I spent 3 days last week in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Origin of Sarah and current residence of Jenny Gassman-Pines and her boyfriend (also of Wesleyan) Ben Weeks. As well as a lot of joggers, for rent signs, beer drinkers, lakes, caribou coffee houses, progressives, and degrees. It was almost 100 degrees when I was there. And humid.
Walking off of the plane and into the terminal, I found myself smack in front of a Maui Taco. It looked exactly like the Maui Taco around the corner from my office back home. I met Ben at the baggage claim and began the car ride from the airport. The conversation came easier than expected and answers to questions like "So you enjoy living in New York then?" seemed obvious.
Stepping into their fully furnished and decorated apartment (complete with pet bird), I felt unsettled. They really live in their apartment. I use mine in Brooklyn as a place to sleep. The kitchen held enough food for both humans and bird. There was a parking spot, hanging plants, laundry downstairs, air conditioning. Every window had blinds! I guess it doesn't take too much to impress me.
Waking from my first night on the air mattress, I found an already gymed and freshly showered Jenny. I wondered what we'd do for breakfast. When she suggested we leave the apartment and get some bagels, I felt at home. Sure I'd be the only one out of the three of us who would need coffee, but at least she didn't have a full breakfast waiting for us.
Once at Brueggers, a few things struck me as odd. 1) More flavors of low fat cream cheese than regular cream cheese 2) No iced coffee 3) Bagels had huge holes. But most shocking was what followed my ordering a cup of coffee. There was no milk and no to-go lids. Where was I ? The fine people at Brueggers were not very skilled at wrapping up the bagels in that paper stuff and did not include napkins. Living life on the run is not something they've gotten down to a science in that neck of the woods. Instead we ate by beautiful Lake Calhoun, then drove to St.Paul, sipped blended drinks with smart people, ate Vietnamese food, caught a documentary at an art house theatre. This was a great place.
I've got to run now to a house warming party. I hear they've installed shelves. I'm sure to be very impressed.
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2 comments:
See, until 1999, Brueggers was all I knew... but mine eyes have been opened and I do now demand a higher ground in bagels. I've been told by a recent Mpls-to-NYC mover that in MN, 7am is the new 9am. For work starting, that is. This, she says, is because they are trying to not only compete with the East Coast (8am being the EST's 9am) but one-up them. I can't say it's working... but it sounds like Juliet is now one fewer person in the world who believes Minnesota is always cold...
While I will not contest the superiority of Bageltique to Brueggers, I have to say that there is iced coffee (and fair trade at that!).
Also, I go to law schoool with Jenny Gassman-Pines.
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