Minneapolis: Travel guide, prices and free housing · 2026

GIGera IakuninaNov 30, 2015Read

Part 3. Minneapolis, etc. We arrived in Minneapolis early in the morning, the city was empty. Of course, it was Sunday! Only rare cars blinded me as they passed, reflecting the sun's rays. After hanging around the station for an hour, I thought it would be nice to walk to the Mississippi. It's interesting, after all! Inspired by the upcoming mini-excursion around the neighborhood, I walked out the station doors. Let me remind you, the city was empty!!! But then, out of nowhere, a group of antisocial elements appeared. Trying to bum cigarettes first, and then money, they predatorily surrounded me. Honestly, it was scary. A man standing nearby walked over, took my hand, and led me back into the station. Thank you, kind soul! At the same time, he asked me quite seriously to wait for my employer inside and not to go out. OK! A couple of hours later, I got hungry anyway, and after shaking the fear out of my pants, I snuck off to a store. When I returned, my name was already being announced throughout the station, and as it turned out, they had been looking for me for half an hour)) They were picking me up, and another guy of Asian appearance. To my timid question "What is your name?" he just as timidly replied "Vasily." Phew, what a relief, I won't be the only Russian speaker)) We drove to our destination for more than three hours, stopping to grab a bite and chat. We arrived... forest... lake... the nearest town (800 people) is 13.5 km away, a bigger town (2,000 people) with a hypermarket is 40 km away... in short, the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE!!! We went into the main building, all the trim was wooden, it smelled of old age, and stuffed animals of various creatures (deer, otters, ducks, fish) were hung on the walls everywhere. My first thoughts were: "What kind of godforsaken backwater did I end up in?!" and "How can I get out of here as fast as possible?!" Then they took us to get settled. The girls, of whom 5 were expected, were assigned a house with three rooms, a living room, and a kitchen. The guys, of whom 4 were expected, got a unit with one room, a living room, and a kitchen. I walked into my temporary shelter; inside, the house was quite dark and had the unusual smell of a strange place. I walked around it, looked things over... lay down on the bed and almost cried. I covered my face with my hands and mentally asked that when I opened my eyes, it would all turn out to be a dream, and I would see the walls of my own room! It didn't work... it didn't work three times! Then I laughed at my own stupidity and went to wash off the road dust. By the time I arrived, two of the guys were already there, and we met them in the evening. In the end, instead of 9 people, only 5 arrived. They became my family for that time... and of course, this house became my home over the summer!

GIGera IakuninaNov 30, 2015Read

Part 2. Chicago. JFK again, everything is clear again. Departure, an hour of chatting with my neighbor in economy class, and I'm there. Chicago didn't welcome me with good weather... it was cold, a fine, terribly nasty rain was falling, and my rather large body was being blown away by gusts of wind. Well, that's understandable! Windy City, duh!)) And since Her Carefree Highness Hera didn't bother to check the weather in the arrival city beforehand and dressed in shorts and a tank top, she unpacked her suitcase right at the airport to get warmer clothes. In the Chicago subway, for some reason, I felt a pleasant sensation of traveling alone for the first time. That feeling when you realize you are alone on another continent, with not a single Russian speaker around you... it's an indescribable feeling. And yet, you feel completely safe. As one guy said later: "This is America! What is there to be afraid of?!" - and that's true! I only had one incomplete day in Chicago, and it was wet and cold. So I left my things at the bus station and quickly trotted to Lake Michigan and back, just to catch a glimpse of the great lake. At the station, I met some girls from Kazakhstan, and I spent the day with them. By the way, we are still in touch!) I returned here on my way back and fell head over heels in love with this beautiful city of skyscrapers, trains rumbling overhead, metal curbs, and a fresh breeze. When my bus arrived, and it was 5:40 AM, it was starting to get light... I, as a person not on friendly terms with common sense, tired, frozen, with all my belongings, firmly decided to watch the sunrise on the shore of Lake Michigan. And so, this frozen, homeless-looking girl drags herself across the entire Loop to watch the sunrise! I will never forget this sunrise!! It was probably the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! I watched as the sun slowly rolled out from behind the horizon, illuminating the coast with a reddish light, while the seagulls, in their characteristic manner, walked around with an impudent look and disturbed the dawn silence with their cries... it was delightful. Afterwards, I wandered to the hostel, finished all the formal business, and went for a walk again. I will say it again, and perhaps a thousand more times, THIS CITY IS MAG-NI-FI-CENT!!! With its architecture, its rhythm of life, its air!! People here have a spark in their eyes; they are different from New York residents! After watching the locals, I wanted to have lunch not in a cafe, but on the street, well, in a park, for example. I took my lunch and went to the coast, and just as I had settled on the lawn under a tree and started devouring my delicious meal, I was attacked by geese!!! GEESE, Karl!!! (Beautiful ones, black and white) A horde of geese surrounded me and filled me with fear! A minute later, miraculously not pecked by the birds, I was already running for my life to a safer place. Evening Chicago is a different story. The lights of the high-rises here replace the stars, which, like in any metropolis, are practically invisible. You can look at the coastline in the evening endlessly. Well, you'll see that in the attached photos. The whole next day I wandered around again, and in the evening I had a trip planned to probably the most famous landmark in Chicago - Willis Tower (Skydeck). You have to see it!! A panoramic view of this wonderful city from a height of 412 meters! The emotions there are just off the charts! I was very afraid that I would be sad and bored when I was going to Chicago, but this is not the kind of city where moments of sorrow can strike... here you enjoy every minute spent on these streets and every breath of always fresh air. So, let's get back to our sheep... that is, to my further journey to the workplace... I waited for my bus, loaded into it, and we headed towards Minneapolis, where my employers were supposed to pick me up in the morning.

