Mary Tyler Moore and The Segway People

Today I braved downtown Minneapolis alone with four children. Is that an oxymoron? Am I a regular moron? Maybe. Is it possible to be alone and yet have four little people climbing all over you, stepping on your feet, whining that they want ice cream, reminding you that they have gastrointestinal requirements, pooping their diapers, dropping things on the sidewalk and then trying to eat them, asking why people are sleeping on the sidewalk, asking why people are playing their saxophones for money, wanting to nurse even though for crying out loud she's almost a year old?! I don't know.

Miraculously, we had fun and I didn't even lose any kids.

We went to this place called the Nicollet Mall. I was in search of a statue of Mary Tyler Moore, because according to The Internet there is one in the exact spot where she threw her hat into the air during the opening credits of her show every week. Evidently, The Internet was right! See? Who can turn the world on with her smile....

After I payed homage to Miss Moore, we walked across the Mississippi River. We used a bridge, of course. The Stone Arch Bridge, a Feat of Civil Engineering, to be exact. It was a long walk. It turns out, the Mississippi is mighty wide. I began to wonder why I thought this would be a good idea for my kids...until I saw The Segway People. Those cunning Segway People, and their avoidance of walking! They reminded me of Wall-E, I don't know why.