The One Where You Get Extra Points For Staying On Your Feet
This is just my experience, and I’m just a Twins fan.
Showed up at… 7:30 am to get a ticket to the Open House/Gopher “game” (I don’t care what you say, that was a college sized Crainwreck not a game). I was so worried Friday night thinking-“Just how fast will this thing sell out?” Come to find out Target Field eventually let some 36,000+ people in the building, and even when I was leaving sometime in the 7th inning I noticed people still buying tickets.
I’m glad I did show up because I got to walk around the entire stadium with a friend; had I come a few hours later I would have missed being dragged all the way to top level (I. Hate. Heights.) Don’t get me wrong, there was an outpouring of fans (Twins, Gophers, I saw a few of you Vikings gear wearing fans in there too…) who showed up super early, standing in line and waiting to get a look at the Minnesota Twins’ new home. The lines weren’t all that long (Gate 3 was about a 15-20 minute wait).
For the most part we walked through everything we could possibly do. We walked through the boxes (give me a bed, some curtains, and a full stocked bar and I could live up there!), the bars, the Metropolitan Club, drooled over the Legend’s Club (cause let’s be completely honest I’ll never get back in there). I got to walk by the quotes wall, and see my seats for the April 20th game I will be attending (I’m going to be in section 235, row 1, not 236, but I’m still under the Minnie/Paul sign)
I always loved the guys who sold the nuts, popcorn, beer at the Dome; they were always always nice. It was honestly one of two things I really was going to miss about my beloved Metrodome (the other being the atmosphere when it’s the top of the 9th with 2 outs and one more pitch to go. You couldn’t hear yourself think, all you could do was live in the moment, get your ass out of that seat, and hope the roof wasn’t going to blow off).
The staff was, for the most part, just learning the ropes and as helpful and courteous as they could be. I was impressed with how much they already knew when they hadn’t had this chance at a dry run before. Some of the concession windows, more than a few, I saw were closed and locked down. I can only assume those will be open when the time comes for Mauer, Cuddyer, and the rest of the crew to pull on their jerseys and run onto the field, and Target Field will run smoothly.
The bathrooms are already an approvement. I didn’t have to wait 30 minutes for a stall; hell, I didn’t have to wait in a line spanning half way down the hall. I walked right in, did my girly business, washed my hands, and left. In and out quicker than I ever could have done at the Dome.
I’m still not impressed with the new dogs, and being an avid supporter of Hormel (I do have stock in the place, and half of my family has worked for the family at one time or another so I’m a bit biased…) I was skeptical about the new dogs. I had one, I really cant remember which, it’s probably in the notes of my facebook pictures, and it wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t all that great either. The prices were… well… we won’t get into the prices of the food. Haha let’s just say, I’ll be doing the collegiate thing and eating 15 cent ramen for my meals for the rest of March and April.
There is no place, that I could find, in the entire span of the seating at Target Field, that didn’t impress and wow me. I could sit anywhere and would be happy with my view of the game. There are no bad views, and if you found one I want pictures and a lengthy explanantion at why it’s a bad view lol. The leg room is significantly more comfortable and you don’t have to crane your neck to see the game anymore.
For the record, this is the schedule taped to the inside of the bus stop at Blegen Hall on the West Bank. I didn’t write this, but it’s hilarious nonetheless.
The ride on the bus home was packed, but I was still very happy with the fact that it wasn’t chaotic getting on the light rail. It may have not been insane getting on the train at Target Field but it was insane getting on the 16 at the dome and getting off at Blegen once back on the University of Minnesota campus. The actual bus ride was a whole other story: When I first got on the driver kept insisting that we could keep moving to the back and try to get everyone on one bus when we were already packed in like sardines. We somehow managed. The driver hit a few dozen bumps, and when everyone made it through the rough ride still standing the driver so nicely called out “you all get extra points for staying on your feet.” Thanks, dude.
I’ll miss the dome; I’ll always cherish the memories (first game, 1991; first cotton candy; first moment I fell in love with sports/baseball, first twinsfest), but it was time for a change and I’m officially excited for outdoor baseball to begin.
Go Twins! Let’s go get that championship trophy!
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