Thursday, November 20, 2008

The Nicest City in the USA


Fargo, North Dakota.

I am not kidding. I am there about once a year and if it weren’t for the cold…the kind of cold that makes you unable to breathe…I would want to live there.

Every person you meet is nice.

Last year when I checked into the hotel, the lady at the desk told me that the restaurant was on the second floor. I said, “Thanks, but I’m just going to order a pizza.” She handed me a menu, saying that Domino’s would deliver to the hotel, but this place was better.

Someone from the office always picks me up at the airport and shuttles me around for the entire time I am there. They take me out to eat. I should be taking them out to eat, because I am working the expense account anyway. But they won’t let me. Something about being a guest.

Last year, I was there early Thanksgiving week. I was invited to go to the tree lighting ceremony. Tree lighting. Like in Chicago but without 9,000,000 people.

I do not remember ever seeing a Starbucks or a Lexus in Fargo.

A couple of years ago, there was a scuffle over who would take me to the airport and buy me lunch. Because the airport restaurant has the best beer cheese soup. This year, when I noted that if I flew out early, I would miss the beer cheese soup, my colleague said that they sell it by the quart and someone would pick some up for me.

At 9:30 this morning, I went flying into the Fargo airport, in my urban uniform of black, black and black trying to hop on standby on the 10:37 flight to O’Hare. I was the person that I hate. Guy at the counter told me to breathe - there were seven seats left and I would have time to spare. He was right. He knows he was right because he was also the guy that printed my ticket at the gate. And then the guy that boarded us.

Every single person in the security line was in a good mood. There was laughter. In the security line. TSA guy hands me my bag and says, “Wow. It is really busy today.” Which is when I thought I wanted to live there.

Then I looked at the board and remembered that Fargo has direct flights to exactly three cities. I couldn’t really live there. But it is a very nice place to visit.

2 comments:

Fluffycat said...

Those weird accents would drive me nuts. That and the cold.

I bet everyone is nice in Tahiti too.

Anne said...

Hm. While I have never been to Tahiti, I am thinking Tahitians must be made cranky by the tourists.