Minneapolis - arriving on the 8 Empire Builder eastbound

Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum

Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

user 6862

Engineer
Joined
Jun 18, 2009
Messages
2,201
Looking for any local knowledge on arriving at MSP and spending a whole day and all evening in the city.

Have looked up the baggage storage situation, it's perfect, both checked bags and stored bags facility. We haven't done much research for Minneapolis as yet but wonder if there are any local to the station breakfast places. Also as we will be out and about in the city for at least 12 hours are there other highly thought of eateries for the rest of the day. We aren't very taken to most chain eateries.

Taken a google look at the station building and it doesn't come across as though it is extra well connected to all other forms of public transport, but again not done any thorough research.

Was here for a short layover in 2002 and what I saw made me curious enough to want to come back. Apart from the Mall of America is there anything else that is particularly Minneapolis that we should try to get to see or do.

We are there at the very end of February so do expect it to be very chilly, is it more so than say Chicago would be?

Thanks very much
 
Note that the train station is in downtown Saint Paul. It's an easy trip to Minneapolis by light rail, but you do arrive in Saint Paul. There is light rail station (actually a terminus) just outside Union Depot; the other terminus is in downtown Minneapolis (with a connection to light rail to Mall of America).

If you are arriving from the west, you should be able to get breakfast on the train. If you want something off the train, the only item of information I can offer is that there is a farmer's market nearby. I have no idea of the hours nor if it will even be operating at the end of February. There are many small eateries in the skyway, which connects to Union Depot, but I expect few of them would be open for breakfast.

There is a well regarded science museum at the other end of downtown Saint Paul. It would be a bit of a hike, but the James J Hill House is just west of downtown Saint Paul. I thought both were worth a visit.

Still more of a hike (especially in February), north of downtown is the Jackson Street Roundhouse.

I would only make the trek to Mall of America if I wanted to ride the light rail.

From downtown Minneapolis, I would try to visit the Saint Anthony Lock and Dam and the Stone Arch Bridge. I would probably eat at the Old Spaghetti Factory.

I have assumed you would not rent a car for the day.
 
I know we have some members here from MSP who can go into more detail, but I'll answer a little bit.

MSP (St. Paul Union Depot) is located on Metro Transit's Green Line, a light rail line linking downtown St. Paul with downtown Minneapolis.

And, yes, it would be somewhat colder than Chicago that time of year.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Chances are that it will be Bittetly Cold Jamie.Riding the Light Rail should be OK but I wouldn't plan on walking outside much.

The Mall of the Americas is amazing, probably only second to the one in Edmonton,Alberta when it comes to such places.Its Worth a visit in my opinion.

As the others have mentioned, several AUers are very familiar with the MSP area and Union Station, including jebr,one of our Moderaters.Perhaps you can PM with him to get good info.
 
Hope you enjoy your trip. used to live in the area and there is a lot of fun things to do for sure. For breakfast there is actually a small coffee shop in a side room of the depot but it is very basic. You might try the Black Dog Cafe close by for something better or a full breakfast http://blackdogstpaul.com/menu/

There is actually the light rail to Minneapolis right out the front door of the depot. That line runs 24-7. If you take that to Minneapolis you would probably like the Mill City Musueum down by the Mississippi River and stone arch bridge. Used to be a flour mill. Pretty cool I think. http://www.millcitymuseum.org/

If you like old houses and railroad history James J. Hill of Empire Builder fame is has a house tour in St. Paul. Also like walking through the St. Paul Cathedral. Also like the Art Institute in Minneapolis.

Otherwise, I don't know the restaurant scene real well but I am sure you can find something fun. A popular neighborhood to go out in would be Uptown Minneapolis. Walking distance to the depot in St. Paul i like the Dark Horse Bar and eatery. http://darkhorsebarandeatery.com/

If you have time in the evening the twin cities has a great music and theater scene at places like the Guthrie Theater,First Avenue and many more.
 
Think you have all made our day, lots of stuff to research now and good knowing about opinions it's possible to trust.

Missed the light rail link but in my defence it was a very quick scan. That makes travel in general so easy when it's joined up and over the last few years have experienced some very good connected up transits in the US in the larger cities.

