Day 5 - Oooooooooh yah.

09:30
I’m pissed off to be awake at 04:00. Was more than a little hoping that by now my clock would have adjusted better than this. Hopefully the 2 hours time difference to Minnesota will help me out a bit for the next few days. I’m sad to be leaving Seattle. It’s a great town, despite what Rowan might say. It’s expensive, mind - but a great place in which to hang out. I’ll be back for sure, and I think Vicks would like it as a city as well.

I’m packed and on my way to the airport ahead of schedule. The train out to the airport is pretty empty, despite it being rush hour. I just don’t think there are *that* many big businesses in Seattle that have a ton of workers commuting in and out each day. I’m at the airport in very good time, and quickly drop my bag off. Seattle-Tacoma Airport is decent as US airports go. It’s big, clean, bright and airy. I grab some breakfast, and settle into a comfy chair for a couple of hour wait. There’s someone in the restaurant I’m in having a beer. I’m a tiny bit tempted, but not enough to actually grab one.

18:30
Bastard Delta changed my seat. I’d booked myself an aisle seat, and they’ve moved me to the middle of a row of 3. Wank-puffins. The flight’s pretty bumpy. Weirdly, almost everyone at a window seat around me has shut their blind. Apparently the rule about having them open for take-off and landing doesn’t apply in the US? Anyways, it’s really disconcerting in turbulence during take-off not to be able to see out of a window at all. As we wobble and weave our way into the sky, I can’t really tell if the pilot is making modest adjustments, or we’re see-sawing all over the shop. I think about asking my seat mate whether she could open the blind, just while we’re taking off, but she’s fast asleep, and I’m not that mean. The flight’s around 3 hours, and I watch a couple of TV episodes, whilst nursing an IPA.

Landing into Minneapolis is both familiar and new. The airport’s undergone a bunch of work since I was last here. There are some spots I recognise, but others that don’t job the memory. For this, an internal flight, there’s no irritating TSA agents to deal with. My bag arrives at the carousel pretty quickly, and soon enough, I’m on a metro tram into the city centre.

I’m trying to figure out when I was last in town. I *think* it was about 10 years ago, but need to do some forensics to be certain. For about 4 years, after SHL merged with PreVisor in 2011, most of my closest work colleagues were based in the US, and we used Minneapolis (and SHL’s office here) as our meeting hub. All told, I think I visited maybe 5-6 times, and really fell in love with the city. It’s one of my favourite places to spend time. So many cool places to eat and have a beer, an incredible music scene both historically and in the present, several great sports teams - including my beloved Minnesota Vikings NFL team. And because I’m weird, and like the cold, the wintry weather I’m promised is right up my street. It’s around 0C when I land, and will get a little cooler overnight.

The metro into the city is quick, and I’m checked into my hotel a little after 18:00. It’s a Marriott property, from their ‘Tribute’ brand, and a very cool place. It kinda feels like a 1920s art deco hotel inside, and my room is spacious and comfortable. I’m in need of sustenance though. I’m minded to head over to the Warehouse District, where I’ve had some great meals in the past.

22:40
It is COLD out. Mercury says -1C, but there’s a chill wind that makes it feel colder. I wore a pair of light combat trousers to travel today - my standard flightwear. I’m soon regretting not changing these for something sturdier before heading out.

I’ve worked out when I was last in town. It was late Summer, 2013. The city centre is same same, but different. Some of my favourite bars and restaurants have shut, but many remain open. I walk past Gluek’s, a great brewpub a couple of blocks from my hotel. I’ve spent many a happy Happy Hour in here after finishing work at the office nearby. Several of their own beers made on premises, and a selection of other locally made craft beers and ciders. Live music most weekend nights. What’s not to like? I walk past the Loon Café, which is a past favourite of mine for watching Vikings games. I’ll probably end up here on Sunday to watch the Vikings play the Chicago Bears. Highly, HIGHLY partisan crowd.

I head out past Target Field, the home of the Minnesota Twins baseball team, and find a cider brewery, called Number 12. Excellent. They have 12 (aha!) of their own ciders on draft. A few of them sound pretty rank, but I try a couple of their drier offerings, and they’re really good. One is a bit of a monster, at 9.2%, but it’s got a sort of toffee apple funk about it, that I love. It’s also really busy inside. A lot of downtown businesses struggle over the weekends, as the commuter trade heads to the suburbs for the weekends, but here, there’s a very cool busy buzz.

Next door is StormKing, a brewpub and smokehouse. Their Hazy IPA is a lovely drop, and the brisket sandwich they bring me is a thing of great, great beauty. The bark on the brisket is crunchy, chewy, fatty and balls-out delicious. The meat is juicy and tender, and has the texture of something that’s been smoked very, very slowly for a very, very long time. I glance at the time, and realise it’s pushing towards 21:00, and I’m not sleepy yet. Huzzah! I briefly consider a nightcap at the bar at my hotel, but it’s deserted. There are two bartenders working, and I don’t think a 2 to 1 ratio in favour of the bar-staff makes for a good and relaxing bar experience…Læs mere