Colored Suit Man
This isn’t a story about one event in particular, but rather a fond narrative of my favorite character who rides the bus. There are many people who play bit parts in my life – the excessively friendly guy who helps me at Caribou every morning; the guy who flirts with me when I buy groceries at the Uptown Lund’s; the woman who gulps down coffee during aerobics at the Y. These are the people you see all the time and feel like you know intimately, but in reality they’re complete strangers.
Well one of these bit players in the lengthy production entitled “Julie’s Life” is a guy called Colored Suit Man (or rather, a guy called that by my sister and I without his knowledge or consent). If you ride the 6, you’ve probably seen him. Everyday he wears a different, brightly colored suit. He’s got one in red, green, pink, white, yellow, burgundy – all full suits, all with matching ties, all freaking fantastic. I know he’s seen me a million times, and I conjecture with confidence that he has no idea who I am. But every once in a while, on a particularly gloomy Minnesota day, this dude will make it just a little bit brighter – literally. Thanks, Colored Suit Man.
Jun 18th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
Is this the same guy that carrys a breifcase?
Jun 18th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
If he carries a briefcase, I’ve seen him on the 16.
Jun 18th, 2007 at 8:44 pm
Wish he’d ride my bus, sounds like a neat person!
Jun 19th, 2007 at 7:13 pm
I rode the 17 with him today! He was wearing the red one. Very dashing.
Jun 21st, 2007 at 1:01 pm
My favorite one is the lavender. I think i remember seeing him wear a burnt orange colored suit once. He really is a very nice person–so go ahead and say “hi” to him. He’s been riding the bus for many years. OH–by the way–I should mention–I asked someone years ago on the bus (before he started wearing colored suits) what his name was and they told me his name is Danny.
Jun 22nd, 2007 at 4:32 am
OHmigosh, I call him Colored Suit Man in my head too, and have for years! I’ve always been impressed that he even coordinates his shoes with his suits — he has a bright red pair to go with the bright red suit, and royal blue to go with the royal blue suit…he always reminds me of the roaring ’20’s in his style…he could sort of be Jay Gatsby, you know? One day I saw him in regular shorts and a t-shirt, with sandals, and it freaked me out. It looked so…wrong.
Jun 24th, 2007 at 9:20 am
I sat next to this guy on the 5 in the summer of 1999. At one point he opened his briefcase and started looking through papers. The writing was in crayon. After about a minute of leafing, he put the papers away.
I’ll see him occasionally and think back to that ride. I’m guessing the papers were drawings from his child(ren), but part of me hopes for something else. A briefcase full of forms and contracts and other documents just does not befit a man of his dapper appearance. Maybe he’s a child art critic.
Jul 2nd, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Child art critic? I doubt it. Maybe he’s a child at heart and they are his drawings.
Jul 13th, 2007 at 1:34 am
I’ve seen both of these guys on my bus. The younger guy with the silver breifcase usualy rides the 16. The other guy I’ve seen downtown Mpls for years. And he has always looked the same. I wounder if they know they are local celebrities, well sort of
Both nice guys and welcome on my bus anytime!
Jul 18th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
This guy was my next-door neighbor in my very first apartment in Minneapolis. Then, I moved into his old apartment about three years ago in a building I’ve since left. He left the apartment a mess. I’m not all that fond of him any more.
Jul 26th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
I know for a fact that this man is bi-sexual and now i know he is also a slob. I don’t like piggy people and i know most landlords won’t tolerate people who have a history of filthy apartments. I have lost respect for him after hearing this. Has anyone actually seen this man riding the bus since we started talking about him on bustales. I haven’t. Maybe he has left town because he knows we are talking about him and he feels humiliated . Now I’m going to get off bus tales before someone starts talking about me then I will have to leave town! HEE-Hee! BYE!
Aug 1st, 2007 at 12:52 pm
Color crayon drawings? That doesn’t sound impressive. No wonder He’s thinking about leaving town! Instead of of colored suit man they should call him color crayon man.
Aug 12th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
The “Colored Suit Man” is by far one of the most unforgettable people I’ve encountered on the bus over the last couple of years I’ve been riding. I’m REALLY curious what he does for a living. The Colored Suit Man is a complete mystery to me and as I’ve learned… a living breathing colorful contradiction. (He wears a full suit to work and has a gym membership…. but at the same time he carries around a beat up old silver briefcase and works out in shorts held together by safety pins.)
Aug 16th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
Colored Suit Man courtesy of coleridge78:
Nov 21st, 2007 at 10:06 am
I see him get on the 6 every once and a while. Its the strangest thing. I haven’t seen him in a couple weeks. But, I also wonder what he does- with his metal breifcase… strange…
Nov 29th, 2007 at 3:52 pm
Colored suit man is my favorite living mystery. Every time i’ve seen him open up that old beat-up siver breifcase all i see in it are old crumpled up newspapers, cell phone. Nothing important! He’s starting to bore me.
Dec 9th, 2007 at 7:43 pm
I saw this guy all over Uptown when I lived there in the early 2000’s. Often saw him walking on the sidewalk outside of Urban Outfitters.
Dec 13th, 2007 at 11:14 pm
People above mentioned that it has been awhile since they’ve seen colored suit man. He was on the 6 today, dashing as ever.
Dec 17th, 2007 at 6:18 am
I wonder if the other guy AmyFive is referring to is Scott Seekins, who always wears either a battered white suit, or a a battered black suit, no matter what the weather or season. I’ve always wondered if Seekins and Suit Man know each other, as they’re the two best examples of Twin Cities Human Art.
Dec 18th, 2007 at 2:44 pm
He’s always getting on the 16 at 27th and university heading west on weekdays during noon hour. Just the other day he got on. Dashing as ever? Hardly. He was wearing a beat -up old overcoat with that beat-up old brief case of his. It sounds as if we are all obsessed with this man. Wer’e really not. It just sounds that way. We have nothing better to do with our time
Jan 14th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Yes, I’ve seen this guy. He works out at the YWCA and he rides into downtown on either a 6,12 or 17. I know this because I also ride those routes and workout at the YW.
Have you seen the suite with the question marks all over it? Classic, eat your heart out Brooks Brothers.
Jan 30th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
If this is true, Then maybe you could take a picture of him when he is taking a shower at the YW. I’m tired of looking at him in his flashy colored suits all the time. I want to see him in his birthday suit for a change! i remember years ago hearing that he was well endowed. Now we’ll see!!
Apr 3rd, 2008 at 8:07 am
OMG, I saw colored suit man walking across the street last weekend at 31st and Hennepin. He was not in a colored suit at the time, but he was carrying his metal briefcase. I have a feeling he is a major client at International Male given the design of the clothes he wears.