Days 5-8: Gopher Gold

This conference is why the trip happened. I never realized how much it would mean to me.

Let me just start by saying that I loved Minneapolis, especially the University of Minnesota. If you take nothing else away from this, just know that I’ll be back next summer with a few students because my experience not only from the ACP & CMA staff were great, but because the city and university were exceptional.

Day 5 – July 14

The ACP/CMA Summer Workshop began rather humbly, but with a few hiccups. Andrew Wallmeyer, a business expert with a background in journalism who works for MinnPost (a non-profit online news organization focused on Minnesota happenings), was the keynote speaker that all 220-or-so attendees had come to watch. He brought up some great insights into the changing world of journalism and the shift to digital and changes in marketing and fundraising strategies, which was all fantastic. When the topic of diversity came up, he really did not have an answer or excuse for what was happening in his organization. MinnPost knows they have a lack of diversity in the newsroom (and business office), but they’re doing nothing to fix it. The truth will set you free, but when stated in front of a group of people whose organizations are holding a diversity summit in Oregon come fall, you start to lose credibility and respect. It was a real shame because everything leading up to that Q&A session was great. It didn’t ruin the keynote, but it certainly soured my expectations.

Andrew Wallmeyer’s keynote for the ACP/CMA Summer Workshop.

Even with the shaky beginning, the rest of the conference was mostly outstanding. The adviser’s track, led by advisers from around the country (Kelly Messinger, Kelley Lash, Bob Bergland, and Rachel Kanigel), provided great insights and advise into what we do for our students and how we interface with our academic institutions and communities. I’m not going to go too far into details, but the bottom line is this: I wish I had done this last year before I began my job as a student media adviser. Working with my cohorts from around the country and hearing from experts and peers about how to handle everything from soft skills to media law (many thanks to Frank LoMonte from the Student Press Law Center) gave me so much to look forward to and work on for the coming year. Even though I am taking students to Atlanta at the end of October for the CMA Fall Conference and will certainly learn more, I now have so much I can improve on now that will aid my students as well as the university I work for.

Now that I’ve gushed about the wonderful time I had learning and being an overall nerd for education, let’s move on to some of the simpler happenings in Minneapolis.

Okay, maybe I spoke too soon. Thursday night wasn’t terribly exciting. I grabbed some delicious grub at Stub & Herb’s (whose motto is: Your Grandpa Drank Here) and then wandered over to Dinkytown, a trendy neighborhood with decent vibes. I had only made my way there to grab a libation at a bar called The Library, but was disappointed to find out that very few books adorned the walls and the general theme of the joint was “sports.” I sauntered back to my dorm (it’s still so odd to say that), made a nice cup of tea (no one should leave home without it), and stayed in for the evening.

Never leave home without your kettle, kids.

Day 6 – July 15

Another day of conference action! The best park was playing The Great AP Style Smack Down game wherein contestants answered grammar and AP Style-related questions by racing to a bell near the front of the room and ringing it, providing the best answers. Hectic, informative, and sometimes goofy, it’s a game I’ll certainly have to impart on my students.

The real gem of my Friday came when Allyson (my former adviser whom I mentioned in the previous post) and I invited several other advisers to join us on our quest to try Minneapolis’ famous Juicy Lucy burgers. For the uninformed, or just without Food Network or Travel Channel, the Juicy Lucy is a burger with a molten cheese center that happened to originate in Minneapolis. Matt’s Bar claims to be the originator of the “Jucy Lucy,” which supposedly earned its name when in 1954 a customer decried, “that’s one Jucy Lucy!” Less than five miles away, however, you’ll find The 5-8 Club, whose establishment dates back to 1928, who also claim to be the “Home of the Original Juicy Lucy.” That being said, they provide no origin story other than stating that theirs also originated in the 1950’s.

Obviously, tensions are high between the restaurants. The 5-8 Club staff have had shirts that read, “if it’s spelled right, it’s done right.” An advertisement for Matt’s retorted: “Remember, if it is spelled correctly, you are eating a shameless rip-off!” With this taken to heart, we knew what we had to do: try both burgers and determine for ourselves not who the originator is, but who has the best burger.

We began our quest to Matt’s via the light rail, some walking, and a short bus trip from the university. The five of us were beginning to get hungry and, of course, when we arrived at Matt’s we were greeted by a line of customers out the door. We knew this would likely be the case, especially on a Friday evening, so we were ready. After about 25-30 minutes, we were inside the small, heavenly smelling establishment, whose walls were adorned by praise given to this modest diner. Service was a bit slow due to the fact that the staff consisted of a grill cook, barkeep/cashier, and one waitress. Allyson and I had decided before we had even arrived to split the burgers at each stop so we wouldn’t OD on beef and cheese. Our Jucy Lucy arrived and was much simpler (and smaller) than we expected. My expectations had been set pretty high, but when I dialed back and considered it all, it was a damn fine burger, even if it was filled with American cheese. If we weren’t headed for the 5-8, I would have easily had another. The shoestring fries were great, as well.

