The Depot

Quick note: I finally joined the Age of Technology - Look for some pictures in this post!

All week, Mark kept telling me that he had a surprise for me on Sunday morning. He told me to keep my Sunday open and be ready for some fun. So I was pretty excited when he woke me up early in the morning and announced that we were heading out into the winter air to enjoy a favorite Minnesotan past time – ice skating.

Mark and I have had a tumultuous history with ice skating. We had tried three times in two years to go to the Depot Ice Rink for a day of ice skating fun. But every time we geared ourselves up to go, we hit a pitfall that prevented us from taking part. Also in the mix of trouble was Mark’s fear of skating. Whenever I brought up the option of skating, he got out of it with some silly excuse – “I’ll break my ankle and not be able to work” or “I’ll break my wrist and not be able to type my papers for school.” Ridiculous, but he usually had some other fun activity in mind, so I let it slide.

The first time we tried to go was April 2004. I finally convinced Mark that even if he did fall, he wouldn’t break an ankle or a wrist. And if he did, he had full rights to blame me. We made plans early in the week to go to the Depot and skate on a Saturday. When Mark told his sister of our fun plans, she dropped a bomb of disappointment on us – the rink was already closed for the season. We would have to wait another 8 months.

The second time we tried, Mark was going to take me for my birthday this past March. He had the whole day planned, and I was so excited. We arrived at the Depot only to find the doors locked. Open skating wasn’t available that day. So, we double checked the hours and found out that the rink would be open the following day. Attempt Number Three. The next day, we dragged ourselves over to the rink again in hopes of some winter fun. Again, we tried the door, and it was locked. A small, hand written note was taped to the door – “Closed for Private Skating Lessons.” I was disappointed. Heartbroken, really. Mark convinced me that it was fate – we were not meant to ever skate together. Down the tubes went my dreams of ice dancing, double turns and triple sow cows.

But this time was different. Mark checked the schedule ahead of time, and made sure that no private lessons were to take place. When we arrived and the door was open, I think I did a little jump of glee just knowing that it was finally going to happen!



We paid for the skate fee and the skate rental, and I could tell that Mark was a bit nervous. I had to exchange his skates three times because he kept getting the wrong size. I had my skates on and was ready to go before Mark was even taking his shoes off. While I waited for him, I watched all the people on the ice, skating around in utter glee. Couples were going around slowly, holding hands and enjoying each other’s company. Small kids shuffled their way around the circle, just excited to be on the ice. Groups of friends stood clustered in the middle of the rink, taking pictures for a birthday party. It all looked so fun and sort of magical. And then I turned around, and saw this.



Mark was not amused. He was not happy. He was not excited. But I was determined to get him pumped up and ready to rock on the ice. He had been rollerblading a bunch before, so I kept telling him it was just like that. We made our way – slowly – over to the entrance to the ice. And then we stepped on…

And Mark almost broke my fingers. He was holding on to my hand so tightly that I almost lost feeling. I practically fell over in pain. But it was so funny that I had to laugh at the same time. I loosened his grip a little, and gave in to the fact that I’d have to hold his hand the whole time. Again, no triple sow cows for me that day.

But then, after only one go around the circle, it was as if Mark was a different person. He took off. And he was a natural! He was skating in between kids and their parents, dancing along to the music and even trying some tricks by the time we ended our fun. It was great! I almost couldn’t keep up!

We stayed for a while, skating together, doing funny tricks and watching some other really good skaters. I’m happy – and proud – to say that we didn’t fall down. Not once! No wet jeans or icy hands, no broken wrists or sprained ankles. Just a happy memory that we finally made it to the Depot, and I finally broke Mark of his skating fear.



Now, you might ask why we didn’t just give up skating at the Depot and go to a different rink. The Depot is such an amazingly cool space that we didn’t want to go anywhere else. Here’s some background on the Depot from the web site to help you get the idea of why it’s so magical:

The Depot was originally built in 1874 and was used by the Minnesota Central Railroad, which later became known as the Milwaukee Road. The old Milwaukee Road Depot remains one of the last long-span, truss-roofed sheds surviving in the nation. When it was first constructed, the ground floors were paved in white marble with black borders and walls were built with cream and brown enamel brick. The ceiling of intricately paneled oak gave the rooms a large, spacious feel. The total cost of the Depot was about $200,000.

The Depot was used by the Milwaukee Road until 1971, when the line stopped services to Minneapolis. At that time, the building was used for office spaces for the Milwaukee Road. After a few different owners, the Depot and the freight house were sold in 1998 to CSM Corporation. Since then, the Depot has undergone an amazing restoration process and now includes the ice-skating rink, a hotel, an indoor water park and a historical center. The project was completed in July 2001.

From a personal standpoint, I think that the Depot is one of the coolest spaces in the Twin Cities. The restoration efforts kept the integrity and history in the space while giving it a needed face-lift. Other events are held in the ice-skating space as well – weddings, wine tasting, charity events. I highly recommend visiting the Depot for an ice skating adventure or to attend one of the various events held there. It's worth a trip just to see what the place looks like. And I’m hoping to make ice skating an annual event! We'll have to see what Mark thinks about that...

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