Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Alex Learns About The Fun Of Calling 311 (Summer Visitation 2009)


Photos By John Hoff

A few days ago, Alex and I were in Dinkytown near U of M, checking out some library books, when Alex noticed a traffic light was malfunctioning. The situation wasn't dangerous--there were two signal devices on the pole--but of course Alex wanted to get word to 311 and have the light fixed.

We stopped what we were doing--walking to Burrito Loco to have cheese quesadillas--and made a 311 report. While I was on the line, Alex noticed graffiti on the utility box next to "The Library" bar and grill. So we made a report about that, too. Dinkytown is, by the way, part of the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood, which is Ward 3, which is the same ward as the Hawthorne Neighborhood. So it wasn't like we ever really left home.

In the photos, Alex poses with his library books, including his current favorite "Absolute Zero."

We used the Dinkytown library because it was convenient to our route, but library books can be returned to ANY Hennepin County library, so we'll probably return them in North Minneapolis. I like library books. They go well with my funky, ultra-affordable, environmentalist lifestyle here in North Minneapolis "Divorced Daddyville," where the living is easy and you can get DVD movies for free with a Hennepin County library card.

(Do not click "Read More")

1 comment:

JNS Reader said...

The Hennepin County Library is one of Minneapolis's best kept secrets, unfortunately. My friends are consistently blown away when I describe to them how you can browse the catalog online (which includes graphic novels - yay!), reserve materials ONLINE, and have them delivered to your local branch for convenient pick-up. You can also check the status of your rentals ONLINE, and if the book is taking longer to read than you expected, you can renew it ONLINE. It really couldn't be much easier...