Upon departure, we lost two of our companions to the late hour (they headed back to the dorms), but Allyson, Carleigh (an adviser from east Washington), and myself pushed on (in an Uber, of course). The 5-8 Club is nestled near a highway interchange that can be easily missed, as our driver unwittingly demonstrated for us. The atmosphere inside was fine, but the draught selection was much more diverse than Matt’s. Also, the restaurant was surprisingly empty for 9 p.m. on a Friday night. Regardless, we all ordered a mug of Loon Juice (a refreshing local cider) and a slider version of their own in house burger challenge: one Juicy Lucy and one Saucy Sally. In contrast to the ol’ Lucy, a Saucy Sally is filled with the joint’s “secret sauce” and topped with lettuce, onion, and Thousand Island dressing. I’m fairly certain the “secret sauce” is fry sauce, but it was quite a bit more flavorful than Matt’s. The Juicy Lucy was quite good, as well. The 5-8 Club staff seem to season the meat a bit better than Matt’s. What’s also great about The 5-8 Club is the fact that they offer variety in their burgers. Your Juicy Lucy came be stuffed with American, bleu, pepper jack, or Swiss cheese. They also offer the Flaming Inferno (filled with ghost pepper cheese), the Pig-Pen (filled with American cheese and smoky bacon), and the PB & J (filled with peanut butter and American cheese and topped with strawberry jam). That being said, the fries were a bit sad (far from as fresh as they could be).

Variety doesn’t make a place, though. The menu gave me a ton of ideas to try at home and it is by no means a restaurant to scoff at. The 5-8 Club does some great work, but there’s something about Matt’s. The inside hasn’t been updated in years. Going there is a complete experience from the waiting to the incredibly simple menu to the limited staff who work their ass off to keep the cash-only restaurant running. Matt’s may not be the best burger I’ve ever had, but if you have time to stop at only one of these fine joints, check out Matt’s Bar.

Day 7 – July 16

More conferencing. More learning. More greatness.

After our sessions ended for the day, I boarded a southbound light rail train towards the Mall of America. MoA was a place I had heard of as a child and figured that it must be the most magical place on earth. Shopping, rides, food, shopping. What more wouldn’t a kid want?

I think that’s exactly it. MoA is really for families and kids. Did I find cool shops? Of course. The LEGO Store is always a treat (even if they are sold out of a new Ghostbusters set), a tabletop gaming store held my attention for some time, and a shop dedicated to Crayola (yep, the crayon folks) was quite fun. The most impressive aspect of the mall has to be at its center where a Nickelodeon-themed amusement park thrives. Rides range from a Dora The Explorer ferris wheel to a pretty impressive Spongebob roller coaster. While the rides were tempting and not too expensive ($35 gets you a day pass with unlimited rides), it was almost four o’clock on a Saturday and the crowd and lines were growing exponentially fast. I decided to pass on it, shop a little more, and head back into university territory.

I stopped back in at Stub & Herb’s for a flight of beer from one of my favorite regional breweries, August Schell (who produce Grain Belt). To be honest, there’s nothing special about Grain Belt. My good friend back in Texas, Erik, would get some from time to time from visitors who came to his ranch from Minnesota. The beer is crisp, clean, cheap, and a rarity in those parts. I explored some of their more exotic offerings that night. A blueberry-infused version of their standard Grain Belt turned out to be quite delightful.

Heading “home,” a storm rolled in and easily lulled me to sleep as I caught up on the day’s events.

Day 8 – July 17

The conference was essentially over. We listened to Bill Elsen tell us about how to get our students jobs and internships (advice I wish I had a few years ago) and answered any lingering questions from the weekend. In the end, I earned my certification! Hooray, huzzah, and other such cries of victory.

Before departing, I made my way to the statue of Goldy the Gopher, the University of Minnesota’s mascot, to rub his buckteeth and make a wish, as is tradition to do. Then, it was time to head off towards Chicago.

My mid-day stop occurred in Madison, Wisconsin, a city I had yet to visit, but had applied to several jobs at. I lucked out and discovered the Great Dane brewery where I obtained a nitro bock beer and a sustain-a-burger made with local buffalo meat served with a side of cous-cous. All of it was incredibly delicious, filling, and energizing. I texted ahead to my friend Emily (who’s been so kind as to let me stay with her and her wife during my time in Chicago) to see if any beer or other goods were needed. We apparently had the same idea, as we both stated that beer from New Glarus was essential. To be put simply, New Glarus is a Wisconsin-exclusive brewery whose Spotted Cow cask-conditioned farmhouse ale (sweetened with local corn) is a must-have for any beer lover. (Yes Oregon friends, I have procured some to bring home for tasting.) After exploring a Woodman’s grocery store (and attached enormous liquor store where I spent far too much time examining their incredible beer selection), I made off for the final leg to Chicago.

After driving along a marked 45 MPH highway for what seemed like hours, I finally made it to Uptown and was welcomed to Emily’s by a slice of Chicago-style pizza. While not quite my favorite style of pizza, this slice from The Art of Pizza was outstanding. Not too saucy. Amazingly cheesy. Fresh vegetables. The one slice was more than enough sustenance for me, but since it was National Ice Cream Day, I couldn’t say ‘no’ to a scoop of basil chip ice cream (yeah, you read that right). We asked some quick questions from their copy of “Isaac Asimov presents Super Quiz by Waddingtons,” which was superb, challenging, and hilariously outdated. Afterwards, we settled in for the night and I became fast friends with their cat, Oskar. All-in-all, my stay in Chicago began as a fantastic one.