Info about living in the Twin Cities

[recycle bin]

This seems like the right forum for this. A distinct possibility that we'll be moving to Minneapolis / St. Paul sometime in the next few months. Anybody have any information that would be helpful? I've never been there so I know absolutely nothing other than what I've found on the internet.

Any insight about where to live, places to visit, things to do... basically anything at all?

 

[HoustonHorn93]

I hear it's cold there and they have a big mall but that's all I know.

 

[HornHuskerDad]

Winters are very harsh. Temps below zero happen - and that's cold!

HHD

 

[YoLaDu]

In reply to:

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[tallgrant]

Was born up there- have been in Austin since I was 5 years old but can give some comments based on my visits back and what I've heard from parents/relatives.

1. Expect to be shoveling snow most of the winter. It is cold and long and brutal during the coldest months. You learn to live inside (read: purchase and drink beer).
2. Plenty of winter sports stuff- sledding, ice skating, etc. There are some ski hills that aren't far away- they're not too tall so you ride the lift quite a bit, but I've been told it's quite nice for how close it is. Plus you can get into stuff like ice-fishing, etc. That's really popular.
3. Summertime means lots of mosquitos. They look for stagnant water and it is the land of 10,000 Lakes.
4. Summer is otherwise completely awesome. It rarely gets above the mid-80s temperature wise. The lakes are usually pretty cool as they're mostly melted ice. You can play 18 holes of golf after work because it stays light out past 10 PM.
5. Lots of nice things to do, particularly in summer because the weather is so nice. The Mississippi River runs through town there, lots of lakes, some nice parks. I highly recommend seeing Minnihaha falls in the summer as it looks nice.
6. The Twin Cities themselves are structured a bit different than most places in Texas. There are tons of smaller towns on the outskirts (places like Burnsville, Shoreview, Eden Prarie, Rosedale) that you can hop on the freeway and be downtown in minutes. Lets you have a small town feel while being in the city.
6. Minneapolis is home to the University of Minnesota. You get the nice college town atmosphere in some parts of Minneapolis as a result. Generally sports tickets are cheaper than here, especially for football. They just built a nice new stadium (except it is outdoors and freezing cold for any games after September ends).
7.It's also got a lot of major sports team. They're a small town market but it won't set you back too badly to see the Twins. Vikings can be more expensive but still not bad compared to what Jerry charges in Arlington.
8. The locals are pretty liberal for the most part. Expect to deal with some government bureaucracy. There's state income tax to pay. I don't think they pay taxes on clothing (not 100% sure).

 

[tallgrant]

Also forgot to mention:

In summer, large numbers of people go to what they refer to as "the cabin". Usually it's a place they own or rent somewhere in the remote part of Minnesota. Good chance to get away from the ratrace and spend some time in nature. They've got nice birch forests (the bark on the trees is white), lakes with lots of good fishing. Nice places to walk the nature trails- just watch out for bears.

I have fond memories of finding wild blueberries, picking them and having them in fresh pancakes less than an hour later.

 

[recycle bin]

Thanks for the info... very helpful. Definitely will be pulling out the cold weather gear.

I've been looking online and read a lot about the Uptown area. Reminds me of South Congress. May be a place to consider.

Anything else from anyone would be appreciated.

 

[Lat22]

Our cabin is in Hackensack.

 

[tallgrant]

Ah yes, home of Paul Bunyan's sweetheart!

My grandparents had a cabin out in Bemidji, on Stone Lake.

 

[UTEE]

I spent a few months working in Minneapolis several years back. I arrived in October and it was actually pretty nice. November was cold. December was brutal. That's when I left, and the locals told me I was lucky to get out before it got cold. They were right.

But I CAN tell you that the absolute best hamburger I've ever eaten was in Minneapolis, at a place called "Matt's Bar." The burger is called the "Jucy Lucy" and is a cheeseburger, but with the cheese on the INSIDE and two patties wrapped around it and then cooked. As you can imagine, when it comes off the grill, that molten cheese inside is like lava, so you MUST wait a few minutes before eating. But when you do, you won't be disappointed,

 

[valencia]

Is that the Matt's bar on Cedar Ave??