Does anyone know if the Mall of America is the largest in... err.. America ? and what about the world? I'm guessing that even for non shoppers it's the size and other 'entertainment

Thank you
 
Does anyone know if the Mall of America is the largest in... err.. America ? and what about the world? I'm guessing that even for non shoppers it's the size and other 'entertainment
It was the largest in the U.S. when it opened, but as of last year, it's now only second-largest (due to an expansion at the King of Prussia mall in Pennsylvania). Yes, there are various entertainment options there, including an indoor amusement park, beyond just the shopping.
 
Hello! I actually live in Saint Paul, so am pretty familiar with the area.

Union Depot is fairly well connected to the local transit infrastructure. The light rail outside the front door will bring you to Minneapolis, with numerous stops in between that will give you options for a bite to eat. The 21 bus runs east-west from Union Depot along a main city street and across the river to Lake Street in Minneapolis, ending in the Uptown neighborhood (one of the "entertainment district" neighborhoods.) The 54 bus takes a southwesterly path through Saint Paul, hitting the airport and then going to Mall of America. A day pass at the light rail ticket machines or on the Metro Transit mobile app runs between $4 - $5 (depending on time of day and day of week) and works on all light rail and local bus service (which would be all most tourists would use.)

Weather can be different from year to year, but late February is, on average, cold but not bitterly so. In general, Minneapolis/St. Paul is about 5-10 degrees colder than Chicago on the average day. However, each year is different: one year a cold front can hit and cold air flows in making it bitterly cold, and the next could result in an early warm spell (with 40 degree Fahrenheit highs.) If it's a bitterly cold day, I'd steer more towards the indoor activities, where a warmer day could allow you to walk a few blocks from local station stops. In

For breakfast, I'd suggest one of two options:

  • Java Express in Union Depot. The food is made on site to order, and it's pretty tasty. Breakfast sandwiches and a couple of entree options are available, along with a selection of pastries and drink options. Especially good on a cold day when you don't want to go outside much.
  • Mickey's Diner. It's a 3-4 block walk from the 10th St. Station and is, I believe, a bit famous in terms of local eateries. It came in via rail car and it's still quite small but still oozes a bit of history (and a lot of grease and lard.)
After that, I'd check out the Minnesota State Capitol. To be fair, I'm a fan of state capitols in general and love my home capitol (I've lived in Minnesota pretty much all my life, only going to college out of state for 2.5 years.) It's been recently restored, and depending on the day the Legislature may be in session (they start on Feb. 20th at noon.) If they're in session, you're welcome to go up to the viewing gallery and watch either the House or the Senate; they're open to the public and no ticket is required. All year they have tours of the building which are free as well and informative. I've also just wandered around the Capitol building at times on my own and haven't had any issues with that either.

For lunch, you can either eat at the cafeteria on site at the Capitol (it's open during the legislative session and there's some cool murals and such, but the food isn't anything to write home about) or you can make your way over to Minneapolis (either taking the 21 bus from Union Depot or transferring from the Green Line at Snelling Ave.) and eat at Midtown Global Market. There's a number of food options of all varieties, including Mediterranean, Indian, Moroccan, African, and Mexican (along with an American option.)

After lunch, especially since you've mentioned it, I'd go down to the Mall of America. From Midtown Global Market, you can either take the 5 bus all the way down or take the 21 bus to the Blue Line, which also goes down to Mall of America. It's really just a big mall at the heart of it, but it seems to really have almost any store you would want. The indoor amusement park is also decent, although I'll never fully forgive it for abandoning its Peanuts comic strip roots. There's a mirror maze, a comedy club (although usually doesn't have matinees) and a fair amount of other options. I like to swing by the Rybicki Cheese and Cheese Brothers shops and taste the free cheese samples as well. If it's cold out and you're okay with spending a fair amount of time window shopping, you could probably spend the whole day there; while I wouldn't consider it a full "authentic" experience of the area, it's decent enough and I really wouldn't blame you for wanting to avoid the cold. There's plenty of food options there as well; my favorite food court there being the new "Culinary on North" which has more fast casual chains versus fast food (the Shake Shack is there, as is Melt Shop and a number of others.)

