Friday, March 25, 2011

Relocation and Crazy People

So, after six years of living in New York City, I've found myself in Duluth, MN. I'm still settling in, and in fact, I still have to go back to NYC this weekend to retrieve my piano, couch, and various other items I can't live without.

In the meantime, I'm occupying myself with learning my new job and obsessively comparing life in Minnesota versus New York. Dear readers, as far as I can tell, Duluth has just as many crazy people as New York with population of only about 90,000 to NYC's 8 million. How does this work? All I can think is that it must be a college-town thing. Not that I mind. The hippie vibe is part of what I love about my new home of Duluth, and why, growing up in Dearborn, Michigan, I always wished I lived in Ann Arbor.

Where have I witnessed said crazy people? I work downtown near a major bus stop, in a center with various shops and businesses. In a strange New York City-like fashion, our office is tiny, with two desks, zero outside windows, and no air conditioning. The company owner's sister has decorated the walls with personal travel photos. Big Ben, downtown Dubai, and various other seductive locations are beckoning me before I've even made it from NYC to Duluth. I never figured myself for a girl with wanderlust, but lately, I've been full of ideas. Atlanta, Maine, Italy, returns to Boston and Paris. Sigh. Someday!

One of the most important comparisons between NYC and Duluth involves something I didn't think through before the move: Minnesota Nice. Minnesotans are famous for it, and it's my secret pet project to find out if it's true. So far, so good. Even the crazy people are nicer. In New York, shady characters hanging around are apt to hurl insults at you if you ignore their bizarre requests, come-ons, or panhandling. Here in Duluth? There's a crazy lady in my neighborhood who has been methodically working her way around town with a shovel, edging people's lawns for them. Seriously. And I haven't heard a peep from anyone else.

In New York, I always felt my Midwestern politeness, such as it is, was a handicap. Maybe even something to look down upon. And gradually, my manners wore away. To make a long story short, I wasn't okay with that, and I found myself looking for a change in location, back to a place where I'd function more like myself. I had connections here in Duluth, but until I got here, it didn't hit me: I've moved from the city in the United States with the absolute worst reputation for politeness to the state with the best! Maybe I'm over-thinking this, but did my subconscious orchestrate this move?!

Originally written August 16, 2010.

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