Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis, MN is referred to as a pedestrian street and also a lively spot in downtown Minneapolis where everything is happening. It's located between Washington Avenue and South 13th street and very easy to find. Nicollet Mall is 11 blocks long but seems much longer as Nicollet Avenue goes past the south side of Minneapolis and continues into the residential sections of the city. Nicollet Avenue was named after Joseph Nicollet, a French explorer and mapmaker from the 19th century.
The sidewalks outside of Nicollet Mall are wider than average and go around two-lane streets that are only for taxis and buses. Bicycles are allowed as long as it's not rush hour. This is quite a large mall, with a 12-block stretch of restaurants and grocery stores as well as the typical shopping. This mall is not like most malls with all the stores on the inside. It's not unusual to see vendors and street entertainers out on the streets on a warm day. The 1100 block of the mall has a beautiful fountain and many shade trees to relax after a hot afternoon of shopping in their many shops.
Since the sitcom Mary Tyler Moore was set in Minneapolis, they taped the cap toss by Mary Richards on Nicollet Mall, the Donaldson's department store was located. The TV Land network, in 2002, erected and dedicated a statue of that very character on 7th street at the corner.
The Nicollet Mall offers many great stores for shopping such as Target, Dayton's, Marshall Field's, Macy's plus many more. In addition to the stores, there are also many businesses in the mall section. If you ever are in the area of Minneapolis, you have to stop and check great mall out.
