Annie's List
My own little list of things we need to find in St. Paul / Minneapolis
All of your suggestions are welcome - Private emails are also fine.
I'd love to get your thoughts on some of the best places in the Twin Cities to...
- Find a Family Doctor
- Find a Dentist
- Find an Accupuncturist
(Gerry wants to try this - I say, why not!?)
- Find a Garbage company
(Lex & Grand area in St. Paul)
- Find a General Contractor
(bathroom addition)
- Get rid of moving debris
(local dump?)
- Find a good all-around Museum to join
(with best ongoing programs for kids)
- Find a good local bank
(with good customer service & no ridiculous fees)
- Find a good hair salon
(for Mom)
(for kids)
(for Gerry - Barber shop!)
- Find a good mechanic
Thanks! Don't you love how I use my list for my own devious personal gratification?
All of your suggestions are welcome - Private emails are also fine.
I'd love to get your thoughts on some of the best places in the Twin Cities to...
- Find a Family Doctor
- Find a Dentist
- Find an Accupuncturist
(Gerry wants to try this - I say, why not!?)
- Find a Garbage company
(Lex & Grand area in St. Paul)
- Find a General Contractor
(bathroom addition)
- Get rid of moving debris
(local dump?)
- Find a good all-around Museum to join
(with best ongoing programs for kids)
- Find a good local bank
(with good customer service & no ridiculous fees)
- Find a good hair salon
(for Mom)
(for kids)
(for Gerry - Barber shop!)
- Find a good mechanic
Thanks! Don't you love how I use my list for my own devious personal gratification?
14 Comments:
I hope your husband can get to the acupuncturist before too long. My husbands physician (an MD) did acupuncture on his back, gave him meds and prescribed walking for his excruciating back pain. It worked.
Short of handing out personalized advice (since we all have our own thoughts on who we choose to do things and why) I would venture that a great addition to your reading material would be the locally produced Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine.
http://www.mspmag.com/
As for museums - check out this promotion through the library before you sign up for anything:
http://www.melsa.org/museumadventurepass/
You've chosen a beautiful neighborhood - my suburban self is all kinds of jealous!
I'd recommend the Science Museum for the museum to join. They are very kid friendly and have quite a bit going on every day in addition to the traveling exhibits.
My kids always loved the Science Museum (smm.org) and then there is the Children's Theatre (http://www.childrenstheatre.org/about/index.html) which always has great productions. The Theatre is in the same building as the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (http://www.artsmia.org/). My darlings preferred that to the programs at the Walker (http://www.walkerart.org/index.wac). Now I'll also let you know that my kids are all grown and things may have changed over the years. Just sayin'.
Cathy
While I can't help you with an accupuncturist in St. Paul, I will say since I starting seeing one in Nov. it has changed my life. I've had migraines and vertigo for 12 years and was all but homebound and now I have a whole new lease on life. Do be careful. I saw someone when I first started having problems who just seemed to make things worse but his approach was completely different from the woman I'm seeing now.
Not from the Twin Cities but I have moved a few times so here's my advice:
Hair - find someone whose hair you like, preferably similar to your own, and ask them who cuts their hair. They'll consider it a compliment and you'll find a good stylist. I've found great stylists this way many, many times.
A good bank? Stay away from the ones that advertise a lot. They're just trying to get new customers to replace the ones they've alienated with their inflexible policies and high fees. A bank with a local name in it is a great place to start. Trust me, I've proved this theory more than once...and it isn't fun.
Happy moving!
-Find a Family Doctor: HealthEast Mac Groveland clinic, any of the docs there are fabulous.
- Find a Dentist: Metro Dental's Midway office on University near Snelling
- Find a Garbage company: They're all pretty comparable, but I believe Aspen incinerates everything and recovers that energy for electricity or heating or something.
- Find a General Contractor: I recommend against Larry Sloma Construction.
- Get rid of moving debris: What sort of stuff? We have weekly recycling pickup for boxes or you can Freecycle those. Otherwise, your trash hauler will probably have a dumpster or some such you can rent.
- Find a good all-around Museum to join: Science Museum of MN, no question. If your kids were younger, the Children's Museum would be my first recommendation, though.
- Find a good local bank: Not TCF. There's a US Bank branch not too far from Lex & Grand, we've had decent experience with them
- Find a good hair salon: Still trying on that one, sorry
- Find a good mechanic: Tuan Auto at University and Pascal.
Good luck with the move!
Best pediatrician: Metropolitan Pediatric Specialists (awesome, awesome, awesome)
Dentist: West Lake Dental (in Mpls. near Lake Calhoun-they do Saturday/emergency service!