Alternatively, for supper you could swing by Afro Deli in downtown St. Paul. It was (if I remember correctly) founded by Somalian immigrants, and they've created delicious, approachable African food. There's a number of other options there as well. My wife loves the Afro Steak dinner, and she doesn't have a terribly adventurous palate (thus, at least to me, giving credence that their food is very approachable.) I've had it as well and also find it very tasty, although I also like to get the Chicken Fantastic.

I'm not sure what time you're leaving, but if you're there until late evening check to see if there's a show in town. Both Minneapolis and St. Paul have vibrant theater and arts scenes, and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra often performs at the Ordway in downtown St. Paul, with tickets starting as low as $12/seat. They're a world-class orchestra and well worth going to if you enjoy orchestra performances (and, honestly, even if you're just not against classical music - there's something about seeing it live that really makes it pop for me, and they do an excellent job at performing their music.)

Let me know if you have any questions or would like any further suggestions!
 
What spectacular answers, this forum just keeps getting better, thank you.

It's late here and we off working for a few days as of tomorrow, but will get back and do our research on some of this stuff asap.

Just to add we arrive from Essex Montana into MSP on 28 Feb next year, and leave 1 minute after midnight on the 1 March. We'd have to collect our stored bags from the station by 10pm latest I think but would still like to see theatre or music when we are there but that may be pushing it with our time constraint. May be best to just have a good leisurely meal somewhere.

From Union Depot we have to get to the Hawthorne Transportation Center to catch our midnight bus to Georgia Kansas City. By public transport that may take up to an hour or so, would that be about right? As we are checking bags with Greyhound we have to be there by 11pm.

Can't wait for the journey to start...

Oh yes, is there a good viewing point to see the river, the Mississippi fascinates me as we have lived on a barge
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'd maybe give it a touch over an hour to get from Union Depot to Hawthorne - if everything goes well you can do it in an hour, but if the 11 PM is a hard cut-off I wouldn't want to risk it. (I don't think they're terribly strict on that cut-off time, though, but I'm not 100% sure.) If you like improv (especially long-form improv,) I can't recommend HUGE Theater highly enough. It's just off of the 21 line as well in Minneapolis. On Wednesdays their show is $8 a person. That being said, you'd definitely want to get your luggage beforehand, and I don't think they have any official place to store luggage. However, you could email and ask what arrangements they have or could make for luggage. From there the 4 bus goes north and will drop you off a couple blocks from Hawthorne to catch the bus to Kansas City. (There's also a cool little old-school bowling alley a block or two from there as well, if that's more your style.)

There's a lot of other options, but it's a bit harder to find for Wednesday night and I'm not a huge nightlife person, so I may not be the best person to ask on that front. That being said, if you'd want to meet up that evening, PM me and we can see what would work.
 
As for a good vantage point of the river, the traditional tourist spot (which does have a good view of the river) is the Stone Arch Bridge in downtown Minneapolis. You'll also see the Mississippi River as you arrive into Union Depot, and there's windows in the station that overlook it. If the weather is nice, you could walk over to Harriet Island and Raspberry Island in St. Paul as well and see the river up close and personal.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
If it's a half decent day, and not too terribly freezing, visit the sculpture garden in Minneapolis. Also, check out Minnehaha Falls (near a light rail station.)

There used to be a nice little breakfast place at the old courthouse building in downtown St. Paul, which I liked, but haven't visited in years. Don't know if it's still around. But, it's a neat historic building with a view of Mears Park, nestled in a quiet corner, so very relaxing.

The Twin Cities is becoming notable among American cities for its restaurant scene. So, you really should not have any trouble finding some place worthwhile. But for a good breakfast, lunch, or even delicious little dinner, I'm going to recommend tge unique deco diner Hi-Lo. Have the Notorious PIG or the Duck Confeit on a donut. Add your drink of preference. You'll walk away happy.
 
There is some possibility the Mississippi River may be frozen at MSP in February. Perhaps a good possibility.
 
