HotelTonight – Coon Rapids Hotels at the Ready
I've always found every major city to be a big puzzle. What I mean by that is that every one of them, no matter how large, is basically a sum of the communities in and around its center. That's why I've always made it a point to get to know the outlying communities as much as possible when getting to know somewhere big. I've been traveling to Minneapolis for a long time, and even though I'm always there for work, I've often managed to find some time for myself to explore somewhere new. My last trip there was slightly different. Instead of having only a few hours to drive through a part of town and perhaps stop for a bite, I wound up having 24 hours to myself. I wanted to spend that time in one place so I could get to see it on a deeper level. That place I chose is known as Coon Rapids, one of the suburbs of Minneapolis. I wasn't worried about finding a place to stay if necessary, either, as I travel with HotelTonight. I'd book a Coon Rapids hotel room in seconds, if I chose to sleep there that night.
Small Town Feel
Even though I was only a short drive from the middle of Minneapolis, it didn't take long for me to realize that I was somewhere different as soon as I got out of my car. Approximately 60,000 people live in Coon Rapids, and its downtown area had me thinking I was somewhere in the past, but in a good way. The buildings on the main drag were all old, made of brick and beautiful, as they had been perfectly maintained. The people were familiar with each other and nearly everyone was happy to welcome me when I asked about where to go. This was a happy place.
The Regional Park
I wanted to enjoy the outdoors a bit, so I went over to the Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park. It sits along the Mississippi River and one of its featured attractions is the Coon Rapids Dam. I took a lot of photos of these iconic things and spent a couple of hours walking around on the very nice hiking and biking paths. I was surrounded by green, one of the world's great rivers, wildlife and happy locals who were out enjoying this sunny day.
The Dining
A couple told me about a tavern downtown that served great pub/comfort food, and I was in as soon as I got the directions. I walked in and sat down, and as soon as I saw the French onion soup I knew what I wanted. It was delectable, dripping with cheese. I followed it with the French dip, and it was fall-apart tender and juicy. I enjoyed both with a nice local pilsner beer, took part in some friendly banter with some nearby tables and basically had a great time.
HotelTonight – Coon Rapids Hotels in a Few Swipes
I was full, happy and I decided to just stay in town that night. I opened my HotelTonight app and booked a Coon Rapids hotel room within a few swipes. I'd be asleep shortly, knowing that I had gotten to know another part of the Twin Cities.
