You know Miley Cyrus's song "Party In The USA?" If you're from St. Cloud (born and raised) you probably can relate to the song when you travel to the "Cities." It's not too far from St. Cloud, but the culture is totally different. See if you can relate to anything on this list! I think I need to get out of St. Cloud more often.

1. Nicolet Mall confuses you--If you're like me, you were shocked to find out that Nicolet Mall isn't an indoor mall at all. It's not even a strip mall...What is it?! It's a gathering space with shops located along the way. They hold events on Nicolet Mall...seriously! Don't go there looking for a building called Nicolet Mall. It's not like Crossroads.

2. Going to the Mall of America is a rarity--It's a place that you went to on special occasions, like birthday parties and school field trips. You might even be able to count on one hand how many times you've been there. Your science teachers always managed to plan a fun end of the year trip to MOA. That's the only reason some of us took the hard science classes in high school.

3. You referred to anything near Minneapolis and St. Paul as "the cities"--Yep, pretty much! Maple Grove, Bloomington, Minneapolis, St. Paul...it all gets mushed together and becomes "the cities." People from "the cities" get so frustrated when they hear us speak this way! #SorryNotSorry

4. The Xcel Energy Center feels larger than life--And for good reason. You probably saw some of your favorite artists perform at the arena.  Yes, your hopes and dreams have probably been crushed many times when your celebrity crush didn't see you in the crowd and fall in love with you. It's alright, the Xcel Energy Center is still awesome in our book. And, I can't forget to mention that it's the home of the Minnesota Wild.

5. The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden--Oh, you don't know what I'm talking about. How about I call it the "spoon park," does that help? You can't miss the giant sculpture of a spoon with a cherry on it when you're passing through! We like to think we're cultured here in St. Cloud but we don't have anything as epic as that!

6. Murderapolis, Killesota--If you're from central Minnesota, chances are you've heard someone call it this. All you hear about are the people who get shot. It sounds like a scary place, but it's really not.

7. You are a little intimidated when it comes to using the public train system--Just thinking about getting on the light rail and knowing when to get off of it at your destination is enough to make your head spin. St. Cloud doesn't have anything as complicated as that. You better never travel to New York!

8. Parking in the "cities" is super confusing--Heck, parking is one thing and driving is another. People are way more aggressive in the "cities." It probably takes you longer to drive around and find a parking spot than it does to drive to Minneapolis from St. Cloud. Add in traffic from protesters and you count your lucky stars that you're only visiting and don't have to deal with it everyday!

9. You don't really have to ever walk outside if you don't want to and it's strange to St. Cloud residents. We've got a few sky ways here in St. Cloud--like the ones that connect at St. Cloud State University and the River's Edge Convention Center. It's so strange to us that an entire city could be connected. WEIRD!

10. Everyone is dressed up--Literally EVERYONE looks like they are dressed in their very best everyday. In St. Cloud you're likely to see college students rocking a hoodie and jeans. Don't get me wrong, it's a great look but I stick out like a sore thumb when I'm in the "cities."

 

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