Terry Erickson writes: My partner and I have a three year old son and live just south of downtown.� I joked with my partner when we were driving to St. Paul, for the third time in a month, that we should think about moving to St. Paul to save the long trip.� � We often go to the downtown Minneapolis library and go to lunch somewhere to make it a "day" downtown.� But besides the library there doesn't seem to be much else to do with a toddler.
Father of two under five sez: We, too, find ourselves going over to St. Paul more for the Sci & Kid's Museum. However, we go Downtown a lot, where it's clear you have to Make Your Own Fun. What kid doesn't love to go screaming down a skyway, especially one that's not too crowded on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon? (The long skyway/hallway from the Target Store to US Bank Place is a bit hit). We really dig the fountain at the IDS Center - I'm not kidding - a square race track with Shallow Water Danger for extra giggles. So far, no sopped kiddies. I do need to put in a plug for the (soon to be closed) Downtown library that - while no Children's Museum - has a great kid's section. I've also wanted to check out their weekend "Dinosaurs in the Sky" program at the Planetarium (I think at 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday), though I don't know how many times you can go back to that. Skating at Milwaukee Road Depot is very reasonable, though unworkable if your kid is a toddler (4-year-olds rock out). The rental skates are rumored to be awesome. And yes, my four-year-old and I have probably attended 20 Twins games in two-plus seasons of his young life. He notices the Cracker Jack's and not the Dome's sterility. It would be great to make Downtown more kid-friendly, although it's staggering how few kids actually live in the Downtown neighborhoods (Downtown West, a gathering of 4,581 souls, has 126 kids under 14 living there; North Loop - 1,515 and 233 kids under 14; Loring Park, 7,501 residents and 191 under-14s; Elliot Park, 577 under-14s in a 6,000 person 'hood. That totals 1,127 kids. Meanwhile, in Phillips - roughly the same size as those 4 neighborhoods - there are 5,407 kids.) Downtown is everyone's neighborhood, and that's a good reason to do more kids stuff, hopefully at the library and planetarium. As the editor of Skyway News, I'd also welcome other hidden gems that might be hiding for families Downtown. David Brauer King Field - Ward 10-8-11 depending on who's doing the talkin' _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
