Despite what some people in the media would have you believe, the Pokémon Go phenomenon is still going strong. If you’re like me, you’re a casual Pokémon Go player. You might play every day, but you probably haven’t gotten past level 20. I thought some people either visiting or casually playing might benefit from a few simple Pokémon Go Twin Cities tips.
I try to stay away from tips of a technical nature since who knows how or when Niantic will change things in the app. Also, I’m not much one for strategy. These posts will be more about what to expect from visiting a certain area of the Twin Cities.
Pokémon Go Twin Cities Tips: Mall of America, Bloomington
One of the best things about this place is that it’s indoors. This is also probably the worst. It’s good because the weather in Minnesota is iffy at best and crappy at worst. It’s bad because the GPS is wonky. You could walk to where a gym should be, like the big ass Peep at the Peeps Store, but your trainer is on the other side of the Nickelodeon Universe.
Regardless, there are a ton of Pokéstops inside. Since the GPS is wonky, you can sometimes hit up ones that you haven’t even walked by yet. You can also benefit from the many lures that some of the businesses may or may not be putting out. Note: If you sit in the bar at the Buffalo Wild Wings, you should be near a Pokéstop. There are a few other restaurants in this area and they may also be good for filling your bag.
Ain’t no party like a Drowzee party…cuz a Drowzee party…don’t…ZZZZZZZZ.
As for the different types of Pokémon you can find there, it’s varied, but not the best I’ve ever seen. For some reason, there are tons of Drowzees there. But, don’t be surprised if a random Snorlax shows up to. My husband caught one there a couple of weeks ago.
All in all, the Mall of America is a good place to go when the weather is crappy and you need to get in some steps to hatch those eggs.
Pokémon Go Twin Cities Tips: State Fairgrounds, Saint Paul
The Great Minnesota Get-Together just ended, but the fairgrounds can be accessed all year round if there is no other event going on. If there is an event going on, you probably have limited to no access without paying admission. That being said, it is drivable, so you don’t have to walk all those acres if you don’t feel like it.
So how was it? Meh.
There are a ton of Pokéstops. So if your goal is to fill up your bag, this is a great place to go. If you are looking for anything other than very, very common Pokémon, you’ll be very disappointed. I did catch an Exeggcute near the main entrance on Snelling, but other than that…not much to write home about.
Pokémon Go Twin Cities Tips: Rice Park, Saint Paul
I have saved the best for last. I had heard that this place was amazing, but I was not prepared for it. We pulled up into a parking space right by the park and I saw 80 people looking at the phones and walking around.
We hadn’t even gotten out of the car and two Machops and a Tauros were on my map.
By the way, we were there on Labor Day and since it was a legal holiday, parking was free in downtown Saint Paul. Otherwise, street parking is metered, so be sure to pay for it! Mostly it’s parallel parking on the street, but there are a few parking garages (or ramps as the Minnesotans call them) nearby, and they too are not free.
There were a decent amount of Pokéstops, but if you are looking for some decent Pokémon, this is a place to go. We were there for maybe an hour and we caught 26 Pokémon. There was an Electabuzz, a Geodude, a Seel, a Jynx, and a Polliwag to name a few.
You should also remember that this is a park in an urban area. While I felt relatively safe since I was there with my husband, there were a few sketchy guys around. I’ve lived in my fair share of urban areas and parks were generally avoided because randoms tended to congregate there. Pokémon Go crowds probably aren’t going to deter them from hanging out there as they have in the past.
That being said, I can see why Rice Park is so popular for Pokémon Go. It’s a great place to find some decent Pokémon.
Have you been to any of these places in the Twin Cities or are there any places I should check out?