The Wake

I hate to break it to you, but the freedom of summer has officially ended. Along with the end of freedom comes the end of warm weather.

Don’t despair. There is hope. You can do something to soak up the last month or so of lukewarm weather.

People watch.

If you’ve never tried it, I encourage it. People watching not only passes the time, but also strikes the imagination and gives you the opportunity to really notice your surroundings. Not to mention, it is one of the easiest and laziest ways to socialize.

I went in search of the three best places to people watch when the weather is warm. I was thrilled to find the amusement that awaited me in several different places.

The number one place to people watch are county and state fairs.

The Minnesota State Fair is inarguably the best because of its large size. After attending the fair, I now understand why sexual deviants exist. With so many underdressed girls wrapping their mouths around foot-long corndogs, who could resist?

The large number of obese people standing in line at the fair struck sympathy in my heart. One obese gentlemen was proudly wearing a T-shirt that said, “I’m in great shape…Round is a shape.”

It’s very fun to watch the difference between children and adults at the fair. While a kindergartener is hopping and pointing, his/her parent or guardian is beelining for their favorite beer or food stand.

If you can’t make it to the state fair, any county fair will do. A county fair is a little less impressive, but depending on county and demographic, it can be just as amusing.

Number two: Espresso Royale in Dinkytown.

I ordered my favorite beverage and sat outside on the patio chairs with a friend. The people watching was so distracting that many of our conversations faded into silence as we watched people pass.

Runners, mothers, stylishly and not-so-stylishly-clad females and the men that befriend them, employees of the Dinkytown area and new students littered the sidewalk in front of us.

The third place isn’t really a specific place. Anywhere people frequently parallel park will do. Any establishment with seating outdoors near a metered road will do.

If you are ever having a bad day, watching people park in and out of parallel parking spots will surely add a little kick to your step.

Watching someone get out of a car and help the driver parallel park is always laughable, because the person behind the wheel never trusts the person on the sidewalk. It is impossible not to smile when a person is parking solo and they look around as they get out of their car to see if anyone disapproves of their parking style.

So before the weather gets too cold, and the only people watching you can do is indoors, make an excuse to sit outside and people watch like you’ve never people watched before.