Welcome! You have found a wonderful place to share your experience, gain information, and learn from others who have walked your same path. Poke around this sight and you will learn many things about what you asked for. Places to stay. Places to eat, etc. Every single person is unique and therefore each one of us has a different recovery and different experience from this huge surgery. One thing we all seem to have in common is the care given by every employee of the Mayo Clinic...from housekeeping to surgeon, is the finest in the land. Dare I say the world. You will be in good hands. If you have time, read some of what we fellow HOCM folks posted before and after. I wrote a post about where we stayed. *Courtyard by Marriot. Directly across the street from St. Mary entrance. Could not have been more convenient. From there, free shuttles to the downtown Mayo Clinic/Gonda Bldg. Where we ate: *Chester's downtown for lunch/dinner. And the walking distance to lots of fast food and the fresh food market for healthy fare and wine! As for what to do? You will find that your day of surgery is suddenly here, and from that point on the days pass quickly but the nights are long. Thank goodness for the nurses. They are gifts from God. Wishing you all the best. It's not your typical surgery, but the Mayo Clinic is not your typical hospital. They are world class and it makes it easy to put your life in their hands. Keep us posted, and again best wishes and prayers.