Movie + Park + Friends

This is the best representation of Movies in the Park from the always-right-on The Onion:

Nation's Boyfriends Dreading 'Free Event in the Park' Season

I wonder if John feels the same. I'll err on the safe side and just not ask. I'll assume he enjoys it as much as I do.

Movies/Music in the Park is a full fledged must-do in the Twin Cities. I guess when you have the best park system in the U.S., you have to do something with them. Here are all the organization/businesses offering free movies in metro parks:

• Minneapolis Park & Rec Board
• City of St. Paul
• Solera Restaurant
• Walker Art Center
• Brit's Pub

Lucky for us, ThrillList put together all the above movie schedules into a neat little package. Suburban cities have even gotten on this cinema bandwagon. Some items to not forget with movie-watching in the park:

• Blanket
• Tarp to put under blanket
• Bug spray!!!
• Drinks (water and other...)
• Snacks or cash to buy food from food trucks
• Sense of humor--don't come to a park movie if you can't tolerate some talking, audience participation, or airplane flyovers

We just completed the grand month of June and John and I have already been to two movies in the park. That's pretty remarkable considering it's been raining almost every day and most parks are underwater.

Our first flick was in celebration of Jess (John's sis) and Dustin's 20th anniversary. We all met at Van Cleve Park in Northeast for "front row" seats to The Goonies. Although you're not supposed to bring alcohol, you can generally sneak in canned beer or disguise it in some way. It was a perfect evening of family and an 80s movie. Heeey Youuuu Guuuuuys!

The second movie we check out was Rent at Lake Harriet Bandshell to kick off Pride weekend. We should have ridden bikes to this one because parking is always a cluster fuck. It wasn't too bad this time since we arrive way early. We staged some delicious ice cream from Bread & Pickle (a Hennepin County Environmental Partner) and cozied up with friends on our patchwork of blankets. I've got to say I wasn't too impressed with Rent although the singing was phenomenal; lyrics not so much. But I loved being there!

What else should we see this summer?

Grease, Back to the Future, Top Gun, Beetlejuice, League of Their Own? Too many to choose from!


Number 3 on the Summer To-Dos knocked off!

Visitors off all sorts, Part I

A-top Foshway Tower in downtown Minneapolis

Whilst my mum was visiting in June, I needed to figure out activities that would appeal to her. I had my usual list of museums, art exhibits, concerts, etc. that I gave to my more youthful visitors. (see my Twin Cities suggested sites) My mom drove up from Branson MO (aka Old People Vegas) to visit me in my new city. Mom, who doesn't get around as easily anymore, was a tad more challenging to create a fun-filled itinerary for than other visitors. Walking around the parks, biking, and drinks on a rooftop bar were off the table. My mom's list of fun activities: playing music at church, going on scenic drives, and...other activities that I'm supposed to know because I'm her daughter. Time to be creative!

My mom picked a few activities from the list I sent to my sister and visiting friends and added a few of her own from scouring the internet. I would never expect her to want to be atop the Foshay Tower or visit the Bell Museum of Natural History!

Day 1: Play Ball!

Her visit started as soon as she parked the car. We rushed her to free seats at the Twins vs. Kansas City Royals (thanks Germaine!). She had never been to a baseball game before--although I hadn't either before John took me on one of our first dates.

Day 2: MinneAwesome 

The next day, we had our mother-daughter bonding time with a full day of roaming Minneapolis: Foshay Tower, Bell Museum, and a driving tour of the Mill City area. She appreciated the diversity of Mpls and the cache of museums/theaters/parks we have to offer.

Day 3: Birds, Buttons & Bowls 

We spent a beautiful Saturday morning in Ft. Snelling State Park at the Birds & Binoculars free tour. I'm not much of a birder but I enjoyed learning about the Minnesota's vast aviary. I've never seen so many adults staring into the trees trying to hear harder.

John and mom humored me by going to the first-ever Mend-It Clinic sponsored by Hennepin County. Perfect place to learn how to mend zippers and sew on buttons! For lunch, mom wanted something she wouldn't normal have in Branson (but no Indian food). We took her to a hole-in-the-wall in my 'hood that serves Ethiopian. I am so proud of her for trying a food that you eat with your hands in a dank place that we had never been to. Go mom!

Then we ditched John and headed to the Eagan Art Festival. Lack of money didn't hinder my enjoyment of ceramic bowls, paintings, and lawn sculptures. (Pssst. I secretly wanted to go to check out their recycling. The coordinators had received a funding from my job to set up recycling during the event.)

The Great Tree Collapse

If a tree falls in a park, does it make a noise? Um, yeah and it was freaking loud.

The Twin Cities has a massive storm last Friday, June 21. My house guest, John, and I were about to head out to a music festival when the wind picked up, the rain started pouring and the pressure dropped. The tree outside my 3rd story apartment pressed on the electrical lines with every major gust. Then--bam!--the power went out and we suddenly saw an explosion out of one of the windows. It must have been a transformer.

There's no way to describe the wind other than intense and frightening. John, knowing the start of tornadoes, herded us quickly out of the apartment and into the basement. Opening the door from my apartment to the hallway was actually a struggle the pressure was that forceful. The stairwells were covered in water from the nearby open windows. In the pitch dark basement with only the harsh light of our cell phones we ran into my neighbors. I've never seen so many of my apartment dwellers in one place!

The storm only lasted 30 minutes to an hour but was extreme. Over 600,000 people were left without power; most not getting electricity for a day or more. We headed to John's house in St. Paul where we found out the storm wasn't as bad. Getting to St. Paul was a bit dangerous; all the lights were out and we had to drive through a labyrinth of toppled trees. I'm impressed that Xcel Energy responded so quickly. They estimated that my area would get power Monday or Tuesday but we were turned on late Saturday.

