Minneapolis, Minn.

[eloisel]

I was there week before last for a seminar. Nice downtown area. Very clean. Seemed safe too. Relatively cool as well - 67. People were very nice. Food was super expensive though.

The thing that got me was at the steak house the waitress brought around a tray of raw meat for us to look at before we ordered. Tad gross. I've never seen that done before and I come from the steak eating capital of the planet.

Outside of the raw meat deal, wonderful place. I'd go back there for a real visit.

 

[Bickendan]

I'm heading there later this week. I love the Cities

 

[curiousa2z]

It is a nice town; I thought it was pricy too. e, did you know Karin lives there?

 

[eloisel]

Bick, how'd you like Minneapolis?

No, c2z, I didn't. It is a small, small world.

I think if I fly again I'd like to go back to Denver and see how it has changed since I lived there back in the 70s. I've heard it has changed a great deal.

 

[Sarek]

I was there week before last for a seminar. Nice downtown area. Very clean. Seemed safe too. Relatively cool as well - 67. People were very nice. Food was super expensive though.

The thing that got me was at the steak house the waitress brought around a tray of raw meat for us to look at before we ordered. Tad gross. I've never seen that done before and I come from the steak eating capital of the planet.

Outside of the raw meat deal, wonderful place. I'd go back there for a real visit.

You saw the good side I guess. I live about 15 miles to the SW of Minneapolis. HC Sheriff has a main annex downtown. Though I patrol out of the SW lakes division, I get downtown quite often for court duty, booking, and prisoner transfers to the main jail. By night, downtown is a whole different creature than it is during the day. Lot of gang activity and thanks to the light rail, it's increasing dramatically. Violent crime is on the rise and thanks to the tanking economy, so are armed robberies. The Nicolette and University area are pretty good but you want to stay away from the Lake and Hennepin area, especially Lake street east of Hwy 100. On the West end is lake Calhoun and that's turning into a pretty high class, well maintained area, But the further east you go, the more ghetto it gets.

 

[eloisel]

The first night we were in town, we ate at Rossi's Steakhouse, walked down to the Target to get umbrellas, then went to see the Mary statue.

The second night I took off exploring by myself before meeting up with the group for dinner at Bellanottes. Lots of sidewalk dining, a little park with a band and vendors. I stayed mostly around the Hilton and Doubletree area. Did see a girl squatting on the sidewalk, poking at stuff in the grooves in the sidewalk. I thought she was either crazy or maybe trying to get something important out of there she'd lost - like a contact or something.

The seminar was actually in Eden Prairie. The company giving the seminar picked us up by bus at the Hilton and hauled us to Eden Prairie every day.

Okay - I hadn't flown on a commercial flight in about 20 years before this trip. The checking in and luggage stuff and check in was very strange. I did good - packed the little travel size items in the quart sized zip lock baggie. Managed to get to Minneapolis without any trouble. But, on the way back, I had stuck a can of soda pop left over from the seminar into my purse. The bus took me straight to the airport after the seminar. Found my way to my terminal/gate, got through the line and put all my stuff in the bucket like a good little citizen. he, he, he. I was a bad girl. That 20 oz. can of soda was still in my purse.

 

[curiousa2z]

I think if I fly again I'd like to go back to Denver and see how it has changed since I lived there back in the 70s. I've heard it has changed a great deal.

You may find it quite odd. Certainly Toronto the Bland (as we called it) has changed from when I lived there was a teen. Boy did I hate it after growing up in Montréal! But I really enjoy the multiculturalism it has now.

We were only in Minn. for one day - after everyone was collected at the airport, we stopped to eat, Karin pointed out some sights, and then we headed off to the State Park we were staying at for the week. Every city has crap. Even Toronto the Good has parts it's best to stay away from.