Restaurant in MSP
Dec 20, 2007 | 6:32 pm
#16
Join Date: May 2005
Programs: DL Million Miler
Posts: 1,976
I once went to Mall of America. That was on a December 26th some serious time back. Everyone else in Minnesota was there too, but luckily there were big signs at the entrances specifying that concealed handguns were not allowed, so nothing serious happened. It was very loud, but at least it smelled of chlorine from the fake waterfalls at the Rainbow Cafe' I think, which gave the Mall of America an odour of cleanliness.
If you take the light rail downtown, instead, it is far chillier than getting off at the Mall of America, but there is an "English Pub" in the center near the Nicolet Mall stop. There is also a very good brewpub a chilly and mildly complicated walk from the Cedar-Riverside stop. A couple good beer travel sites (for MSP and beyond) are:
http://beeradvocate.com/beerfly/city/10
and
http://www.ratebeer.com/places2/map.asp?mid=156
If you take the light rail downtown, instead, it is far chillier than getting off at the Mall of America, but there is an "English Pub" in the center near the Nicolet Mall stop. There is also a very good brewpub a chilly and mildly complicated walk from the Cedar-Riverside stop. A couple good beer travel sites (for MSP and beyond) are:
http://beeradvocate.com/beerfly/city/10
and
http://www.ratebeer.com/places2/map.asp?mid=156
Dec 21, 2007 | 12:50 pm
#17
Join Date: Dec 2007
Programs: NW-GE
Posts: 63
Dec 21, 2007 | 1:52 pm
#18
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: SJC/SFO
Programs: DL DM MM (fmr NW Plat), BA GGL/CCR, Aegean Gold, WorldClubs Life, SPG Plat, Hyatt Plat, HHonors Dmnd
Posts: 1,409
I admit to having gone there too... I had a 6h layover from LGW-MSP, MSP-SFO, so I took the light rail to MOA. I thought I would go down and go through the aquarium (I went through as a kid and have great memories), but I was surprised to see that they were charging $16.50 for admission. Ouch... obviously my childhood memories are missing some details 
. Anyhow, I went through, did some shopping (postcard + dinner), got back at MSP, had the TSA agent look at me funny for entering with a CONNECTION ticket (with a LGW-FASTTRACK sticker on the ticket jacket), but still made it back with plenty of time for a worldclub snack.
All in all, I think a quick run to MOA can be a nice diversion, although to be honest next time I have a long layover in MSP I'm thinking about actually taking the train into Minnie and doing some urban landscape photography rather than just burning time at MOA.
. Anyhow, I went through, did some shopping (postcard + dinner), got back at MSP, had the TSA agent look at me funny for entering with a CONNECTION ticket (with a LGW-FASTTRACK sticker on the ticket jacket), but still made it back with plenty of time for a worldclub snack.All in all, I think a quick run to MOA can be a nice diversion, although to be honest next time I have a long layover in MSP I'm thinking about actually taking the train into Minnie and doing some urban landscape photography rather than just burning time at MOA.
Dec 21, 2007 | 5:11 pm
#19
Join Date: May 2005
Programs: DL Million Miler
Posts: 1,976
>>>>>Everyone else in Minnesota was there too.
>>>Unpossible... the natives know not to shop there... it's for tourists only
I should have been more specific: I should have said, "every teenager with Ipod or low-slung-pants-with-no-belt or stucco-thick-makeup or sideways-baseball-cap in Minnesota was there too." Though you are right about the natives not shopping--they clearly weren't!
>>>Unpossible... the natives know not to shop there... it's for tourists only
I should have been more specific: I should have said, "every teenager with Ipod or low-slung-pants-with-no-belt or stucco-thick-makeup or sideways-baseball-cap in Minnesota was there too." Though you are right about the natives not shopping--they clearly weren't!