Well, it's been an interesting month. I started a new job in downtown Minneapolis this month. I'd never worked downtown, so I had a lot to learn about the options for getting there and parking. Questions like:
- Where are the parking ramps near work?
- How do we get there?
- How much do they charge?
- How do we get a contract?
- Do they prorate the first month contract?
- Where do we find out about ramp rates?
- Do they have an "early bird special"?
- What is the daily rate if we don't sign a contract?
- How often are we going to be able to car pool together each month? This affects whether we get a contract or not.
- How long does it take to get to/from work using the various options?
- How do we find out about bus options?
- How much do you pay for a bus?
- If you get a bus card, what one makes sense?
- When I walk on the bus, how do I pay?
- If I get a stored value card, how do I make sure they charge me the right amount? If they do it wrong, it costs me $3 instead of 50 cents.
- If I get charge incorrectly, can I get my money back? How?
- What is bus etiquette?
- Do any of the "park and ride" lots make sense?
- Where do I find out about the downtown skyway system?
- What are my options for fitness clubs?
- Are there any on the skyway that I can walk to?
- Do they have participating clubs close to home so that I have more options for working out?
- Where are the good places to eat?
Enough! Here's what I decided and discovered.
Downtown ramps:
- Parking ramp rates go down dramatically as you move from the center of town.
- Minneapolis has a great selection of parking ramps and a good website for finding out what they charge and where they are located.
- Many ramps have early bird specials that aren't much more than signing a contract. The Lemington ramp charges about $160/month for a contract. The early bird special is $7.25 per day or $157 per month for an average month. The advantage of a contract is that you can come and go at will.
- Walking from the Lemington ramp to our office takes 10 minutes. The nice thing about the ramp is that you don't have to spend much time out in the winter cold. The bad thing is that you have to drive through more rush hour traffic each way and the time can vary greatly.
- The Lemington and Orchestra Hall ramp takes credit cards. I think they all do. No attendants.
Park across the river and taking the downtown bus:
- The ramp behind Pracna on Main is cheap. $2.50 per day or $35 per month.
- The bus stop is a short block away (2nd & Central), every minute or two.
- The bus is in the downtown zone, so it is 50 cents.
- The bus stops 1/2 block from our office.
- The return bus is 1 block away.
- Buses arrive almost every minute. Sometimes 10.
- The bus drops us off at University and Central, a very short walk to our ramp.
- There are only 4 bus stops each way.
- It takes about 10 minutes on the bus.
- The parking ramp we park in takes credit cards.
Riding the bus:
- First timers will struggle figuring out all the nuances.
- The best deal for my situation is to get the "goTo" card.
- There is an Transit store on Marquette between 7th & 8th at street level. It sells cards and has all the bus maps.
- When you get a "goTo" cards, they add an extra 10% to your card, so a 50 cent ride ends up being 45 cents.
- You can check the value of your card online, by typing in the card serial #. That's how I found out they charged me $3 when it should have been 50 cents.
- To use the card, tell the bus driver that it is a "downtown zone" ride. They don't ever remember. They need to push some buttons, so wait. When they have it right, you'll see $0.50 show up on the LCD display to the right of the card reader. When you see that, place your card against the reader. You'll get a beep.
If you notice they charged $3, the driver can fix it right away, but not the next day or later. I was able to get it restored at the store on Marquette.
- If you use cash, it must be exact change or it'll cost you.
- They have a coin drop for change and a dollar bill reader for bills.
- You pay when you get on in the morning.
- You pay when you get off in the evening.
- The buses stop every two blocks when they are downtown.
- To make sure the bus stops at your stop, pull the yellow cord that crosses the tops of the windows. It will ding and turn on a sign in the front saying "Stop Requested".
- Stay near the front of the bus if your getting off as soon as we do. It'll save everyone time. I generally ride an Express bus, so most everyone else is on for the duration.
- On a good traffic day, our park and ride solution takes an extra 10 minutes to get to work, but you avoid all the downtown traffic. On a bad traffic day, our route could be faster.
Skyway system:
- Well, the skyway system is fabulous. You can get pretty much anything you want on an average day. It'll be great in the winter when it's cold outside to be able to walk around and see the sights.
- There is a great map. You can get pretty confused, even with the map.
- Many of the skyway stores close up before the work day is over.
Working out:
- I chose to sign up with Lifetime Fitness at the Target Center. It takes about 10 minutes to get there, so I get a 20 minute brisk walk every time I go to work out.
- Lifetime is really annoying of you want to figure out how much it costs to join. They WILL NOT tell you over the phone. You have to make an appointment and talk to the sale staff.
- It just worked out to be the best choice for me. I can work out close to work and close to home.
Links:
http://www.metrotransit.org/
http://www.stanthonyfallsramp.com/Contract-Parking
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/parking/rates.asp
http://wikimapia.org/9116530/TCF-Bank
http://www.mplstmo.org/pdf/skyway_walk_guide.pdf
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