Although I do love being able to look from my hotel room on the 20th floor to the cityscape outside my window, I have to admit that it takes coming into the city for a few days to appreciate life in the woods. The driving is the first thing that got me. Minneapolis has never really had enough roads for its population - even when I lived here nearly 8 years ago!I feel extremely lucky that I still have my set of "Twin Cities driving cujones" so I felt no remorse whipping over two lanes to get off at my exit downtown and was able to avoid the fender bender that always seems imminent when driving on I-94 in the city. The second thing that got me is the light. Now, I really wanted to sleep with my curtains pulled all the way open so I could enjoy the night lights, but of course, I couldnt sleep because of the, well, night lights! Third of all is the $5 cup of coffee I am drinking right now. I make my own cafe breve at home with good coffee (that I get from the ahem- city-ahem), an italian espresso maker, and a handy dandy spinning milk foamer. I know it does not cost $5 a cup, nor do I need to grunt small talk at someone who has been up since 5 a.m. Fourth is the people. I swear, I saw more deer in the Northwoods in the past week than people I saw on my way down to get my $5 cup of coffee. It is good to see people, after all, we are social animals. But when you are used to the solitude of the woods, it just takes getting used to.
It is times like these that I don't know whether I could survive living full-time in the city again, although I still have fantasies when I am at home. Well, I will enjoy the things that the city offers while I'm here, including the conference that I have the good fortune to be attending.
Okay,was just on our two hour lunch break and I decided to visit my old stomping grounds - mainly Midwest Federal, where I spent 7 years working at a small outfit called TV Guide,and the IDS Center, where I was a bank teller. Not a bank, as I had previously written. (thanks, Renee!). As I was looking for a place to have lunch, I figured out two more things I don't miss about the city:
1, and this is tricky to say, but living in the city you can no longer ignore homeless people. Walking down Nicollet Mall, I remember years ago walking those same streets on the way to work and feeling bad/avoiding eye contact with people looking for a handout. So easy to avoid even thinking about homeless people when you live in an area where, if there are any, they are hidden away.
2, being aware of my purse/cash at all times. It is so funny (not ha-ha funny, either) that I immediately found myself with my hand on my wallet on one side and hugging the buildings on the other. It was so automatic: you can take the girl out of the city....
1 comment:
i didn't know you used to be a bank! and i thought i knew you...
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