A great place to see and learn more about the Mississippi is https://www.nps.gov/miss/planyourvisit/mrvcabou.htmMississippi River Visitor Center, which is adjacent to the Minnesota Science Museum - both right in downtown St. Paul.

The former courthouse the OP mentions is like the Landmark Center http://www.landmarkcenter.org/- which will have public ice skating in the park in February. The St. Paul Hotel https://www.saintpaulhotel.com/ is right there, a classy old dame of a hotel with a nice bar to duck into for something to warm up with.
 
There is also a nice model railroad museum about halfway between St. Paul and Minneapolis along the light rail line connecting the two downtowns.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum
 
Today, the St. Paul station is served by two tracks. Fifty years ago, there were a few more as shown on this portion of a U.S. Geological Survey topographic map from 1967:

MapSt.PaulUnionDepot1967D.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
As for a good vantage point of the river, the traditional tourist spot (which does have a good view of the river) is the Stone Arch Bridge in downtown Minneapolis. You'll also see the Mississippi River as you arrive into Union Depot, and there's windows in the station that overlook it. If the weather is nice, you could walk over to Harriet Island and Raspberry Island in St. Paul as well and see the river up close and personal.
To this, I add the view of Saint Anthony's Falls. People enjoy looking at waterfalls, even when said waterfall has been artificially reinforced.
 
As for a good vantage point of the river, the traditional tourist spot (which does have a good view of the river) is the Stone Arch Bridge in downtown Minneapolis. You'll also see the Mississippi River as you arrive into Union Depot, and there's windows in the station that overlook it. If the weather is nice, you could walk over to Harriet Island and Raspberry Island in St. Paul as well and see the river up close and personal.
To this, I add the view of Saint Anthony's Falls. People enjoy looking at waterfalls, even when said waterfall has been artificially reinforced.
The view from the observation platform (several stories up) of the Mill City Museum is phenomenal.

There's also the old Milwaukee Road depot, downtown Minneapolis, which is now a hotel/restaurant/convention center/ice rink. They have several statues ans plaques commemorating the building's history.

In summer, I'd recommend the area around Lake Harriet, including a bandshell with free concerts, a nice set of gardens, a wooded walk and bird sanctuary, an historic cemetery, and even a little classic streetcar ride. But, not in February!
 
NorthShore, what are you trying to get us into? Matt's Bar for a Jucy Lucy, sounds erm very interesting or inappropriate! (or both).

There's more to do here than possible even in a long day, but hope it helps others to think of visiting MSP

Thanks
 
When I last visited Minneapolis and Saint Paul in June, the statue of Mary Richards throwing her beret into the air on Nicollet Mall had been moved inside the city tourist office, account of major road and sidewalk construction in the area. Don’t know if that work will be completed by February.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum
 
NorthShore, what are you trying to get us into? Matt's Bar for a Jucy Lucy, sounds erm very interesting or inappropriate! (or both).
A Jucy Lucy is a hamburger with the cheese inside of the burger instead of on top of the burger. Wikipedia has a decent description of it.

While Matt's Bar, in my opinion, is a bit better than 5-8 for the original, both are good. My favorite, though, is from The Nook - the originals may do it decently, but The Nook does it best.
default_smile.png
 
When I last visited Minneapolis and Saint Paul in June, the statue of Mary Richards throwing her beret into the air on Nicollet Mall had been moved inside the city tourist office, account of major road and sidewalk construction in the area. Don’t know if that work will be completed by February.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum
It's supposed to be "substantially complete" by the end of this month. Let's hope that holds true - that road has been closed for much too long, in my opinion.
 
While Matt's Bar, in my opinion, is a bit better than 5-8 for the original, both are good. My favorite, though, is from The Nook - the originals may do it decently, but The Nook does it best.
default_smile.png
When I was in St. Paul a few years back, I made a point of going to O'Gara's because it's located on the former site of the barbershop owned by Charles Schulz's father. I wouldn't particularly recommend going there for the food, which was adequate "bar and grill"-type stuff, but nothing special. (I didn't have a Juicy Lucy, though.)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Back
Top