briannakocka

Why do we love our hometowns? I’ve been contemplating that question since I arrived here in St. Stephen. To say it bluntly, I miss home. My heart belongs to Minneapolis. However over the past few weeks I’ve been concerned as to why I love Minneapolis. Sadly, Minneapolis isn’t my hometown, (because Chaska is) however I lived there for a year and I miss the city dearly.

Could it be that when home I can drive twenty five minutes and be surrounded by city lights and dirty-snow covered streets? Could it be that driving down 35W north just passing over Lyndale Ave. I can see the city line reaching toward the often smog filled sky? Is it the deadly merge from 94 westbound onto the Hennipen/Lyndale Ave. bridge?

Minneapolis quiets itself at night. It becomes peaceful. There are not a lot of metropolitan areas that mellow at night. During the day the hustle and bustle is more than apparent. Cars of every type. Like that old SUV in Uptown that has the makeshift tarp roof. Or the SUV that still to this day is parked outside of my old apartment building on Emerson and Franklin. Even better than cars are bicycles. Everywhere you look, no matter what time of year you have people riding.

Or could it be that during Christmas time Hennepin Ave. from Franklin to Lake Street is lite up with twinkle lights? It’s almost magical. Uptown is filled with every type of person. On any street you will find the cliche hipster with their bandanna around their neck and newest trendy pair of sunglasses. Next to them is the clubbing girl in her outfit thats far too small for the seaons–no matter what the season–and next is the bum on the corner who thought Minneapolis was the place to make a quick buck from the most recent passer byer.

Then there is me. The one who sometimes looks the part of the emo-listening, PBR drinking, fixed gear riding girl and tomorrow the rock-climbing, mountain biking girl. We have blank faces, but they are the most beautiful blank faces that make up a city. We are the city.

So maybe its you and I who make up the city that tugs continually on my heart. Maybe its seeing that city line as I drive. Or maybe its because its mine. I am Minneapolis and Minneapolis just might be me.