The city streets have a grid system that's helpful if you learn it. Minneapolis is divided into quadrants: North, South, Northeast and Southeast. Hennepin Avenue forms the divider between streets labeled N and S near downtown. This division continues through the smaller portion of Minneapolis east of the Mississippi, dividing it into Northeast NE and Southeast SE. Further west of downtown, this division lies along Linden Avenue, just north of the I-394 freeway. In North, Northeast and Southeast Minneapolis, all roads carry N, NE, or SE prefixes on street signs. n South Minneapolis, the north-south avenues are marked S. The east-west streets are marked with W or E, depending if you are west or east of Nicollet Avenue. Even though street signs show these directions before the names, most locals read the addresses with them at the end. Thus "York Avenue South" appears on signs as "S York Ave" and "N 33rd Ave" is pronounced "33rd Avenue North".
Minneapolis is one of few cities to use multi-colored street signs. The colors o indicate the priority of plowing during winter storms. Although plowing has since changed, they still indicate what sort of street. Blue signs indicate major roads which are "Snow Emergency Routes". These are still the first to be plowed. Rust-colored signs indicate roads that run primarily east-west. Light green signs indicate roads primarily north-south. Dark green signs indicate scenic parkways that ring the city and the lakes.
Public Transit
Metro Transit, â +1 612 373-3333, . Operator of the public transit system in the Twin Cities. edit
Light rail
Currently there is only one light rail line, the Hiawatha Line. Serving downtown Minneapolis, Target Field, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, the airport, Mall of America, and points in between. This is the easiest, fastest, and safest bet for first-time visitors. There's a lot to do along the route, and since there only is one route at the moment, the odds of getting lost are reduced. The next light rail line dubbed the Central Corridor during the construction phase will open in 2014 and connect downtown Saint Paul to downtown Minneapolis via the University of Minnesota's Minneapolis campus. It will primarily travel via University Avenue through Saint Paul and Washington Avenue through the University campus before reaching downtown Minneapolis where it will share the tracks with the Hiawatha Line.| Important BusesRoute #Serving...5Northside, Downtown, Chicago Ave, Midtown Exchange, and Mall of America.6Uptown/Chain of Lakes, Downtown, Target Center, Dinkytown, U of MN.10Downtown, Northeast Minneapolis, Central Avenue16/50 Limited StopDowntown, Metrodome, U of MN, Amtrak Depot, Saint Paul18Downtown, Nicollet Avenue, Eat Street, Art Institute/MCAD21/53 Limited StopUptown/Lakes, Lyn-Lake, Midtown, Saint Paul | |
| Route # | Serving... |
| 5 | Northside, Downtown, Chicago Ave, Midtown Exchange, and Mall of America. |
| 6 | Uptown/Chain of Lakes, Downtown, Target Center, Dinkytown, U of MN. |
| 10 | Downtown, Northeast Minneapolis, Central Avenue |
| 16/50 Limited Stop | Downtown, Metrodome, U of MN, Amtrak Depot, Saint Paul |
| 18 | Downtown, Nicollet Avenue, Eat Street, Art Institute/MCAD |
| 21/53 Limited Stop | Uptown/Lakes, Lyn-Lake, Midtown, Saint Paul |
Bus
Knowing your Route 5 from your Route 55 is considered one mark of a true-blue Twin Citian. The routes and fares are confusing to non-natives. The Metro Transit (http://www.metrotransit.org) web site, however, is user-friendly. The Trip Planner lets you provide your beginning and ending points and times, and suggests the best route. You can customize this on walking distances, number of transfers, and the like. As routes are anything but linear, carry a schedule and map for any bus route you are riding; these are available on buses above you and to your left after you pay as well as at many city government buildings, libraries, and the like. Bus stops are nearly everywhere throughout the city, but some are served infrequently, and some are not labeled as to which routes serve them at which times. Be aware of the white Metro Transit notices sometimes posted at stops; routes often change due to construction or local events and parades.
Skyway
No discussion of getting around Minneapolis would be complete without mention of the Skyway. Covering most of an approximate 7x7 block region of central downtown, the Skyway is a series of public pedestrian spaces on the 2nd floor of downtown buildings connected by enclosed bridges between buildings. It is possible to walk through most of downtown and never go outdoors, a real advantage during winter. Additionally, the Skyway allows you to bypass stoplights and quickly move through the city. Beyond the core region, the Skyway reaches about 12 blocks in the north/south direction and 8 blocks east/west. The Skyway is home to multiple restaurants, stores, shops and malls. If visiting downtown Minneapolis during the winter, using a parking deck or staying at a hotel on or very near the Skyway is well worth the investment. Hours vary slightly, but most buildings are open noon-6PM Sunday, 6:30AM-9PM or 10PM M-F and 9:30-8PM on Saturday.
By bike
Biking in Minneapolis is a big deal. Over the years, it has invested heavily in bike trails, lanes and "bicycle boulevards," and a good chunk of its populace uses the man-powered two-wheeler to get around. The larger Twin Cities area also offers a good mix of off-road bike trails; for example one can bike from Chaska to St. Paul using only bike trails, some thirty miles. A variety of maps (http://www.co.hennepin.mn...) show the web of on and off-road routes that span the greater metropolitan area.During the winter, major bike trails such as the Midtown Greenway are plowed at the same time as major streets. In some neighborhoods like Downtown, Dinkytown, Uptown, and near the University of Minnesota campus, bikes are seen almost as often as cars.
One of the country's largest urban bike rental programs opened in the summer of 2010. Nice Ride Minnesota (http://www.niceridemn.org/) two-wheelers are available for rent at 150 locations in both Minneapolis and Saint Paul.
The Twin Cities also offer a big variety of cycling shops from very race oriented ones e.g Grand Performance (http://www.gpbicycles.com/ in St. Paul and Flanders Bros (http://www.flandersbros.com/) in Minneapolis) to more consumer oriented shops e.g. Penn Cycle (http://penncycle.com/index.cfm, Erik's (http://www.eriksbikeshop.com/), Boehm's (http://boehmscycle.com/in...) to the most women-friendly worker cooperative bike shop, The Hub Bike Co-op (http://thehubbikecoop.org/).
A very useful cycling shop for visitors and tourists is Calhoun Cycle (http://www.calhouncycle.com/), which offers, among other services, offers bike rental both regular and tandem bikes.
For additional cycling information in the Twin Cities area please visit the Twin Cities Bicycling Club (http://www.biketcbc.org/).