Your Metrodome Travel Itinerary(ies)

[jaybird2001wi]

Seeing as how some of us made the trek to Minneapolis by car and attended more than just one game, I was wondering how you all planned out and ended up doing your trips.

My brother and I left Racine Saturday at 8:50am and made it to Minneapolis by 3:30pm Saturday and made just two stops (my sister-in-law's Honda Fit is absolutely AWESOME on gas mileage). We made our first in Lake Delton for lunch at Culvers around 11am and then filled up the gas tank in Osseo before making the stretch to the Twin Cities. During the trip, my brother and I debated how to pronounce names of cities we never been to but heard of. I always thought Necedah was pronounced 'neck-ah-duh' but my brother thinks it is pronounced 'ne-see-dah'.

But its been awhile since I have been on a road trip, and was amazed it took less than two hours to reach Madison from Racine along Interstate 94. By the way, the rivers along I-94 near Johnson Creek was still flooded but not nearly as bad.

Since the game was obscenely short Sunday, we left Minneapolis at 3:30pm Sunday and made it to Racine by 9pm last night. Everyone on I-94 was absolutely trekking it without regard for any Law Enforcement agents. We made ONE stop, in Tomah, for a quick dinner and fill up of the tank.

During the game, I chatted with some Brewer fans from both Ixonia and Watertown. I was the only person who knew where Ixonia was when I noticed the guys shirt. But during the whole road trip, I don't think I saw one person wearing Brewer paraphernalia at any of the stops we made. This was the first time I ever been north of Wisconsin Dells in my life (I usually am more of a road tripper that heads south than north) and the first time I ever saw the Mississippi River. I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't a tourist stop along I-94 for picture taking of the Mississippi River, etc. Oh, and it was the first time I realized that UW-Whitewater likely isn't the smallest UW town (River Falls barely makes the Wisconsin map).

Overall it was a cool trip, my brother and I played 80's rock CDs (Tom Petty's Greatest Hits and CCR) on the way to Minneapolis and I came to the realization that I actually liked more than one Tom Petty song.

I would do the trip to Minneapolis again next year if given the opportunity. Not a bad drive. But it was really weird being home last night when I JUST saw a game in Minneapolis that day.

[SeriesFinale]

I say this as kindly as possible: you need to get out more.

[dadofandrew]

Your brother's pronunciation of Necedah is correct.

[jaybird2001wi]

Haha, SeriesFinale. I could have told you that. I don't get many chances to take vacations from work and stuff. But the Metrodome is the ninth Major League stadium I have visited:

1) Milwaukee County

2) Miller Park

3) Wrigley Field

4) Comiskey (US Cell) Park

5) PNC Park

6) Skydome

7) Jacobs Field

8) Shea Stadium (not for a game though, but for a tour)

9) Metrodome

 

Downtown Minneapolis was a bit underwhelming. All I saw were parking garages. You'd think there would be more shops and restaurants, but it wasn't even "happening" on a Saturday night.

What was really funny to see was a group of Brewer fans somehow managed to pull off a tailgate party in the hotel parking lot of Best Western before the game and didn't even get in trouble.

[lukevan]

If you want a good tourist stop for the Mississippi River, stop in Red Wing, MN and climb Barn Bluff or stop off in Prescott, WI or even Winona, MN. I'm guessing you crossed at Hudson over 94W which basically has nothing visible from the freeway. The cool thing though is that downtown Hudson is pretty much right on the river, some cool bars.

[And That]

The whole drive on Highway 61 from the Twin Cities to La Crosse is super pretty, so is the drive on WI-35 south out of Hudson to La Crosse.

[yoshii8]

JayBird, I thought downtown Minneapolis was great, did you check out the Nicolet Mall area or the Warehouse District? I was very impressed w/ the night life at both, also on Sunday after the game there was a ton of live music, and other things going on. I also liked all of the pre game stuff that was going on outside the Metrodome, it felt like a fun festival atmosphere. Overall I was very impressed w/ the city.

