Summer 2009

Four of us are travelling to Minneapolis in August - flying there from Salt Lake City after a week travelling in Colorado. We will be spending 5 days there before flying back to the UK from Chicago - can anyone recommend the best area to stay in... or a decent hotel. Is it best to stay in the city or outside? The men will be visiting the PGA golf tournament so won%26#39;t want to have to drive too far each day.... the ladies will be left to relax (?) or sightsee or just wander.... it would be great to have some thoughts - and any advice from someone who has stayed there already

thanks in advance

Summer 2009

';ello Neep...

For the boy%26#39;s, the PGA will be held at Hazeltine- nice course out in the sticks west of the Mall/ aiport are near the suburb of Chaska. I would recommend the Mall of America area- from there the girls could also take the light rail downtown or picic at Minnehaha Falls etc...As a group, I would recommend the Lake Minnetonka / Excelsior area for a day. Check out: http://www.lakeminnetonka.com/

Have a great visit!

Summer 2009

If you stay by the mall, or Bloomington I-94 strip, or even off I-94 in Eden Prairie, you%26#39;ll be closer to the golf course.

A few extra miles and you can stay in downtown Minneapolis.

I think you%26#39;ll have more options for nightlife %26amp; thinks to do and places to eat.

Here%26#39;s a map -

minneapolis.org/media/…amdowntown.pdf

Here%26#39;s a destination guide:

travelandleisure.com/cityguides/minneapolis-…

What are your ages, interests, are you interested in finding a bar to relax, or do you want to hit the club scene, are the ladies interested in shopping or just sightseeing? Do you want to be near public transportation or taxis, or will you rent a car?

If you are into nightlife, then downtown makes most sense - in the Twin Cities you can usually get from point A to point B easier than many cities. If you are interested in being close to the Mall of America or airport, or Hazeltine, then Bloomington or Eden Prairie are where you want to look (ie. maybe the Normandale Blvd. area).

Hello Neep...my two cents about the city I still call home...

As Dano mentioned, Hazeltine is in the southwest suburbs of Minneapolis. Given that, I would probably second the suggestion of staying by the Mall of America area to stay for a hotel. The men will have to drive from the MOA area to get to Hazeltine, but were you to find a hotel near Hazeltine, the ladies would then have to drive to whatever sightseeing you want to do, which may be somewhat inconvenient being in the SW %26#39;burbs (and probably about a 20 minute drive from the MOA area, assuming no traffic). There also isn%26#39;t a great deal of sightseeing in the suburb of Chaska where Hazeltine is located. If you stay by the MOA, besides the convenience of shopping, you can catch the Light Rail Transit at the Mall itself to take you to downtown Minneapolis, about a 30 minute ride and $2/person one way. From downtown, you%26#39;ll have other sightseeing options, shopping options, dining options, and park/recreation options. Also, by the MOA area you are still near several freeways if you wish to drive to various sightseeing spots in and near the city (including to get to downtown St. Paul, with its own attractions)

If you opt to stay downtown, there will definitely be lots to see, do, eat at, and stay. Just know the men will have that much further to drive to get to Hazeltine (probably about 35 minutes with no traffic). Downtown hotels have many of the chains, with some new trendy ones opened fairly recently, which I hear are all mostly nice, though not necessarily inexpensive, which is part of having the convenience of downtown.

As far as a specific hotel near MOA, again most chains are represented and there isn%26#39;t one I can recall that stands out over the others. That%26#39;s not saying they are bad, just your standard fare.

Please let me know of more questions, especially if there are specific things you wish to see.

Just an FYI, when the 2002 (or was it 2001?? Doesn%26#39;t matter...) PGA Championship was held at Hazeltine they had fans park their cars at Canterbury Downs, which is a horseracing track in Shakopee, and catch a shuttle to the course. I would assume a similar plan will be in place for the 2009 PGA.

sorry it has taken me so long to reply - I think the men can put up with driving - the ladies will probably prefer to be downtown and especially for the evening with regards to dining etc. Can you recommend a decent hotel downtown?

Plans are going ahead for our visit - we will rent a car but the ladies will relax/wander, not to see anything specific - shopping is always a pleasure but we would want to stay somewhere where there is a choice of restaurants for dinner

again - any advice appreciated. Thanks

I am a member of Hazeltine and just to clarify the parking for the tournament, general ticketholders will have to park at Canterbury Downs and take the shuttle busses. If one upgrades to a Wanamaker ticket, there will be parking adjacent to the golf course. The Wanamaker tent is like a giant air conditioned sports bar, food%26#39; drink tv%26#39;s etc.

Staying downtown IMO is an excellent idea for you ladies. I would consider staying at the Nicollet Inn. It%26#39;s located on an island in the Mississippi River but is close to a number of restaurants and a short taxi to the Nicollet Mall. But, staying close to the Mall may be a better idea for shopping. I can%26#39;t think of a prettier place to spend an August day then downtown Minneapolis. There are so many nice hotels close to Nicollet Mall, and really neat restaurants all over the downtown area. Actually, you may enjoy Brit%26#39;s Pub, a little lawn bowling, and you may be nostalgic for home cooking. Since I%26#39;m Irish, I prefer the Local, just a couple of blocks down Nicollet Mall from Brit%26#39;s, lovely food and a cozy atmosphere.

I think you are in for an unexpected treat. Your boys will have to watch Paddy Harrington win the tournament, tear their hair out, and you will have the time of your life.

what dates in Aug 2009 would you be downtown ?

if there%26#39;s no big conventions in town at the time, you can get good rates on hotels downtown

Should you ladies feel adventurous you could drive to Stillwater, MN. Stillwater I am going to suppose is 30 miles fron downtown MPLS. The town is on the St Croix river and has lots of 1800%26#39;s charm and shopping. It is a favored local day trip. Dont forget to watch the movie FARGO so you learn the local dialect.