ANAziz NadjimutdinovJan 31, 2015Read

By the way, I left on June 1st at 11 PM, so the story starts from midnight. The trip is about 60 hours. Below are photos of my tickets, which (ATTENTION) do not show all the stops. There were 2-3 times more. The ticket only lists the most significant ones. I want to note that Greyhound is famous for quality buses, supposedly having outlets and Wi-Fi everywhere. Yeah, right. Don't make me laugh. June 2nd - The first hours on the road. From my diary: "After midnight I was moving in a dark bus, trying to sleep, but it was cold, and I was in shorts and flip-flops. (Tip #9: Well, if you happen to travel by bus, be kind enough to wear something warmer.) I put my feet on the seat next to me and dozed off. Actually, this is where the unpleasant part of my trip begins. Let's start with food. At the first stop, somewhere in the middle of the night, I bought 6 nuggets at McDonald's and ate some of them. Connection was also periodically lost, but mostly worked. (There was an outlet here, yes, but the Wi-Fi barely worked, for example.) By morning we arrived in Pittsburgh, where I bought a Snickers bar, and the machine, pardon me, cheated me out of 15 cents. I stayed there for about an hour, brushed my teeth, went out into the city for a couple of minutes, and came back. I decided to put on sneakers and socks so my feet wouldn't freeze too much. Then I got on another bus. One of the worst of the whole trip. The bus was full and the driver often let people on/off at different stations. On the way to Cleveland, at one of the stops, I bought 2 chicken sandwiches for $3.25. The "sandwich" consisted of a hamburger bun and a chicken patty. That's it. But at least it was hot. Thanks for that. After eating, I went on. By noon we finally reached Cleveland, where we were let off with a special paper that gave us priority boarding for the next bus. I recharged there at a charging station, since the bus didn't have chargers everywhere. And on the way to Cleveland, I sat next to a large, exhausted sleeping woman to use the outlet. I sat on the edge so as not to wake her or touch her. After recharging and resting a bit in Cleveland, I headed to Chicago. We changed buses and the new one had Wi-Fi and outlets everywhere. Somewhere on the way, I went into Burger King and bought a hamburger with fries and a Coke. I barely drank the Coke because (adding a useless note) I'm starting to get sick. During the trip, I shoved every possible pill into myself. Thank you, Mom, for them. I know you're reading this now and smiling. Or maybe crying. (I think you all caught Tip #10 that I'm going to shove in now. Take various Strepsils, Imudon, Doc-1, Nimesil, Tempalgin, etc., etc. with you. In general, everything that can be taken through customs without extra questions, and is very necessary in such travels. It's not a fact that you will find a pharmacy on the road. And it's not a fact that all their remedies will help you. Oh yeah, and Tip #10.1: Love your moms, because they will shove these medicines into your suitcase anyway.) By evening, I reached Chicago, where I spent about 1.5 hours. Went outside, came back in, bought hot tea, and brushed my teeth. I'm starting to like this, by the way. From Chicago at 9:45 PM, I headed to Minneapolis. June 3rd - 2nd day on the road. Continuation from the diary: "The road to Minneapolis is remembered only for feeling lousy because of my throat and... my stomach! I slept almost the whole night, so the road went by quickly. In Minneapolis, I bought 2 sandwiches and a bottle of Coke. I devoured the sandwiches and left the Coke to warm up. Here is another problem. They changed the bus company. And I was no longer traveling to Billings with Greyhound, but with Jefferson, and that means: a) Old buses; b) No Wi-Fi; c) No outlets. Somewhere on the way, at stops, I charged my phone and wrote to Mom that everything was fine. Then I turned off the phone and returned to the bus. At one of the stops, I bought 2 Snickers and 2 Cokes. On the ro

