Suck it, Thoreau

I had a few hours to kill in the Twin Cities on Thursday. So, I decided to check out the shrine to consumerism: The Mall of America.

And as much as it pains me to admit, the Mall of America is f***ing awesome.

It isn't so much a mall as it is a small theme park surrounded by four levels of shopping. There aren't really any amazing or different stores than what you would find in most other malls in the country, but there are plenty of them.

The small amusement park in the middle is called Nickelodeon Universe and has a bunch of rides themed after the crap that passes as kids entertainment on Nickelodeon these days. The actual rides themselves though, are surprisingly awesome. The best one is the Rock Bottom Plunge, which features a loop and a 97 degree drop. Not bad for a ride in the middle of a mall.

The other rides are a lot of fun too, and $20 got me a wristband for unlimited rides after 4 o'clock. Not a bad deal at all.

For baseball fans, the Mall of America holds some big significance. The MOA stands on the former site of Metropolitan Stadium, the first home of the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. The site of home plate is marked, though I am told it is inaccurate. Also visible on the wall above the log ride is a red seat from the stadium, marking the spot where Harmon Killebrew once hit a 520 foot home run. As a Dodger fan, the site of Metropolitan Stadium is significant in that it is where Sandy Koufax defeated the Minnesota Twins in game 7 to win the 1965 World Series.

Yes, participating and enabling the empty consumerism made me feel dirty and I'm sure I have no soul left, but the Mall of America ended up being a pretty fun way to kill a few hours in the Twin Cities.

Official Road Trip Stop #10: Miller Park, Milwaukee, WI

9/9/2009
Cardinals 5 @ Brewers 1

The difference between my night game experience at US Cellular Field and my day game experience at Miller Park was like, well, night and day.

It cost me $8 to park and $10 for a pretty nice seat. And still $5 left over from the parking fee in Chicago.

Miller Park is beautiful. It opened in 2001 in the shadow of old County Stadium and is a big landmark in the middle of Milwaukee's suburbia.

It is located a few miles from Downtown Milwaukee, so there isn't much to do in the immediate area before and after games. Except tailgate. And wow, what a tailgate scene it is. This is Wisconsin, and they sure love their grills and beers. You don't need bars or restaurants for pre and post-game entertainment here. Just pull out the grill and cooler, and you're set.

There is still excitement and optimism around the Brewers in these parts, despite the disappointing season to this point. After last year's magical run to the playoffs, the city of Milwaukee is very interested and very passionate about their Brewers, and sports in general. Most of the people at Miller Park are very nice and talkative, and its a very good and positive atmosphere in the ballpark.

Miller Park also has great food. It is famous for its Sausages, and I'm told that all of them are pretty good. The stadium makes its own "secret sauce" which is pretty good on just about everything.

Miller Park has a few quirks, including the Uecker Seats high above home plate. The supports that hold up the retractable roof form an obstructed view for these seats, and they humorously named after the Brewers' famous radio broadcaster, Bob Uecker. They cost just $1 on game day, and actually aren't THAT bad of a view.

But the best has to be the famous Klement's Sausage Race. It is such a bizarre and almost surreal thing to see 5 people dressed as large sausages (Polish, Italian, Bratwurst, Hot Dog, and Chorizo) run around the warning track in the middle of the 6th inning. It is a distinctly Milwaukee thing, and even though other small-market teams have tried to copy it, there really is nothing like it in Baseball.

The game was pretty special, as well. Even though the Brewers lost, Albert Pujols of the Cardinals did hit 2 home runs in the game. As a baseball fan in general, that is something I'll be able to hold on to for a long time. Unless it's revealed that he's a steroid user.

I had been to Miller Park once before and loved it then, too. It is a very, very cool baseball experience in the midwest, and I highly recommend a visit if you have the means. It's affordable, a nice ballpark, and the Brewers currently have an exciting (well, offensively) team.

Official Road Trip Stop #9: US Cellular Field Chicago, IL

9/8/2009
A's 11 @ White Sox 3

Ugh. Do I have to remember the game that I saw at "The Cell?"

I don't know whether it was fatigue on my part, or the fact that it cost $23 to park, or the fact that nobody told me that an upper deck ticket didn't allow me to walk freely around the park, but my experience at US Cellular Field was not very pleasant.

