Inspired by “A Flash Census in Five Boroughs” in Friday’s New York Times, I took a flash census of my own in my “borough,” my ‘hood – the Standish-Ericsson neighborhood in Minneapolis. View photos of my journey here.

April 2, 2010 – 11:04AM to 12:35PM
Heading to the light rail station on the bike with Ellis in tow in the Burley:
1 – neighbor in his driveway prepping his boat for the season
1 – retired neighbor repurposing metal in his garage

At the light rail station:
2 – trucks across the street unloading grain at the ADM mill (yes, there is a functioning grain elevator across the street from a light rail station in Minneapolis – that’s OK, the city was founded on flour milling)
3 – people waiting for the bus, 2 of them smoking
11 – bikes at the train station bike rack
5 – people boarding train to downtown
5 – people boarding south bound train to airport and Mall of America
4 – people got off southbound train, 1 with a bicycle

Tillie’s Bean coffee shop:
1 – daughter of the owner leaving to walk home with her three kids
7 – customers; 1 reading the paper, 1 working on a laptop, 1 child, 4 in a group just chatting

Between Tillie’s and A Baker’s Wife’s:
15 – holes recently patched on 40th Street (and though the holes were rather small, I had to count them all)

A Baker’s Wife’s bakery (home of the best pastries in Minneapolis):
19 – walk-in customers
5 – already seated outside
8 – already seated inside
1 – elderly woman (a “regular”) finally shows up for a pear tart and coffee
22 – cars in the Flannery’s auto repair lot across 42nd Street, 3 on lifts inside
1 – mailman
1 – UPS truck
1 – original version of “Everlasting Love” on the radio
2 – workers painting and tuckpointing at the vacant Help-u-Sell building across 28th Avenue, 2 people watching

Lake Hiawatha Playground:
34 – people, 21 are kids
4 – kids who arrived by wagon
3 – kids who arrived by bike trailer
2 – kids who arrived by stroller
1 – rainstorm forcing everyone back home