August 1st, 2007

Part of the inspiration behind this blog was to share our passion for our city with you. Minneapolis is where we live, work & play. We love this place. And when this city gets hurt, we hurt with it. When the news of the I-35W bridge collapse hit, Kirk and I had to see it to believe it. With the urge to get there as fast as we could, we drove half way to the site and ran the rest of the way, even though we only had a mile or so to travel. While in route, we pulled up to a stop light and the guy in the car next to us called over and asked if we had heard the news - only to continue on and tell us that his wife takes the bridge and that she wasn't answering her phone. Strangers reaching out to strangers at a stoplight - my heart dropped for him - I guess I won't ever hear how that story ended, just one of the thousands of stories from that day.
What struck me as we approached the Stone Arch bridge was the diversity of the people - not diversity as in 'multicultural fun,' but diversity in the sense that no matter what people were doing or where they were in the moments before the bridge fell - they were all suddenly right there. Some had been out jogging, some were in business suits, one woman was wearing what looked like a formal dress - I was part of the crowd that had managed to change into workout shorts, but still had my work shirt on. It didn't matter where you were or what you were in the middle of - at that moment, there was only one concern.

Not satisfied with our view from the Stone Arch Bridge, we raced along the east bank of the Mississippi towards I-35W. The closer we got, the more uncontrolled, hectic and blurred things seemed to get. The sky was turning that yellowish green color it gets right before it storms. Gone was the heat and humidity of the afternoon - suddenly the wind was almost chilling. Cell phone lines were overloaded, people were frantically running - sirens blared in what otherwise felt like silence. I saw a man and two young girls break through police tape to run down to the river - to my surprise the police didn't yell at them - instead, he ran with them and said "no, it's further down, over here." I have no idea what I was actually witnessing at the moment - another unfinished story I'm not sure I even want to hear the end of. It was then that I looked up and saw dozens of cars hanging off the bridge and others crushed in metal. To complicate the matter, Kirk was no where to be found - and my cell phone was useless. For being only a mile from home - suddenly I felt lost, scared and pathetically helpless in a sea of chaos. More relieved than angry, but feeling both, I found Kirk an eternity later - about 5 minutes later.

Seeing images of our little corner of the world plastered on the front page of the New York Times, London Times & every other news organization in the world has been surreal. Reading comments posted online from concerned people all over the world - including Beijing, Paris & Norway reminds me, as if I need a reminder, of the monstrosity of this horrific catastrophe. I am just so grateful that my family & friends were not affected, but know all too well that so many others do not have that same fortune.

While I will not blame the bridge collapse on anyone - I will point out that our Governor, T-Paw, has completely abused his power. Like a stubborn two year old, he refuses to spend any money on transportation or infrastructure improvements. A 5 cent increase in the gas tax could dramatically improve this city's transportation system. But, no, as a self-serving jerk, he refuses to let-up on his outdated vow. At this point, I'm not sure what it will take to wipe the smirk off his face. Quite frankly, he makes me sick.

So there you have it, that is my story from August 1st. Thanks to all the out-of-state and out-of-area friends that sent well wishes. Your thoughts mean so much. As I said before, when your city hurts, you hurt with it. But, sometimes it takes a little vulnerability in your own backyard to make you love your city even more. I chose not to post any of the pictures of the collapsed bridge - just turn on CNN if you want to see that. Pictured above is the Third Ave. Bridge on a happy October day last year. Enjoy.