MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesotans are known for their modesty and not wanting to draw attention to themselves. Case in point: The state is known as the land of 10,000 Lakes, when in reality there are more than 11,800. Why brag, right?
Well, there is a movement afloat to add another body of water to the list, one that probably wouldn't be at home in the Boundary Waters, or anywhere else where the lakes are so clean you can drink from them. "Lake Chipotle" is actually a parking lot that sits outside the Chipotle in Uptown, a slab of asphalt that never seems to dry up.
The gag isn't new: An Instagram post from 2013 shows the lot flooded with water that appears to be many feet deep.
But in recent months Lake Chipotle has started to create a buzz, with a busy Reddit thread, Facebook posts and a tongue-in-cheek tourism website celebrating the charms of "The tiniest member of the City of Lakes."
Organizers behind the website say the buzz (and the laughs) are welcome after a period of COVID-related community detachment.
"We are very excited to get exposure for our neighborhood," said a spokesperson for LC Tourism. "As we (hopefully) continue to exit the pandemic and reach the end of a long winter, we expect many people to take to the streets and rediscover their local communities. We want to encourage that discovery and community connection, and we plan to be an example through our work this year."
A fella by the name of CJ Bahan went as far as to launch his paddleboard on Lake Chipotle on a rare sunny day this spring, although it probably took him a single stroke to get from one "shore" to another.
The Twitter account Wedge LIVE! may be having as much fun with the Lake Chipotle joke as any, posting and retweeting images and videos of the problematic parking lot.
One fan went as far as to put the urban oasis on Google Maps in a TikTok video that is at 353,000 views and counting.
No word at this point on whether Chipotle is considering regrading the lot, or whether it's status as an odd tourist attraction is actually good for business. Stay tuned.
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