Big City

My darling friend Roberta has taken a job in corporate America in downtown Minneapolis. This has been a bit of change for Roberta who was previously self-employed, but she's a go-with-the-flow kind of gal (or at least I tell her so enthusiastically). At any rate, several weeks ago I told her I would drive downtown and meet her for lunch in her new Big Business environment.

Off I went today with my GPS in its case and my music CD to practice for Sunday's singing. I was just singing my little heart out when I started to get to the outer suburbs and that's when I started to panic. Now I am a hip, happenin' bass guitar playing Mom on the go, right? Driving downtown Minneapolis is not a big deal, right? I used to do it all the time.

Yeah, all the time 16 years ago. Since then I have been living back out in West Lake Woebegone. Two blocks from my house is the county's only stoplight. Not the neighborhood's only stoplight. Not the town's only stoplight. The county's only stoplight. If you miss this one, it will be at least another 30 miles before you hit another one. It's just a different driving pace.

So there I was still singing away trying to plug in the GPS while driving. Not safe. I got it plugged in and managed to put in the address to Roberta's building. I made it downtown and that's when the GPS in its lovely calm voice said, "You have reached your destination." Well, I didn't think I had, but I got excited because I was in front of an underground parking ramp, so I pulled into the ramp. It was a fancy schmancy ramp with car detailing and gates and such . . . and very little signage. I got out of the Momobile all excited I had made it this far and I started to walk . . . and walk . . . and walk until I got to the top of the ramp where I couldn't get out because of the gates. Back around I went. I tried several unmarked doors and several unmarked staircases to no avail until I got back around to the car. I took three more steps in the other direction and found an unmarked elevator which took me up to the skyway system.

I assumed at this point I was at Roberta's building. GPS told me so. Nope. Nope, I wasn't. In fact, I was pretty sure I had never been in this building before in my life and I had no idea where I was. Thank you, cell phone and skyway map. I was two blocks short.

So, I am home again after my Big Adventure to the Big Downtown of the Big City. It was nice to prove to myself I could still do it, but maybe next time I'll have Roberta meet me out in the suburbs.

Fewer stoplights.