Minneapolis Times Four

The only times I have been in Minnesota, I have been in Minneapolis. Knowing nothing about the rest of the state, I have to count my four trips to Minneapolis as my experience with the state - probably not representative - but since I love the city, it's all good.

All of my trips have been for conferences, three of them in the city center where the famous statue of Mary Tyler Moore tossing her hat into the air stands on a street corner. I was delighted the first time I saw it, just a block from my hotel.

Minneapolis is pretty decent in the summer and fall, but my third trip there was in January. It is cold there, windy in the canyons between the buildings, and thus the skywalks are a very nice convenience. When I was in Atlanta, I saw that they also had some skywalks, but I thought those were nice but not necessary. In Minneapolis, they definitely are needed - and when the wind chill is 20 below zero, it makes walking around the city a lot easier.

Another trip was to the University of Minnesota across the river, for a conference and tour of the campus as part of our Big Ten exchange program. Again, I have been fortunate enough to visit every Big Ten campus, and while I prefer the land grant universities with lots of grass and trees, the U of Minnesota campus is urban - but very slick and modern.

However, when all is said and done, it is just another large city. There is a nice shopping area - Nicollet Mall - downtown. And for those who really really love to shop, the Mall of America is also in Minneapolis, though a bit out of the city. I was, I admit, impressed by it. I guess the amusement park, complete with a (small) roller coaster and Ferris wheel, was the memorable part. Wow, that is a big mall. I had a couple nice meals there, and bought a souvenir Minnesota Golden Gophers hoodie there. You know a mall is big when it has to have two Starbucks within it.

I like Minneapolis and would be willing to return, but I think it might be nice some time to see the rest of the state.