The Monster Route

By Michael Munn

(Editor’s Note: Michael Munn is an active member of the Minnesota Association of Blind Students, a division of the NFB of Minnesota. Michael came to the US in 2014, having been adopted from China. As we discussed his article, he told me that although he had memorized the entire Beijing subway map, he had never taken the subway anywhere alone, nor traveled much at all by himself before his training. As he put it, “I did not know how to problem solve and was afraid of getting lost.”

In August of 2023, nearing the end of his comprehensive adjustment-to-blindness training here in Minnesota, Michael posted the following to Facebook. The post, slightly edited for clarity, stands as a powerful testament to the certainty that blindness is not what holds us back.)

August 17, 2023: I have just completed the “monster route”, my final Travel assignment. I selected three destinations within the Minneapolis and St. Paul radius: 1) St. Paul Union Depot, the train station; 2) Best Buy in Roseville, with a lunch break at Rosedale Mall between the first and second destinations; 3) a souvenir store in the Mall of America

I began my route around 8:15 AM, boarding the light rail near where I live, and arrived at my first stop around  9:20 AM. I boarded the first bus around  9:40 AM  and reached the first transfer station at  10:06 AM. It took me a considerable amount of time to locate the bus stop in St. Paul for my transfer, but eventually, I found it after stepping off the sidewalk and walking on the grass. I arrived in Roseville around 11:00 AM, and to my great surprise, the Mall was situated inside the parking garage. I found the entrance after I conducted a thorough grid search. Once located, I went straight to the Food Court, where I had fried shrimp and a coke for lunch. 

Following the lunch break, I set out to find my second destination, Best Buy in Roseville. In both St. Paul and Roseville, some of the sidewalks I walked on had unfinished segments. I had to step off the sidewalk and navigate the curb to reach the garage of Best Buy in Roseville Shopping Center. It proved to be quite a challenging place to locate.

Upon leaving Best Buy, I embarked on a search for the Transit Center, which turned into quite a challenge. Eventually, I had to ask for directions to the Transit Center. The route involved ascending a flight of stairs and navigating through several twists and turns above the shopping center. Once I located the Transit Center, I waited for the Metro Bus A line and rode to a connecting stop to transfer to the light rail bound for Mall of America. 

I spent a considerable amount of time at Mall of America, partially due to my extended search for the light rail stop. I found the I Love Minnesota souvenir shop, and then took the light rail back home.

I was well-prepared for this adventure. Before embarking on the assignment, I meticulously planned my itinerary, including determining which buses to take. I also packed light, including essentials such as water, an extra cane tip  and potato chips which proved to be instrumental in managing stress. Additionally, having my itinerary in Braille, Spotify app, a pear of Bluetooth Earbuds,    and utilizing the Transit app along with carrying a fully charged power bank for my phone, proved to be immensely helpful. I also kept my instructor informed by sending him a text each time I reached a destination. This concludes my Monster route experience, and today turned out to be a truly fantastic day—the weather was neither hot nor cold accept for some wind in the morning.