Adventures in Minneapolis, part 2

I should have pictures for you, but I don't. Which is to say: if I were reading someone's travel blog, I would want some photos, dammit, to break up the text. But I'm not much of a picture-taker. I'm more the type to want to experience a thing first-hand when I'm there rather than through the lens of a camera (she says as though one has to choose between being there & taking the photo).

Last weekend
Last Saturday, Jackie and I went downtown and met up with a couple of friends (Scott & Liz) at the Mill City Farmers Market, which seemed to be more about people selling prepared food and crafty things than about fresh produce, but that was okay by me. Three things to note here:

1. People were moving at a slower pace. I did not get the impression that anyone was going to elbow me out of the way or that they were particularly mission-driven. The lady who accidentally shoulder-checked me didn't seem to notice, but it wasn't because she was moving quickly. People were out with their kids and dogs, sitting on the steps in the sun, drinking coffee & eating things from the food carts.
2. The French toast comes with a sausage! No, seriously, you don't ask for it extra or anything. You just get this big ol' sausage on top of your little cardboard container of French toast! Wha?!?
3. It's a zero-waste market. All the vendors have agreed to only use packaging that is either compostable or recyclable. So cool!

Anyway, it was fun. Milton got a lot of attention, of course, and I had a great time getting to know Scott and Liz.


Last Sunday (Mother's Day) I went with Jackie to see her mom, who lives in Edina. There is a local joke that Edina stands for Every Day I Need Attention, and the people who live there are sometimes referred to as cake-eaters. When I asked about these things, I was told (by Jackie's mom, who lives in an up-and-coming part of Edina and who is originally from a part of Minneapolis just on the edge of Edina) that Edina is full of bored, high-maintenance housewives. "So, kind of like the Real Housewives of Orange County of Minneapolis?" I asked. "Yeah," she said, giving me a funny look out of the corner of her eye. Had a great time with Jackie & her mom, though. We chatted for a while, looked at some recent photos of Jackie & her siblings and took a walk over to the house Jackie's mom was raised in. I hope to see her again before I leave town. 

The weather
This week was mostly cold and rainy, though this weekend has been warmer. I think my body must have adjusted to the climate because today's 70 degrees felt super hot. I should also mention that it's a bit humid here, so that does intensify the temperatures. Despite the cold/rain, though, Milton and I have had good walks along the Mississippi River, where any number of incredibly fit people always seem to be jogging and bicycling. And an unusually high percentage of the male population here does seem to be extraordinarily handsome. So there's that.

Social life
I get to see Jackie for at least a little while every day, which is awesome. In addition, I had drinks with Jackie & one of her co-workers this week and I met up with Liz at a nearby coffee shop for a social/co-work date (she too is a writer). I've actually had more of a social life here in Minneapolis than I did while staying in Bend, which surprises me.

The food

I haven't done a ton of eating out and haven't gone to any of Jackie's favorite food places yet, but in general what I've had is only so-so, and at worst it's given me unpleasant intestinal issues. So far the best food I've had is at a little cafe in the neighborhood. It's not cheap (brunch = $14, lunch = $12-16/plate), but it is tasty, and I like the atmosphere. The service is excellent, too. I took myself out for lunch there last week and today I took Mary Alice there for brunch, which was a four-course set menu: 1) fruit + yogurt; 2) French toast bake; 3) roasted potatoes, duck bacon & a crustless quiche with mushrooms & something green in; 4) a vanilla cake-like thing that I was too full to eat. Nom nom. 

Our server, David, was super pleasant and put up with all our nosy questions about his life. Mary Alice asked him where he lived, and he said, "Como." 

"Oh. Well that's all right then," she said. 

Not having any idea what they're talking about, only that she'd tacitly disparaged his neighborhood, I proceeded to laugh/choke on my coffee. 

Then he told us he'd been robbed at gunpoint in his own neighborhood just two nights prior. Sadface. Suddenly I understood Mary Alice's tone. "Luckily," David continued, "I didn't have my computer on me and I'd forgotten my wallet at home." 

Kudos for looking on the bright side, David. I would've shit my pants.