Best Western Normandy to light rail and Nicollett Mall

Hi. Had to make some changes for our Memorial day weekend trip to Minneapolis. We are now staying at the Best Western Normandy downtown instead of the Hyatt. I know the parking will be cheaper. How far a walk is this hotel from the nearest light rail station. Also, how long a walk is it to Nicollett mall? Any feedback will be greatly appreciated along with any advice about this hotel and its suroundings, etc. Thanks!

Best Western Normandy to light rail and Nicollett Mall

just so you know, the quality of the two hotels.. I%26#39;d take the hyatt over the normandy

several other hotels, over the normandy

have you priced out Exedia for some deals?

the light rail station is 2 blocks away.

walk out the north front door on 8th street

take a left to 4th avenue

and head north to 5th street / government center stop

nicollet mall will be 3 blocks west on 8th street

Best Western Normandy to light rail and Nicollett Mall

ok - I did some checking on rates from Fri til Tues over Memorial weekend on Expedia -

I%26#39;d take the Westin or Radisson over the Normandy - it%26#39;s an old tired hotel - just don%26#39;t do it.

If parking is your issue, there are metered spots on the streets downtown, that the meters don%26#39;t run starting Fri at 5 or 6 p.m. - and free all weekend, and again on Mon - the holiday. There will be plenty of spots to choose from.

Here%26#39;s what I found -

Best Westen Normandy Inn %26amp; Suites Lowest avg rate $100.25

The Westin Minneapolis Lowest avg rate $119.25

Radisson Plaza Hotel Minneapolis Lowest avg rate $90.00

TownePlace Suites Minneapolis Downtown by Marriott Lowest avg rate $104.00

Parking meters:

Some are free on weekends, some not.

鈥inneapolis.mn.us/parking_meters.htm

Another low price option that is much nicer than the Normandy is the Holiday Inn Express near the Convention Center:

ichotelsgroup.com/h/鈥elcome

It is farther away from Light Rail, but you can ride a bus down Nicollet Mall to 5th Street, where you can catch the train. The Number 10, 11, and 25 buses stop on 11th Street, or you could walk two blocks to Nicollet Mall and catch (in addition to the 10, 11 and 25) the 17 and 18. It%26#39;s a short ride down the street to the Nicollet Avenue light rail station. Pay the full fare (not the downtown fare) and get a transfer to use on the train.

All the info you need can be found at the Metro Transit website:

http://metrotransit.org/

Or you could walk to the train, as it%26#39;s only six blocks.

Right now the HI Express website is showing a prepaid rate of about $91 for Memorial Day weekend.

One more option is Priceline or Hotwire. Although the savings you get, you might need to pay into parking. During the day, walking the skyway to both, isn%26#39;t bad, but when they shut down at night, the streets aren%26#39;t the best. Minneapolis%26#39; website has a skyway map on it.

~JS

Jason%26#39;sStorm, I don%26#39;t know what streets you have been wandering, but the streets in Minneapolis are fine at night. seahawk, you will be fine walking around in downtown Minneapolis after dark.

I actually stayed at the Best Western Normandy in a suite last August and I was surprised at how nice it was. The outside is really ugly and dated but the room we were in was very nice. It is possible that they have some rooms that are remodeled, so you might want to try to ask for one of those. It is close to Hell%26#39;s Kitchen and Keys, two very good breakfast/lunch places. It is also a quick walk down 3rd Ave to the light rail (maybe 4 blocks) and up 8th street to Nicollet (3 blocks). At 9th and Nicollet there are a few fun restaurants, The Local and Newsroom. Down Nicollet at 10th Ave is Brits where they have a beautiful rooftop patio. If you walk up a few blocks to 9th and Hennepin there are even more nice places, like Palomino and Solera. Have fun!

Thanks for all the input everyone. We will take it all into consideration!

For $19 more per night stay at the Westin, it is very cool. Also, there are no safety issues walking around at night downtown.