Coffman Memorial Union

Not that many reviews for a place as busy as this. There are probably more reviews for the various franchises on the lower level, (Einstein Bagels-​Meh!). It’s been a long time since I attended the U but I still have reason to hang out for various activities, events, lectures. I enjoy lounging for a little while at CMU. The fireplaces, the students with their devices. The Bookstore and the vast array of clothing which is sometime on sale. It’s amazingly quiet with ebb and flow and two way traffic on the main corridors. A piano is usually tinkling and the players seem to know what they are doing. There are a few picture displays of student life years ago, jackets and ties standard? There are a couple different Wi-​Fi signals so log on, mellow out (phrase from my U days), then signal with your left arm and join the traffic on the corridor and head for the Gopher Way.

Has everything: bookstore, starbucks, tcf bank, erberts and gerberts, panda express, chick fil a, etc. There are also couches available for you to take naps in between classes. The stores do close fairly early though (around 6:30pm). The jamba juice closes even earlier (6pm).
If you’re a student, get discounted movie tickets and state fair tickets. Computer lab available to use and IT help available if needed.

Even though I attended the University of Minnesota — Twin Cities for graduate school, I have no strong feelings towards Coffman Memorial Union. Maybe it’s because my school (Humphrey) resides on West Bank, or the fact that I finished my undergraduate studies across the border at the University of Wisconsin — Madison. Nonetheless, I’ll try to review Coffman objectively.
Beginning with the parking, it’s massive (which I appreciate), and I’ve never had a problem finding a spot. Usually, I park on the «green» floor (which is the floor that cars enter the ramp on). I’m unsure about the rates, but I’ve been there for a max of three hours, before, and I don’t remember paying anything more than 6 or 7 bucks.
After parking, you can take the elevators and walk outside to Coffman or take the tunnel. Once you arrive, there are so many places to go. Perhaps the most important floor is B1, since that’s where students retrieve their students Ids, buy books at the university’s bookstore, and can hangout and do work at cool places like «The Cube» and «The Hole.» The food options are, of course, suitable for college students. In other words, aka there’s plenty of eateries to get your bagel, sandwich, or coffee fix.
I’ve had the great opportunity to dine on the top floor (where the Campus Club is) with a beloved professor. The view is incredible. The service is phenomenal. But, the food is just OK.
Overall, I don’t really look forward to visiting Coffman Memorial Union, but I don’t care when I’m there, either.

Coffman was my home away from home when I was a student and still holds a special place in my heart today. I’ve only known Coffman post-​renovation so I can appreciate the upgrades they can continue to make even after the huge changes they made a few years ago. It gets pretty congested at the start of every academic year but as new students start to figure things out and natural selection does its job, the regulars are able to find their spots and everything is back to normal around the study spaces.
As a student, I’d say it was great having somewhere to go between classes and on Friday and Saturday nights on campus. As an alum, it’s a nice place to go every once in a while if you are feeling nostalgic. Coffman is also home to the nearest Chik-a-fil…even though it is not a «real» one.
Parking is really expensive, so I’d say park at a meter or walk here if you are near campus. $ 12 if you are there for over 6 hours I think.

Dining choices range from the completely skippable to actually edible, the bookstore is big and has a fantastic selection of art supplies and gifts as well as, you know, books. It is the only student union in the Big 10 with an escalator (a fact I learned from a U of M tour guide while riding the escalator). The study areas are spacious and filled with natural light and there is shaded patio seating overlooking the river in the summer months. The remodeled theater has comfy chairs and excellent sight lines. I usually buy my lunch at the Gopher Express convenience store because it’s very fast and they have a great selection of salads and sandwiches from Campus Club, (members only dining club on the top floor of the Union) Au Bön Pain and St. Paul Bagelry. They also have a shelf of foreign novelty foods and candies that I can never resist. I just love Pocky, ok, don’t judge me. I have completely stopped trying to ever get anything at the Starbucks because the line is always insane, and it’s never really worth it. The post office is TERRIBLE and is perhaps the only downside to this magnificent campus facility.

So, first I must note that I do not go to school at the U, nor have I ever.
My first comment is a tip for the public — park in the East River Parkway Garage and you have direct access to Coffman. Its a little expensive, but really the only place to park without walking a bazillion miles.
I was surprised to see how many things this building has inside, they have a Erberts & Gerberts, which made me wish I went to school there (yum).
The book store was the reason for my visit, and its huge, seriously everything you could possibly need is housed here. I think my next purchase of any U of M apparel will be here, huge selection (understandably so).
Good job U of M on making a great place for your students to do what they need, and give access to the public.