DDDmitrii DvornikovBonhamJohn · Oct 29, 2012Read

So, after returning from the Canyon, we crashed. We didn't wake up until 11 a.m. the next day. It was the only time in the last few days that we actually got some decent sleep. The last, third day in Vegas. Tickets to New York (again via Minneapolis) were at 4 p.m. that same day. After waking up and grabbing a bite, we headed to the center of Vegas, to the famous Las Vegas Blvd. We got off the bus at the very beginning and walked the rest of the way. At first, there wasn't anything interesting—just dozens of little chapels where happy couples could get married in famous Vegas. Or, like Stu from "The Hangover," marry a hooker. Lena comes up with some crazy ideas: "Let's get married and get divorced right away!" Oh, by the way, the chapel where Stu got married was on our way. After having lunch at Burger King and spending some time online, we moved on. One of the first landmarks we encountered was the Stratosphere—a huge tower with an observation deck on top. And then it started: Circus Circus, Encore, Palazzo, Wynn, Venetian, The Mirage, Caesars Palace, Bellagio, the mini-Eiffel Tower, mini-New York. It was all cool. It felt like I was in GTA San Andreas. Painfully familiar places—ah, right, the fictional Las Venturas was copied from the real Las Vegas. It's just that during the day, it all looks like huge movie sets, not as impressive as at night. But still, it's impressive at times. Well, it was time to head to the airport. Las Vegas is cool. The Grand Canyon is even cooler. But despite the positive emotions, we were tired and already wanted to be in New York. That's where our Vegas trip ends: everything was deserted, stuffy, the air was melting—just as it should be.

DDDmitrii DvornikovBonhamJohn · Oct 29, 2012Read

So, we landed at McCarran Airport in Las Vegas. The airport had free Wi-Fi, which was a nice surprise since there was none in Minneapolis, making the layovers feel especially long. We Googled how to get to our hotel. We hopped on a bus and headed out. It was already evening. Vegas hit us with an incredible temperature. We thought it was hot in New York, but it turned out it wasn't at all. We realized right away that outside of the so-called "The Strip" or "Las Vegas Blvd," there's really nothing to do in Vegas. Just a regular town in the desert. Once we reached the hotel, we stopped worrying about everything. We were exhausted and just wanted to sleep. But, as they say, no such luck. When we got to the front desk and handed over our passports, they told us they couldn't check us in because we weren't 21. This hotel, like most others, has a casino, and you have to be 21 to gamble, so we were left without a place to stay late at night. Luckily, five minutes away, we found a Motel 6. It’s a chain of motels, just like in the movies. They aren't exactly luxurious, but we were just glad to have a place to sleep. Our next task was to book a trip to the Grand Canyon. We did that the same evening and went to sleep with peace of mind. We didn't sleep for long, though, because at 6 AM we were woken up by a call from the tour agency where we had booked the Canyon trip.

