Open Windows in the Twin Cities

Empire Builder at rest at the St. Paul Amtrak Station

I live in a urban pocket, where you can smell the paper mill, Summit Brewery and the french fry factory when the wind is right. This is a reminder of the reality of modern living: food, drink and toilet paper do not just magically appear on your grocer's shelves. They are manufactured somewhere, and for some of these commodities, that somewhere is St. Paul, MN. It's a smelly reminder of the great 19th century city we once were.

I technically live in Minneapolis, but on the far eastern edge. This morning, in the sticky cool of summer, in addition to smelling the odors of commerce, I heard the Empire Builder pull in, on time for once, bearing its cargo of passengers and mail from Seattle. It's a long train, and it honks and rings and toots as it pulls in, seemingly for about two miles. It gives those of us who live within hearing distance another opportunity for nostalgia.