State workers are back in the office this week. What awaits them in downtown St. Paul?

Welcome back to St. Paul, Minnesota state employees.

Things might look a little different than they did in March 2020, when the pandemic sent everyone home to work.

Downtown St. Paul is struggling, with offices far emptier than they were five years ago. High-profile restaurants keep closing, even though more office workers have been back this year, and the city is counting on state workers to help reverse the trend.

St. Paul city staff have been in-office since April, and some of the biggest private-sector employers downtown, like Ecolab and Securian Financial, have largely come back. But the return of state employees' is seen as a key piece of downtown recovering whatever life it had pre-COVID.

Getting there

Plan on your commute taking a little more time. There's a lot happening construction-wise.

Interstate 94 lane closures mean slow traffic across the Mississippi River in both directions most of the summer.

Lots of streets downtown are under construction, with parts of the Robert, Minnesota, 5th and 6th streets shut, and the Kellogg-3rd Street Bridge out.

St. Paul updates its closure maps every week at www.stpaul.gov/residents/road-closures.

Commuters coming from the east metro can use the new Gold Line bus rapid transit to make a quick trip from Woodbury to downtown St. Paul, and grab the Green Line to get from downtown to state office buildings on Robert Street and the Capitol. Here's everything you need to know about the Gold Line.

Bus rapid transit also is scheduled to replace the bus route from Uptown Minneapolis to downtown St. Paul later this month.

Getting around

Navigating downtown is a little trickier.

The skyway system is impeded, with the closure of skyways through major vacant and condemned buildings. Skyway access is closed through the Alliance Bank Center, the St. Paul Athletic Club and the Capital City Parking Ramp.

The Green Line is one quick way to get from place to place, and Metro Transit police are stepping up their presence onboard to make sure people feel comfortable.

If something seems sketchy or the street feels a little too quiet after work, you can call the Downtown Improvement District and get a security guard to escort you.

Where to eat

The skyway scene isn't what it was, but there are food and drink options.

For coffee, Starbucks and Caribou are still downtown, but there are other offerings.

Check out the Lowertown Bike Shop (yes, they serve coffee) in Union Depot.The shop dog, Merv, is also a great pick-me-up.

Hepcat Coffee on Wabasha and 5th has breakfast sandwiches and sweets, and Phê Coffee in Lowertown has specialty drinks (think ube lattes and strawberry matchas) and "croffles," a croissant-waffle hybrid.

For lunch, standbys like Keys Cafe and Sawatdee Thai are still standing, and while Black Sheep pizza closed, new owners plan to bring coal-fired pizza back to the space.

In the meantime, there's a Slice Bros. in the Treasure Island Center, and Pino's Pizza, formerly of the Alliance Bank Center, moved to the Town Square Tower.

Lowertown has a handful of noteworthy coffee and lunch spots that have opened since the pandemic, like So Yen for brioche doughnuts, Erta Ale for Ethiopian, and the 1881 Eating House in Union Depot. Lost Fox is still open, with long hours that can take you from morning coffee to a nightcap.

There are also plenty of places to eat near the Xcel Energy Center — many with lunch menus and happy hours.

For happy hour, local faves like the Loon and Bulldog remain, and the Camp Bar has expanded. Happy hour at Sakura and the St. Paul Grill come recommended by the Strib's food mavens, as does Bullvino's in Lowertown. For the budget-conscious, Gambit Brewing on Fourth Street has a $3 hot dog deal on Wednesdays.

What's gone

Closures have been continuing over the past year, even as offices are filling back up.

The Lunds & Byerlys closed this spring, leaving downtown without a grocery store, and minus a convenient place to pick up lunch.

The Alliance Bank Center had a skyway food court, but that's closed now. The condemnation of the Lowry Building meant the Gray Duck Tavern has been boarded up.

Other closures include Lowertown favorites like Saint Dinette and Dark Horse (the latter is reopening under new ownership).

Nicole Hvidsten of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.