SEA-MSP The Luminary Loppet 02.04.22-02.06.22

The beginning:

Travel days take careful planning when you live on the island, and that is precisely what I did for this trip: planned carefully. Since work was crazy this week, I needed to pay bills first thing, get Dozer squared-away with his morning routine: potty, breakfast, eye drops, fish treat + melatonin (who says bulldogs are low-maintenance?) before I could get underway. Ben was kind enough to drop me off at the ferry terminal where I magically made the boat before the boat I needed to be on!

My Uber fare was $41.42 for a ride from Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal to SeaTac departures!

Flying solo holds a special place in my heart. I adore traveling with Ben, obviously, but there is something exciting about arriving at the airport, a place defined by how connected it is to other places, full of travel possibilities! As I handed my bag to the baggage agent, I felt instantly 34 pounds lighter! With only my backpack, I headed to the Delta SkyClub. The SkyClub is such a great place to chill while you’re waiting for a flight. Much better than waiting in the terminal for sure. The people watching is unparalleled! Now, I’m not trying to sound elitist, but it’s not just people watching… it’s priveleged-business-traveler-people-watching! I always see people toting the most interesting bags, wearing their dark jeans + flashy sneakers… and I feel at ease— this is my tribe.

Cauliflower mac’n cheese + beef barbacoa were the main attractions at the SkyClub buffet. Travel hack: if you’re like me and want to squeeze the value out of an experience like this, I highly recommend pocketing a few of the individually-wrapped cookies/blondies to have on hand for later. They’re delicious, free, and easy to pack, and did I mention free? Since Linda isn’t known for having snacks like these around, I am especially proud of myself for remembering this very important step in the travel process: don’t forget the blondies.

SEA-MSP: DL 945 13:42—19:00

For some reason my seat was changed from 15A to 22A. I know this because I made a point to book the same seat on my outbound and returning flights. Grrr Delta!

The flight from Seattle to Minneapolis took 3 hours and had some turbulence. The gentleman in the aisle and I got lucky because the middle seat between us was unassigned. We knowingly exchanged a courtesy nod and proceeded to promptly manspread to enjoy the extra space.

Linda & Gayle picked me up at arrivals door 4 (that’s the secret best place to meet your ride at MSP) and we swung by a Thai restaurant for some takeout. Upon arriving at Linda’s home, I finally got to meet her younger son, Andrew. Ryan, Andrew’s son remembered me! Upon seeing me, Ryan inquired, “did you shave your hairs all off?” as he pointed to the top of his own head full of blonde hair. I was impressed with his memory for sure, and Linda, aka Gigi, was too!

We visited after finishing dinner and it was so nice to chat, laugh, and commiserate.

MSP Day 1:

I woke at around 7:00 AM and decided to stay in bed and read my phone/the new kindle book I have until around 8:45 AM. Linda and Gayle were up and chatting and we had a nice easy morning, with one exception. Linda had no caffeinated coffee! Gayle and I made the walk down the hall to the leasing office, where the kitchen has a latte machine; however, to our surprise, the leasing office was closed! As we made our way back to the apartment, I said, “well, I guess it’s breakfast tea for me.” The thing about tea is that although it is delicious and I do feel for whatever reason slightly more sophisticated drinking it… but as great as it is, it lacks the bite that coffee first thing in the morning has. So I was appreciative of Linda’s collection of breakfast tea, but I did miss that first sip feeling.

We headed to Shannon + Martin’s new home with plans to arrive between 11-11:15 AM. Linda decided it would be a nice two-for-one opportunity for us to swing by Coffee & Tea Limited in the Linden Hills neighborhood. Linda handed me her credit card, which I promptly stuck in the door pocket of her car as I exited and headed into the shop. Linda had warned me that the owner was basically deaf and with masks being the norm, it was virtually impossible for him to hear you. So I was preparing mentally to shout COLOMBIAN SUPREMO 1/2 lb whole bean + 1/4 lb ground in separate bags— when I was greeted by a ginger in his 20s who thankfully had perfectly functional hearing. One of the benefits of travel is you get to silently compare prices of commodities from your home to your vacation destination. Coffee in Minneapolis is cheap. The total for 12 ounces of Colombian Supremo cost me a whopping $13. Not a bad deal at all. We also stopped by a shop called Patina for a greeting card. I found a cute card which said “new house” across the front and featured apropos mcm colors and a fabulous monstera leaf! I quickly signed the card for the three of us and Linda whipped us around the corner to Shannon + Martin’s new home!

