rebeccalando asked: Okay! Why Minneapolis, how do you like it, how long have you been there, and how does it compare to the other cities you've lived in?
People ask me this all the time, especially my friends from home in Chicago or accumulated while I lived in New York and San Francisco. Growing up in and going to college around Chicago, I never really thought about Minneapolis. Not good or bad. Just never entered my mind. Other folks from the Upper Midwest (Wisconsin, the Dakotas in particular) seem to look to Minneapolis as more of a destination than I ever considered.
That said, I moved here in 2007 to go to graduate school to work with a particular professor whose research interests match up closely with mine (i.e., Asian American psychology, experiences of racial-ethnic discrimination, identity, immigrant cultural adjustment, mental health to name a few things). You wouldn’t think that Minnesota (nicknamed “the Great White North”) would be a hotbed for this type of research, but there is quite a vibrant community of scholars, artists, and activists who are into these issues. Really interestingly, there are large communities of color here in the Twin Cities, such as Hmong and Somali refugees, other immigrant groups like Vietnamese people, and a large number of folks who were adopted internationally, etc. Despite this though, I still sometimes feel a bit out of place as a Filipina American and yearn for the incredible diversity of NYC and SF (even Boston, where I lived for a summer and visited frequently for years). Like I said though, I have a good group of friends and colleagues who are also transplants and we bond over our unique place in this city dominated by non-transplants.
Overall, I would say that I really, really like Minneapolis…I even found myself telling someone yesterday, “I think I could stay here.” You wouldn’t have heard me saying that 3 or 4 years ago.
You could probably say that Minneapolis-St. Paul is “urban-lite.” I appreciate that the Cities are fairly progressive (let’s ignore Michelle Bachmann for a minute), with mayors who support sustainable agriculture and infrastructure. I’ve experienced the MSP as quite queer-friendly. It is a very green, bike-friendly city. The public transportation could be better but it could also be a lot worse. You might be wondering, but what about the COLD? All that snow! Yes, it’s true. Long underwear have become a fact of life, but people here are incredibly hardy and it’s even a bit of a bonding point for us. That’s mostly the case in November-April (yes, it sometimes snows into April)…but then the months of May-October come and make up for all of that crap we put up with the rest of the year. Call it Seasonal Amnesia. Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes, prides itself on its recreational offerings. Everyone is out and about when it gets warm - running, biking, sailing, hiking, whatever. Spirits are very high, perhaps because we can appreciate it that much more because of the cold winters. I would have to say that only San Francisco’s year-round-mild climate would beat it here.
As far as other draws - the arts/culture are pretty darn awesome here! Minneapolis has the second largest number of theaters per capita in the nation (second of course to your home, NYC) and an incredible number of artists in every domain. The TC also has a great music scene, with some interesting notes in rock/punk history, First Avenue, and of course PRINCE! If you have any interest in the whole arts and culture thing, it’s pretty rad.
And, of course, what about the food scene? Considering the history of the city, it’s no surprise that you’ll find less ethnic diversity than the other cities I’ve lived in (make no mistake, there are some really great ethnic restaurants like great pho, Japanese noodles at Tanpopo, Ethiopian at Fasika). But really, what I most appreciate is that food culture here reflects a lot of the Midwestern values that I truly admire. There’s a great respect for our ties to the land, as you can see from the ubiquity of establishments that honor local farmers and artisans. I also really admire how simple and honest a lot of the food is here. Even the most celebrated restaurants (e.g., La Belle Vie, Restaurant Alma, Meritage) manage to balance a high-end quality with an earnestness and lack of pretension. As a graduate student, I don’t have quite the resources to explore the entire scene, but I really love what I’ve experienced so far.
Of course, I would be remiss to fail to mention the people. Sure, there are stereotypes of Minnesota-Nice that occasionally show some truth every now and then. I wish that people were a little bit more direct sometimes, but you learn to navigate the passive aggressiveness and the subtlety of communication.On the whole, people are friendly. I’ve managed to find cool folks to connect with, though it wasn’t easy at first. There are a lot of people who are from the area and have social networks that go back to the elementary and middle school days. As a transplant, I have been able to find others like me with similar interests or life experiences. I’ve also found that I’ve adjusted well socially because of my experiences moving around so much in the last five years.
So…wow, I didn’t realize I had so much love for my current home. I tend to adapt pretty well to wherever I live, loving every city that I’ve been in (okay, except Boston. Sorry, Boston). In thinking to other places I’ve lived…New York City is wonderful with its intellectual culture and diversity, but ultimately, I think I value green space too much to live there.Part of me still holds onto San Francisco as a gold standard when it comes to my major values for life - diversity, weather, and food. But Minneapolis is doing right by me so far. She may not be Ms. Right, but she’s Ms. Right now, and I’m perfectly happy with that.