r/movingtompls • u/Grateful_Mendicant • 16d ago
Help me choose a neighborhood.
40 M, single.
I'm moving to Minneapolis in 3 weeks. As far as apartments go, I have a few finalists but I need help thinking through what I might be missing. I've been to the city a bunch but mostly to the Chain of Lakes, Uptown, and North Loop areas.
Here are the three places that I'm considering.
Couple of places in the North Loop. Biggest advantage I see here is that almost all my favorite restaurants are here. And it would be really cool to walk less than 5 minutes to Whole Foods or to not have to worry about parking when I make a reservation at Spoon and Stable. The problem is that I don't actually know what it's like to live there. Like how noisy does it get? How safe Is it in the evenings? And what does the social life look like in the dead of winter, disconnected from the skywalk. It would be great to live a block or two away from the River trail, but running outside is probably going to be very unappealing for at least 3 months out of the year.
Downtown. There are some really good deals at Groove Lofts, well integrated into the skywalk. Not as connected to my favorite restaurant, but there are a number of solid options downtown. And I feel like I would get out of my apartment more in winter if I didn't have to breathe the cold all the time. I could also walk to the YMCA and run on their indoor track. But again I don't know how safe the area is. From what I understand, the building doesn't have its own parking and contracts with Northstar. Do people generally get their cars broken into if they park in a downtown parking ramp?
There's a nice renovated condo in the Loring Park area on Groveland avenue. Access to the park and the Metro would be the best features. I could get to the North Loop in 20 minutes if I wanted to. I could get to the park in less than 10 minutes for my runs. There doesn't seem to be a ton of restaurants or coffee shops nearby. It seems like a great place to BE at home but not a great place from which to walk to stuff. And I like being home as much as the next guy, but it would be to be able to walk to restaurants, grocery store, etc within 15 minutes.
My best prospects in the Lakes area are already taken or too expensive. And as much as I like a few restaurants in Uptown, I don't actually enjoy being there all that much. It looks really nice on paper but it just doesn't do it for me for whatever reason.
Any thoughts or recommendations?
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u/beauxdeaux 15d ago
North loop is great. I’ve lived here for over two years, and the accessibility is great. You’re walking distance to Whole Foods, the theater district, sports venues, and the river for outdoors activities. You can also join Lifetime; they have an indoor track and lots of treadmills for indoor running in the winter.
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u/Grateful_Mendicant 15d ago
How Long is the indoor track? Unfortunately. I absolutely detest machines. Rowing machine, stair machine, treadmill, stationary bike, nothing works for me.
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u/beauxdeaux 15d ago
I’m not exactly sure of the length…I’d have to look the next time I’m there. It’s a decent size though.
If machines aren’t your thing, there are also classes included with your membership.Also, make sure you get a parking garage at wherever you’re looking to live. In winter, you don’t want to park outside.
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u/Grateful_Mendicant 15d ago
Oh I would not dream of parking outside. My ideal would be an underground garage but I could swing a parking ramp.
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u/filmore_89 15d ago
North Loop by a mile.
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u/Grateful_Mendicant 15d ago
Why is that?
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u/filmore_89 15d ago
Based on your criteria, the other 2 are non-starters for a number of reasons, one of which is that they are relatively dead compared to most other options. I might suggest also looking at the Mill District and even across the river in Old Town.
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u/Grateful_Mendicant 15d ago
I don't necessarily disagree. And in a different state with different weather, I wouldn't even ask the question. But just thinking about walking out of my apartment when it's 20 F fills me with existential dread. Like, I'm having a physical reaction to it! LOL
I'm afraid winter would start and I would just hibernate.
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u/filmore_89 15d ago edited 15d ago
Winter social life in NL will be roughly 8 trillion times more active than your other 2 options.
Also, people will be out in t-shirts in 20* weather.
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u/BaconAndEggs_MN 15d ago
20 above zero or below zero? 20f is not cold my friend. We can help you with appropriate clothing.
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u/Grateful_Mendicant 15d ago
Bruh... I've run outside a few times in 20F. I think I'm scarred for life.
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u/Tim-oBedlam 15d ago
My friend, if 20° F scars you for life, you are moving to the WRONG state.
Our average high temperature in January is 23°.
