It aint pretty, but it's all we've got.
Written: May 26 '00
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Pros: It's address; Kirby Pucket Place
Cons: outdated and generic
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| The_Real_McCoy's Full Review: Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome |
It's a Friday night in the Twin Cities, it's been a long week and you're tired. All you want to do is stretch out your legs and have a couple beers in some peace and quiet. Your options? Why not head to a Twins game?
The much maligned "Dome", as we call it here, is a poor venue for baseball. The sight lines along the basepaths are bad, but seating has been..well..ample..lately, so you can sit sideways in your seat, and swing your legs over the armrest in the chair next to you in order to get a better view. There is also what we call a "hefty bag" that was placed in right field, to make up for the lack of distance. I know, you're thinking, what the hell is a hefty bag? If you check out the link at the bottom you'll get the idea. To help make the Dome feel more cozy, a giant..white..curtain was place in the most outer and upper reaches of the seats in straight away center a couple of years ago.
The dimensions in the park are not your traditional diamond. A jeweler would probably call it "rough cut". When you go to the Dome you don't get what you go to a baseball game for. Things like, a warm friendly park, wind in your face, and sun on your neck. I want to see the cute girls in their bikini tops, and an errant bird or two out in left field. Instead of the ball getting "lost" in the teflon, I want it lost in a cloud. O.K., that last statement was dripping with cheese but you get the point.
The Dome is smack in the middle of the city, and doesn't have it's own parking. So you have to be good at hunting down the cheapest prices at the privately owned lots nearby. Supply and demand works here. At Twins games you'll fetch cheap spot; 10.00 or less. On the other hand, for a Vikings game expect to pay 20-40.00 for the more premium spots.
The Dome as a venue for a football game is, no matter what Red McCombs says (Vikings owner), adequate. It's like a no frills ISP, you paid for a football game, here are your seats, here is the field, here is your game. Football is much more fast paced than baseball so you have time to notice your surroundings. The Dome also provides the Vikings with a goal, to be the first dome team to win a Super Bowl. --(editorial comment)-- Not that it will happen, because we'd need time travel, to go back a couple of years, before Denny Green wrecked the team. --(end editorial comment)--
The excitement at a Vikings game is palpable. Sadly there is only one lot that allows tailgating, and it usually fills up quickly. They do have a plaza area set aside next to the Dome. On the plaza you can find, bands playing, concessions (yes beer too), tables, face painting, roving Vikings Cheerleaders:) and some games.
In my profile you'll see that I'm recently engaged. My fiance LOVES football (thank God)especially the Vikings. Over the years we've been to many games together coutesy of her Dad's season tickets. So...a Vikings game was a logical choice to propose to her. A magical game, Monday night, vs the Packers in front of 60,000 screaming fans. It was unforgettable. She was very surprised, and called it "memorable", not romantic for some reason.
The Dome overall is, well, bad. An outdated, generic arena, definitely more suited for football than baseball. Both teams want a new stadium, all to themselves. But in the future I see dual-purpose stadium being built, with some taxpayer financing (unfortunately).
to check out the dome further:
http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/american/metrod.html
http://www.pro-sports.net/nfl/stadiums/nflhhh.html
Recommended:
Yes
Parking Availability: Better Get There Early
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Epinions.com ID:
The_Real_McCoy
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Location: MN
Reviews written: 11
Trusted by: 7 members
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