12 August, Hennepin Avenue and South 4th Street

As I sit eating my homemade peanut butter and jam sandwich on a metal bench along the Hennepin Avenue side of the Minneapolis Central Library, I notice some locals. One distinctive group contains a dog. The dog is very small, small enough to be wearing a pink dress probably made for a doll. I should point out that the expected high temperature for the day is 90 degrees Fahrenheit. But the dog does look pretty, perhaps prettier than its holder, a woman wearing long red trousers and red Crocs.

She's quite stylish in her patterned top and carries a leopard-print handbag and a black handbag in addition to the dog in the pink dress. She's waiting for the 14 bus to Robbinsdale, along with an angry gent slightly less focused on the matchy-matchy. He carries a small pet carrier, and I cannot tell whether another pet is riding in the carrier or the pink-outfitted dog uses it on occasion. The man wears a black baseball cap with red and gold flames stitched on it, but his most noticeable asset is a very round belly under his blue T-shirt, which looks even rounder when one takes his thin legs and arms into account. I'm not sure if he was yelling at the red-trousered woman because he didn't know what bus they needed or if he blamed her for the 61 bus coming before the 14, but I hope they resolved the conflict before they shared it with the rest of the bus riders.

As buses and other traffic pass my bench, they stir up gravel and dust covering the street during a phase of construction that has left the street with no lane markings. Cyclists are braving Hennepin Avenue anyway, in their normal lane location between a lane of buses and taxis and three lanes of general traffic heading the opposite direction.

A block to my left, a flashing neon sign advertises The Gay 90s dance club. On this 90-degree sunny August day, the neon suggests cooler evenings of decadent dancing and drinking. This club is rumored to have a secret sex room off of the men's loos, and go-go dancers populate the tiny stage next to the downstairs bar.

This is what things are like at this spot on this day, and the most profound thing I can say in summary is that this spot on this day is not quite like anywhere I ate lunch in the UK.