· I live in Minneapolis and can suggest several areas with fun sights to see.
Minneapolis downtown: Stroll Nicollet Mall - many eateries. Stroll along the Mississippi River - serenity in downtown.
Best seafood in town: Oceanaire (in a city with little fresh fish, mind you)
Manny's Steak House (Flintstone-sized slabs of meat, done properly)
The local: 9th/Nicollet, Irish pub, fun for drinks, especially nice outside.
Vincent: 11th/Nicollet; make a reservation; moderately priced but exquisite-tasting French restaurant run by a chef from Toulouse. Advance reservations a must.
Zelo: 9th/Nicollet; tragically hip, overdesigned and I like it.
Brits - 11th/Nicollet; fun pub, rooftop green space.
Newsroom: 9th/Nicollet; loud and fun; casual.
Palomino: 9th/Hennepin; modern art and a menu with a slight Italian/Mediterranean slant.
Cafe Lux: 11th/LaSalle; live jazz at night.
Ichiban (Japanese) is across from the hotel; rather boring food, frankly, but teppanyaki can be fun with a group of 6-8.
Market BBQ at 1414 Nicollet has dry ribs where you add sauce yourself.
Ping's at 14th/Nicollet has decent Asian lunch buffet.
Ask the hotel doorman to direct you to Bar Lurcat in Loring Park restaurant and bar at 1624 Harmon (the street is a block long). Joe's Garage and Ruby's are there - Ruby's has fun breakfasts, Joe's has rooftop dining. This area is great on summer nights!
Assorted city links for you:
Downtown Council of Minneapolis
City Pages Best of the Twin Cities 2002, restaurants
Try to get to the St Anthony Main area for a pretty riverside walk with views of nature that will make you forget you're in a city.
If you're into nightlife, 1st Avenue North features suburban kids doing downtown bars.
Uptown Minneapolis at Lake & Hennepin and Lake & Lyndale: just walk and explore - so much to see, much energy.
Do get in the cars and see these small towns within an hour of Minneapolis: Stillwater, Redwing and Pepin.
Dezi Wrytes
· Ms Wrytes mentions Lake Pepin near the end of her recommendations. The Harbor View restaurant, on the other side of Lake Pepin/St Croix in Wisconsin, was fantastic when I last ate there several years ago. CafË Barbette on Lake Street two blocks west of Hennepin has great food, long hours and Boddington's on tap! Vincent, which Ms Wrytes mentions, is also excellent.
For some of the best, and lowest price Mexican and Asian restaurants, try "Eat Street", which is a stretch of Nicollet Avenue just north of downtown Minneapolis. Another area with abundant ethnic restaurants is along University Avenue in St Paul. On Saturday nights, people drive restored vintage vehicles up and down University Avenue while car buffs and others park along the street and watch. I'm not sure if they do this anymore. West St Paul has a vibrant Hispanic-Mexican community, not to mention excellent restaurants.
The Walker Art Museum is fantastic, as is the Institute of Art. The current exhibition at the Institute of Art is called "Across the Channel" and features English and French paintings from the romantic period.
There are art festivals of some sort each weekend. The Uptown Art Festival is perhaps the biggest but the Powderhorn, usually held the same weekend, is also well regarded. In addition, many of the nearby small towns have festivals on weekends, often celebrating their particular ethnic heritage (Polish, Finnish, Norwegian).
If you should happen to get up to Fargo, North Dakota, check out the Thorarin Snowfield exhibit at the North Dakota Museum of Art. He painted landscapes and portraits of North Dakota in the early and mid-20th century. Doesn't sound too exciting but his paintings are wonderful. He lived his last years in my hometown and my father actually turned down two paintings Snowfield offered him for helping him with some matter.
Back to Minneapolis, if you enjoy theatre, for a city our size we have a large variety of plays on offer. For an up-to-date listing, check the link given for the City Pages, a lefty free newspaper. If you are among the many who have given up on Americans, the City Pages shows there are many who disagree with Bush/Cheney.
If you enjoy films, check out the Univerity Film Society and the Oak Street Cinema (both located on University of Minnesota campus) for foreign and art films. The Parkway Theatre, near 47th and Chicago in Minneapolis, is a dumpy theatre that specialises in overlooked little gems. You'll have neck ache after leaving but you'll see a good movie and will be able to grab a decent dinner or desert afterward at several nearby restaurants.
Lastly, my wife and I spend a lot of times wheeling our twins around Lakes Calhoun, Harriet and Lake of the Isles, three lakes located in the centre of Minneapolis. Its a very nice walk and the people watching, especially around Calhoun, can't be beaten.
Have a nice stay,
Lee Johnson
· You cannot go to Minneapolis without visiting the Mall of America. If you like malls, you will love this one. It has hundreds of shops to suit every taste, with an unbelievable range of goods. There are the usual tourist haunts, such as souvenir shops, and places where you can have your photograph taken. I had a photo taken of me as saloon girl! There is a funfair in its centre for big and small kids alike, and being in America, the mall would not be complete without every kind of place to eat on the planet. I have been twice, and have vowed that next time I will spend a couple of full days in the mall, so that I do not miss anything. Bring lost of cash, and remember your walking shoes.
Regards,
Patricia Miller
· I lived in Minneapolis for 12 years and now live in London. I can recommend the following restaurants: WA Frosts in St Paul, Cafe 1-2-3 in Minneapolis, the restaurant at the top of the IDS tower and anything on Grand Avenue in St Paul. My favourite restaurant there is Champs, which has various locations throughout the Twin Cities (St Paul and Minneapolis). If you like Thai food I highly recommend Ruam Mit Thai in St Paul.
Things you must do: rose gardens, walk around the lakes (Lake of the Isle, Lake Calhoun). Uptown is an interesting and buzzing area. The Minneapolis Institute of Art. Check out St Paul's Cathedral and St Mary's basilica. The concerts at Orchestra Hall are usually fantastic. Try and go see the St Paul Chamber Orchestra. If you're there at the end of August try and go to the Renaissance Festival in Shakopee as well as ValleyFair, which is an amusement park with rollercoasters, etc.
There is also the State Fair where you can get very fun foods such as: deep-fried cheese curds, all-you-can-drink milk, buckets of cookies, home-made lemonade and big-name nighttime concerts in the Grandstand.
I hope this helps!
Claude Cassagne
· The University of Minneapolis has an arboretum which is well worth a visit. If you have a few days or a weekend to spare, hire a car and drive to the north of the state. On the west is Bemidji, an interesting town with a sculpture trail, and Itaska state park, where you can visit the start of the Mississippi.
Over in the north east of the state is Duluth which is also well worth a visit. Park near the harbour and enjoy the craft shops, restaurants and art galleries. Grandma's has a roof terrace where you can enjoy a drink and watch boats coming through the bridge.
Hilary Pickup
