Briefly describing each level reference:
Uptown Center -- Refers to the Uptown Transit Station. It's basically just a big bus shelter. It's built on a bridge over a rail corridor. Had to shorten it to "Uptown Center" so it would fit in the name box. (I think the limit is 13 characters?)
Skyways -- Since Minnesota's weather is unpleasant for about 10 months out of the year, most of the buildings in downtown are connected by these enclosed elevated crosswalks ("skyways") so that people don't ever need to venture outside.
The Tin Fish -- Refers to a crappy fishfry and ice cream restaurant that is only remarkable because it has an awesome patio on
Lake Calhoun.
Nicollet Isle -- See
Nicollet Island.
Crystal Court -- See
IDS Center.
Foshay -- See
Foshay Tower.
Rail Corridor -- Most of the old train tracks that run through the city are in large trenches that they call corridors. Nowadays most of them have bike paths running alongside them.
Basilica -- See the
Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis.
Grain Belt -- There was an old beer company here called Grain Belt Brewery that's now owned by the August Schell company. Anyway, this title doesn't refer to the beer itself but to the locally famous
Grain Belt signCoffman Union -- See
Coffman Memorial Union.
Riverside -- See
Riverside Plaza.
Linden Hills -- See
Linden Hills. It's the neighborhood I live in now; it's one of the few actually hilly places in the city. Or the state. Or the Midwest.
The Spires -- Refers to the several spires on top of the IDS Tower and Wells Fargo building. The two towers are the tallest in the state, and which is actually taller depends on whether or not you count the spires. As a formality, the builders of the Wells Fargo tower listed their height as one foot shorter than the IDS.
Nordeast -- See
Northeast Minneapolis, also known as Nordeast.
Superblock -- On the University of Minnesota campus, there's one block that has four different dorms pretty much taking up the entire block, and Superblock is what they call it.
Spring -- It snowed yesterday. It's late April. That's spring in Minnesota.
Hennepin/Lake -- Hennepin Avenue and Lake Street form one of the most dangerous intersections in the city. It's a combination of Lake being a one-way, heavy traffic on both streets, lots of pedestrian traffic, and buildings being right up on the corners so every corner is blind, AND buses just love to fly through the intersection without giving a single shit about any of the above.
Road Repair -- The oldest joke about Minnesota is that there are only two seasons: winter and construction. Heavy winter is such hell on roads and highways that most of the eight months when there isn't snow is spent on patching up all of the potholes and cracks.
Dinkytown -- See
Dinkytown. It seemed like a good name for the largest map I've ever made. :P
Cherry on Top -- Refers to the hideous centerpiece statue, Spoonbridge and Cherry, in the
Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.
Super Meat Boy
