I’m New To St. Cloud and Totally Confused About the Area. Here’s Why

Since I've been at the radio station for a few months now, I'm starting to venture out around St. Cloud more and more. I still am confused about this area, and here's why...

How big is Munsinger Clemens Garden? I swear it spans a couple blocks and on different blocks. Are there others near the gardens who put on a crazy flower garden, making it look all part of the same thing?

Speaking of the garden. Is it me or do many people end up going down Riverside Drive hoping to get on University, and get caught in the dead end at the gated fence at SCSU? I do this almost every time, and it's embarrassing, especially when I'm in the station vehicle.

I'm direction-ally challenged and the St. Cloud area is so large, I get lost trying to go anywhere. If I stray off of Hwy 23 then a few U-turns are pretty much guaranteed. If you get me over by the Rox stadium and near Sartell I'll end up pulling over and start hitchhiking, cause I can't get out of there ever.

Is it correct to say "Crossroads Center"? Or should I be calling it "Crossroads Mall"? For a little while I was thinking there were 2 different "Crossroads"!

My 1st experience with Val's Hamburgers was nerving, cause it was so fast-paced and ordering was on a touchscreen. I had seen the place before, but never tried it. It's good they're close to the radio station cause I end up going there often. See the video of me going there for the 1st time.

Is Lake George a real lake, or is it man-made and strategically placed where it is for a recreational area? It's a neat looking feature of St. Cloud, but I can hardly figure out how to get down there.

Parking downtown. You can't find a parking spot without paying a meter! There's meters for blocks that aren't even on the main drags through the downtown area. I thought I'd be smart one time and park in the convention center parking lot...there's meters there too! I come from Minneapolis, and am used to parking meters, but not to the extent of how they are in St. Cloud. Do I ever get used to it?

My son played a couple state baseball tournaments in Sartell at Pinecone Park this summer. Does Sartell always have full intersections completely under construction without any easy way to get across the intersection? What about all the roundabouts in Sartell? Roundabouts confuse me, why not simple stop signs? It's a beautiful city, but I'm pretty sure they were going for a world record in the number of roundabouts in a city.

Quarry Park and Nature Center in Waite Park. My wife and I were looking for something to do and came across this place online. Is this place a hidden gem or something? How come the world doesn't have this place listed as one of the top 10 cool places in the world? I am a little scared to swim in 140 feet of water, but this place is well worth spending many days of your summer at. Kudos to Waite Park for being able to claim fame to this place.

So all-in-all, I like the St. Cloud area for the most part so far, and I know there's a TON I haven't discovered that's second hat to everybody else. If you can think of more things I need to do to make myself a true "St. Cloud'ian", please pass it along. Thanks!!