Fargo Moorhead Area
Best Hangout Spots
Throughout elementary school, middle school, and even high school, I've always pictured myself having a big awesome grad party. Walking across the stage with all my family watching. Being able to take grad pictures with all my friends. We would all get to wear those ugly gowns and everything. Then COVID came. It took away everything I had to look forward to. All my speech friends. All my future plans. To put it simply, my senior year. It really is sad to think about everything I've missed out on. Yet, here we are. After 80 days of not going to school, it gets old. The novelty wears off, and I'm left joining a google hangout from my bed. I would call someone crazy if they said the AP test would be open note 5 months ago. This virus has truly changed the world I was expecting to live in. Gone are the times of saying hi to Mr. Dobmeier in the halls, or heading to the art room on an off block during the day. It really hadn't dawned on me until today. So here's an ode to the old days. I remember when I used to live in North Moorhead, a block away from Robert Asp Elementary. Times were so much simpler. I would play outside every single day. When my mom grounded me, she would take away my bike, not my phone. Back in kindergarten, my mom used to walk me to school every day. I remember the first day she trusted me enough to walk myself in first grade. I didn't think much of it at the time, but now it is a very fond memory. I used to get home every day, go to my moms room, and turn on Nickelodeon until she got home from work. My brother and I used to cuddle up in her bed each night while she read Harry Potter to us. Primary school had some bad times, but my mom was always there to shed light on any situation. Once middle school came, of course I hit my edgy teen phase, I hated everything and everything hated me. That is, until high school at least. These last 4 years have been jam packed with memorable moments. No matter how unsuccessful I may feel on paper, I always hold the victories I've made socially close to heart. I hope my legacy lives on. I hope my laugh echoes in the hallowed halls of MHS. I hope this year's freshman carry on my goofy spirit and positive energy. Overall, I'd rate the Moorhead Area Public School System a solid 10. Thank you Moorhead, I'll never forget you.
I was really getting used to this. I had gotten to a point where it wasn't too bad. This week was actually really great. For starters, Moorhead High School announced that seniors are done with school next week. So I only have one more week of high school, and I have made it. I'm excited to begin a new stage of my life, and I'm really excited to start college. Fingers crossed we get to go on campus in fall. Aside from having my last, last day of school in a week, the rest of my week has been very eventful. For the entirety of Monday, I spend 14 straight hours deep cleaning my entire room. This was therapeutic and very needed. Plus it got the house ready for my uncle and two cousins to stay here for the rest of the week. When they got here on Tuesday we gave them a day to settle in. We ate a nice dinner, and played some board games, but it was definitely still fun. On Wednesday, they went out to a few shops downtown and found a dress for one of my cousins to go to "prom" in. Today, I had an AP test to take, which I think went really well. On Thursday, we started to get really wild. We went out to a horse ranch that my uncle used to work at for a long time. The benefit here is that we got to ride horses for free. This is my third time on a horse, but for sure my first time actually controlling one. They taught me how to trot, and to spin in really tight circles. It was a really fun time. We came home to grilled steaks and asparagus from my mom, and honestly, it was a perfect day. On Friday however, I got back to doing something I really love. I got out my safety goggles, and took my family out trap shooting. We went out to Glyndon Rod and Gun Club. The owner, Ken, opened up the range just for us so we got to do A LOT of shooting. On my first round back out there I shot the best round of my life. As I'm writing this now I'm in an incredibly good mood. All of these things have gone right, AND Minnesota is done with lockdown by Monday. Honestly, this week gets the first ten out of ten on my blog. It was utterly perfect.
This week, my friends and I got sick of our houses. We started to brainstorm things we can leave our house for and still stay completely safe in doing so. Our original list of ideas was fairly comprehensive. It started off with going for bike rides and setting up hammocks in a local park. Then it went a bit more ambitious to playing a round of golf together. (I suppose that step is only more ambitious if you know that none of us have played in about 3 years) Before finally, concocting the perfect night time hangout session while never breaking a 6 foot bubble. The plan was simple. Go to a nearby parking lot with a retail store in front, set up lawn chairs and tv trays. Bring out the snacks and drinks. Then finally, using a portable projector to cast our favorite T.V. series at the time on the one of the large walls of the store. We went to the abandoned parking lot of the old Sunmart in North Moorhead, the building that is now access clinicals. Then we proceeded with the plan, and although it was fairly cold, it went perfectly. The next day we decided to crush another item on our list. We all got excited about golf, so logically the only solution was to satisfy our desires and go golfing. We went to the Moorhead Country Club, because Jonah has a membership there and his older sister works as a manager so we got in for free. Well, we didn't have to pay a tee time at least. We did however, end up paying a hefty lump some in lost balls, snacks, and sheer embarrassment. We all agreed not to keep score but we didn't get a single par out of 9 holes. Now finally, the last and easiest item to knock off the list was to go hammocking. We found 6 really big trees in a grove all together. This was perfect because then we could each have our own areas separate from each other. In all honesty, this might have been my favorite out of the trio of hangouts. This was a much needed week, it helped us all out of the quarantine mindset, it made us realize just how much we can do without breaking 6 feet. and finally, it brought us closer as friends. Overall, I'd give this week a solid 8 out of 10. The improvement that is needed is quite obvious. I want my senior year back.
