According to many reports, the NE Minneapolis Arts District where my Airbnb is located is the largest artist live-work community in America. It was once a thriving Irish/Polish factory and warehouse district that declined when manufacturing moved to the outer burbs. It started a residential comeback more than twenty years, ago partly because of its proximity to downtown Minneapolis, just across the river, and partly because nonprofits started buying up the old factories and

What if you don't come by car (or even if you do)? There are cabs and Ubers and Lyfts like other cities, and there's an unusually good public transportation system. Highlights (I think) are the light rail and the great online Transportation Planner at https://metrotransportation.org. Enter when you want to leave or when you want to get to your destination and get immediate feedback on your public transportation options. Three different city bus lines stop at the corner jus

Minnesota has a lot of places worth exploring you may not have heard about yet. Beyond the Twin Cities and the famous Mall of America lie a state full of fascinating and beautiful outdoor spaces and sports, for example. You can find quaint inns and Airbnbs on the shore of Lake Superior or the bluffs of the Mississippi. Wade across the origin of the Mississippi at Itasca State Park. Canoe in the beautiful Boundary Waters near Eli. Enjoy an Airbnb, summer resort, or ski lodge

If you plan to have time to look around the cities, check out www.visit-twincities.com!

The easy way to find out what's happening in Minneapolis is to have a look at www.Minneapolis.org, the Tourist Bureau's site. Look for things that happen all the time, and special things happening each season.