Later that day and for the next week, we started noticing the damage created. The National Weather Service says several communities experienced gusts up to 60 mph.  Trees old and young couldn't withstand winds of 50+ mph.  Luckily most trees fell in parks or took out fences and garages; however, a few houses and cars were not so lucky. Minneapolis Parks and Rec has counted over 3,000 trees uprooted just in the park system.

One year ago today...

One year ago today I flew to Minneapolis to have two interviews for Dakota County. My last day of work at the Pueblo City-County Health Department was technically Friday, June 29, 2012, but I had to use a few vacation days to come to Minnesota. Yep, I had my interview on my last day of work. Kismet? I think so.

It hit me today while touring around my visiting mom. We paid the absurd fee of $8 to shoot up to the 30th floor of the Foshay Tower in downtown Minneapolis. It has a surreal panoramic view of the cities. I thought about the last (and only) time I had been to the historic landmark. And it hit me: one year ago today!

My life has surely changed in 12 months: new job, new friends, new city. I'm grateful for this adventure, indeed.

7. Movie in the Park

Hooray! #7 Movie in the Park was all that I knew it could be! Another activity to mark off on the Things To-Do list. 

Minneapolis Parks and Rec coordinates an intense schedule of bands and movies from June through August set in many of Minneapolis' parks. They inflate a gigantic, portable screen in under a minute and then project the movie. 

I tried to catch a showing of The Princess Bride in Powderhorn Park last week, but the constant rain ruined that. Luckily, my friends had scheduled a get together to watch The Mighty Ducks at Lake Harriet Bandshell. My friend is a total Mighty Ducks nut so it was the perfect opportunity to get together on a blanket and laugh about silly 90s moments. 

Mighty Ducks was part of the Minnesota Connections theme this year. Movies with links to the Land of Lakes are Mighty Ducks, Grumpy Old Men, Miracle, Little Women, Moneyball, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Back to the Future, and Toy Story. So what is the Mighty Ducks connection, you ask? The movie was filmed in the Twin Cities, which made it more fun to watch. My MN friends could recognize places like the old Met Center and the Winter Carnival. You can still go to Mickey's Diner in downtown St. Paul to get a bite. 

Best part: chanting "Quack! Quack! Quack!" along with hundreds of strangers and Emilio Estevez. 

Snow Emergency? WTF?

It's finally snowed a bunch in Minneapolis. We might get 15" in a day! The Governor has declared a Snow Emergency. In Colorado, a Snow Emergency is as simple as don't call emergency vehicles for minor crashes. You have 30 days to report the accident.

Snow Emergency in Minnesota? A little different...

What I've learned:
1) Know where to park. 
From the MN Transportation Dept. Your car will be ticketed and towed if it's in the wrong spot.
Day 1, 9pm-8pm: Don't park on street with red Snow Emergency signs until it is fully plowed.
Day 2, 8am-8pm: Don't park on EVEN sides of non-Snow Emergency streets. Don't park on the sides of parkways.
Day 3, 8am-8pm: Don't park on ODD sides of non-Snow Emergency streets.
Day 4: If it's still snowing, you're f*#%ed.

2) People own snow blowers--and use them!
I'm never seen so many snow blowers in use. I can definitely understand why they're used after a foot of snow falls and you have a corner lot.

3) You have to shovel your sidewalks.
Property owners are required to clear sidewalks of ice and snow within 24 hours for homes and duplexes and within 4 hours for apartment and commercial buildings.

4) You have to use your headlights in rain and snow.
It is illegal to drive without your headlights on in the rain or snow. And it's also smart. So turn your lights on idiot!

5) Pedestrians walk in the streets more. 
It's just easier walking in the street instead of waiting for the sidewalks to be shoveled. Luckily, I lived in Pueblo for 10 years where no one uses sidewalks.

Did I miss anything?

Finding My New Home

My new place!

How to find an apartment 1,000 miles away? Not possible. Well, I guess it is possible but I couldn't get the feel of a place from a few pictures on the internet. My plan: find a bunch of places I like online and make appointments for the few days I have between arriving in Minneapolis and starting work.

What I want:

• Historic preferably brownstone
• Close to downtown Minneapolis
• Near Cedar Ave. 
• 1-bedroom 
• Hopefully in Whittier, Nakomis, Powderhorn, Phillips, Longfellow

After scouring MyApartmentMap.com, Rent.com, and Craigslist, I narrowed my list down and called the managing companies to set up appointments. Not all my picks were available for Sept. 1 but I got a firm list of 4 to look at. I also got pre-approved at a few property management companies so I wouldn't have to wait if I liked the apartment. Whew! 

Robin and I woke bright and early on Saturday to start the hunt. Starting with Whittier, we saw a few 1920s apartments. They were a little pricier, parking was scarce, and the neighborhood was a bit whiter than I'm used to. We looked at complex in Bloomington that was the exact opposite of what I wanted: isolated "community" with a pool and social nights. Slightly discouraged, we started driving towards Stevan's Square for the last appointment of the day. I had heard that Steven's Square might not be the best neighbhorhood for a single while lady, but I am coming from Pueblo. 

We decided to drive through Powderhorn and Phillips before. I really like this neighborhood. It just feels right. Suddenly, I got a call from the woman meeting us checking to confirm. She said I might be interested in an apartment that just opened up in....Powderhorn! 

As soon as we pulled up to the three story brownstone across situated across from a large, quiet park, I was hooked. I didn't even need to see the apartment. I wanted to be here. The woman from The Apartment Shop showed us the 1-bed/1-bath with hardwood floors, and plenty of storage. Other good news: it was $100 cheaper than the other places and it has off street parking. I signed that day and I was ready to move! 

Bad news: I had to wait till Wednesday to move--my first day of work!