Is This ‘Act’ Socially Acceptable Loitering Or Being Minnesotan?

Picture this: it's a nice summer day, maybe a little on the warm side, and as you drive through your neighborhood, you realize that many garage doors are up, and there are solo occupants sitting just inside the garage, some cracking a few cold ones, other just relaxing listening to music, or have the garage TV on. Socially acceptable loitering or is it just being a Minnesotan?

Midwest is the best

I realized that this behavior is distinctly midwestern, and more so an activity one sees in the 'inner' Midwest. Others call the activity loitering; we call it being Minnesotan. There was a Reddit post about this activity the other day, and the original poster seemed horrified that people spend part of their day/weekend like this.

Why do Minnesotans hang out in their driveways/garages?
byu/PipandWin inTwinCities

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Why do we hang out in the garage with the door open?

But WHY do we do this? Here are a few ideas:

• Winter - We have some awful weather during the winter months...remember the 22 below temps we had this past winter? So we crave nice weather, and can appreciate a nice day, even if it's warmer than we are comfortable with.
• Front Porch Lifestyle - Lots of people in other parts of the country have porches. In Minnesota, it's either a deck for enjoying time away from work, or hanging out in the garage, both are our 'front porch' where we engage with friends, family, and neighbors.
• It's public but also private - You are open to people stopping by to say hi, but at the same time your comfortable at your place, many times when you have this thought/feeling the visiting party hangs out, just outside the garage, respecting the privacy and space of the garage occupant.
• It's generational - Maybe we just do it because our dad, uncle, grandpa, whoever did it, and now you do it because that is just the way it is.

Enjoy your time away from work the way you want to

However you spend your time away from work is up to you, whether that is in a garage, or out on a patio, at the lake, or comfortably inside your house, your time is your time.

Enjoy it. But with the hot weather this weekend, if you are hanging out in the garage, maybe put out a few fans to keep it comfortable.