Good all around museum-Science Museum of Minnesota in downtown St. Paul. Also, depending on the ages of your children, the children's museum in St. Paul is a lot of fun, too. The Minneapolis Art Museum is also fantastic, but not really geared toward kids -See the Walker Art Institute for kid-friendly activities-However, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts is in the same building as the Children's Theater, which has many fabulous child-friendly plays every year.
Juut (for adults) is a great salon and right on Grand Ave.
Kids Hair is great for little kids-they have fish tanks and movie screens at each station and lollipops and rub on tattoos for the big finale. One is off of Snelling and 36, about three or so miles from you.
You'll have a few banks to choose from right on Grand. I think there is a Wells Fargo bank within walking distance of your new place. I'd stay away from TCF. When I banked there they liked to play a lot of games with hidden fees and the like. That was a few years ago, so practices may have changed.
No advice on good mechanics in St. Paul, but I would recommend avoiding Pep Boys-let's just say our car came out of the shop in much worse shape than when we dropped it off...you know, gas spraying everywhere and major damage to the bumper and trunk. Don't ask! :)
Oh, and you're close to Como Lake (1/6 miles around) and Como Park-St. Paul's version of Central Park. There are a number of outdoor concerts and festivals there during the summer.
Museum: The Science Museum. I have incredibly fond teenaged memories of days spent at this museum with my parents and younger siblings. If you want other refs, please let me know. I do not live in St. Paul, but a good sized chunk of my extended family does.
Museum-The Children's Musemu is ok, but even my 3 year old prefers the Science Museum. It is awesome. Even adults will have fun there. I like the Walker as well. Bank-don't like TCF, love Wells Fargo. Removing debris-the regular garbage service is quite good, but there is also a company called Got Junk? (or something like that) that I have seen around, but never used. I know you were not asking about swimming classes, but we just started our daughter at Foss swimming school and love it. I don't know if your children already swim, but they have classes, actvities, etc. for all ages.
Oh, you are moving to my old neighborhood - lucky you! I went to college at Macalester (down the road at Snelling & Grand) and lived on Goodrich just off Lex for a few years after. It is such a great neighborhood!
We've been away from MN for several years so I'm not up on the local services anymore, but I will say you couldn't have picked a better spot to move to. You simply must check out Cafe Latte, which east of Lex on Grand - the best desserts and a nice little wine bar. There's also a great Mexican restaurant at Grand & Selby called La Cucaracha that has killer mole, and a little pub called Sweeny's on Selby towards Dale that has an amazing patio in back and the best hot wings ever.
Also, my all-time favorite breakfast place ever is the New Louisiana Cafe at Selby & Dale. I require a trip back there every time we visit MN, no matter how inconvenient it is for us. There is also a wonderful co-op grocery store (Mississippi Market) on the opposite corner. Good luck with the move - you will love the Cities!
BTW - it was great to chat with you very briefly at your book signing at TNNA. I really love your & Drew's book!
Chrissy Gardiner
Welcome to the neighborhood! I can vouch firsthand for the fabulousness of the following (in no particular order):
- Mechanic: Lloyd's Automotive on Grand
- Dentist: Dr Kirkegaard on Como Ave in St Anthony Park neighborhood (10 minute drive from Lexington & Grand)
- Salon (for grownups): Root Salon on Selby & Mackubin
- Museums: Children's Museum and Science Museum in downtown St Paul
- Bank: Wells Fargo (I know, it's huge, but the little locals are all getting gobbled up by the big guys anyway and the customer service goes spiraling downward with every takeover)
- Vet: If you have pets, the Grand Avenue Veterinary Center
Do notice that we all refer to ourselves as The Cities - as in the Twin Cities.
Welcome.
You have many good recommendations up above. You and your family will have a great time exploring your new home.
I second or third the notion of avoiding TCF. I've been happy switching to US Bank and I like their web interface.
I am a family doctor - but over in Minneapolis. I have quite a few favorite docs at the Woodwinds clinic. The family doctors at United hospital are pretty great, too.
For acupuncture: www.crocushillacupuncutnre.com is right on Grand Ave. Chris Hafner teaches alternative medicine curriculum at the U of MN med school. They're also sweet smart folks. Tell them I sent you :)
Science Museum is probably the best bet (though regular trips to Chicago are recommended showing my bias as a former Chicagoan).
I'm a Juut girl for my haircuts, but it can be a little expensive depending on what you're used to for a cut. That said I don't think it's possible to get a bad cut there.
Amy Bonifas
Minneapolis
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