I decided that I am going to stay in my current apartment building until I buy a house. Ideally this house would have a balcony where I can hang a hammock.
I decided that I am going to stay in my current apartment building until I buy a house. Ideally this house would have a balcony where I can hang a hammock.
Some of the interesting street art in Uptown right now is in the form of a sticker:
More pictures after the jump.
So it is officially hotter in Minneapolis than it is in Miami. Summer is here, the neighborhood looks lush, and my freshness is compromised.
Even after a long day at work with a 32-mile bike commute, I still make time to sneak to Lake Calhoun.
I’m totally there.
Of course I went out and celebrated during graduation weekend, but I procrastinated the grand “end of law school” post because I did not have many positive things to say about the experience. Heck, even thinking of law school annoys me. I’m a grumpy old man and law school needs to get the hell off of my front porch.
But the past three years weren’t horrible. I was excited to move to Minneapolis, had many hilarious teachers and classmates, dated several amazing guys (and a few flops), moved into my first apartment, got two crazy-ass dogs, had a near-death experience or two, and got a full-time gig at the company that hired me as an intern during my first year of school.
Sure, there were times that I felt that law school was an epic waste of time and money and times that the whole city lost its mind. There were also times that I wanted to kill both dogs and flee the police raids in my apartment building. But everything ended well (and I can always off the dogs later.)
I leave law school with a gunnertastic work ethic and sense of professionalism that makes me competitive in the workplace. I also learned what people to surround myself with and – perhaps more importantly – who to avoid.
So now that I am on the verge of 25, the law school chapter of my life is over and I am starting my career while living the yuppie-hipster (yipster?) life in Uptown. This should be amusing…
Today’s weather is why people love Minneapolis.
It’s spring, the hipsters are out, and the weather is at a sunny 65-degrees. Bliss.
The day starts with a dog walk around Uptown. Keeping them from demolishing people’s flower beds is harder than it looks.
I throw the dogs back into the apartment and join Mike at the Stella’s Fish Cafe rooftop. The view is amazing, but it is so windy that occasional screams are heard as the plastic water cups launch onto unsuspecting laps.
Oh, and I think they are hiring spell checkers…
Our poor waitress is so overwhelmed. She is the only server for the upper level rooftop and she has about a dozen tables at one point. Things get so desperate that the bus-girl starts taking orders and filling waters. The waitress looks like she was about to cry, but we are in no rush because Stella’s has $5 mojitos when you check in on foursquare. Freaking-yeah.
After a detour to South Minneapolis, the party continues with Kristin and entourage at Tryg’s, near Lake Calhoun. We sit by the fire pit:
This is a cool idea in theory, but a fire pit is not so cool when you are down-wind. We smelled like smoked fish by the time we left. It was so bad that I run to the gas station and buy a $10 can of axe to freshen up.
Tryg’s was good for some excellent people watching though:
Yes that’s a red tie and a page-boy cut. You should have seen the socks. Not pictured is the wine-clutching grandpa and the mulleted biker.
We then go back to Stellas to join a bloated group of someone else’s friends. There weren’t enough seats at Stella’s so we ditched the girls and ended the night around the corner with sushi at Fushion.
I also manage to set up a date for tomorrow while at Fushion. Not a bad way to end my graduation weekend.
The real world starts tomorrow.
I was horrified when I first saw the demolition of Salem English Lutheran Church, but then I learned that the wrecking balls are only for the newish addition.
I dread parking in the Salon parking lot.
There is a parking lot attendant who always creepily compliments my haircut when I pay. He makes me uncomfortable and I have a hard time understanding his thick-Somali accent. He makes me feel as if I’m in some sexual-harassment training video.
Alesus and I are outside of the Uptown Suburban World Theater, having beverages and people watching.
The manger comes out and moves a sandwich board into a metered parking spot. This placement looks awkward, so a waitress suggests that he put the sign on the trash can in front of the restaurant.
Manager: “Hm, sure that looks real appetizing. They’ll come right on it!”
And then he puts the sign up:
Alesus and I ended the week eating oysters on the rooftop patio of Stella’s Fish Café in Uptown Minneapolis.
I didn’t want to take the hike to Cub, the local cheap grocery chain, so I went to the nearby chichi grocery store named Kowalski’s. You know a place is fancy when you’re shopping on carpet.
I was tempted at the check-out lane, but not by the trashy magazines:
I resisted. Trying to be more Knowles than Hudson.
We actually have several chichi grocery stores in the city – Lunds, Byerly’s, Trader Joe’s – and several farmer’s markets. Kowalski’s is pricey, but Lunds is the only place where I have ever paid $15 for grapes.
I’m a PC user, but I can still appreciate the cool design of the Uptown Minneapolis Apple store.
She’s from finals, but I forgot to post the picture here:
