21. North Dakota

Month: June 2016
Location: Fargo

I first heard about Fargo, along with the rest of the world, through the fantastic movie from all those years ago.  Looking the desolation and all the snow, I had thought that it was unlikely that I would ever visit there.  But then started this quest and as I looked at North Dakota, there were just 2 choices – either go to Bismarck and visit a ‘National Park’ or else enjoy the city life in Fargo…well as much city life as Fargo could offer.  So I decided to go to Fargo and arrived on a bright summer afternoon.  I took a cab – the cab drivers stand with a sign in the terminal and you pick one - to my hotel and after checking-in, settled down to plan my evening.

The main street of Fargo
The first thing that I found was an online library of a self-guided walking tour of the downtown.  Fargo is, well, a “one street town”; so all the stops on the tour were on that main street, with a few detours on the side.  As is usually the case, my friend had prepared for me a list of attractions in Fargo, and almost all of them comprised of places to either eat or drink.  I entered all of them in ‘Google Maps’ and lo and behold, all of them lined up along the main street. So with my map and the audio tour files loaded on my phone, I set off to explore the town.

The shop inside an old train terminal
My first stop was a place called ‘Proof Artisan Distillery’ which looked like a good old fashioned salon with tiles on the floor and Gin bottles behind the bar.  After a drink there, I walked across the street to a place called ‘Great Northern Bicycle Company’, which as the name states, is a shop selling Bicycles and gear for riders.  This was the first stop on my audio tour and the reason why it is special is because the shop has been built inside an old train terminal and in fact, the train lines still run behind the place.  After that I went over to the main street and continued my tour which was had a great narrative, not only in terms of the architecture, but also the history behind the buildings.  I went inside a store called ‘Zandbroz Variety’, a store that can only be found in a small town.  When they say “Variety”, they mean it.  This store had everything, from Books, to Souvenirs to household objects and other random things that people buy.  Plus, at the back of the shop they had something that looked like a coffee shop, complete with a library type environment. 

Fargo Theatre
After walking about a bit I came out and saw the sign for ‘Fargo Theatre’.  There is something extremely charming about cinema halls that are not “Multiplex’s”.  Every one of them looks the same, with their vertical sign and titles that have been assembled by hand.  Plus, this was reputed to have an “organ”, which unfortunately was on the 2nd floor and one needed a ticket to go and see.  I was listening to the audio tour as I went on and my next stop was in a place called ‘Mezzaluna’.  It was tucked away in back of a building, but based on the number of people inside; it seemed to be quite popular.  I got a seat at the bar and had a cocktail while chatting with the bartender, especially since this was the first time that I had seen Vodka on tap!  I continued my walk and stopped at a place called ‘The Boiler Room’, which was in a basement, but another popular establishment. After another cocktail, I was on my way…this evening taking a distinct theme.

The crowd outside my hotel
The streets were coming alive and now it was looking like a proper Friday evening.  I love myself some German Beer and there was a place called ‘Wurst Bier Hall’.  It was as lively as a bar like this should be, and after a beer and pretzel, I went to my final stop of the evening, a place called ‘Vinyl Taco’.  As soon as one enters this place, they are hit by 80s music and a décor which would not have been out of place during that decade.  Plus it’s a taco place…and a good one at that.  I enjoyed my stay there and then it was time to call it a day.  I walked back to my hotel, but as I approached the entrance, I noticed a big crowd of young ladies outside.  They seemed to be waiting for someone and it sure wasn’t me.  I didn’t give much thought to it and went upstairs to retire.

The back room at 'Zanbroz Variety'
Next day dawned with threatening skies which seemed to grow darker as I walked to get breakfast at a place called ‘Sandy’s Donuts’.  I saw a ‘Make-A-Wish’ sign in there and learned that earlier in the morning Justin Bieber had been there, granting a wish.  He was here for a concert this evening and furthermore he was staying in my hotel.  This explained everything.  The reason why there was this crowd outside the hotel last night.  I went back to 'Zandbroz' for a bit and then walked back to the hotel just as the skies opened up.  I called an ‘Uber’ to my destination for this morning – an “Escape Room” game.  On the way there I had a good conversation with my driver and he was telling me about living in Fargo, the economy and how his teenage daughter was excited about the Bieber concert tonight.  When asked why I was visiting, I was quick to point out that it wasn't for the concert!

