My reflections on Prince.

The Prince Memorial right outside of his club, First Avenue, Minneapolis.

When I moved from New York to Minnesota in July, so many people said to me "Prince lives there," as if they had a friend in the state that I was moving to or that Minnesota was known for having Prince as a resident (I've learned that IS true). And when I arrived here and told people I'm an entertainment reporter they said, "Prince lives here". It was this great sense of pride and people couldn't wait to see my reaction when they told me. When I found out Prince died, my heart sank. Not because I felt like I'd missed my chance to befriend him in the state we now shared. I just kind of love that he was the universal thing people asked me about since I moved here. I also thought it was cool how much he loved and believed in his home state and how happy Minnesotans were that he stayed. It was one of those unsaid things that make you feel safe or OK. Like, Prince is here, we're good.

#MinnesotaDoug

This weekend all over Minneapolis they were having tributes in celebration of Prince's life. I didn't go to any of them, which is ironic considering I spent the better part of my New York life chasing stories for various publications since 2008. I felt so guilty for not going. In the back of my mind I reasoned that Prince was kind of a recluse and he might not have shown up to his own memorials either. I happened to be downtown tonight, so I drove over to First Avenue, his music venue. Not many people were on the street by his memorial, just hundreds and thousands of purple flowers and purple balloons and candles. It was quiet. It felt private. It was nothing like footage from the news this weekend with thousands of mourners. The thing that really grabbed me was the street corner smelled so sweet and intoxicating. As if someone poured the nectar of the gods on the pavement. It was all the lilacs or any other purple flowers one could find. It was sensual and mysterious. It smelled exactly like what you would expect a Prince memorial to smell like! There was a serenity and ease about the time I spent there. It felt like home. I am at home. In Prince's state. ‪#‎RIPprince‬

Prince Tribute outside of his club, First Avenue, Minneapolis.