I feel like this building is deceptive. It doesn’t look that large from the outside, but it’s actually enormous. There’s a ton of stuff packed into this buildling, including:
— A very grease-​laden cafeteria (with some really terrible calorie labeling which bugs me… are you eating 400 or 1400 calories? You’ll never know!)
— A few healthy-​ish food options, such as Erberts and Gerberts and a small convenience store
— A help desk near the main entrance
— A post office
— The office where you get a student ID
— A hennepin county mini-​office that does some limited functions…
— A bowling alley/​games room
— A computer lab or two
— Jamba Juice
— A random piano
— Lots of offices and campus org headquarters
— The very fancy members-​only campus club
— An underground parking garage
— Tunnels to other campus buildings
— The Whole, a music venue
— A lovely patio
— Starbucks
— Various banquet rooms and conferencey type rooms
— U of M Store/​Bookstore
…and I’m sure more things I’m not aware of.
The students snoozing all over the building always crack me up.
I personally don’t opt to spend much time here, but it is a good resource to be aware of on campus. My only complaints about Coffman are that during busy times of the semester it can be hard to find a seat if you want to hang out/​study, and the largely unhealthy cafeteria.

Coffman, the jack of all trades. You’ve got it all. Bookstore, post office, movie theater, bowling alley, government office, plus a Starbucks. You could waste a whole afternoon here, while you’re waiting for your next class to start.
The lawn out front of Coffman often has activities and give-​aways.
My favorite part is when a random student plays the piano in the main lobby. It’s a really fun place to study because of the array of people scattered around the building.

As a recent University of Minnesota graduate, I have spent my fair share of time at Coffman. The only thing I really don’t like about it is how early everything shuts down. There are so many people on campus later in the evening, for both classes and activities, that it’s kind of crazy to shut the place down before 4:00.
The bookstore is pretty awesome, I spent way too much money there, as they have a giant normal bookstore in addition to textbooks, clothing, art supplies, gifts and tech stuff. And they let you charge to your student account. Which can be dangerous.
The second floor is the hidden gem, with all of the cultural centers, which unfortunately the university has greatly undervalued. Pretty much the only place on campus that isn’t an extreme white-​majority, and the University wants to make the space more friendly to «everyone»…which means limiting the space for the current cultural centers. Lame.

There’s really a lot to do at Coffman. It’s probably easier to list the things you can’t find here, but I’ve never found that to be very helpful. So I guess we can talk about what they do have.
The basement level features Goldy’s game room (which includes a bowling alley, billiards tables and arcade games), The Whole (a music club), tons of comfy chairs (which are generally occupied by snoozing students), and a very decent computer lab.
Ground floor: Panda Express, Chic-​fil-​a, Einstein bagels, Erbert & Gerberts bistro, a printing store, Gopher Express, Starbucks, a US Post Office, one enormous bookstore, and a TCF bank branch. There is also a Hennepin County Government Services center, but it isn’t open too often. Oh, and the U card office.
First floor (which is at ground level on the Washington Ave side of the building) has a movie theater, Jamba Juice, and a bunch of offices (including the IT guys).
Second floor houses many student associations, and third floor and up are mostly just conference rooms and administrative offices.
Have fun.

First, you’re going to want to follow @umnSUA on Twitter and checkin at Coffman on Foursquare to get the real hook-​ups. These guys give out all kinds of freebies throughout the year. Beyond that, there are actually some really tasty food options for all.
Let’s start from the ground up, shall we?
Basement level: Goldy’s Gameroom is a deep fried food lovers paradise for those 51 weeks of the year that the MN State Fair isn’t going on. I highly recommend the deep fried green beans, mozzarella sticks and onion rings. ps. every Tuesday you can get a selected app for just $ 2…again, follow @umnSUA on Twitter for details.
The Whole is not only a fine venue, but also slings pour over style peace coffee and mad good espresso for dirt cheap. If it’s open, big win!
Ground Level: 3 words. For the masses. Gopher Express has some great vegetarian options at a reasonable price. I like to construct cheap lunches from there. Erbert & Gerbert’s Bistro is opening in a couple of weeks which is cool. Also Chik Filet, Panda Express, Einsteins, etc. Got options?
1^st Floor: Jamba Juice! Need I say more?
4^th Floor: Campus Club. Beware, members only! BUT, if you become a member, you will want to dine there every day. The food is fantastic! Don’t forget to wear your corduroy blazer (optional) as you mingle on the 4^th floor balcony rubbing elbows with UofM profs while sipping on your single malt Whisky or local craft beer.
…and scene.

LOVE IT. Absolutely love it. From the Jamba Juice, to the underground computer lab, to the sleeping students scattered about the building, this place is pretty awesome. You can come here to study, take a power nap, see a movie, grab lunch, or grab a coffee.
The only bummer is it seems to be an absolute black hole of cell phone reception… or maybe that’s just my T-​Mobile phone that sucks.

This is the best place to get any University of Minnesota paraphernalia.
They have a great selection on hoodies and caps.
The staff is also very helpful.
I’ll be back!