Fargo of the Coen brothers' 1996 noir crime thriller – and the award-winning television series it spawned – is bleak, snowy and weird. There are bad haircuts, funny "you betcha" accents, serial killers galore – and, of course, that woodchipper.
The sight of blood-splattered snow as the corpse of bad-guy Steve Buscemi is "disappeared" is indelibly etched in my mind, shaping my expectations of North Dakota's largest city.
And I'm not disappointed. The fact that neither the film, nor the two TV series, is filmed or even set in Fargo hasn't stopped this entrepreneurial town from capitalising on the notoriety. The actual prop woodchipper, complete with fake leg sticking out, is proudly displayed in the Fargo-Moorhead Convention and Visitor's Bureau, along with other memorabilia from the film; while the town wears the slogan "North of Normal" with pride, honouring its reputation as being ... well, a little odd.
Like Portland, Oregon – whose unofficial motto is "Keep Portland Weird" – Fargo marches to the beat of its own drum, its progressive spirit, individualism and artistic bent at odds with mid-Western conservatism.
With three universities and 30,000 college students, its population is hip and urbane; while its fairy-lit streets are full of trendy restaurants, buzzing bars, quirky boutiques, thought-provoking art galleries and innovative small businesses.
The heart of this "town of misfits" is Downtown, transformed by a $10million facelift into a 24-hour hub where the community lives, works and plays. Italianate warehouses have been converted into upscale apartments with ground-floor retail outlets and basement entertainment venues; ornate light poles, decorative pavers, iron street furniture and floral garden beds make exploring on foot or by bicycle pleasant; while the art deco Fargo Theatre is the jewel in the crown, its sympathetic restoration showing great attention to historic detail.
I begin my own journey into Fargo's creative soul at one of its restored gems, the Hotel Donaldson. Commanding corner views of Broadway and 1st Avenue, this boutique hotel, built in 1893 as a meeting place for the International Order of Oddfellows (I'm sensing an historic theme here), showcases the work of local artists, with each guestroom set up as a private gallery.
The hotel also provides a venue for poetry readings and musical performances in the HoDo Lounge and Restaurant, and guests are treated to complementary wine and cheese in the lobby between 5pm and 6pm daily.
Supporting regional expression is central to Fargo's two major art galleries: the Plains Art Museum, in a renovated warehouse downtown; and, across the river in Moorhead, the Rourke Art Museum, which features a staggering collection of modern art including pieces by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Salvador Dali.
But art is everywhere in Fargo: on street corners (with a series of bizarre painted buffalo), in the children's zoo and in a host of private galleries, such as Ecce (featuring the work of mid-Western locals) and Gallery 4, a co-operative space with affordable collectibles.
After the meat-heavy blandness of mid-Western cuisine, Fargo's dining scene is also a revelation, with variety, freshness and sustainability at the core of innovative menus. Mezzaluna, hidden in a back lane behind the theatre, offers an eclectic twist on traditional American fare; while the funky Vinyl Taco serves gourmet Mexican food to the accompaniment of tunes spun on old-fashioned vinyl.
There are coffee shops to satisfy even the fussiest caffeine fiend, open-air patio wine bars, basement cocktail bars, pubs featuring rip-roaring live music, and several brewhouses that create their own liquid amber.
At the Fargo Brewing Co (home to the Woodchipper IPA craft beer) I join a yoga class called Yoga on Tap – an hour of stretching and meditation, followed by a pint of beer. It's incongruous, fun and offbeat – just like the town itself.
www.fargomoorhead.org
www.rmi-realamerica.com
United Airlines flies from Sydney and Melbourne to Los Angeles, with domestic transfers to Minneapolis, Minnesota; see www.united.com.
Fargo is a 3.5 hour drive from Minneapolis, for car hire, see www.driveaway.com.au.
Rooms at the Hotel Donaldson start at $280 a night; see www.hoteldonaldson.com.
The second season of Fargo will screen on SBS from October 21. SBS will also screen the movie during its Coen Bros movie season in November.
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