grand avenue

Grand Avenue is one of St. Paul's signature streets. That being said, parking is awful on the weekends. The restaurants/stores are the same you would find at any up-scale mall in the country. Yes, there are family-owned stores and one-offs, but they are in general very niche or expensive.A lot of concepts started on Grand Avenue and became mini-chains around the Twin Cities, so it is nice to have a vast array of food to choose from.My suggestion would be to look at a map and see which restaurants/stores interest you and try to park around there and walk the rest, but be warned, the entire strip is very long. We generally park near Victoria.

Grand Avenue has everything! Just park and walk to a variety of restaurants, shops and bakeries! You can walk one block over to Summit Avenue to see all of the beautiful, historic houses. Over the summer, we walked from Grand Avenue to Summit Avenue to the Cathedral of St. Paul. Great exercise with great scenery!

Grand Avenue has something for everyone. Coffee Shops, Toy Store, the best Bakery in the Twin Cities and restaurants that cover every food group from soup to nuts. Try Cafe Latte or Tavern on Grand. Very different places but both excellent choices.

I grew up on Grand avenue. It used to be quaint, charming and friendly. Now I worry about getting in an accident and finding a place to park. Its just not what it used to be. It is filled with little shops and restaurants but too trendy for me.

Grand ave is nice, has lots of stores and restaurants. It is very entertaining for Tourists like us.

Great area for dinner or Lunch,such a variety of foods,from burgers,seafood,sushi,pizza, you name it,this street has it,great shopping,& bar hopping,fun all year round!

Quaint neighborhood with several cute shops. It was an easy drive from two colleges and close to many other St Paul attractions.

Grand Avenue is a great place for a stroll. Hit some unique shopping spots, and enjoy some snacks, a meal or drinks. It is a very lovely old area of St Paul with great old houses and clusters of revitalized shopping areas. Things can be a little spread out, don't expect all the shops to be in one part of the street.

Take the time to get out of your car or off your bike and Walk !You will find a great variety of shops, stores and what different restaurants you will find. My favorite spice store is here...Penzeys.

So many good things said about Grand Ave., really looking forward to the experience, and maybe was expecting too much. It's good to see an older neighborhood revitalizing itself on the retail front. The architecture of the 1920s style apartment buildings was interesting. It's easily accessible by public transit. However - not a cohesive area, small clump of shops/restaurants, then nothing for a block or so, then some more.Most stores strictly average, though good to see the majority were independently owned rather than chains. (There is North Face, Anthropologie, Pottery Barn, Caribou Coffee, and a few others.) HOWEVER - a big shout out to The Yarnery, which rivals the yarn stores I've visited in Ireland, Friendly, knowledgeable staff, good selection of yarns and patterns, helpful without being intrusive, house-made kits and patterns. I'm glad they have a website! As for travel - due to the stretched-out pattern of the retail shops, if you can go by car, do. If you choose to use the bus, get a day pass, travel to the farthest -out store, and then work your way back in.

I love Grand Ave! Yummy, ethnic, chain...a variety of restaurants, Cute shops up & down. Good for shopping, wining & dining. Great area in one of my favorite cities!!

What an adventure. You're among thousands of people; and always run into family and friends who are also enjoying the atmosphere of music and "food"

Enjoy all the shopping but don't miss Penzeys Spices. You don't need to be a gourmet cook to enjoy shopping there, but you will be one when you get home with all their fare.

My first time back to Grand Ave in 10 years. We were in search of restaurants with terrace - and found only a handful. I seemed to remember more of a collection of restaurants to choose from.. now they are spread far apart and many without terrace seating.Pros: Local shopping and some restaurants. Good for a stroll on a summer day.Cons: Shopping and eating are spread far apart - need to drive and find parking to make visiting practical.

There is so much to see and do on Grand! A great place to people watch, talk a stroll, check out a new place to eat. It can be hard to find parking.