It opened in 1991 as the new Comiskey Park, and for many years was criticized as being too sterile and corporate and cold, especially in comparison to its neighbor on the North Side, Wrigely Field, and other new stadiums like Camden Yards in Baltimore. In response, US Cellular Field got a bit of a facelift and a new name, and now feels....sterile and corporate and cold.

For starters, the stadium is not in a very welcoming neighborhood. Now, to be fair, the South Side of Chicago is NOT as dangerous or bad as its reputation makes it out to be. But still, nobody wants to look at housing projects beyond the center field scoreboard. There are a few official lots run by the White Sox, where it does indeed cost $23 to park. However, the only other option is to leave your car parked on a street at night in the South Side of Chicago. Take your pick.

The main entrance behind home plate is for suite holders only, and the upper deck (where I sat) takes about 3 days and requires a sherpa to reach. As I found out the hard way, an upper deck ticket limits you to the Upper Deck only. I was very disappointed by this, as if you've been following my photos, you'll know that I like to view a stadium from several different vantage points before settling on my seat. I've heard there are some cool statues and a fan deck in the outfield concourse. I'll have to take the White Sox word for it, as they seem determined to separate the haves from the have-nots, because heaven forbid somebody doesn't pay full price for a seat to see a team that's playing .500 baseball.

Upstairs, the indoor concourses are poorly ventilated, and the smoke from the grills fills the halls. It doesn't smell or taste particularly good, either. I had some pizza, and after having such great ribs at Kauffman the day before, was sorely disappointed here, too.

The pre-game presentation video is actually pretty cool, and the "exploding scoreboard" is the one really signature element of the place. It was nice to see the White Sox at least hit a home run so that it went off. Still, its nothing to plan a family vacation around.

The fans were down and mellow, as it has been a fairly disappointing season on the South Side. They still buzzed with excitement when talking about Mark Buehrle's perfect game a couple of months ago. It was a small and largely lethargic crowd though, as the lowly A's walloped the home team.

I would only recommend a trip to US Cellular Field if you happen to be in Chicago and have nothing better to do, or your favorite team is playing. I wouldn't avoid it like the plague, but it really isn't that interesting a place to recommend dropping everything to go see it.

Yesterday, I applauded the Royals for investing in a business model that at least guarantees a pleasant experience at the stadium, regardless of how bad the talent on the field is. The White Sox have been able to produce decent teams for the past few years, which I imagine has allowed them to neglect a fan friendliness. But if the product on the field is going to continue to underachieve, the White Sox sorely need to take a hard look at "The Cell."

A Noble Spirit Embiggens the Smallest Man

I couldn't visit Springfield, IL without a reference to The Simpsons.


Anyway, I had no real intention of spending an extended period of time in Springfield, but my car needed its alignment adjusted, so while that was being done, I decided to visit the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. And wow, I'm so glad I did.

"It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues."
- Abraham Lincoln

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is a very, very extensive and thorough journey through the life of our 16th President. His life is presented in two stages; his early life through his young political career in Springfield, and his Presidency, which was of course, cut tragically short and marred by Civil War.

Abraham Lincoln lived an incredibly difficult and depressing life, a fact that isn't realized until it is closely studied. The museum extensively investigates the hardships, disappointments, and tragedies that marred Lincoln's life.

Through each exhibit are wax figures of the President and prominent figures of his life, and you can see the toll that life takes on the man as you visit each figure, until the assassination scene in a life-size replica of the booth at Ford's Theater.

What I love most about the museum is that it doesn't just celebrate Lincoln, but also showcases some of his faults and mistakes. I particularly enjoyed two exhibits; one showcasing anti-Lincoln propoganda, editorials, and cartoons, something that reminds us that irrational and hateful opposition to change is nothing new in this country. I also enjoyed an exhibit that presented the Electoral College race of 1860 as if it were happening today, using the late Tim Russert as the political commentator for the race. Its amazing how much more strategy there was involving the electoral college in those days. One of the four candidates' game plan was to simply win enough states to deadlock the electoral college, and throw the vote to the House of Representatives. I know alot of people don't like the way the two party system works now, but could you imagine if someone like Ralph Nader won simply because nobody won 270 votes and the House of Representatives elected him?

I also visited Lincoln's tomb, a few miles away. It is a very, very humbling experience to be in the presence of his remains.

