On my walk, I decided to pay my respects to the Father of Waters (statue) at City Hall. To my surprise, a press briefing was just starting, so I stuck around. I listened as local and state leaders bore witness to the violent ICE occupation of our city; instead of dividing us, their presence has only brought the community together.
Category: Place
Mansion walk
After our successful elevator doors walk last week, a friend and I went on a ‘mansion walk.’ We braved the icy sidewalks to explore a Minneapolis neighborhood featuring a scattering of mansions built by families like the McKnights (3M) and the Pillsburys. Today, most of these properties serve as offices and event spaces.
Americano, no ICE
The barista at Open Book’s coffee shop gave me a friendly wave as I walked in for my usual six-ounce Americano. I’d been examining the sign telling ICE goons to stay away. Some are billeted in hotels in our neighborhood, and judging by their low literacy levels, I’d be surprised if any wanted to walk into this temple of books for a cuppa. Similar signs are popping up on businesses all over the city.
Nordic themes
Hygge was clearly a theme as we walked into Orchestra Hall for a Nordic chamber music concert performed by members of the Minnesota Orchestra. The program featured works by three Scandinavian composers: Valborg Aulin, Otto Mortensen (I had to Google both), and Jean Sibelius. The current music director, Thomas Søndergård, is from Denmark and his predecessor, Osmo Vänskä, is from Finland, reflecting the Nordic roots of many Minnesotans.
An empty classroom
Went for a quiet walk to process my thoughts. I should have been in the classroom working with recent immigrants. Instead, school is canceled for the rest of the week. This follows yesterday’s ICE actions in Minneapolis, which included the murder of Renee Good and the tear-gassing and shoving of staff and students at their school.
Elevator doors and a secret passage
The theme of a downtown walk with a friend was elevator doors. The building guards were friendly; at the former Minneapolis Grain Exchange, a guard even directed us to a ‘secret’ underground passage. Lined with vault doors more than a century old, it connects with a building across the road. Click through for a photo.
Travel wabi-sabi
In a moment of boredom, I mapped out the Japanese prefectures I’ve visited (blue), many of them multiple times. While I’ve traveled through the yellow prefectures near Tokyo, I don’t count those. The younger me might’ve felt the need to visit every prefecture to ‘complete the set,’ but these days I embrace the imperfection: a bit of travel wabi-sabi.
The first walk
An advantage, if not a responsibility, of being old is using resources when others can’t. Today at noon, our local bar is quiet. It was doubtless packed last night for New Year’s Eve, but the patrons are now home nursing hangovers. Our New Year’s Day tradition is a walk, though today it was curtailed by the cold; a five-minute stroll to our local, Maxwell’s, for lunch was all we could muster.
Hue and haze
Inside, colorful American Indian mosaics and artwork blend traditional and non-traditional materials. Outside, the world fades to grey in the mist. This morning at the Walker Art Center.
Frozen in time
At Minnehaha Park, I couldn’t resist taking yet another photo of the falls before meeting up with a friend for a walk, great conversation, and a cuppa.