Day 24: Where we live

Currently, we live in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

And to clarify, we’re not in some suburb like St. Louis Park or Eagan or a residence of that nature. Those are fine places to live and all, but that’s not how we roll.

Our neighborhood is in South Minneapolis, about five blocks north of Lake Nokomis — when frozen, it’s the lake home to the annual Pond Hockey Tourney. If you’re not familiar with this ridiculously-crazy-only-for-the-diehards event, it’s a full-fledge hockey tournament…

that takes place outside …

in the middle of January…

Only to Minnesotans does this sound like a good idea.

When not frozen, Lake Nokomis is our choice location for things such as running, biking, rollerblading, swimming, and general playing around. If and when you visit us, we will at some point take you to the lake.

Our home is off of Cedar Avenue. The path to all wonderful things in life such as Tom’s Popcorn Shop — home of the 10-gallon bag of buttery goodness and thick-chocolate malts.

Here is Tom by the way. He’s a great guy. He’s been selling popcorn to the residents of South Minneapolis since 1979. The guy knows his popcorn. And what it means to provide good customer service. To this day, my Dad says Tom’s caramel corn is the best he’s ever had.

And here’s a fun fact: my parents lived off of Cedar Avenue back in 1983. They moved away to Burnsville that spring, and Erick’s parents moved-in two houses down that same summer. Our parents missed the opportunity to be neighbors by two months. Small world, right?!

Erick likes to think that we could have been childhood sweethearts. 🙂

Another Cedar Avenue staple: Matt’s Bar. Home to the infamous Minneapolis Juicy Lucy. Don’t let anyone ever ever ever tell you that the Juicy Lucy comes from someplace other than Matt’s Bar. Many restaurants in Minneapolis claim ownership to the “Original Juicy Lucy.”

They’re lying. Don’t listen to them.

You may be thinking, “Courtney, what is a Juicy Lucy, and why are you treating it like a proper noun?”

Because. It is a beautiful creation. It’s a greasy burger filled with cheesy-goodness that will make your taste buds want throw a party. Your arteries will clog as you eat it, but trust me, you won’t care.

There you have it folks. This is where we live. Come visit. We won’t be here forever.