DT Minneapolis 2/15 to 2/18

2 adults coming to experience Minneapolis. We%26#39;ve got room reservations at the Millineum (rate possibly too good to be true. Is Nicollet Mall a central location? Seeking lunch and dinner spots as well as any can%26#39;t miss night life activites. We won%26#39;t have a car, so something not too far/ expensive by taxi is appreciated.

DT Minneapolis 2/15 to 2/18

your best bet on sun night is O%26#39;donovan%26#39;s irish pub

a few blocks from your hotel on 7th street %26amp; first ave - by the target center

nicollet mall is pretty central

you%26#39;ll have plenty of dining options - depending on your tastes

here%26#39;s a good dining guide

twincitiesdiningguide.com/pages/minneapolis_鈥?/a>

one breakfast be sure to hit Hell%26#39;s Kitchen

SEVEN is really good / new too (steak place on first floor / sushi on second) but you can have either on either floor really

there%26#39;s nothing at the state / orpheum / pantages that week, but there are shows at the guthrie

http://www.guthrietheater.org/

even if you don%26#39;t catch a show, it%26#39;s open to view and catch primo views of the river

here%26#39;s a few guides of the city

travelandleisure.com/cityguides/minneapolis-鈥?/a>

http://www.citypages.com/calendar

here%26#39;s one of the best maps of downtown -

minneapolis.org/media/鈥mdowntown.pdf

you%26#39;re hotel is by the convention center at the bottom

you can take the light rail $2.00 - from the airport to nicollet mall (at 5th street), and then a few buck cab ride down nicollet, or if it%26#39;s nice out and you have roller suitcases, not that bad of a walk

DT Minneapolis 2/15 to 2/18

I don%26#39;t have much time but yes Nicollet Mall is a central location and I agree you should try Hell%26#39;s Kitchen for breakfast. Just make sure you make a reservation or the wait can get very long. I know, reservations for breakfast? But I wouldn%26#39;t go without them. I can%26#39;t stand waiting around.

What kind of nightlife are you looking for? One of the more sought-after spots these days is the W hotel, which has a bar on the ground floor (called the Living Room) and has a bar an elevator ride up (problem being they usually only run one elevator for bar-only folks, leaving the rest for hotel guests, so there can be a line).

Those two spots (a little upper scale with dressier clientele and a lounge environment) and a visit to the nearby Local (more of a pub environment) could make a nice night. That%26#39;s all walking distance depending on the temperature. I%26#39;m hoping the brutal cold is in our past. It%26#39;s downright lovely right now at 14 degrees!! he he

Hm, just realized your dates fall outside of a Staurday and Sunday and I can%26#39;t speak for downtown nightlife at the W on those days.

The one night to go out in that window, however, is Monday night. That%26#39;s service industry night, with many bars in the Warehouse District ($5 to $7 cab ride) running nice promotions for the area%26#39;s bartenders and servers, most of whom have the night off after a hard weekend%26#39;s work. Back in my pre-married days I hit Monday night at Drink every week. Now, it%26#39;s a bar I would never go to on a Saturday night because it%26#39;s a zoo, but on service industry night it was incredible. Drinks were a quarter the price and they ran specials all night -- which is how you bring in a crowd on a random Monday night when people%26#39;d usually be at home.

What exactly do you mean by ';can%26#39;t miss night life';? Great singles scene, live music, dancing, something unique to the area? A little more detail would help with suggestions, as well as style %26amp; price range on the restaurants.

Actually, vegan may not be required. Fish and chicken are acceptable so long as there is at least more than one choice of either.

A few places that come to mind downtown include Cafe Brenda, Spoonriver, Pizza Luce, Bombay Bistro, Gardens of Salonica and Red Stag.

There are more options if you%26#39;re willing to head over to Uptown or E Lake Street - French Meadow Bakery, Galactic Pizza, Craftsman Restaurant, Ecopolitan, Birchwood

Can%26#39;t miss -- perhaps something unique to the area, really unusual or special. We%26#39;re open minded.

I like The News room for lunch. Ask concierege to point you in the right direction. The local is a fun Irish pub right down Nicollet as well. Not bad for happy hour appetizers and drink specials.

Another great happy hr until 6:30 is at Bellanotte. Honestly you can order enough of their great appetizers and fill up and call it dinner. Check out there website at

bellanottempls.com/assets/pdf/BN_HappyHour_p鈥?/a>

For bars/clubs check out

www.twincitiesnightclubs.com

Look at Mon or Tue or whatever day you will be here to see the specials and what their deal it, usually those places do have a lot of people who are good at partying lol.

Have a fun trip!

Thanks so much for all of your suggestions. We got a better deal at the Hyatt (priceline) so we stayed there instead of the Millineum. We went to Hells Kitchen for a late breakfast and it was great. We enjoyed the ham, pear and fontina sandwich and the porridge. Had I read the MPLS guidebook in the room, we could%26#39;ve sent an email and left with a free jar of peanut butter. Still, the food was good and the decor hellish (smile). We went uptown one night and enjoyed Latina Cantina -- good drinks, atmosphere and eclectic menu. We ended up getting a car and going to the Good Day Cafe -- another good choice. Last, but not least, we went to St. Anthony%26#39;s fall. A beautiful view and a great time. I can go back to MPLS -- in spite of the cold weather. Nice town, friendly people.

Glad you enjoyed your stay, and you hit some great spots too! Come back anytime, I%26#39;m glad the cold did not scare you off!