Shannon + Martin know how to brunch. They had a delicious spread for us including: a chocolate babka, almond croissants, a homemade quiche, yogurt with granola, blueberries and mango. Beverages included delicious coffee and mimosas! Their home is lovely! It is full of character and original fixtures, etc which I think add to the charm. I am so grateful to have seen the house when they’ve only lived there for 5 months, because I just know they are going to do wonderful things with their home. Good bones is an understatement. More like well designed and thought-out bones… paired with an architect and an interior designer as the new owners means I can’t wait to see what all they end up doing in the future!

After brunch we parted ways with Shannon + Martin and headed to Bde Unma/Lake Harriet to see the Art Shanties. Hot damn it was cold. As we made our way onto the lake, I noted the sign stating, “the ice is 18” thick” and I thought alright well we shouldn’t fall in I suppose and then the wind hit me. You might think that when a lake freezes over that would mean being on its surface wouldn’t be windy… well, you’d be wrong (like I was). 14 degrees with winds around 15 mph made for a one-two punch that had even the native Minnesotans groaning. The shanties were interesting, I enjoyed the one which portrayed ice fishing from the perspective of the fish. The exhibit featured all manner of single use plastic waste twisted to look like fish. The moral: we’ve trashed our waterways. As we made our way back to the car Linda remarked, “of course I paid for two hours of parking… we’ve been here for 12 minutes!” It was really that cold.

We headed back to Linda’s house to rest and put on even more layers in preparation for the main event: the Loppet!

The Loppet:

The majesty of Lake of the Isles cannot be conveyed in words. It is the perfect setting for the Luminary Loppet. From the gorgeous homes which encircle it, to the immaculate and well-maintained grounds (hat tip to the Minneapolis Metro Parks Commission) once I have on my snowshoes and see the luminaries with their enchanting glow lighting the winter wonderland, my body’s recognition of the cold disappears! This years’ Loppet appeared to be very popular with thousands of bundled-up humans making their way around the 5 mile course. I continue to be wow’d by these ice blocks with lit candles inside. It’s magical to see and I am grateful to have participated in the Loppet for three years now. We made our way around the lake in pretty good time, and before I knew it, we were all enjoying tacos + Corona’s at a local Mexican restaurant around the corner. Not a bad meal after snowshoeing!

Sunday:

Linda wow’d us with her Dutch baby-making skills! After breakfast, I headed over to the gym in Linda’s apartment complex to work-off some of that afore-mentioned Dutch baby. Upon my return to her apartment, Linda’s sister, Gayle, departed to head back to Brainerd, MN. Linda and I used the rest of our time together to peruse luxury timepieces because we’re the kind of people who appreciate luxury timepieces, of course! Mall of America really is something to be experienced in-person. Yes, it is a shopping mall; however, it also contains an aquarium (I saw stingrays swimming as we walked back to the parking deck) and an amusement park! It’s a nice destination nearby the airport (hat tip to the planners who made that good call) and so it’s a perfect place to kill some time before you head to MSP.

MSP—SEA: DL 890

I paid an obligatory visit to the SkyClub in MSP to have some lunch and scout out more snacks. I enjoyed some pasta + meatballs and a salad. I also copped a brownie (same brand as the aforementioned blondies) for a mid-flight snack. My actual flight back wasn’t the best experience. I was seated in 15A, which coincidentally was the only window-seat in the plane without an actual window… so that sucked. To ward off any claustraphobic feelings, I poured myself into my book to make the four hour flight go faster. It worked! Upon landing I had a brief conversation with the gentleman next to me. He told me he was moving back to WA to take care of his teenage son who “was giving his mom a hard time.” I mentioned my work with ARY/CHINS cases and he asked me if I had any advice. I told him, “I am not a parent and I recognize that parenting is really hard and what works for one family doesn't work for the next— BUT— I would say one thing I’ve learned over the years is that kids want to know they matter to their parents. They really crave one thing: the time and attention of the parents.” I thanked him for showing his son he matters by moving back to the area and I wished them the best of luck going forward as a family.

Ben promptly picked me up from Sun Country arrivals (that’s our secret pick-up spot) and whisked me back to the island!