I moved to the zip code 55401 almost 10 years ago, and remembered the first night while unpacking my suitcase when I ordered a pizza:
[Flashback Mode ON]
PH: “Pizza Hut, can I take your order?”
LL: “Yes I would like to order a pizza”
PH: “Can I have your zip code please”
LL: “55401”
PH: “Sir, sorry – we do not deliver to your zip code”
LL: “What? What do you mean you don’t deliver to my zip code”
PH: “Again, sorry. 55401 has been labelled a ‘no delivery’ zone due to the crime rate in the neighborhood”
LL: “?????”
PH: “Is there something else I can help you with, sir?”
LL: “Well, if you’re Pizza Hut, and you can’t deliver pizza to me, I suppose not”
PH: “Have a good evening”
[Flashback Mode OFF]
Tonight sitting in my apartment, looking out my window at my now partially-blocked view of the Mississippi, I realized how the 55401 zip code (especially the Warehouse District which I call home) has changed in the past 10 years. Not only will Pizza Hut deliver, but so will Dominos, Papa Murphys, and at least 10 more restaurants in the area. I can also walk 3 blocks to a bar where you can get a back massage while sipping a Martini, an extra block to enjoy authentic Latin Carribbean cuisine, then wind down at a bar where DJs spin chill-out music all night.
Then tonight I stumbled upon a web site showing those living around me who have made presidential campaign contributions – to find out that my neighboring residents consist of CEOs, lawyers, university professors… and then ME.