If you live in the Twin Cities you need to make sure you make it to Grand Avenue in St. Paul!  Grand Avenue itself is about 5 miles long, but there is a 1 mile stretch between Lexington and Dale that has the most “action”.  Grand Avenue is probably the best place to shop in St. Paul, they have many great restaurants and cafes, they have nightlife and also many community events.

You won’t find any big name stores on Grand Avenue which is really part of the charm. The Avenue has numerous smaller shops and boutiques with something for everyone and it is a great place to go if you need a unique gift! Grand Avenue pride itself in creating a unique shopping experience for visitors, which is largely credited to the specialty businesses, and the outstanding products and services they offer. Many of these Grand Avenue shops and restaurants are family owned and run, and several have been part of the avenue for decades.  There are gift shops, jewelry stores, clothing stores, stores for pets, places for kid’s stuff, cooking stores and so much more. When the weather is nice it is fun to just stroll along and check all the shops out!

Hungry or thirsty?  Grand Avenue has you covered.  There are numerous coffee shops, cafes, restaurants and bars, some are fancier than others.  The Lexington is an older upscale restaurant, there is the Grand Ole Creamery where the ice cream is to die for or Café Latte where you can satisfy all your coffee needs. If you are looking for wonderful baked goods, Woullet’s Bakery is located on Grand and is a traditional European style bakery.

The biggest event is Grand Ole Days which is held in June, they also have a Halloween Event, an event for pets and several others. Take a look at the Grand Avenue website for more information on everything there is to see and do on Grand Avenue.

Brine’s Market is located in the Uptown section of Stillwater in the business district.  It is easy to find and has more than ample parking.  Although the building is newer, the market still gives off an old fashioned feeling and smells wonderful!  The market has full service counters for meat, poultry, deli and seafood with staff that knows their stuff and are happy to accommodate your needs and wishes.  They also have a wide variety of sausages which are made in-house.  Brine’s market is more than just a meat counter, they also bake their own fresh breads, they make their own salads and they have a line of grocery items from eggs and milk to noodles and various sauces. They carry many name brand items, imported brands and they also have some of their own Brine’s Gold Label Products such as BBQ sauce, salad dressings, marinades, jams and jellies.

If you are looking for a great place to sit down and eat or have a drink, you should stop at Brine’s Restaurant & Bar in the heart of historic downtown Stillwater in a 143 year old building!  They have a great American style menu and 20 beers on tap (micro brews, domestics and imports) as well as some specialty drinks all with views of the St. Croix River from the second floor restaurant.  The third floor is reserved for parties and catering.

Whether you are looking to cook something tasty at home or eat out, Brine’s is definitely a place you should stop by and check out!

If you are thinking of living in the Uptown area it will be tough to find a place that is vacant!  Right now even buildings that are not yet completed are almost rented out and for high rents as well!  Lofts and condos are currently the hottest properties.   If you are looking for a single family home they are quite pricey – a bargain is hard to find!  Developers can’t seem to build fast enough in this area at the moment.

The beauty of the area would be the over 200 shops and restaurants including the hottest new stores, a wide variety of cuisine and a superb nightlife.  Calhoun Square, a small shopping mall in Uptown, was almost pronounced dead a few years ago and today it is booming and bustling with new restaurants, clubs and trendy stores such as CB2 and Timberland.  The other draw would be the lakes (meaning Lake Calhoun, Lake of the Isles and Lake Harriet).  The lakes are ideal for walking, biking, running, swimming, sailing, canoeing, skating and more.  There are also many wonderful events held at the lakes each year such as the Uptown Art Fair and concerts at the Harriet Bandshell.  For those tv fans, Mary Tyler Moore lived on Lake of the Isles in the Mary Tyler Moore show which showed many scenes from the lakes in the show introduction.

The Uptown/Lakes area really began its first popularity stint in the late 1800’s when the street cars made it from the city out to the area.  People began building vacation homes, hotels and businesses on the water and it became a popular recreational area.  The Uptown Theater – can’t miss the trademark sign – a mainstay in the area is probably the oldest theater in the Twin Cities.  In the 1940’s Minneapolis named the area Uptown after the booming Uptown area in Chicago.    It began as the Lagoon but burned down in 1939.  Once World War II ended and people were able to build again, the streetcars made their way out west to Lake Minnetonka which then became the popular place to vacation and build lake homes causing Uptown to lose its luster and crime began to creep in.  In the late 1970’s the trend started to turn the area around using the “artist” culture.  Many young professionals started moving to Uptown as it was close to the city but far enough out and there was so much to do with arts and entertainment and recreation on the lakes.  Now it is probably more popular than it has ever been!

Southdale  opened in 1956 in Edina was actually the very first enclosed, indoor, climate controlled shopping center in the world!  It was originally designed to function more as a gathering point for residents of the Twin Cities but with our winters it was quite practical as well.  Southdale was the first of the “dales” with Brookdale, Rosedale and Ridgedale opening over the next 18 years.  Several other similar properties opened as well but were called centers, such as Eden Prairie Center and Burnsville Center.

Continuing to make indoor shopping history we opened the MOA (Mall of America) in Bloomington in 1992 which is the largest shopping mall in the US.  In some ways it is a jumbo model of the Southdale plan as it is also based on the 4 large anchor stores in the corners.  This shopping experience continues to grow with the addition of IKEA, off site hotels, restaurants and the MOA waterpark.  If you have never been to the MOA, allow plenty of time to see it all.  For just the shops and stores you really need more than a day but then there is the Nickelodean Universe in the middle of the mall complete with roller coasters, a water ride and all the usual rides you find at an amusement park, an aquarium, movie theaters, night clubs, restaurants and so many other activities.  People come from all over the world to spend time at the MOA.  If you can’t find what you are looking for at the MOA, it probable does not exist.

We also have our outlet malls here in the Northland.  To the north we have the Albertville Outlets with about 100 stores and to the east we have the Woodbury Outlet with over 200 stores.  At the outlet malls you can find famous names like Ralph Lauren, Eddie Bauer, Bass, Columbia, Gap as well as most of the other popular brands.  For a pdf map of each outlet and store list click the link for the outlet you are interested in:  Albertville  Woodbury

The indoor malls are ideal for inclement weather but we also have numerous strip malls or stand alone stores such as REI, Cabelas or Gander Mountain.  Depending on what stores you are looking for will also determine which mall you need to go to.

The downtown areas in both Minneapolis and St. Paul have extensive skyway systems.  They kind of give you the feeling of being a Hamster in a Habitrail but they are quite practical.  People that work and/or live in the city often go to work, out to eat and shop without ever going outdoors.  The Minneapolis skyway system is the largest in the world and covers about 8 miles, the St. Paul skyway system covers about 5 miles.  The skyways are not open 24/7 so pay attention to the hours before you head out without a coat!  If you are downtown starting after Thanksgiving, both Minneapolis and St. Paul have holiday activities such as the Holidazzle parade, outdoor ice skating, Macy’s holiday show, tree lighting and other fun family activities.

Remember if you don’t like crowds, get out and shop now because after midnight on Thanksgiving the stores will be overflowing through the end of December!