VPValeriia PlatonovaDec 9, 2019Read

Two weeks later, I left Walker, leaving letters for all the people I had grown to love. Andrey and I took a bus to Minneapolis. On the day of my arrival, I arranged to meet a waiter from our restaurant to sit in a cafe and wander around the city. Coby showed me the outskirts of Minneapolis and St. Paul. We ate incredibly delicious ice cream, and the next day I spent with Ariel—a girl who agreed to host me at her place for free. We visited galleries in Minneapolis and walked through what felt like the entire city. By the way, on the first day, Ariel gave me the keys to her apartment and went to stay with her boyfriend so as not to 'make me feel awkward,' as she put it. Tip! Use the CouchSurfing service; you can save a huge amount of money and see the city through the eyes of a local, but choose your host carefully and thoughtfully, and pick a location that is convenient for you. Be sure to pay attention to the reviews that your chosen host already has. In the evening, I headed to Chicago, where another host, Omar, met me. At 6 a.m., we were sitting on the shore of Lake Michigan watching the sunrise. Then we walked around the city, and afterwards, we went to his apartment. I thought there wouldn't be anything better than Ariel's apartment, but this was something else: downtown Chicago, 17th floor, panoramic windows, a small balcony where we had breakfast. Three guys prepared breakfast, and I was just an observer. After breakfast, we watched a movie. Omar asked if I had a list of places I wanted to see; my list consisted of only two museums. He showed me Chicago, explained the location of all the shopping centers and museums, and then I went to explore Chicago on my own. Again, I ate unrealistically delicious ice cream, wandered around the city, and enjoyed the atmosphere. I didn't take any pictures; it all remained only in my memory. After my walk, I returned to Omar's apartment. He had already finished working by then and told me we needed to leave quickly because there would be a perfect sunset today. We went cycling along the waterfront. He was right; that sunset was perfect. We reached the place where the morning of that day had begun; now Chicago was completely different—familiar, bright, and dear. We danced barefoot in the lake to music and laughed loudly; it was simply unforgettable. In the evening, I lay alone on a double bed and recalled the moments of this summer. Outside the window was Chicago. In the morning, Omar was no longer in the apartment; his work started at 6 a.m. I packed my things, had breakfast, and set off for New York. In New York, I visited the 9/11 Memorial. I won't say anything about my feelings at this place; I think everyone should visit it. For every person, this monument carries a different meaning that is close to them personally. My flight was at 5 p.m. In my headphones, a song was playing that Michael and I used to listen to when we went out in the evenings to talk by the lake. Tears of happiness streamed down my cheeks. I had completed the brightest and most difficult quest of my life.

VPValeriia PlatonovaDec 9, 2019Read

Before New York, I had two flights: Moscow—Frankfurt, Frankfurt—New York. I landed in Germany, waiting for the second flight. And then, an announcement at the airport: "Flight cancelled, get in line and rebook your tickets." What? WHAT? I thought all the bad luck was over. Okay, I realized that the bus tickets I bought in advance were going to waste. Tip! Don't buy bus tickets in advance. So, I got on a plane to Washington, and then to New York. So, it's midnight, and I'm at the New York airport. My bus isn't for almost a day, but I'm so exhausted that I don't want to go anywhere, I just wander around the airport, talk to Americans, and read a book. At 7 a.m., I head to Port Authority to buy tickets to my city, drop my luggage off at the storage locker, and go wander around the city. I've always had a good sense of direction, so I looked at the map once, understood which way to go, and didn't open it again after that. During my walk, I completely immersed myself in the atmosphere of New York. In the bus line, I met Ulya. Ulyana is from Barnaul, she's going to work in Sandusky, the first and last person from the linguistics department I met. We chatted the whole way, sometimes fell asleep, chatted again, ate buckwheat and bananas. Ulyana got off in Sandusky, and I went on. On the next bus, another acquaintance with a person from Russia awaited me. We chatted again, and thanks to the conversation, I didn't even notice how we reached Minneapolis. Tip! Use Greyhound buses. When I was buying tickets for them, it was scary, as there are many negative reviews on the internet, but it is a wonderful and comfortable (incredibly cheap) means of transportation. But definitely take a blanket on the bus, Americans love the cold. I fell in love with Minneapolis. Its architecture captured my heart. In Walker, I was met by Josh, the manager of the resort where I was supposed to work. We stocked up on food for the week ahead. He showed me Leech Lake, which everyone in this small town was proud of, as it is the 3rd largest lake in Minnesota. Also, in conversation with Josh, I learned that they already have 2 Russian girls working there. He brought me to the resort, introduced me to the owner and a girl, Ksyusha. Ksenia, out of habit, said 'Hi' to me because she didn't know that I was also from Russia. Joshua took me to the house where I was to spend the summer. We had two houses for the three of us, you could go from one to the other, each house was equipped with a kitchen, bathroom, living room, and 2 bedrooms. I was given two days to rest, I rode a bike, went to the lake, lay at home, and watched movies in English. Riding around the resort area for the hundredth time, I realized that there wasn't much entertainment here, because the nearest town was 30 miles away.