A bit of neighborhood nostalgia


Sel-Dale Laundromat - Street View, originally uploaded by Keeshond

Before we moved away from our old 'hood in St. Paul, I walked Natalie around in her stroller and told stories about her first home. We don't have any particular fondness for the Sel-Dale Laundromat that's pictured above, but it was only a couple of blocks from our house, which made it a local landmark. Other places do have special significance in our family history:

  • Great Harvest Bread, where I once forgot about Natalie and walked out the door while she sat calmly in her stroller;
  • The former restaurant (now long vacant) where Jenna and I enjoyed a romantic lunch of tapas once upon a time before she was born;
  • Fivetwosix Salon, the host of baby's first fashion show;
  • The local playgrounds where she loved to swing;
  • The Happy Gnome and Muddy Pig, where we celebrated a successful Craftstravaganza, and Sweeney's Saloon, where I sketched out the beginnings of the Minneapolis Indie Xpo.
Oh yes, we have some good memories from our years in the big city, our own roaring 20's. I am glad we lived there when we did. I would not want to move back (at least, I don't now, and I don't foresee that happening any time soon). But when I visit it always feels a little bit like coming home.

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