Telling the Truth

Maybe it's too early to start saying anything about the bridge collapse in my beloved city other than "So terrible." But I'm going to say something anyway. In all the news reports, especially in the national news, the story goes something like this: "A bridge crossing the Mississippi River on a thoroughfare interstate through downtown Minneapolis collapsed at 6:05pm, at the height of rush hour." Tragic and true, except that, in Minneapolis, 6:05pm is not the height of rush hour.

6pm sounds like rush hour. And on the coasts it is, I'm pretty sure. But here in the Twin Cities, we like to work from 7:00am-4:00pm. 4:30 max. Especially in the summer. In fact, many offices close at noon on Fridays in the summer because people have lakes to go to and precious few months to enjoy them. Ask anyone in Minneapolis-- the rush hours are from 6:30am-8:00am and from 3:30pm-5:30pm.

Here's an example. Yesterday I left work at 5:00pm and it took me 45 minutes to get home. Today I left work at 6:00pm and it took me 20 minutes to get home. Hence, 6:00pm is not rush hour.

The point of this is, if the 35W bridge would have collapsed an hour or two earlier, I think the outcome would have been even more dire. The fact of the matter is that, on a hot summer afternoon, any Minnesotan will sell his soul to get out of the office by 4:30pm and to take his rightful place basking in the sun near a lake. By 6:00pm, only the the restaurant and bar workers, the baseball fans, and the new lawyers are still driving in downtown Minneapolis.

This whole writing is maybe trite. It isn't meant to make light of the situation. In fact, I love Minneapolis like a dear friend and am extremely loyal to it. Just ask anyone with whom I went to college. I am chock full of Minneapolis love and trivia. So when Minneapolis gets hurt, the loyal friend in me comes out blazing. One of the things I love about Minneapolis is how people know how to balance life and work-- we know that on a beautiful summer afternoon, it's better to get the hell out of work far before 6:00pm. So, it's from this love that the truth-telling stems. 6:00pm is not rush hour, and I think this sad situation would be even more tragic had the bridge collapsed at 4:30. There you have it.