I survived the trip to Minnesota, somehow.
I was initially very apprehensive about returning to Minnesota. After being gone from a place from an extended amount of time, it is natural to plot a dramatic entrance.
But reality often looks very different.
Despite the awful weather and shady Delta checking agents, it was actually a fun and productive work trip.
The flight from Dallas and Minneapolis was wonderfully short and empty. I did not have anyone sitting next to me, but instead received the gift of seven toddlers behind me.
This is why they invented on-flight cocktails, and Starbucks!
A shot of the Texas countryside from my Delta flight to Minnesota.
The wintry landscape in lower Minnesota.
So grateful for the Starbucks on this Delta flight.
I did Minnesota in style.
Our annual Account Management meeting was at the Radisson Blu, a swank new hotel attached to Mall of America.
The location of the hotel was ideal because I got to shop, eat, and work without having to go outside into the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad weather.
The lobby of the Radisson Blu in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Giant Lego display in the inside of the Mall of America in the Twin Cities, Minnesota.
Working on the second floor of the Radisson Blu in Mall of America.
The concierge service at the hotel is amazing, and they were able to quickly find places for me to work and take conference calls.
One of the teleconferences that I took at the Radisson Blu was for Thomson Reuters’ global LGBT organization, called Pride at Work.
During that meeting I officially became the co-lead of our global Professional Development Workstream. In that position I will help LGBT employees advance their careers and set up mentorship networks, which is a really exciting opportunity.
After that successful call, I met local celebrity Jakey Emmert and had some retail therapy before the FindLaw awards banquet.
A view of the theme park at the center of Minneapolis’s Mall of America.
A few too many tame tags at the Thomson Reuters meeting.
Some of the rides in the middle of the Mall of America.
…and then there was bingo.
The Mall of America is connected to downtown Minneapolis via train, so of course I met up with the crew for bingo.
Gay bingo at the Minneapolis Eagle / Bolt Bar.
It was exciting to see everyone and trot around my old city.
After living in Dallas for about 7 months, I was somewhat surprised by how little changed in Minnesota.
Sure, there are a few new buildings, but most of my friends, acquaintances, and colleagues are carrying on as before. I suppose just because I had a dramatic change in my own life doesn’t mean that others will too.
I was grateful for the friends I got to see, and impressed again by how pretty Minnesota is, despite the cold.
A Hyatt near the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota
Us having a few beers at the Gay 90s. I was surprised by how regional beers are!
My flight back to Dallas arrived late Friday night.
I got to sit in front of a middle-aged woman who has never been on a plane before. She actually screamed when we took off and kept asking her neighbor stupid questions.
Newbie: “They said that we are beginning our descent, but the plane feels like it is standing still. Is the plane standing still?”
Neighbor: “No. Airplanes cannot stand still in the air. This isn’t a helicopter.”
The college student sitting next to me burst out laughing and I couldn’t keep it in either.
We then got to sit on the runway for 30 minutes because the terminal bridge did not work. However, that did not ruin an otherwise fun trip.
I might go back to the Twin Cities for Pride 2016, but there’s that perennial scheduling conflict with Chicago Pride.
Thoughts?
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