Wedding beneath the planes
Similar to some of the other locations, the game was located in some sort of an “Industrial Park”.   The rain stopped just as I ran inside the building and I was a bit early.  I chatted with the husband and wife team who ran the place and they mentioned how they had been to other places in order to learn and model this game.  When I told them that I had also played a few of these, they asked me to give a comparative feedback at the end.  When the rest of my team arrived, they mentioned that I was a “pro” and they should be fine with me in their team.  Alas, that was not to be, and though we came close, we were nixed at the very end.  It had been a fun hour and I had enjoyed my team.  After telling our hosts that their room was as good as others, I called for a ride to my next destination.

'Plains Art Museum'
I was going to ‘Fargo Air Museum’ which houses several historic aircraft, most of which are still in flying condition.  It was located inside a hangar on an airfield and as can be expected, it was a bit outside town.  After a quick bite to eat I went inside and saw that they were setting up for a wedding.  The guy at the counter said that I had an hour before they closed and so I bought a ticket and went around the covered tables, chairs and fancy buffet table, admiring some of the aircraft on display.  The wedding didn’t extend to an adjacent hangar with more aircraft and after spending some time there, I moved to my next location, ‘Plains Art Museum’.  It was nice place with some good exhibits and very friendly folks at the front desk.  They were setting up for yet another wedding in the museum and this one seemed to have a “Norwegian” theme, at least based on the menu card that I glimpsed.  I spent over an hour here and then went for my final stop of the afternoon – ‘Drekker Brewing Company’.

"Pint It Forward"
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Fargo was well known for its “Microbreweries” and this was one of them.  They also offered a tour for a nominal donation and so I arrived well in advance of that.  I sat at the bar and ordered a beer and looked at some names on the wall.  When I asked, I learned that you could buy someone a beer under “Pint It Forward” program.  You paid for a beer, wrote someone’s name on a card and they could come and claim that beer during their lifetime – or the lifetime of the brewery.  I asked how many people actually come and claim their pint and it wasn’t that many.  But the brewery will honor that.  I learned that people usually buy a pint for any police officers, though the problem was recognizing someone out of their uniform, because they wouldn’t be able to enjoy a drink in it.  I bought a pint for my friend Amanda and put her name on a card which went on the wall.  I was joined by several people for the tour, as one of the owners took us through their history and then every step of the brewing process, while showing us the equipment and with frequent sampling.  It was a much happier crowd that dispersed after an hour and I headed back to the hotel for a brief rest before my evening.

There was still some crowd – and by that I mean young women – outside my hotel when I left for the evening.  My first stop was at a place called ‘Toasted Frog’ and the place was full.  I got a seat at the bar and learned that most were “pre-gaming” before the concert.  I struck up a conversation with a young lady who was visiting from Minneapolis and along with her friends was on her way to the concert as well.  She was originally from Sweden and so we discussed everything from Soccer to ‘ABBA’ to finally Bieber.  She went to rejoin her friends and I moved to my next location, a place called ‘Hodo Lounge’, another place known for their craft cocktails.  I chatted with the bartender, who even made me something off the menu and which came complete with a pyrotechnics show.  When he learned that I was from Chicago, he told me about his friend from here who had moved to Chicago and was now working in a “Speakeasy” cocktail place.  I told him that I would look her up.  My last stop for the evening was in the adjacent dining room overlooking the street and I retired early…way before the concert would have reached its peak. 

Final morning in Fargo
My final morning in Fargo I went for breakfast at a place called ‘Atomic Café’. Despite spilling coffee all over my table, I enjoyed the Sunday morning breakfast at a small town café, while observing people who looked like they were recovering from the concert.  I still had a few more buildings left on my audio tour and I walked around trying to visit as many as I could.  At one stage I found myself on the other side of the railway crossing as a goods train passed by and that is never fun, especially since you never know how long it’s going to take.  I came back to the hotel, picked up my bag and was given a ride to the airport by a young valet who said that he was originally from Philadelphia and was studying here.  We talked about the Bieber concert and he told me how Bieber was using the main hotel entrance on the first day, but soon realized that the fans were camped outside.  He told me about the Fargo winters and the people over here.  It was a nice ride back; in fact, it had been a great trip.  I have been to 20 places so far, but few have been as small as Fargo in terms of size.  But what a town!  It has one street, but the time that I had here was priceless.  It definitely makes the top half of my list so far and I can’t wait to visit again.  Maybe I should have bought myself a pint to encourage me to come claim it sometime soon.