You know what they say, another day, another painful 24 hours spent in isolation. How many days have we been in quarantine again? Around 45? I lose track. Today I asked my mom what day it was, so that pretty much encapsulates my week. In this week's news, our 28 day stay at home order was extended another 14 days! Yayyyy. In celebration, I made a cake. It had six sticks of butter in it, which is gonna come back to bite me when I get quadruple bypass surgery in 50 years. Anyways. I accidentally put the batter in a pan that had some spicy stuff in it beforehand so one of the tiers came out tasting vaguely like chilis. I just ate that one separately and used the other three for the actual one. I suck at putting frosting on cakes, but again, the six sticks of butter made up for the awful frosting job. By the time I was done making it I had eaten so much frosting and spicy cake that the actual cake didn’t actually look appetizing so I haven’t tried it yet. As for the weekly Edward update, he is getting back to his former glory! On Monday we took him back into the vet for another x-ray and for him to get neutered, so his week started off pretty rough, but by Wednesday, he was running around the house on three legs like normal. I’m still sad that we can’t go on walks anymore but in another week, the vet says he will be good to go. As spring comes fully around the corner, I’ve started my weekly lawn care regime. I’ve started by raking the dead thatch out, then I planted new seeds and finally gave the whole thing a good watering. On Tuesday, the 3rd annual first mow ceremony took place. I finally have stripes in my grass again. Thank god for grass. Continuing on a path of manly expression, I also had the best barbeque I have ever had. Nobull in downtown Fargo remains open for takeout, so I took out a wad of cash and bought enough meat to feed a tiger. The ribs were absolutely perfect. When I got my order however, they forgot the cornbread muffins. If there’s one rule in life, it’s to never forget a man’s cornbread muffins. Rest assured, I went back for them and got double my order in the first place. Overall, I’d give this week a 9 out of 10. Between good food, good weather and good grass, it was a really good week.
This week, we are all thanking mother nature for absolutely blessing the weather. Between earth day, a nice spot of rain, and now a gorgeous Friday as well, it has been really nice to be able to leave the house and get some sun. In fact, I got my first sunburn this week. It’s always an eye opening moment when you get back home from a long bike ride and realize that you haven’t been able to enjoy nice weather since probably October. Genuinely, I think everyone in Minnesota knows the feeling around early April when you can’t really remember what summer was like. Winter just becomes your life. Anyway, as I briefly mentioned before, I’ve been getting my bike back into the streets! On earth day, I biked a 15 mile round trip and stopped at Johnson park to hammock for a little bit. I used to live right up in North Moorhead so getting my bike back out there on such a perfect day just felt right. Along with my bike ride, I fulfilled my civic duty for the day and picked up a full lawn bag of trash out of the park. I grew up in these woods and I always remember them being gorgeous, so the thought of pollution and litter filling the park is a reality I will fight incredibly hard to prevent. The night after this, my best friend, Jonah, and I set up a tarp and projected a movie on the side of his house. We watched “Grown Ups” with Adam Sandler to really get a feel of the summer. As far as quarantine goes, this week was pretty great. I finally got out of my house, I got to see a few friends (six feet apart of course), and we truly got graced with good weather. My puppy Edward is still recovering from his broken leg, but soon enough he will be coming with me out on walks. Overall, I’d give this week a firm nine out of ten. The only thing that could’ve made it better was the absence of quarantine.
When coronavirus started, myself and a lot of others thought it would be a novel threat to only a few countries. I remember sitting with my speech friends at Harvard University, discussing weather we thought it would actually get bad or not. This was during the times where there were only a few thousand cases reported. As of today, there are more than a million cases reported and thousands of people dying across the globe. As awful as the 32nd day of being isolated and sitting at home might be, this virus is not a novel threat. It's absolutely vital to stay inside. If you see your friends hanging out on social media, be sure to encourage distancing. If your parents are planning to have their friends over, send them a few articles on the capabilities of online interactions. Finally, call your grandparents. To them, they might think the virus isn't a big deal. Hopefully we all know, it is. The moral of the story is, we all hate staying at home, but here's some things I did this week to keep myself entertained. First of all, Netflix is amazing for wasting time. The first movie I watched this week was the platform, and although the movie was originally spanish and dubbed over in english, it was incredible. The movie focuses on a fictional social ladder based off of who get fed and who doesn't. The interesting part is that the ladder is constantly changing. Someone who was ranked 200th one month can be first the next, it's completely random. Aside from this great movie, I've also watched the new hit series Tiger King. Sometimes I thought the Florida Man articles were crazy, but Tiger King takes it to the next level. This is truly some backwoods redneck ring of madness, and all of America is here for it. Finally, in continuation of the last two weeks as well, I have been playing with my puppy too.. Edward is constantly full of energy, and always brings some much needed activity into my day. (UPDATE: Oh my goodness, Edward broke his leg on friday by falling off of the couch. We brought him to the vet and they said he got really unlucky and hit a growth plate in his leg and fractured a very fragile bone in his leg. So my much needed activity is now sadly, out of commission) Anyway, that's mostly all that's going on in the Gervais household for this week. I would give this week an eight out of ten.. Purely because I am finding more and more ways to entertain myself while on my lonesome.
