Walkin' Around Checkin' Stuff Out. #61
This week is all about people…mostly older people, because they are cool.
Oldster at The Minneapolis Club.
Hanging out at the Minneapolis Club one afternoon and in walks this cool old dude who proceeds to move a high-backed leather chair right in front of the (actual working, real wood) fireplace with his newspaper. A few minutes later someone came in, set-up a side table and brought him a pot of coffee and a warm cookie on a plate. As he settled in and opened his paper he gave me a side glance that said “who the hell are you?” and “this is how you live, son.”
Harp player.
I was in an office building downtown and saw this woman loading up to move her giant harp after playing a morning set of holiday tunes for the office workers. The harp was about 3 feet taller than her and probably weighed twice as much. Not a fun piece of gear to haul, but she’d clearly done it before. She had a custom bag, a dolly, and it didn’t seem to bug her much. Comes with the territory when you decide to play that instrument, I guess.
Dudes in a cafe.
Had a meeting at Key’s Cafe in Roseville and it was like stepping back in time. People having breakfast seems old-school to me...eating hash browns and sausage and giant omelette's seems old school...and giant pots of coffee landing on the table (not $6 a cup) is definitely old school. Lots of people reading actual newspapers or hanging out talking. These two seemed like they’ve spent a lot of time eating breakfast together over the years. They were comfortable in silence, other than the occasional grunts and groans of eating.
Dude in a coffee shop.
Few things are cooler than old dudes in coffee shops reading newspapers.
Crossword gang.
Not as cool as an old couple playing cards, but dueling crosswords is up there. Even though they were working on their own crosswords I got the sense there was a race element to see who could finish first or who wouldn’t need the other’s help. Spouse rivalry, for sure.
In a heated battle.
Old dudes in coffee shops reading newspapers is cool...but old couples hanging out in coffee shops playing cards is even cooler. I saw these two at Nina’s and it was clear to me that she was kicking his ass.
Ears.
This dude was all ears. They say ears never stop growing, they just stop working. It must be true because he had a set of hearing aids as well.
Good Times Pizza.
For the record, Franz (the owner of Good Times) is not an old dude, but he is cool.
Good Times Pizza is about as good as it gets when you’re talking pizza...especially “tavern style” pizza, which I don’t think we have much of around here. I’m no pizza expert but the process for making Tavern Style seems to be a bit more involved...lots of timing and shifting from one oven to the other. The owner is way into it. It’s an art with a craftsmanship process that needs to be followed exactly the same every time. Gotta play those ovens like they’re musical instruments.
Prints available.
WACSO prints might look good under the Christmas tree. Gallery 360 in Minneapolis has a good collection of affordable prints…plus postcards, ornaments and even coffee mugs.
I have a question I have been meaning to ask: Did you, by any chance, ever do any drawings of the old coat check lady at Jax Cafe back in like 2011? I tried looking through the archives on your website but couldn't find it.