When I lived in Rochester and headed up to the Twin Cities, I probably hung out in Bloomington more…read morethan any other area. Why?
Three words: Mall of America.
It's crazy that MOA has been there for thirty years. I literally had my road atlas guide me here. I have good memories of shopping at MOA for hours with my colleagues who happened to also be Canadian, my good friend from Winnipeg who came down here with her boys and parents, my mom, and by myself.
Whether you are at tourist or a local, there's plenty to see at the largest mall in the US. It's not the largest one in North America, though. Canada takes that title with West Edmonton Mall.
MOA is where the old Metropolitan Stadium was where the Minnesota Twins used to play before Target Field was built in downtown Minneapolis . It was well before my time. However, when you visit Nickelodeon Universe amusement park, there is a plaque that commemorates where home base used to be.
When I lived in Minnesota, there wasn't an IKEA. With such a strong Scandinavian base, you'd think that Minnesota would be littered with IKEA stores. Nope, I ended up travelling south to a Chicago suburb for my do-it-yourself fix. I moved away and guess what? There's an IKEA in Bloomington. Figures!
Bloomington is next door to Minneapolis-Saint Paul Airport (MSP), which is technically in Saint Paul. Bloomington is a suburb of Minneapolis. It is situated north of the Mississippi River, which flows northbound to Winnipeg and beyond. There is a lot of greenery. I believe that the city is closing in on having 100 parks. So, you want a change of pace, you can unwind away from brick-and-mortar stores.
I spent a lot of time at the Olive Garden in Bloomington. Rochester didn't have an Olive Garden, so I'd drive up to get my fix. The restaurant is thankfully still there. It'll always have a special place in my heart. It likely kicked off my usual order of chicken scampi, raspberry lemonade, zuppa toscana, and tiramisu.
My dear friend had pointed out that there's a good Indian restaurant across from MOA. There are two in the area, so I'll need to hit both of them. Since it is a touristy city and is the fourth largest one in Minnesota, you can find a bunch of hotels, eateries, and more.
Bloomington is great. It's worth visiting, whether you are new to the area or frequent it often. It's never dull and I always feel safe here.
(86)