When I first moved here, I didn't know about the great divide between suburb and city here in this grand metropolis. But it didn't take long for me to note the immense pride people took in being from Minneapolis proper, not Hopkins, not Golden Valley, not Minnetonka, and banish the thought of being from Eagan.
Construction Variances, Conformity and Whatever Floats Your Boat
You think the suburbs are bland and eccentricity-free? Think again.
July 27, 2011 at 8:08PM
It's a reverse snobbery that's well earned actually; restaurants, theater, parks, lakes, farmers markets and shopping all within walking and biking distance of your home. I'm just a little jealous.
And that doesn't even begin to take account of Minneapolis' latest honor, most hipster city in US, beating even Brooklyn where the movement, trend, or whatever originated. Face it, this is one cool city. In comparison the burbs can be boring.
But does that mean all we suburbanites are lawn-mowing, car-driving, plain vanilla individuals without a little rebellious streak? Far from it. Oh, they're out there, I see them from time to time; the independent thinkers, the nonconformists, the quiet dissenters.
And then there are the ones that just let their nautical freak flag fly....
Yes that's a gazebo with an outboard motor. As a gardener I especially appreciate the potted hibiscus and hanging geraniums.
Local legend has it that the city of Minnetonka wouldn't give this homeowner permission to place a gazebo on her tiny lakeside lot, so she outfoxed them with a floating garden structure complete with comfy patio furniture and plants. On many a calm evening, you can see her plying the placid waters of Grays Bay.
And yet the city of Minnetonka had no problem with granting permission for the construction of one oversized, out of scale, new house with three, count 'em, three boat docks, just a few houses down from her.
And for that, gazebo gal, I say sail on, sail on!
