Hopefully you are reading this in the comfort of your own home because your power has been restored! If not you are probably at one of the many cozy and accomodating places around our town that has welcomed us powerless and wireless folk all week long.
Since the power went out Tuesday night many of us were forced out into the wilds of Glenview, dodging downed trees and dead stoplights as we foraged for coffee and internet service. Thankfully, we (and our laptops) were welcomed in with open arms by many local institutions.
Here are some of the bears I hugged this week and they hugged me right back. Big thanks to them all:
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: On Wednesday morning as we all wandered the streets a little shell-shocked, Caribou stood like a beacon, their doors flung open (the air wasn't working) and through some "act of God" as they said, the coffee makers were all humming along. This was quite mysterious as other outlets in the store refused to yield power. Through it all the cheerful staff worked quickly to make sure none of us caffeine addicts went without and the free wi-fi was put to good use. Amdist the general chaos the staff was as always, upbeat, friendly, and concerned about their customers AND they were training a new employee who was doing an equally admirable job.
I love Caribou. I love that if you sit there long enough you will see pretty much everyone you know in Glenview. I'd like to nominate Caribou Coffee as our own modern day general store. If this were Hooterville, Caribou would be Drucker's Store.
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And I'd also like to thank Linda Murphy who single-handedly brought us this Caribou through her one-woman corporate office writing campaign years ago. Bear hugs to Caribou and Linda.
: On Wednesday night when we all realized the power was NOT coming back on any time soon, the library filled up with souls desperate to get their Facebook on. The wi-fi service (for which they have 50 spots) was quickly overwhelmed but thanks to the foresight of our library planners, we had plenty of actual computers still available. Oh, and there were an abundance of outlets so we could all charge our phones too. Bear hug to the library.
: In addition to giving the best pedicure in town, each and every spa chair comes with its own private outlet. So while I was getting my toes done, I was charging my phone. Talk about multi-tasking. Bear hugs to Aphora and to Marcela who gives an especially gentle and long-lasting pedicure.
So that wraps up the last few days. It stormed, trees fell over, power went out. We laughed, we cried, we made scrambled eggs in a frying pan on the gas grill, we ran extentsion cords from neighbors' generators, we helped others clean up downed trees, and we made coffee runs for each other. Just another week in Glenview.
Tell us where you hugged the bear during and after the storm of 2011.