This week, after all of that Otakon madness, I decided to go out to Minneapolis. I am currently in between jobs, so this was a perfect time for me to check out that city. Oh yeah, my mom has a consulting gig over there, so it would be a lot eaiser getting a room downtown than without. I expected Minneapolis to be less sophisticated, but it is really is a modern cosmopolitan city with decent transportation options and a fledgling downtown core. You wouldn’t believe it, but the light rail has only been in operation since 2004. It sure isn’t any New York Subway, but it works for a tourist like me. I’m not sure if the light rail system is a hit with the locals, but you can get from the airport to downtown without taking a cab. It is also a convenient way to get to the Mall of America. (More on that later.)
Since I only had two full days in the city, I do what many visitors do; check out the Twins and the Mall of America. Much of Tuesday, I walked around skywalk and Tuesday night, I was in attendance at the Yankees-Twins game at the Metrodome. You know, the one that went into extra innings since Mariano Rivera suddenly couldn’t save a game and A-Rod somehow came through later on. Yeah, I was there to see it. The Metrodome is obviously not well suited for baseball. The only advantage the “ballpark” has is the crowd can generate loud noise thanks to the enclosed space. The seats are cramped and are designed in a way that is more suited for a football game. Twins fans be lucky that in 2010, that the new ballpark will more accomodating for baseball. Too bad they didn’t think about enclosing the field entirely. It’s gonna be awful in early April and late September.
The people in Minneapolis are nice. Almost too nice. I really didn’t face that hostility in the Metrodome that I was expecting. As a Yankees fan, I faced more hostile fans in Toronto and Baltimore attending their home games. Sure, I got a good-natured jab at the security guard while entering the dome, but I really didn’t feel that. Not even a “Yankees Suck!” chant. The Twins may be a great team right now, but the fan base really wasn’t into it UNLESS they were told to do so.
The next day, I went to the Mall of America. It is not the biggest mall in America or the world, but it has the most stores of any mall in the country. If you plan on walking around this place, make sure you have comfy shoes. Especially for those who can’t walk very well or are disabled.
To be honest, other than the theme park in the middle, the aquarium, and Caribou Coffee, you can probably see much of these stores at a mall near you. Speaking of those stores, you may see them…more than once! For example, there are no more than FOUR Lids stores in this mall! Actually, it does makes sense to shop here since there is no sales tax on clothing. I wish they had winter jackets out since I’m in the market for one. Since it’s Minnesota and winter will be here sooner than later, I would expect to see them out in full force in the stores. I guess the retailers are still in a summer mood trying to get rid of excess summer inventory.
I wish I had more time to check out the theater district, it’s parks and the Science Center in St. Paul, but two days is not enough in Minneapolis. Maybe one day if I get a gig where I travel a lot I will somehow be able to get back to this lovely town, but for now it remains a dream. Also, the horrible winter weather is a major DO NOT WANT for me.
