I flew to Minneapolis last night in preparation for a client visit tomorrow and Tuesday.  It’s incredible how much cheaper it is to fly on Saturday and stay overnight.  We saved over $500 on the air fare, which more than pays for a night in the hotel and a day’s worth of food.  It doesn’t take care of what to do on a Sunday in a strange city, though.  For that I just set out in the morning and see what I can find.  It’s like a 1-day vacation.  I don’t plan anything in particular so I don’t have to be anywhere at a given time.  Today I ended up at the Metrodome, about 20 blocks from my hotel, and watched the Minnesota Twins trounce the Cincinnati Reds.  I’m not much of a baseball fan, and truthfully would have been just as happy if the Reds had won.  The last major league game I remember attending was a Twins game in 1967 or 1968 at the old Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, MN

At least in Minneapolis, baseball is pretty cheap entertainment–no more than a movie.  You can get a bleacher seat for $5.00, and the concession stands aren’t any more expensive than the movies.  Plus, you can get beer at the game–something most theatres frown on.  I enjoyed the popcorn, hot dog, and beer, and marveled at the idea of watching a live baseball game on a hot summer day and not getting a sunburn.  Playing baseball inside.  What a concept.

The Metrodome is an interesting place.  Since I got there two hours before the game started, I was able to wander around and marvel at the immensity of the thing.  I had thought that the dome was fabric suspended by wire, but apparently it’s 10 acres of Teflon-coated fiberglass that is kept in place by air pressure–250,000 cubic feet per minute.  However it’s done, it’s impressive.  But baseball and football should be played outside, don’t you think?