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3 Stars - 98 Opinions
Downtown Minneapolis
frozen falls
Crystal Court, IDS Tower
Minnehaha Park
We are flying from the US to England in June, with a layover in Minneapolis. The flights have recently changed and we've gone from a 3 hour layover to almost a 9 hour one. I've heard there are shuttles from the airport to the Mall of America. Is a 9 hour layover enough to get to the Mall, have a meal and a quick look around, get back to the airport, through security and onto an international flight? If so, are there lockers available in the Minneapolis airport large enough for 3 carry-on pieces of luggage (we were not planning to check our bags)? Thanks!
The Mall of America is located about 2 miles from the Minneapolis-St. Paul International airport. As well as shuttle buses, there is a light rail connection between these places. It should take about 5 - 10 minutes to get from one to the other. For a schedule of the light rail(LRT) goto www.metrotransit.org.
Their are lockers at both the airport and at the Mall of America. Not sure if 3 carry ons will fit in one but should be able to fit at least one per locker.
With a 9 hour layover, seeing and doing what you want in the Mall of America should be no problem. Weekends are the days the mall is the busiest and weekday mornings and afternoons are the least busiest.
Thank you so much for the information! We'll be there on a Wednesday afternoon, so perhaps it won't be too bad. We were a little miffed that our layover had increased so much, but this might make a happy little sidebar to our exciting trip. Thanks again!
Erin
The airport is very close (a few minutes only) to the Mall of America so 9 hours will be plenty. There are many place to eat there--Rain Forest Cafe, Ruby Tuesdays, etc., and if you stake out where you want to go beforehand as far as the shops go, it will make it much easier. I don't know about lockers--we've never had to use those. The Minneapolis Airport is very efficient, even on international flights. Have fun!
Not much to add to the other postings. The time you have is certainly doable. A couple of really good places to eat at the MOA--my favorite pick Tucci Benucch (wonderful Italian food, with good wine selection), California Cafe (seafood, steak), Napa Valley Grill (trendy, excellent wine selection), and Twin City Grill (excellent steaks).
Then there are the more kitchy, theme restaurants like Hooters, Rainforest Cafe, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co, and Kokomo's Island Cafe. The MOA also has several of the chain fast food restaurants. You can check this all out on the web at www.mallofamerica.com.
The 9 hour layover sucks--but the MOA is a great place to be stuck at. Have fun in the UK.
I hate shopping, especially in busy malls during the weekend, but Mall of America was a totally different experience.
The mall is huge, but it is not intended only for shopping lovers. Inside the building there is big entertainment complex, for kids and for adults, unique restaurants, movie theater and so on.
Michael Graves was selected to design the new "Target" Wing at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. The results are disappointing, IMHO. From the street, the addition is rather boring and uninviting. It could house virtually any kind of institution: a medical center, a library, even a secretive governmental bureaucracy.
Interesting fact: all over the Midwest, major American museums whose main buildings are stoutly neo-classical and traditional have been commissioning major "starchitects" to expand their limited exhibition spaces. It will be interesting to see what Stephen Holl in Kansas City, Renzo Piano in Chicago, and in Rafael Vinoly in Cleveland come up with. (I have a sneak preview of the Bloch Wing of the Nelson-Atkins on my Kansas City page.)
Bottomless Milk Cup!
Jeff (Seabiscuit) suggested I try this.
If you purchase one cup of milk for $1, you can get free refills all day! Plus you can choose between regular and chocolate milk!!
It is possible to circumnavigate by bike Cedar Lake, Lake of the Isles, Lake Calhoun, and Lake Harriet, which are all interconnected in the Grand Round course. Rollerblade, trail bike, and walking are all possible in the Grand Round National Scenic Byway.
Near the Walker Art Center is the Sculpture Garden. It features large and unique sculptures in a garden setting. It is the best sculpture garden of the maybe ten I've seen. It wonderfully relaxing and often quite calm. It is beautiful in the winter if you can bear the cold.
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Address: 45 South 8th Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55402, United States
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