A native's informal guide to Minneapolis. First of several.
Downtown Minneapolis is a more-or-less a grid that runs more-or-less parallel to the Mississippi River, which flows roughly Southwest. At some amorphous circumference, the downtown grid lurches into a city-wide grid that conforms to a standard NS/EW pattern. The Convention Center is just inside (ie downtown) of the NS/EW grid. North (toward downtown), the streets are named slightly different than their southern extensions. South (toward the airport), the streets are more regularly named and easier to navigate.
More under the fold, if you're walking.
For the most part, Avenues go N/S and Streets go E/W. Nicollet ("NIK-oh-let") Ave. is Avenue Zero: That is, all the Avenues East of Nicollet are designated "South" and all the Avenues West of Nicollet are designated "North". Meanwhile, all the Street numbers converge on Nicollet. All the Streets East of Nicollet are "East" and the Streets West of Nicollet are "West". Got it? Downtown (ie North of the Convention Center, to the river), Nicollet Mall is closed to traffic except for buses.
The rules change North of the river. I'll cover that later, perhaps.
The address of the Minneapolis Convention Center is 1301 Second Avenue South. That means that you are roughly 13 blocks south of the Mississippi River, and two blocks east of Nicollet. (If there were a 1301 Second Ave. NORTH, you'd be two blocks WEST of Nicollet.)
Hennepin ("HEN-i-pin)" Avenue is on a diagonal, at least on this side of the river. Close to the river (by the Post Office and the Federal Reserve), Nicollet and Hennepin are only a block apart. They spread apart fairly quickly, and Hennepin is a long way away from the Convention Center. South of downtown, near the Cathedral, Loring Park and Walker Art Center, Lyndale Ave. South splits off and Hennepin eventually ends at Lakewood Cemetery at 36th Street. At the time, Lake Street (the equivalent of 30th Street) was waaaay away from downtown, hence the intersection of Hennepin and Lake is called Uptown. Lots of places to eat and shop on Hennepin from Franklin (20th Street) South to 32nd Street.
Lyndale Ave. is an important navigation aid because all the streets West of Lyndale are in alphabetical order. Several times. Aldrich, Bryant, Colfax, Dupont, etc. When Sen. Al Franken talks about being from "the third alphabet", locals know he means that he's from the Western burbs. Lyndale Ave. South of Franklin is also a good place to shop and eat.
Interstate Highways are numbered according to plan: All the even numbered Interstates go E/W… eventually. All the odd numbered Interstates go N/W… eventually. Since Minneapolis and Saint Paul are "Twin Cities", I-35 splits into two highways with I-35W branching West to go through Mpls and I-35E branching East to go through St. Paul. They reunite farther out from the cities. I-694 and I-494 form a circle around the Twin Cities, and I-394 is a spur that begins in downtown Mpls and heads West.
The Mississippi River meanders Southwest until it joins with the Minnesota River, where it loops North before heading South again.
Irrelevant digression: Being from the foothills of the Catskills in Orange County NY, where Dutch and Iroquois names are common, the French and Native names never sounded right to me. Marquette, pronounced "Mar-KET" after the explorer, always had too many letters for such a short name. So I pronounce the street "Mar-kwe-tee", and most people can figure it out.
For the most part, restaurants huddle together for warmth. This has to do with traffic patterns and zoning regulations at various times of the city's history. During business hours Thursday and Friday, there are plenty of fast-foodish restaurants in the skyways. Nicollet Ave. fancies itself as "Eat Street", and there are a staggering amount of restaurants from downtown all the way to 29th Street. If you want to explore a bit, go two blocks West of the Convention Center to Nicollet, look around at the Ichiban (1333 Nicollet) or the places in the Hyatt, head South (turn left, away from downtown) and walk a few blocks. By the time you get to the Jerusalem (1518 Nicollet Ave just before you would cross over I-94), you'll have had your choice of half-a-dozen interesting places (which change now and again). If you have a car, cruise up (that is, South) for even more.
Downtown restaurants are generally either fast food, working class proletariat medium-priced places or fairly pricey but high-quality expense account eateries. Downtown is an entirely different section.
Let me know if this is helpful and/or interesting. I'm not even sure how to make a Tip Jar except the auto generated one.