All US cities have a unique culture, that’s what makes this country so cool. But let me tell you, when you move to the Twin Cities you feel like you’ve moved to a different country. From the frigid cold to the mysterious way folks are aware of your presence without looking at you, this place takes some getting use to. This is a good thing though because once you get past the culture shock and awkwardness of being the new kid on the block you realize this place has something special.
This is what people tell you when you are about to move up here… “It gets stinkin’ cold here in the winter but besides that everything is good to go, you bet.” Ah-ha, quite subjective.
We’ve all heard the term “Minnesota Nice,” right? To an outsider this equates to everyone running around up here with smiles on their faces and acts of kindness on the roadways. Nope. I find that folks up here don’t smile unless they know you. Heck, it’s hard to get anyone to look at you, let alone smile. Oh, and drivers up here can easily teach the best Chicago motorist a thing or two about tailgating. Again, this is a good thing (well kind of).
The reality is there’s a story behind every behavior. Yeah I know, that sounds a bit ‘Saturday morning’ but it’s true. Why don’t they smile here? Well, I quickly learned that you have other things on your mind when you’re walking from the parking lot to the building or light rail in minus 15 degree temps, smiling isn’t one of them. Oh and the tailgating, well I haven’t figured that one out yet but I think it has to do with the subconscious effort to stay close to others for body heat. Probably not but…
The neat thing about this place is that once you figure things out a bit you realize people are approachable. When I first got to town I called a well known jazz pianist here, Mary Louise Knutson, just to chat and let her know that I enjoyed listening to her music online (I had to leave a message). Guess what, she called back to fill me in on the music scene here. Should have been the first sign!
This place is growing on me. Yeah, what with its 18 or so Fortune 500 firms and its well educated populace its somewhat “recession proof.” And there is no shortage of “hot dish” and “bars.” But the great thing about the Twin Cities is the artistic culture. This place has more theaters per capita than any other place in the country…O.K. New York City probably has more but we are a close second. Nonetheless, musicians are benefactors of this because there are tons of places to perform and many musicians to meet. Once you get past the surface you are “good to go.”