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u/Grateful_Mendicant 15d ago
I know. I've already been living in the the state for more than a year. It's probably not going to work out super long-term. But I'm here for now, and there's not much I can do about it.
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u/coffeecat551 3d ago
More than a year is still no time at all. You won't get used to winter after one winter... but it's almost guaranteed to grow on you.
I haven't read through your other comments to see where you're from or what kind of cold weather gear you have. Being well prepared is half the challenge - and with the right gear, the cold is far easier to handle.
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u/kiwifinn 15d ago
You will adapt to the cold fast, and I predict you will think that your crime fears are exagerated.
North Looper.
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u/Grateful_Mendicant 15d ago
Do you know why so many people hate downtown, even the parts that are no more than a 15-min walk from the North Loop?
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u/kiwifinn 15d ago
Fox News.
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u/chillPenguin17 15d ago
Downtown is great. 65k people live downtown. Negative voices are louder online..maybe they are the kind of people who aren't willing to walk 15 minutes, their loss.
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u/Initial-Ambition5054 15d ago
One building I love by chain of lakes is Foundry Lake Street. It’s on the west side, so you get better access to 100, right across from Whole Foods, restaurants (a few anyway although more fast casual), and a block off Bde. Highly recommend if you get a wild hair and go that direction. I lived there for 3 years and now live in north loop. Biggest advantage of north loop is simply the walkability and if you’re single and want to be out around people. Even in the winter you’re always just a block or two away from something to do.
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u/Grateful_Mendicant 15d ago
Yes! It looks great!. Unfortunately they don't have the size I'm looking for in the time frame I'm looking.
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u/chillPenguin17 15d ago
I think groove lofts is a cool option to check out. The downtown YMCA is an amazing gym, probably one of the nicest YMCAs in the country. You'd be very close to it, and also within walking distance of 4 grocery stores. Just know that the skyway primarily caters to the 9-5 office crowd and is not always open when you need it. That being said, it's an amazing amenity when the weather is extreme (winter or summer).
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u/Grateful_Mendicant 15d ago
Thanks for the input! It's so rare to find positive voices about downtown here!
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u/Far-Specific4865 15d ago
Downtown has been struggling since Covid and WFH - emptied the offices out, crime increased. It was booming before Covid. People have short memories, and it will come around again given some time.
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u/chillPenguin17 15d ago edited 15d ago
Yeah honestly it's kinda weird. Like sure it's not NYC but there is more going on downtown than most other parts of the city. I think it stems from some of the anti-corporate sentiment you'll encounter more on Reddit than real life, people conflate the Central Business District with downtown, but downtown is much more than the CBD.
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u/Otherwise_Passion_46 12d ago
Have you checked out NE or mill district?
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u/Grateful_Mendicant 12d ago
I think I have landed on Edition apartments! That's close to Mill district, right?
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u/anegreenwood 9d ago
Hi! I just wanted to mention that the Greenway is a great biking/running trail that runs through the city and can be accessed in uptown area too. If you’re willing to check other areas, Seward and Longfellow are great and you might not have to pay for parking. Loring Park was a fun place to live years ago if you like older historic buildings. You’re not too far from the Wedge coop there. Do you need to be close to downtown for work? There is also the light rail if you want to get into downtown to get to your favorite restaurants, though it’s not quite to North Loop.
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u/Grateful_Mendicant 9d ago
Hi! Thanks for the recs! It's not uptown but I ended up choosing a building that is right across the street from Bde Mka Ska and it has the green line running just behind it. I had to sacrifice a bit of urban density but I'll give it a try for a year and will go from there.
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u/Ecstatic-Produce-374 15d ago
Loring is better in terms of being close to the lakes, the park, target and you will want to park your car inside, probably cheaper too. I wish it had more places to eat and it would beat NL. Northloop is trendier though if you care about that.
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u/Grateful_Mendicant 15d ago
Not so much about trendier. I do care about access to groceries, a running park, and restaurants, though.
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u/chestypullers 15d ago
The best neighborhood in the city imo is Nicollet Island (which constitutes not only the island but the 2 blocks into NE). You’re just on the other side of the bridge from DT/NL and in walking distance from Lunds and Surdyks.
What’s your budget/requirements?