I have lived in both Manitoba and Minnesota. Both places have a West St. Paul…read more This review is for West St. Paul in Minnesota. West St. Paul is a suburb of Saint Paul. It's located south of Saint Paul and west of South St. Paul. I probably spend more time in Saint Paul as a visitor these days for a few reasons. When I lived in Rochester and drove up to the Twin Cities, I spent a good chunk of my time in Minneapolis. These days, as a Minnesota Wild fan, I take in games at Grand Casino Arena in Saint Paul. It's nice that I've been able to discover Saint Paul and its suburbs. I enjoy getting healthy shakes and teas whenever I'm in Saint Paul. A few years ago, I found a nutrition club in West St. Paul. It was okay, but it didn't wow me. A few years later, The Bar Nutrition would take over that nutrition club's location. I love getting shakes and teas that have little to no sugar. Staff are super friendly. West St. Paul has a lot of bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and parks. The public schools in West St. Paul are highly rated. Shopping is great in this city. Burlington comes to mind. A couple of weeks ago, I was briefly in this city just after I had arrived at the airport. I needed to get some cash and visited a Bank of America. I like a suburban, casual city. West St. Paul is such a city. It's cool. (140)

Not to be confused with that one raincloud that always hangs over the twin cities, manages to skip…read moreMPLS, and inevitably, always, Wets Saint Paul. Weirdly enough it doesn't really seem to be west of St Paul but more kind of South and kind of a little bit West. It's not a bad little suburb and it can have kind of bad traffic sometimes or be hard to get around but at the same time there's some good stuff here in the ways of food and it's a nice little area to live in for sure.

I have visited Maplewood a handful of times within the last few years. Whenever I visit the Twin…read moreCities, there's always something new for me to discover. Maplewood is no different. My first visit was over a year ago. It was a frigid January day. I hibernated in Maplewood Mall for a few hours and had the best time. I was originally there for FYE, but loved seeing a huge carousel smack in the middle of the mall, along with shopping at Kohl's and Macy's. I returned recently to shop and continue being a tourist. Both activities are enjoyable. Maplewood is known for being the headquarters of 3M. I love 3M products, from tape, to Command strips for hanging practically everything on walls. You can only get tours inside the 3M Innovation Center if you either work there or are an invited visitor. I did a exterior self-tour on Sunday. The campus is massive, as is the main headquarters. Maplewood has a lot of trees and parks. When it's warmer, I'd love to check them out. I'll be back! (55)

Not much to say about the light rail station other than it's clean, easy to use, and mostly on…read moretime. Check the schedule online if you need to find out the times. It does have a parking lot next to it, and it's close to a good amount of restaurants. Also your stop for TCF and Mariucci.

This is a stop on the new metro transit Green Line. This stop is located so it could be taken to…read moreany Gophers event. Hockey, basketball, football, you name it, this is the stop for you. It will also be great when the Vikings play at TCF Bank Stadium. Parking is limited on campus. I am so glad that there are more public transit options to get to campus.

Very popular to see! It was really busy when we went on a Sunday on Mother's Day around 1-2pm. Lots…read moreof pictures being taken so remember to smile :) Went at the end of the season but the flowers were still blooming May 10th! I would recommend seeing it once when in full bloom! You can drive by, park on the other side of the street- there are typically a lot of people walking and looking so give them space. But if you need to get close that's an option Variety of colors! Drive around the neighborhood- the houses are nice and there are a lot of flowers!

This brought pure joy to my soul! Nothing like tulips in the sunshine. We took both of our mom's…read morehere Mother's Day weekend, and it made us all smile. Thank you for sharing your beautiful tulips with the world!

A must see while visiting Minneapolis! It's a piece of art that is emblematic of Minneapolis. I'm…read morenot sure why it took me 4 years to come here...but we finally made it. It's a very short walk from the closest parking lot...when you enter the main area. It cost $5 to park until midnight in the lot.

It's been too many years since I saw the old area of WBL. Much has changed for the better…read more Preserved old buildings, cute and sometime quaint shops. Easy walking. Driving can be tricky in these towns as they have to reconfigure and cut off formerly through streets to slow down traffic. There is amazingly plenty of free parking through town. This town is ideal for taking a self guided walking tour and end up at the lake.

Earlier this month, I dropped by White Bear Lake (WBL), the city, to check out a bunch of food…read moretrucks at Cub Foods. I was so pleased to see a nice assortment of food trucks and folks dropping by to support them and their good eats. What struck me when I arrived in WBL was the water tower. Most are rather standard with the city or town's name on it. This tower is one of the nicer ones. It has a white bear casually popping his head above water. I love it! You can basically see this tower from anywhere in the city. The city is named after the actual lake, which is one of the larger lakes in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area. This city has a lot of lakes. In the summertime, sailboat-riding and tubing are popular. In the wintertime, the lakes freeze. As a result, activities such as ice fishing, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing are popular. I've been told that I need to drop by on a Thursday night. There's a Marketfest festival that happens every Thursday night in downtown WBL that features food trucks and games for all ages. It sounds perfect! I had a good introduction to WBL. I will return to discover more. (76)

This is a small 0.85-acre pocket park located on the northern and lower end of the Smith Avenue…read moreHigh Bridge, opposite Capitol View Park. It was created in 1987 when the new High Bridge was finished. The park includes a circular paved walkway, a couple of benches in the back and some public art. It also features a big green Adirondack chair. The chair was originally installed in the park in 1995. It was remade in 2002 with treated materials that would withstand the harsh Minnesota elements. Other art that you will find in the park includes. Community Gates, a sculpture of salvaged rock and metal by artist Craig David, a Peace Pole with the words, "May peace prevail on the earth" in four languages which was installed in 1997 by a Girl Scout troop and The Watcher which was created by Zoran Mojsilov in 1995 using leftover rock that had been used to create garden walls in the park. The park is in adequate condition and is relatively a place to just hang out and relax. It is a good resting point for those walking the bridge or for those that want to take the art in. There is free street parking within a reasonable walking distance in the neighborhood adjacent to the park. Keep in mind that the road in the park is busy, with cars flying down to the bottom of the bridge. I do not see this park as a long stop because the park does not have much to offer and lacks a lot of the amenities that you would find in other parks such as a play area or rest rooms.

This is a small pocket park on the outskirts of downtown St Paul. The .45 acre site was originally…read morethe Pedro Luggage and Briefcase Center, and the land was was donated by the Pedro family to the City of Saint Paul to be developed as a park. It has a distinctive mural as a backdrop and is home to the Urban Flower Field. There is metered street parking available, but I really do not see this as a destination park. The park is maintained by local residents and community members of the buildings which I think is awesome and gives them a sense of ownership of the park. In the summer, the park's gardens are in full bloom. I visited in early spring so it was pretty bare while I was there. It is absolutely gorgeous in the summer with the Adirondack chairs and full plants. You may not be able to tell from the ground level, the plants are arranged in a spiral shape, mirroring the mural on the wall. It is also ADA complaint. It has been known to host community events and Music in the Park. It is a very chill and laid back park. I would definitely enjoy listening to music while drinking some lemonade there, on a summer evening. I will admit that the park's utility is limited, but it is a work in progress and I am excited to see what the developers have in store for this place.

This is a small park that feels more decoration than recreation. There's a nice swirled walking…read morepath and an interesting mural on the building the park leans up against.