Back from an extended weekend in Minny. The wife and I had an awesome time (excluding Friday night of course). I won't say anything about the game since it has been discussed here in detail other than to acknowledge it was just another in a long history of groin kicks for Hoosier fans.
First, let me say that Friday night college football sucks. It is unnatural and should be banished. Aside from the weather (which was crappy but could have been much worse) it is impossible to get a feel for the atmosphere, tailgate scene, campus culture or anything else. Everyone was coming in on a work day, and it was dark well before game time. Obviously the feel is a little different with an urban campus but it would be impossible for me to offer a valid take on game-day atmosphere or compare it with other places given the situation. The saddest thing is that Saturday was beautiful for tailgating and college football and there was neither. Just one more way tv greed has diminished the fan experience.
The Minnesota fans treated us wonderfully. Very happy to have visiting fans, anxious to chat about football, curious about IU and Bloomington, full of helpful advice for out-of-towners. Quick to commiserate about our respective current woes. Incredibly friendly people in the Twin Cities, including many who chatted us up at various places around town the whole weekend when they saw us in IU gear. They are a loyal bunch who love their team.
The stadium is excellent. Obviously it is newer than any other B1G stadium but everything was impressive. Love the seatbacks. Public transportation to the front door of the stadium is an added bonus. We took the light rail all the way from downtown St. Paul where we stayed. Easy, cheap, quick. Highly recommend it.
Beer sold (in cans) throughout the stadium, allowed anywhere in the seating area. I didn't partake simply because it was cold and I was content with coffee, but two different Minnesota fans offered to buy me a beer. As I said, my kind of people. Still hard for me to judge how I feel about alcohol sales. I experienced no problems to speak of. One really loud, profane, staggering drunk in the bathroom at halftime (which I have seen many places that don't sell inside the stadium) but he wasn't aggressive or belligerent. The only real issue was a twenty-something female (probably a student) a couple of rows behind us being as crude as she could possibly be, as loud as she could possibly be. She was a one-woman argument against alcohol sales in the stadium. Nobody else was remotely a problem, though it might be hard to judge due to the cold, rainy weather that had the crowd subdued. I'm sure the game day and time also prevented some of the typical pre-game partying that might be typical. It also probably helped that the home fans were in a jovial mood up until the 4th quarter. Nobody seemed to take offense at all that my wife and I were cheering for the other team.
The area itself is beautiful. We missed the peak foliage by about a week but still very scenic. Lakes, parks, and bike trails are abundant. Lots of cultural events, entertainment venues, etc. We plan to go back in the summer to experience more of the city life. We found great food, dessert, and drinking establishments and far more that we wanted to do than time allowed.
Highly recommend the place if you haven't been or are looking for a getaway spot.
First, let me say that Friday night college football sucks. It is unnatural and should be banished. Aside from the weather (which was crappy but could have been much worse) it is impossible to get a feel for the atmosphere, tailgate scene, campus culture or anything else. Everyone was coming in on a work day, and it was dark well before game time. Obviously the feel is a little different with an urban campus but it would be impossible for me to offer a valid take on game-day atmosphere or compare it with other places given the situation. The saddest thing is that Saturday was beautiful for tailgating and college football and there was neither. Just one more way tv greed has diminished the fan experience.
The Minnesota fans treated us wonderfully. Very happy to have visiting fans, anxious to chat about football, curious about IU and Bloomington, full of helpful advice for out-of-towners. Quick to commiserate about our respective current woes. Incredibly friendly people in the Twin Cities, including many who chatted us up at various places around town the whole weekend when they saw us in IU gear. They are a loyal bunch who love their team.
The stadium is excellent. Obviously it is newer than any other B1G stadium but everything was impressive. Love the seatbacks. Public transportation to the front door of the stadium is an added bonus. We took the light rail all the way from downtown St. Paul where we stayed. Easy, cheap, quick. Highly recommend it.
Beer sold (in cans) throughout the stadium, allowed anywhere in the seating area. I didn't partake simply because it was cold and I was content with coffee, but two different Minnesota fans offered to buy me a beer. As I said, my kind of people. Still hard for me to judge how I feel about alcohol sales. I experienced no problems to speak of. One really loud, profane, staggering drunk in the bathroom at halftime (which I have seen many places that don't sell inside the stadium) but he wasn't aggressive or belligerent. The only real issue was a twenty-something female (probably a student) a couple of rows behind us being as crude as she could possibly be, as loud as she could possibly be. She was a one-woman argument against alcohol sales in the stadium. Nobody else was remotely a problem, though it might be hard to judge due to the cold, rainy weather that had the crowd subdued. I'm sure the game day and time also prevented some of the typical pre-game partying that might be typical. It also probably helped that the home fans were in a jovial mood up until the 4th quarter. Nobody seemed to take offense at all that my wife and I were cheering for the other team.
The area itself is beautiful. We missed the peak foliage by about a week but still very scenic. Lakes, parks, and bike trails are abundant. Lots of cultural events, entertainment venues, etc. We plan to go back in the summer to experience more of the city life. We found great food, dessert, and drinking establishments and far more that we wanted to do than time allowed.
Highly recommend the place if you haven't been or are looking for a getaway spot.