By now, I think we're all thinking the same thing. How much longer can this even last? Well, the answer to that question could be very disappointing. If we don't keep up with self quarantine, the disease could very quickly and easily spike back up. The CDC has released numbers that as of now we are flattening the curve! Yet, it's far too early to celebrate. Stay isolated and entertain yourself! As for myself, I have a new found love for reading real books. After almost 4 years of not reading a book for pleasure, here we are. I started off with "blink" by Malcolm Gladwell and it was a really good book to start on. From there, I moved on to some poetry. A book by R.H. Sin, then two by Rupi Kaur, then another by Rudy Francisco. After all this reading, I'm, surprisingly, little bit thankful for quarantine. There's no way I would have had the time to read these with school, speech and a social life to balance. It's truly a simpler time, and I'm cherishing the breath of fresh air. The other thing I've been doing to keep busy is playing with my puppy Edward. I can't imagine how happy he is to see quarantine. All of his humans are stuck at home all day with nothing better to do other than give him attention. Lately, we've been playing tag. I will chase him around the house for a while, then we switch and he chases me. It's a really great way to tire him out without leaving the house. However, when Minnesota gives us weather this nice, it's a shame to not take advantage of it. Edward and I have a 5 mile circle mapped out that we walk every day. In full honesty, I'm amazed his little legs can make it that far, but he's always the one pulling me. Overall, I'd have to give this week stuck in my house a solid 8 out of 10.
There's nothing like some good fresh air. Walking around outside in downtown Fargo on a sunny day is potentially unbeatable. So isn't it just great that we are all locked inside during a global pandemic. Mother nature thought she was being funny and she decided to drop 6 inches of snow on us too. So this week has been pretty much the worst. The small things that I can do to keep entertained have been great. Amidst all the boredom and sadness, here's a few ways I can stay connected and happy. Of course the number one thing is stay connected with friends. Over the break a group of my friends and I started to plan a summer road trip and created a big group chat. This chat hardly goes quiet for five minutes over the day. That constant connection creates a nice sense of community. Along with this, we have started to take advantage of "Netflix Parties" which are basically virtual watch sessions. The movie plays at the same time for everyone and there is even a chat box on the right hand side of the movie. As cheesy as it sounds, it really does feel like everyone is there watching the movie together. It's especially useful when the most human contact you've had all day was going upstairs to grab snacks. Online classes have been a blessing in disguise. Although the Atomic Coffee calculus study group will never be allowed to meet in person again, there is a newly emerging calculus facetime group. Let's face is, AP calculus is a class from the deep dark pits of hell, so why struggle alone? This group of struggle buddies absolutely makes the class bearable, but more than that, they just create another virtual social group that can hang out without leaving our beds. The key to surviving the social distancing gauntlet, is to stay connected. Weather its snapchat, facetime or a netflix party, the community that is created will make your day better. So put yourself out there, well virtually, and continue socializing like normal! I would rate my quarentine
We all have that one store that draws us like a magnet. When I walk past Zandbroz, there's just an instinctual drive that forces me in. Their displays and variety is unmatched in the Fargo Moorhead area and it's clear why. Zandbroz is all about their vibe. The items within, the associates helping you, and even just the decorations on the walls, create a certain vibe that urges me to spend my money. The first thing that has to catch each of our eyes is found within the front display windows. The artist, Jamie Scarbrough has been designing pieces for the front window for the last 10 years. Weather it's the christmas season and the display is a sugar coated winter wonderland mixed with a steampunk theme, or a surreal scene with mannequin bodies poking out of the roof and floor. The owners of the store explained that Jamie has put several hundred coats of paint on those walls. It's clear that Zandbroz sets themselves apart from the pack with the effort and beauty that goes into their window displays. Next, as most people are drawn into the store, the items within keep them there. It's not abnormal for me to spend longer than 30 minutes just walking around. In a store with thousands of antique pieces, hundreds of books, and countless isles of random knick knacks. Zandbroz has a section of political satire goods, along with a rack of assorted pins and fun socks. On the right side of the store, Zandbroz has a library of books that cycle out. They keep up to date on the books people want and get rid of the books that people don't want. If you're curious enough, you may find the back room as well. In the far back of the store, there is a peculiar collection of older books and some tables with chairs. The books are all antique books with some sort of historical reference. There's the 1900s phone and address books. There's even a few autobiographies from the earliest settlers of Moorhead. It's absolutely fascinating. This store obviously brings out the worst in me. After spending more than $75 there each visit, the only downside to the store is the price of their goods. I often times ask myself "Is this really worth it?" Far too often my answer is yes. So on a broad scale, Zandbroz scores an easy 8/10. Again, this score would be higher of some things were cheaper there. Another addition that would be totally cool to see would be a little coffee bar of some sort. Maybe just fresh pastries or any kind of snack food. Even lacking in things to eat, Zandbroz still holds a spot in my heart.
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Stories by Grant GervaisAll opinions genuine and original. |