Harbus

Issue date: 2/17/09 Section: Features

So much more than chilly winters: Find out how much there is to love about the friendly and surprisingly
cosmopolitan Twin Cities!

Minneapolis is a dynamic city of arts and culture, outdoor activities, and Fortune 500 companies. It is young, clean, and cosmopolitan, with equal shares of parks, lakes, skyscrapers, and beautiful historic buildings. Minneapolis is the younger sibling of the "twin cities" Minneapolis and St. Paul, but residents of both metropolitan centers benefit from the contributions of the other.

Minneapolis owes its early prosperity to its location on the Mississippi river, which allowed it to begin its life as an epicenter in the logging and milling industries. There are a few remnants of these original mills left, and neon signs of former rivals Pillsbury and Golden Flour still face off across the river. Today downtown is filled with skyscrapers, and Minneapolis has one of the highest concentrations of Fortune 500 per capita in the United States with companies as such Target, 3M, General Mills, Best Buy, Medtronic, Supervalu, and United Health Group all located nearby. In the center of downtown, Nicollet Mall is a twelve block pedestrian mall of shopping and restaurants, with dining gems such as 112 Eatery tucked away on side streets. In the summer, when Nicollet Mall hosts frequent outdoor concerts, restaurants set up sidewalk cafes so that diners can enjoy the music, mild weather, and sidewalk traffic. On the roof of Brit's pub, a Nicollet Mall landmark, residents arrive early on summer evenings for a chance to challenge their friends in lawn bowling while downing pints of beer or Strongbow cider. In the winter, when temperatures are well below freezing, Minneapolis moves up to the skywalk level, which connects all of downtown. The highlight of the winter season is the Holidazzle parade, which takes place every Thursday through Sunday; the governor of Minnesota makes the trip over from St. Paul each night to ride in a float during the parade.

Surrounding downtown is a variety of neighborhoods, each with their own personality. The largest neighborhood, "Uptown" -which is ironically south of Minneapolis proper-is hip with a hint of hippie. In uptown you'll find independent cinemas, vintage clothing stores, and antique shops alongside mainstream favorites such as The Gap and Urban Outfitters. Residents here are a mix of families and young professionals, most living in Victorian mansions now converted into apartments. In the summer the many restaurants open their balconies and sidewalk patios and everyone takes to the street to shop, mingle, and soak up the sun. Be sure to sample the food at Chino Latino for some truly unique fare. Uptown rivals downtown for the most happening night scene, and on a Saturday night it's quite common for the downtown yuppies to cab in for the night.

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