After my last post, I flew from LA to Chicago where I had about a three-hour layover before jetting to Minneapolis. We landed earlier than I expected, so I was excited to get moving. After spending the night at LAX the night before, I was tired, but I had to throw off the feeling of being "cooped-up" from all the flying and waiting at the airport.
I boarded the Minneapolis Metro Blue Line light rail at the airport for a twenty minute ride to downtown. While I was on the train, some wicked thunderstorms rolled through the area dousing heavy rain and loud claps of thunder and lightning. I was paranoid that the game may rain out, so I was frantically checking the Twitter feed of the Twins for updates. However, being the Midwest, the storms rolled out just in time for me to get off the train in downtown, check-in to the hotel, and embark on the next adventure.
As all of you are aware, I'm an avid urban biker, and I truly believe that no Baseball Road Trip can be complete without some sort of pedaled two-wheeled adventure. While bringing my own bike was not feasible, I researched out the concept of the Bike Share in the three cities I'm visiting, and Minneapolis was the trial run.
For $6, I got unlimited 30-minute rides on the Minneapolis Bike Share. I took all 30-minutes of that riding through the streets of downtown Minneapolis, across and along the Mississippi River, and along the Cedar Lake Trail. I used the bike to not only explore, but to commute back from the game at night and to catch the bus this morning. You pay with a credit card, the machine gives you a special six-digit code, you enter the code into the bike dock to unlock a city cruiser, and you're on your way. The bike itself has three gears, a basket in front, and front and rear lights that are powered by you pedaling. When you're done with the bike, you park it at one of the other docks in the area.
Minneapolis has converted a lot of their waterfront along the Mississippi into a park which is lined with the old train elevators and sawmills of Minneapolis' more blue-collar history. While riding along the river, I really got a good sense of the history of the area. It also was interesting to see how Minneapolis has changed from that era into one that is more financial in nature, based on the large skyscrapers that dominate downtown. I get such a rush from riding around the city, and I really think you get more of a sense of community from the seat of a bike.
I docked my loaner bike and walked about a block to Target Field. Built in 2010, I had heard some wonderful things about it. It's hosted an All-Star Game and a postseason series, so it's well-known in the Baseball Road Trip circles as a destination not to be missed. And, I would definitely have to agree with that assessment. The home of the Minnesota Twins is one of the most beautiful ballparks I have ever been to.
The park is a perfect example of how fantastic downtown settings are. First, the view of the Downtown Minneapolis skyline from the right field seats is better than that of Pittsburgh, in my opinion. Second, since the park is wedged in between city streets, train tracks, and the river, it's got a lot of nooks and crannies that more sterile parks don't have. Third, it is a park that really honors the heritage of the Twins with statues adorning the outside of the park and an old-school light display featuring Minnie and Paul in straightaway center field. Finally, because of the way it's designed, Target Field has the feeling of an intimate venue. It didn't feel like the upper deck was super high, and I felt really close to all the other seats and fans.
A Thursday night start and iffy-weather made for a sparse crowd. I did get into a few conversations with some of my section mates in the nose bleeds, and everyone was very nice. I really felt welcomed, even though I was dressed in all my Angels gear. People were genuinely interested in knowing that I had come all the way from Southern California to see the Angels play. What was further exciting was that there was a respectable contingent of other Angels fans spread out throughout the park, so there was a sort of camraderie of being on the "road."
After traveling more than 1,800 miles to see them play, it was so rewarding to have the Angels win a fun game. The Twins jumped on Angels starter Hector Santiago early with a five-run first inning, highlighted by a three-run homer by Torii Hunter. But, the Angels stormed back with a big second inning playing six-runs, four of which came on a grand slam by Mike Trout. Lots of offense on the cool night gave the Angels an 11-8 win.
With the game lasting almost four hours, I simply didn't have the steam to do anything else. I had wanted to check out a craft brewery by the park, but I was so tired that I just rode back to the hotel on the bike share. Furthermore, I had an early-morning wake-up call to catch the bus this morning, so I wanted to try and get some sleep.
Now, for today, I'm currently on a Greyhound bus somewhere in Wisconsin. I'm on my way to Milwaukee, which we're supposed to arrive at around 1pm. I'm really on this whole bike share thing, and there's a dock for the Milwaukee version at the Intermodal Station. I'll drop off my bags, grab a bike, and do a ride for about an hour. I'd like to head down to the Historic Third Ward district, up the lakefront, and a craft brewery before calling it a day. I'll check in to the hotel, get cleaned up, and then jump on the Route 90 bus, the "Brewers Express", out to Miller Park to see the Reds-Brewers tilt. After the game, I'll head back to the hotel.
I've got another three hours on this bus, so I'm going to try and catch a few winks of sleep before the busy afternoon I have planned.
Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)
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