The museum is powerful and interesting, and gives you a new perspective and respect for Lincoln. He was a man who did what he felt was right, regardless of the political pressure, and for that, I admire him. If President Obama wants to live up to those comparisons to Lincoln, he will do the same.

"The Loop"

I'm in the middle of the part of the trip that I've been referring to as "the loop." Thanks mostly to idiosyncrasies in the Major League Baseball Schedule, I found that this would be the best way to tackle these stadiums. I am kind of annoyed at having to backtrack a bit, but it is simply just another challenge.


View Larger Map

The only real daunting part of this will be the 9 hour drive between Minneapolis and St. Louis while trying to catch the afternoon game there. We may be looking at the first game that I am late for.

Official Road Trip Stop #8: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO

9/7/2009
Angels 3 @ Royals 6

I think I’ve wanted to visit Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City since I was about 6 years old. That is about when I got my first Sega Genesis, and first baseball video game, RBI Baseball 4. Way back then, the stadiums in baseball games were not very detailed, and all sort of looked the same, with a few exceptions. Wrigley Field had the ivy, Dodger Stadium had the wavy roof on the pavilion, and Kauffman Stadium had the fountains in the outfield. At the time, the coolest thing to do in the game was to put it on Home Run Derby mode and try to hit home runs into the water of those fountains. Good times.

On this trip, Kauffman Stadium proved to be one of the first truly pleasant surprises. I didn’t have many expectations for “the K,” but it turned out to be a pretty great baseball experience, despite the awful team that plays there this year.
Kauffman Stadium opened in 1973 as part of the Truman Sports Complex, which includes Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs football team, across the parking lot. The stadium has a very original and unique design for the era it was built, and has undergone an extensive renovation over the past few years to make it look almost brand new again.

Kauffman Stadium is the ultimate example of a suburban stadium in the smallest of small markets. There is almost nothing to do in the immediate area around the ballpark, unless you like Denny’s or Taco Bell. The tailgate scene, however, is very strong. This is the Midwest, after all. Tailgaters were firing up in the parking lot by 10:30 AM for a 1 PM game. Parking costs $9, which is the most reasonable I’ve seen so far on the trip.

Being in Kansas City, Kauffman Stadium’s food selection is heavy on bar-b-que. And it is good. Very good. I would make a return trip to Kauffman Stadium just for another half rack of their ribs that are sold in the outfield plaza. There is standard ballpark fare; hot dogs, peanuts, etc, but the bar-b-que is worth it, and is going to tempt you with the smell throughout the ballpark anyway.
Probably the coolest feature of Kauffman Stadium, though, is the massive HD scoreboard/video screen in center field. “Crown Vision” is 84 ft. wide and 105 ft. tall, and was the largest high-def LED display in the world until recently, when Cowboys Stadium in Dallas opened. It is so big, that even from about 500 ft away it feels as if you’re looking at a television in your living room.

In the outfield concourse is the “Outfield Experience,” which features a bunch of distractions things for kids to do. There is a miniature field where kids can hit balls, run bases, and see how hard they can throw. There is even miniature golf and a carousel. Normally, this would annoy me, but when you consider how bad the Royals are, I guess it doesn’t hurt to have something to take the fan’s mind off of what’s on the field.

There is also a Royals Hall of Fame with a pretty cool 15 minute video that showcases the history of baseball in Kansas City. There are many references and reminders of the Kansas City Monarchs, who were a very important and influential team in the Negro Leagues, and are the team that Jackie Robinson played for before his break with the Dodgers.

The Royals happened to win today, making the home record for stadiums I have visited so far 3-0. They were also wearing their powder-blue alternate uniforms for the holiday today, which were pretty cool to see in person. The fans in Kansas City have had to put up with a pretty bad Royals team for a while now, yet they seem pretty loyal and willing to show up in at least decent numbers. There are signs of promise in the Royals’ future, but 2009 has been a very, very disappointing season to say the least.

If you can’t always control the product on the field, you can at least control the ballpark experience and make it a pleasant one, which is exactly what the Royals have done at Kauffman Stadium. It is a very unique, affordable, and generally enjoyable experience at “The K.”

Not Dead

Hey followers (Mom),

Don't worry, I'm still writing, but spotty internet has prevented me
from uploading posts and pictures.

Expect some posts late tonight or early tomorrow, with content about
Kauffman Stadium, "The Loop," the Lincoln Presidential Library and
Museum (and tomb!) and US Cellular Field.

Til then,
Andrew