challenged by wiser heads, but to my knowledge they are still in place. I haven't been to a Target since they supported Emmer, but I leave it to your conscience.
Statue on Nicollet Mall. There used to be more, and some interesting fountains, but they've largely been replaced.
Statue of Mary Tyler Moore, recreating a scene from the tv show, in front of what is now a Macy's.
We're now approaching the heart of the city. In fact, The City Center. Alas, the city's commercial district has fallen on hard times, and the City Center and surrounding buildings aren't quite as lively as they were a couple of decades ago. Still, fun stuff remains.
Around the City Center, look down:
Hidden Minneapolis: City Center Manhole Covers Part I
Hidden Minneapolis: City Center Manhole Covers Part II
Across the way is Gaviidae Commons. In fact, two buildings worth.
Gaviidae Commons I. Gaviidae Commons II is connected via skyways. I didn't really explore too much this go-round, but it's worth going into and maybe taking the glass elevator.
Street musician on Nicollet Mall.
Street musicians on Nicollet Mall.
During nice weather during the day, you may here some interesting music. Listen for a bit and leave a gratuity. I only took images of a couple, and missed the cello player and the violin player.
The Light Rail Transit (LRT) station is at 5th and Nicollet. (I said 4th in an earlier Prequel; hope you all look at the maps.)
Our comparatively new Minneapolis Central Library, was designed by Cesar Peli and is a neat place, especially but not solely for library aficionados. It takes up the whole block bounded by Nicollet Ave, Hennepin Ave, 4th Street and 3rd Street.
Not much of interest north on Nicollet, but let me extend the trip north across the river. Go across the Hennepin Ave. Bridge to find such places as Nye's Polonaise Room (a nifty Polish restaurant with an extensive bar), Kramarczuk Sausage Co. (Polish and eastern European dishes served and in the deli), and Surdyk's Liquor Store (one of the larger and best stocked liquor stores and cheese shops in the Twin Cities) and much more.
Having popper out of the Mall already, excuse me while I wander.
"the character of a hill, under glass" by Maya Lin in the Ameriprise building on 9th St. and 3rd Ave. Interesting to walk on.
Here's a shot of the outside waterfall and other pieces of art around downtown.
The Rock Bottom Brewery, in LaSalle Plaza (and facing Hennepin between 8th St. and 8th St.) specialized in "fresh, handcrafted beers". The couple of times I've been there haven't been particularly impressive, but might be worth ducking in with a group and getting their beer sampler.
Sign in the skyway for Peter's Grill salad bar.
Peter's Grill (on 8th St. between Marquette and 2nd Ave.) is about as well as you can do non-fast food at downtown prices. Good 'Merican food (with a recommendation from and a dish named for Bill Clinton)
Minneapolis has little bits of art all over the place. These are on the Hennepin Ave. side of City Center, across the street from Block E.
And with that, I'm going to leave downtown, at least for a bit. Hennepin Ave. deserves it's own section; check out the Block E link above. Target Center, First Avenue, etc.
But for the nonce, the tour from the Convention Center to the river is done. Feel free to make your own recommendations in comments.
Next up: Eat Street -- Nicollet Ave. from 14th St. to Lake Street (30th).