(TGA) - I am flying to the Univerisity of Minnesota for an interview from California. I have never been to MN before, and am really scared of the cold temperature. Would 9pm be too late and cold at this time of year? What is the best form of public transportation for me to get on the U of M campus? (I plan to arrive on a Sunday night, ot sure if there is less public transportation available on Sundays... and will go straight to the hotel which is probably going to be on campus as well)...
thanks for any suggestions!
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u should be ok
light rail to Cedar/RiverSide or MetroDome station
u'll be fine.
get recommendations from the hotel
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9 pm is not too late. It will not be unusual for you to not feel any more warmth in the day than at night. If it is -5 degrees when you arrive at night you MIGHT get lucky for a high of 10 degrees the following day.
If you are a female traveling alone at night, with purse and any luggage in tote, I would not take the light rail and get off at any of the exits nearest to the University in this freezing weather. This is not to say that I would not take the light rail at other times.
Check with your hotel, or just take a taxi outside of the airport when you arrive. It will be more money to get to your hotel however I think it would be the safest, fastest, and warmest so I would pay the extra money!!
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fwiw:
Supershuttle quotes $16 one way from the airport to the U. (Radisson, University)
tptr
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I would agree with Diane44. Arriving after dark in a cold place like Minnesota I would definitely recommend more comfortable transportation that wouldn't leave you standing around in the cold. Another option is Super Shuttle, and I've often seen their vans on the highways around here. One way transportation is $16 with them although of course you probably would be sharing a ride. I've used shuttle services elsewhere and I've been pleased overall. Then, you might want to make use of cheaper public transportation when you return to the airport.
You will probably feel colder than us locals but with simple common sense solutions you'll survive the cold without frostbite. You'll need gloves/mittens, head-covering, boots or sock/shoe combo to keep your feet warm, and probably a warm scarf to keep exposed parts (such as over the mouth so you're not mouth-breathing in cold air) of your face covered. I don't don the scarf unless temps or wind chill is colder than -10, but you'll probably want it at warmer temps than that.
Also, alcoholic beverages will only give you temporary heat and then you'll feel cooler afterwards so stay inside if you imbibe.:)
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Just to clarify: are you coming soon? As long as it's before say March 1, the other comments about the cold are valid. After that date, not so much.
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If you have a choice why not come in earlier? I always feel so disoriented flying into a new place in the dark. If you have to come in the evening then don't worry about it, you're going to be cold no matter what , sorry....
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9PM should not be too late to arrive into Minneapolis. Other posters make a valid point that the cold temps will not be so dramatically different that you'll be much worse off coming at 9PM or 2PM.
The light rail is normally a fairly convenient option to get from the airport to downtown. The main campus hotels (Radisson on the East Bank of the campus and Holiday Inn on the West Bank of the campus) both offer shuttle service that you could inquire ahead of time to see about pickups from the nearest stations. If you elect to use the light rail train, I would plan on departing the train at the Metrodome station and have a hotel shuttle pick you up there. The other station, Cedar-Riverside, perhaps isn't terrible but not the most ideal with luggage and such. It's fairly "lonely" of a station. That said, on Sundays it does run less often, but you could go to www.metrotransit.org to look at schedules and travel times.
Given you're unfamiliar with Minneapolis and arriving at night (which, I agree, leaves you disoriented in any city), I'd consider paying the additional $12-15 dollars one-way for the Supershuttle option. You'll share a ride and may have to stop along the way, but it is door-to-door service while bringing luggage. You can go to www.supershuttle.com to look at their offerings. You can either buy a one-way ticket at about the posted amount of $16-18, or consider a round trip ticket. That said, once you've been in the city and talked with your hotel you could consider using their shuttle back to a light rail station to save on the trip back to the airport.
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