Nicollet Island

In the last post i gave you a sneak peek of what would be in this post. The picture i had taken was from the train on my way to work. The following pictures are in the order of which i took them. Maybe you'll feel yourself moving forward through the town (maybe).

As the train shoots out from the backyards of NE Mpls. we cross a river. Not just any river, the Mississippi river. Before i know it, we are crossing a street and before i finish blinking, we are crossing the river again. The bridge is of ancient steel, graffitied tastefully on just the lower half of the beams. On the opposite tracks, a brave runner crosses the bridge. We have just crossed Nicollet Island.

Nicollet Island isn't just any island. It's its own community of 144. You can't just BUY a dwelling on the island; you have to practically be willed a dwelling from great aunt gertrude.

Nicollet Island fascinates me in a lot of ways, but more so because i actually have some family history tied to it. On this island, there are two old buildings. One of which is an Inn, and the other is a pavillion that can be rented for weddings and such. The pavillion is were i'm tied to.

My grandfather used to work there (it wasn't a pavillion at that time). My grandmother would sneak out of work early (she was a corporate lady!) and meet my grandpa after work. They would then ride home together.

There is my two sentence history. It's a sweet little story and a brief, yet concrete peek into what life was like for my grandparents.

Stay tuned! I have many more pictures, and apparently i can only post 5 at a time...