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A friend from China is in the US and is interested in having quintessential American experiences. If you lived in New Jersey and owned a car, where would you consider going (four hours or less) on a weekend in the first half of January that you could show someone a uniquely American experience via? The caveats being that we can't leave the US that weekend and I don't own camping gear.
posted by wurl1tzer_c0 around Minneapolis, MN at 6:29 AM - 16 answers

I am traveling to Minneapolis for work in early October. My flight just changed and now arrives at 7:50am on a Friday morning; I don't have anywhere to be until 1pm. What do I do? [more inside]
posted by basalganglia around Minneapolis, MN at 4:35 AM - 12 answers

Please help me plan a train trip. The first route is from Los Angeles to Chicago. [more inside]
posted by NotLost around Eagan, MN at 10:59 AM - 13 answers

I'll be in the Nicollet Mall area of Minneapolis for a few days on a business trip. I hope to have one or two evenings and possibly a small chunk of afternoon at my disposal. Where should I go? [more inside]
posted by prewar lemonade around Minneapolis, MN at 4:58 AM - 12 answers

Along with many other now-vaccinated stir crazy US families, we are traveling this summer - and the prices for rental cars are wildly expensive. I know there are various pandemic-related reasons for the cost, but does anyone have an estimate as to when the prices may subside, or what indicators there might be for prices dropping closer to pre-pandemic prices? [more inside]
posted by RajahKing around Eagan, MN at 10:44 AM - 19 answers

We'd like to stay in the Twin Cities for a month or two to evaluate if we'd like to relocate there. Snowflake details follow... [more inside]
posted by whisper_robin around Minnesota at 1:13 PM - 4 answers

My husband has had a chronic cough since last August, and he's been seeking treatment for it the entire time. Just before Covid-19 broke (or the story broke, anyway), his doctor told him he was being referred to the Mayo Cough Clinic in Minnesota. I wasn't expecting this to come to anything during Covid-19, but they just called and want him to come in on May 5th. What do? [more inside]
posted by ashirys around Rochester, MN at 7:40 AM - 13 answers

I'm immunocompromised and have an important doctor's appointment in Minneapolis next week, so I'm driving there from Portland, Oregon. What kinds of snow conditions can I expect if I follow this route? Mainly: I-82 and 395 through eastern Washington, and I-90 through Montana, South Dakota, and Minnesota. [more inside]
posted by quartz around Minneapolis, MN at 9:19 AM - 7 answers

I asked a question about visiting the Twin Cities in the winter previously ( ) but the trip got pushed back. Instead, I'm going out there the first week in April. [more inside]
posted by Archipelago around Twin Cities, MN at 3:28 PM - 8 answers

I'm going to a conference in Minneapolis this summer and will be taking my spouse and 9 month old. Where is the best place to stay? [more inside]
posted by stripesandplaid around Minneapolis, MN at 2:00 PM - 6 answers

It looks like I am going to be visiting family in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area sometime in the next few months, and I want to make sure my hosts don't have to figure out all entertainment/experiences on their own. What should I do/see in the Twin Cities in winter? I'll check out some guide books, but I'd love some personal recommendations. And if there's something I should definitely skip, I'd like to hear about that as well. [more inside]
posted by Archipelago around Twin Cities, MN at 3:09 PM - 12 answers

I will be going out to the Black Hills this fall, and am thinking about stopping at a few Laura Ingalls Wilder sites. What are they like? Will I, as a serious fan of her writing and serious hater of corny touristy crap, enjoy them? [more inside]
posted by Elly Vortex around Minneapolis, MN at 2:38 PM - 10 answers

I'm going to visit a friend who recently moved to Minneapolis. I'll be there at the end of June for a weekend and we're trying to figure out what to do with ourselves. We love spas, tea, board games and relaxing in general. [more inside]
posted by shesbookish around Minneapolis, MN at 12:58 PM - 10 answers

2010 Honda Minivan with 70k totaled when the driver in the oncoming lane lost control on an icy road and we briefly shared a lane. Seeking advice on how to deal with the insurance company so we are fairly compensated? Minnesota Edition. [more inside]
posted by roue around Minnesota at 1:22 PM - 7 answers

Please suggest a nice place within 2 hours of Minneapolis where the Phlegmatic Queen and I could go for a brief weekend getaway. Bonus points for a hot tub, double bonus points if said hot tub is outdoors. [more inside]
posted by the phlegmatic king around Minnesota at 10:50 AM - 9 answers

I have four days to find something wonderful and lovely to do outside, preferably near St. Paul. If it were not winter, I'd go kayaking. Is there a lovely outdoor winter spot to walk, maybe near water or unique-to-me outdoor areas? A special snow-covered lake? Should I get skis even though I've never been on skis? [more inside]
posted by amtho around Twin Cities, MN at 2:36 PM - 6 answers

Every year I get Seasonal Affective Disorder (the appropriately acronymed SAD) in the winter. This year I'd like to get out of Minnesota around my birthday - February 15th - to find the sun and some (relative) warmth. Our requirements are under the fold. [more inside]
posted by Elly Vortex around Minnesota at 8:45 AM - 15 answers

We are going to be in Duluth for a long weekend in August. We have no idea what to do while we are there! Help, please! [more inside]
posted by bibliogrrl around Duluth, MN at 7:17 PM - 19 answers

I will be temporarily stranded in downtown Minneapolis sometime this week, and while I'm not particularly worried because there's a ton of food around the IDS Center, I'm more concerned about bathroom availability: Are there any public bathrooms around that area in downtown Minneapolis, or "customer only" bathrooms in cheap restaurants? Since I'll have to eat somewhere anyway, I can plan for that if necessary. Thanks!
posted by oion around Minneapolis, MN at 4:33 PM - 16 answers

So the Ferg fam is thinking about trying to do a road-trip vacation the middle two weeks in July - original thought had been a trailer-camping trip through South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, etc, but we've scratched that plan for this year due to the fact that we would have needed to plan it last year. So maybe that will be next summer. In the meantime, we have the travel bug, and time and (some) money, so are thinking about trying to do the eastern halves of North and South Dakota, Minnesota, and maybe Wisconsin. (Coming from Kansas City, MO.) We've been to Minneapolis, but never really anywhere else in any of those 4 states, so ... what do we need to see/do/know? MeFi has been awesome for prior trip planning, so any suggestions are appreciated. [more inside]
posted by jferg around Minnesota at 6:37 PM - 15 answers