[jaybird2001wi]

I did like what they had to offer outside the Metrodome before the games. It was cool they had a wide variety of food for sale outside the stadium before the game so you didn't have to shell out more money inside the stadium during the game. I had about four ears of corn roast before the two games I went to. But as for night life, I am not much into that these days as I quit drinking altogether so there really wasn't a lot of options as far as that was concerned.

[jazzytrav]

It would have been nice to have this thread before I tried to take Hwy 10 back to Oshkosh to "save some time". Man I hate construction. Oh well, the games were fun and I got to hang out with my brother and his fiancee all weekend, so it's all good. If anyone was looking around on Saturday night, I was representin' in the Home Run Porch with my WOAH SOLVDD shirt.

 

I was a little disappointed at how many Twins fans stuck around in the 9th on Saturday night. Last year we got to move up to the front row because everyone bolted during a 5-3 game, but this year they all stick it out for a 5-0 game.

 

For the most part, I have always been impressed with Minneapolis. I haven't really visited much, but most people just seem genuinely nice. My brother lives in a really cool neighborhood, and it's a short bus or train ride to downtown.

 

Hopefully I can make it over there again this summer to see more of the city. I unfortunately had to leave a day later than planned because my car was totalled in the flood and I needed a reliable vehicle to get me and my gf there. After spending Friday with my brother-in-law buying a car (he's a car salesman), we finally headed early Saturday morning. So basically, my entire trip was driving and baseball.

[Paul77]

Downtown Minneapolis was a bit underwhelming. All I saw were parking garages. You'd think there would be more shops and restaurants, but it wasn't even "happening" on a Saturday night.

That's an understatement. Our hotel was about 3 minutes from the Stadium. After the game we walked around downtown and hit up some of the bars. Every one of which was dead. We asked the bartender at the first bar when it gets busy and he said, "Well it's Saturday night so people are out doing stuff". Okay. The next bar, same thing. He said, "Well, if the Brewers weren't in town we'd be dead. "I looked around the bar and of the 10 other people in the place, my brother in law and I we're the only 2 Brewer fans. There were four people in Twins garb, two guys we talked to at the bar that said they didn't really follow baseball too much and 4 girls at a booth eating. The next was a tiny bit busy, just a tiny bit. But, there were mostly Brewers fans there. We did manage to find one place that was kind of cool, but really. I was surprised by how slow it was around town. I've been to bars in Pewaukee on a Tuesday night that were 3-4 times as busy as these places were on a Saturday night.

 

But, that aside - the trip was pretty good. One of the coolest sports moments I've ever witnessed came this weekend during the pre game batting practice . Prince Fielder proceeded to launch ball after ball after ball into the upper deck near the white curtains. The 2,000 or so people in the park that early gave him a huge ovation when he left the cage. I've never seen an ovation for batting practice.

 

He did this last year too and the Twins fans were in shock. I even video taped their reactions because it was so funny. "Ohh my god, did you see that!"

[Katuluu]

Downtown Minneapolis doesn't really have a lot of night life. If you want that you need to head to North East, or even Uptown.

[dadofandrew]

The year McGwire hit 70, his BP sessions were legendary. Everyone would watch, and an ovation went without saying. That said, many guys do nearly the same thing, it's just no one watches.

[lukevan]

Uptown is very cool, my bro's band played the Uptown Bar a couple months back; lots of places to see. We hit up the Lodge in downtown Minneapolis Saturday night and that place was jam packed, we'd heard that's where Cuddyer is spotted regularly. As we were preparing to pay the cover, an old college friend of mine spotted us and got us in for free! Minneapolis is kind of wierd, it looks like nothingness for blocks and blocks (parking, office buildings) and then you'll suddenly see a happening area.

[cheezscott]

Boy, The Mall area and Warehouse district are packed on weekends!! you guys must have been at 7 corners or the area on Wash. between the dome and Holiday Inn???