Minneapolis

I have family near Minneapolis that I’ve been visiting once a year. My visits so far have been in June and September, when the weather is pleasant.

During this last visit, I stayed a bit longer and rented an AirBnB for part of the time. I wanted to explore the city more and see what it would be like to spend longer periods in the future.

Staying in the Minnehaha Area

There weren’t many AirBnB options south of the airport, which is where my family is. The area around Minnehaha Park was about as close as I could get. There are a lot of green spaces in that area though, and I liked the fact that the light rail runs through there. My AirBnB was in an older building in a fairly plain neighborhood, but it was comfy inside.

Minnehaha Park

The park is the centerpiece of the area, and is one of the city’s oldest and most cherished outdoor spaces. It has great picnic areas, hiking trails, and bike paths. I would come through on my way to and from the store, but also spent quite a bit of time just wandering around and exploring.

Getting Around

There are plenty of options for getting around. The light rail will take you downtown, to the airport, even Mall of America. I hopped on a Lime bike a few times, when heading home from the grocery store or just exploring the neighborhood. I noticed electric bikes from a few other providers as well. As for scooters, I don’t remember seeing many of them around.

Uber worked out pretty well for me a few times. Waits weren’t usually more than 10 minutes and prices were about what I would expect. The exception was one time during rush hour, when I was at the airport and prices and waits jumped about 150%. I just waited a bit though and they eventually came down.

Groceries

There’s a pretty good Cub Foods near the park where I did most of my grocery shopping. It was a nice walk from my AirBnB through the park to get there, and then I’d rent a Lime bike for the trip back home.

Coffee

I didn’t come across a ton of great places to work in the area, but Falls Coffee near the park isn’t too shabby. Another decent option, though a bit out of the way, is Rick’s Coffee Bar. They were only open until 2 pm though.

Workouts

I didn’t spot any calisthenics parks per se, but for pull-ups, there are some monkey bars at the North Plateau Playground. You’ll find it at the northeast corner of Minnehaha Park.

Other Parks

So many parks, paths, and lakes around here! I spent some time wandering around Lake Nokomis, Lake Hiawatha, and Minnehaha Creek Park. I could definitely spend a whole lot more time exploring these places.

Future Stays

I didn’t stay in any other neighborhoods, but I did a bit of recon for future trips. North Loop and Uptown look really appealing, although they’re a bit on the pricier side. I noticed a bunch of AirBnBs huddled around Whittier, which seems to be a pretty central spot.