Feelin' Minnesota (input please)

:hello I'm moving from Michigan to Minnesota (Minneapolis area), probably in November.

I'm just putting out a feeler to any FORT members from that area. Looking for any ideas of great places to go for everything - outdoors fun & relaxation, good eats, quiet walks, nature watching, hidden treasures (craft stores, thrift stores, record shops, etc), dance clubs (goth/alternative), coffee houses, etc.

My husband and I are ecclectic in many ways & pursuits. We had a short visit there in August but value the input of people who know an area well already.

Basically answer the question, "If a friend were coming here, I'd want them to know about..."

Thanks!

I have been living in MN for about 10 years now, but we aren't in The Cities, we are about 90 miles south. SO I can't be of much help regarding the little hidden places that you are looking for, BUT there are a couple of things I can say...

(1) If you are a fair person, go to the Minnesota State Fair next summer! It is wonderful, way better than the one in my home state. I highly recommend using the Park and Ride service and going on a weekday with good/warm weather so you can start early (8 or 9 o'clock) before it gets crowded.

(2) I have heard great things about the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. It runs on weekends for several weeks in the summer.
Home of the Minnesota Renaissance Festival!

(3) Look for info about the Minnesota Fringe Festival next summer. They offer TONS of performances in all types of arts - music, plays, etc. at a variety of venues around The Cities, most at very reasonable costs. I wish I lived closer, I would have definitely gone this year! This was the site for this year's festival if you want to get an idea what it is about: Minnesota Fringe 2009 :: Runs nonstop July 30 through August 9 :: Minneapolis + St. Paul

(4) I think Minnesota in general does an excellent job keeping its park areas easily accessible and looking very nice. They also have lots of biking/walking trails. State parks are also plentiful for hiking, camping, fishing, and nature-watching. The areas along the Mississippi River (aka bluff country) are really beautiful. If you are really serious about your camping/solitude you can trek up to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). However, I believe access requires advance permits and there are pretty strict camping rules you have to follow up there.

(5) Hm. You will also probably have great access to farmers markets up there. I am jealous! You can find about seven listed here: Farmer's Markets in Minneapolis and St. Paul

(6) I was a public radio listener before moving to MN, but the public radio service here is so far beyond anything we had in my home state. I have officially become a junkie. The local affiliates include TONS of info about local goings-on in The Cities. It frequently makes me wish that I lived closer! In fact, they keep an event list that includes both MPR sponsored events and other local events that people have submitted to their site. May or may not be of interest to you depending on what you are into, but they tend to cover a pretty wide range...
Events Calendar | Minnesota Public Radio

If I think of anything else, I'll add it later. Good luck with your move!

Got a bum wrist limiting my typing. I wanted to say quickly that that's EXACTLY the kind of response I was looking for, CRTW. THANKS! (More later... maybe days later... grrr... tendonitis sux...)

You'll definitely want to check out the Sculpture Garden at the Walker Art Center. "The Lakes" (Calhoun, Harriet, Isles), are great for recreation of all kinds, plus people-watching. Bars & clubs abound in the Uptown area nearby, for just about any musical taste. Just pick up a copy of either the City Pages or Vita-MN free newspapers at the nearest library or coffee house & you'll find listings of all the bars, clubs, concerts (some free!), movies, etc. in the Twin Cities area. In fact, these newspapers might even be available online for you to check out now.
As for thrift stores, we have Savers (numerous locations), Goodwills, Unique, St Vincent De Paul, Ragstock, & others, as well as several vintage wear shops.
If you venture to St Paul across the river (my home town), we have a fun shopping/eating/barhopping area on Grand Avenue, a wonderful Farmer's Market downtown, beautiful architecture & gardens on Summit Avenue, tranquil & rustic Como Park with an awesome Conservatory & Japanese Garden, and a whole different "small-town" vibe if you want to escape the hustle & bustle of Minneapolis.

If you have specific questions, just let me know.
And welcome!

I also live in the Twin Cities (St. Paul to be exact). I'll think & come up with some ideas too. I agree with Crista though, you'd definately like Uptown. There's Bryant Lake Bowl that's pretty ecclectic these days. And contrary to the name, it's not just a bowling place.

Still checking in, still appreciating, still limiting my typing. Thanks so much! :D

Just in case you were not already aware, I thought of something very important that you should know:
Just say NO to lutefisk!!

Lutefisk - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There are plenty of much more edible foods around here! :lol

LOL - Actually saw something about lutefisk on some TV show, probably on National Geographic or the Food Network.

Don't plan on trying it, nor will my fish-lovin' husband. :D

My daughter went to grad school in Minneapolis and she loved it. NEVER ever has she lived anywhere as cold in the winter. Her first winter there she learned about freezing car doors and windows and moving for the snow plows, wind chill below zero, frozen noses and eyelashes, layering mittens and sox and long underwear. Winter clothes from even CT are not the same as Minnesota winter clothes. By the 5th year, she was taking the bus rather than driving to campus. She and her husband have wonderful friends from their Minneapolis days. It was a great place to live.

Here I go, seeking help from total strangers. But I don't have much choice.

I've mentioned before in here how I'm moving to Minnesota with my husband and pets. I've appreciated the input I've gotten from FORT members from the Twin Cities areas on places to go, things to do.

The time is coming and it looks like we'll be looking for a rental starting at the beginning of February.

I'm in a bit of a bind. We had planned to look for a place using Craigslist and area newspapers online to find the rental. Then we were going to have my in-laws check out the places in person for us for condition, neighborhood, etc.

When we visited them this past August, it became clear that as very much BIG and NEW money people, their grasp of what's acceptable is very different than ours. Areas they were pointing out as "bad parts of town" we thought looked lovely. We're from suburban Detroit, and our definition of "bad part of town" is radically different than theirs.

Also, there's been some chilling of the relationship with them. We're no longer moving specifically FOR them being in the picture. So it's just best not to count on them, period.

We thought we had a backup in a friend of my sister. My sister lives in Florida, the friend lives south of Minneapolis. But it turns out the friend doesn't drive and has bad vision, so plan B fell through.

I'm wondering if there might be some people from the Twin Cities area who might be willing/able to give some feedback to us if we give them the general address of any rentals we find online.

For instance, if you were thinking of moving to MY area, and you gave me an address in River Rouge Michigan, I'd tell you NO WAY, it's horrible, worse than Detroit. But if you gave me an address in central Wyandotte, I'd say it's probably a safe bet. If you gave me an address in far north Wyandotte, I'd tell you it's probably not a good idea, but better than River Rouge. Etc.

The center point of where we'd be working from would be White Bear Lake. We'd prefer to NOT look in the twin cities themselves. So it'd mostly be suburban areas we'd be seeking.

Please let me know. We can take these discussions to e-mail eventually.

Thanks!