I was driving along a stretch of Larpenteur Avenue this weekend and I was reminded of the first time I can recall making that drive. It was over twenty-five years ago. After a summer as a camp counselor and a fall of doing not much of anything, I came to the Twin Cities to visit my sister and her husband and to look for work. My brother-in-law was finishing up at Luther Seminary and they had a small apartment in student housing. They invited me up, graciously offering their home. For me, it was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with family who also happen to be friends. Their daughter was just a toddler at the time and I enjoyed the chance to get to know this new relative.
When I first got to their apartment, I didn't venture out much. If I did, it was as a passenger, riding with my sister or her husband. When I rode along, I tried to pay attention to the route. I really did. But each block looked so much like the last, and none of them looked familiar. Gradually, I did learn a few landmarks - a mall here, a church there. Still, for the most part, I was in a strange land. I remember finally deciding to take that trip to the mall on my own. The directions were simple enough, take Larpenteur to Snelling, turn left and drive until you see the mall on your right.
I thought about this as I drove on Larpenteur Avenue last weekend. Many of the houses and landmarks are essentially the same now as they were then. Now they are as familiar as my home town. I guess they are my home town. My drive twenty-five years ago was a tentative one, full of uncertainty and apprehension. I had no idea that one day I would bicycle on this street. I didn't know that the corner I was so worried about missing would end up being three blocks from the house where I would live with my wife and sons. It's funny to think how alien the neighborhood felt back then.
This past weekend, I visited my niece in student housing at Luther Seminary. As I pulled onto Larpenteur Avenue, I decided not to go straight home. Instead, I went to the mall.
2 comments:
Awww, cute post! It made me remember my first time living in the cities, when you graciously took me in for a few months. And I remember my first drive alone to HarMar -- I was worried I wouldn't know how to get there or back to your house, and that was way closer than where you were! But, like you, I made it. :)
Awww, good memories!
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