The Sights and Sounds of Minneapolis Minnesota

Points Summary

11 years ago

I’ve traveled through Minneapolis St-Paul (MSP) airport many times due to connecting Delta flights, but I had never stepped foot outside the airport. I had a 6 hour layover and I planned to visit downtown Minneapolis and take the light rail to the Mall of America before heading back to the airport.

Introduction
The Sights and Sounds of Minneapolis Minnesota
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The Sights and Sounds of Cleveland Ohio
Cleveland Airport Airspace Lounge
The Sights and Sounds of Atlanta Georgia

I figured renting a car for 6 hours was pretty uneconomical since car rentals were over $50 a day. The best way to get into town is to use the Minneapolis Metro Transit Light Rail system. I chose the 6 hour Event Pass for $4.00 which gives me unlimited light rail and bus rides for six hours.

It was really early in the morning and downtown was pretty dead. It was a Monday morning and people were just getting to work.

I headed towards the 3rd Avenue Bridge overlooking the Mississippi River. On the other side of the river was a Pillsbury Dough Factory.

Walking around downtown Minneapolis made me realize how clean the city is. In addition, construction seems to be booming with new buildings and high-rises.

The architecture also blew me away with buildings such the Post Office and the library.

There is even a bike sharing program called “Nice Ride” in downtown Minneapolis.

Nicollet Mall is where all the shopping is done by downtown dwellers. There are plenty of retail shops, bars, and restaurants.

I headed back on the Metro Transit light rail to the famous Mall of America.

I passed by Vikings Stadium on the way towards the Mall of America.

According to Wikipedia, the “Mall of America is the most visited shopping mall in the world with more than 40 million visitors annually (or roughly eight times the population of the state of Minnesota). The Mall employs over 12,000 workers.”