Today I had a bunch of errands to run and one of them had to be done
downtown. I decided to do the rest of them downtown too. It was a
wonderful experience!
The streets had plenty of pedestrians braving the fierce wind & cold and
the mall trees are decorated. The stores along the Nicollet Mall are
stocked to the gills and every single sales clerk was courteous and
quick. One even noticed that one of the items I'd selected didn't have
the correct price on it and knocked another $6 off!
Shopping downtown is a rarity for me -- I usually frequent neighborhood
(mine and others) business districts, but going downtown is a trip down
nostalgia lane. I encourage everyone on the list to make at least one
shopping trip downtown during the Holidays. It's a warm feeling (well,
as warm as you can have when you're spending your hard-earned dollars)
to shop in the same stores as our grandparents frequented and to see the
IDS, Dayton's and skyways all decked out.
Extra bonus points because every destination was within a few blocks
instead of a few miles from each other. Even though I left during rush
hour, the grid pattern allows for a quick escape to an arterial with
less traffic. For me, Eighth Street dumps me onto Hwy. 55 and it's just
a few blocks to 26th Street, so it's very short and sweet.
With the new skating rink I plan to be going downtown more often -- FYI,
the rink is kept at the perfect temp. for figure skating (much warmer
than for ice hockey) and is enclosed in glass, so there will be no
windchill even though you're skating outside. I can't wait until the
public skating hours are announced.
I've had big misgivings about the use of TIF funds, but I have to say
the city council did itself proud with this development. Just the kind
of family downtown destination that many on this list have been
touting. I hope to see you all there sometime soon!
Barbara Nelson
Seward
~~
Barbara Nelson
EMAIL [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Never discourage anyone who
continually makes progress, no
matter how slow.
- Plato
