[Alpharius]

St. Paul, Minnesota

History: St Paul became a big deal in Minnesota shortly before the civil war. Legend has it that when it officially became a state, Stillwater wanted the prison, Minneapolis wanted the university, so St. Paul got stuck with the capital. It was notorious during prohibition for its lenient policies regarding warrants from outside the city, and served as a safe haven for every gangster you've ever heard of, and a hundred you haven't. It's cleaned up its image since then, but you can still go and tour the old speakeasys and bootlegging caves along the Mississippi. The city is very American, with waves of immigrants changing the city every generation. It's a big mix of Scandinavian, German, Cambodian, Hmong, and Somali. The city was originally named "Pig's Eye", after a whiskey trader. For awhile there you could buy Pig's Eye Beer, but I haven't seen it in a long time.

Weather: Be warned, in St. Paul the temp drops below freezing (32°F) damn near every night between mid-October and mid-March. Be dressed for the cold. The only month when it hasn't snowed in Minnesota is July, so watch the weather forecast before you go out. Any major events you go to, and any clubs you go to will likely have a line outside waiting, so dress appropriately. On the plus side, you get to see what lengths cabin fever drives people to during the St. Paul Winter Carnival.



Transportation: Getting a taxi here isn't as easy as Minneapolis, but really all you have to do is call one of the companies and they'll send a car out in roughly 15 minutes. Former governor Jesse Ventura once famously said St Paul was designed by a drunken irishman, and he wasn't joking. Streets loop around in and change directions constantly (this can make for a decent adventure/nightmare depending on the time of year). The new light rail line running along University Ave. is starting up later this year and will supposedly provide easy access to the wealth of restaurants along its path.

Food & Drink The original Green Mill Restaurant offers damn good pizza, but good luck getting in on the weekend.
The Bulldog is a pretty popular bar that offers up dozens of beers on its menu. Worth checking out.
For anyone who's been to Central America, a Pollo Campero just opened up in downtown. I haven't checked it out to see if the quality is any better, so caveat emptor.
There are plenty of restaurants scattered along both Snelling and University.
If you really want to spend some cash, Forepaugh's will charge you a good $40/plate.
And since this is the RVF, The Strip Club is a restaurant I've heard great things about from everyone who's been there. Apparently it's meat and fish themed. If anyone checks it out before I do, post a review please.
No visit to St. Paul would be complete without a stop at Mickey's Diner, open 24/7/365! This restaurant has been featured on every Food Network show that's come through the area, and for good reason.

Day Como Zoo & Conservatory is open 365 and totally free. They've been renovating the zoo over the past few years, turning the concentration camp style animal pens into a decent zoo. The two polar bears in the now massive bear area are named Neil & Buzz (the things you learn working there during college).

There are a couple big college campuses in St. Paul; Hamline, St. Kates, St. Thomas, and Macalester, each with their obligatory cheap coffee shops, restaurants and bars within walking distance. The University of Minnesota also has a large campus in St. Paul, but I'm pretty sure it's mostly devoted to agriculture.

The city is known as a great place for baseball, even though the Twins play in Minneapolis. During the summer you can catch a Saints game which are usually pretty good. You can also catch a Wild game at the Excel Center, if hockey is more your thing.

It gets said a lot in the Minneapolis thread, but the Mall of America is really the best place in town to go in terms of shopping or aimlessly wandering. While it deserves its title as the mecca of shopping with over 400 stores, it also has a full amusement park, ropes course, movie theater (where they serve beer!), lego land, and aquarium. It also has over 20 full scale restaurants and multiple food courts. Finally construction just finished last year on a whole new section which houses a full sized Radisson hotel with 500 rooms. In case that's not enough shopping for you, it's surrounded by restaurants and has an Ikea next door.



Night If you can dance, the Wabasha Caves offers a weekly swing dance night every Thursday from 6-10pm with a real big band. Lots of people get dressed up and go out. They also offer a quick tutorial before they get going if you can get there early.

There aren't many clubs in St Paul, especially compared to Minneapolis, however you can check out Valentino's, though your mileage may vary there. Sometimes its poppin, sometimes it leaves a lot to be desired. Same goes for Myth. If you're looking to go clubbing, go to Minneapolis. St. Paul does have a shit ton of dive bars everywhere you look, so there's that at least.

Suit game works extremely well. More often than not the dudes here will be wearing sweaters or plaid when they go out. Every single time I've gone out in St. Paul and worn anything beyond a button up, I've gotten compliments. As I said earlier, be prepared to stand outside waiting to get in for quite a bit. There's always some dumbass who is out there in shorts without a coat freezing, don't be that guy.

Random Stuff The city sits on top of a massive network of tunnels dating back over a century. Between the sewer system, the prohibition smugglers, and various businesses finding ways to connect to each other during the harsh winters, and the steam tunnels used for energy/heat for decades, it's a virtual rats nest down there. Note: If you do go down there, don't blame me if you get killed. Every few years some teens get somewhere they shouldn't be and suffocate down there.

If you come during winter, don't fret about walking around downtown during the day. You can stay nice and warm strolling through the skyway system. It's a system of aboveground glass tunnels that lets you get from one building to another across the major sections of downtown. Not quite as awesome as this, though.

(Before you say it, it's a gerbil cage, not a hamster cage!)
If you come during the summer, try to make it to the Minnesota State Fair, the largest state fair in the country. Stand in line for two hours to burn your mouth on cheese curds!

Official recommendation: The best thing about St. Paul is Minneapolis.