The Trip to Minnesota

Day One
Well, I didn't get a good nights sleep for quite a while heading into the trip. As such, I was exhausted for most of it, and drove myself mostly on excitement and joy for the week. Sarah met me here around 11 and by 1130, we had picked up Jessica and her stuff right about as scheduled. The first thing we noticed was a blood red moon met us as we drove to Escanaba. It took a long time to do the drive, and I took two bad routes, niether were really incorrect, but they weren't the fastest way I could have taken. Still, with some good tunes kicking out from the CD player, and Sarah and Jessica fading in and out of consciousness, we made it. The top songs for the trip included Blue October's "Hate Me", Buckcherry's "Crazybitch", Kanye West's "Gold Digger", and Panic! At The Disco's "I Write Sins Not Tragedies". We arrived to Katie's about 415am Eastern Time. A long ass drive. What awaited us was a nice little four hour nap.
Day Two
Ready and on the road by a little after 9 central time, we made our way across the land of dairy, and into the land of...dairy. Regardless, we got to play my trivia/name that tune game that I had created for the trip. Only problem was that it went longer than I had anticipated, and we didn't finish before we arrived. Still it seemed to be a lot of fun for the girls to play, with catagories such as Boston, Minnesota, Sex, Movies, and some Name that Tune thrown in for good measure. We were in Minnesota and soon looking for the hotel. We found it fairly quick and made a guess as to how to get to the Mall of America (which will now be referred to as MOA), turns out we were right, and we went down the street to the MOA.
Our hotel was literally like 5 minutes from the MOA, which was very handy. Sarah and Jessica hadn't been there before, and so it was a really good experience for everyone. We went in and got some lunch, hungry from our drive. It really is an awesome sight, if you've never been there. For crying out loud it has a full amusement park in the middle of the stores. We had time to spare still, so we looked through the third floor of the mall (where the food court was located) before we went to leave. We didn't really do any shopping at this point, but we did discuss which stores and sales we'd like to stop in and look at tomorrow on our main shopping day. It was a lot to take in, and a pretty damn cool place. I think Jessica in particular was excited (she's the shoppy one!).
It was now time to check into our hotel. A few problems occured at this point. Number one, we had only signed up as two people for the room, so we didn't have to pay an extra fifty bucks to stay there. Not a big deal, except this hotel somehow only has one entrance, causing us to walk in two groups of two all weekend! Lol, but besides that the bigger issue was that the guy at the desk said we'd never make it to the game that night if we tried to drive. The downtown of Minneapolis would be too busy. He recommended that we take the 'light rail', which I guess is their version of the subway. We took his advice and set off to find the terminal station. It was pretty easy to find, and soon we had tickets in our hand and were awaiting the train. I asked a guy who was standing there what the process was, and he explained it to us, pretty easy. Then came the coolest part.
There were three seats on one side of the train and one on the other, so I gave the girls the three together and saddled up next to this frail thin old guy. We rode along for a while and then he asked if I was going to the game (probably a gimme since I was decked out in a Red Sox jersey and hat). I replied that I was and he said he had been a baseball fan for 30 years. It was awesome talking to him on the train, and I officially give him the Coolest Person We Met In Minnesota Award.
We got a great view of the skyline in Minneapolis, and the sights of the city.
Anyway, after about 14 stops along the way, we finally made it to the exit for the Metrodome. We anxiously got off and it was awesome. The hustle and bustle of the city outside a baseball stadium, one of the greatest feelings...however, we had general admission tickets, and I promised them that if I got to watch batting practice Tuesday, they wouldn't have to watch it Wednesday. As such we went up and got our stuff checked over by the cops and went to the door, only to find...that we were at the wrong entrance. We walked around the stadium to the correct entrance and and went through the opening!
Let me tell you, I can only think of a few times in my entire life that was so happy. I practically wanted to cry, and if you think that's stupid, picture the one thing that makes you happy, and finally seeing it after years and years. We arrived in time for batting practice for the Tuesday game. This was to be a game to remember. It was Red Sox ace Curt Schilling, the grizzled veteran, versus the young and hotshot Johann Santana, one of the best pitchers in the league. Hopefully it would be a good game. But first, we need to set up the atmosphere. Since we had general admission tickets for this game, we got to pick where we sat. We arrived early enough that we got the front row in the upper deck! Technically there were handicap seats in front of us, but pretty awesome anyway. Now, behind us were a bunch of high school kids, no big deal, to our sides, some old people, no big deal, however to really set the stage for Tuesdays game, we need to mention two people that added to the atmosphere. The first was our usher in our section. Now, I suspect at least something was wrong with his mind, but man, this guy was almost as annoying as he was funny. He had so much energy and was spitting out random facts to the large guy in front of us. He just kept talking and talking, and blah, blah, but he was fun. He taught us how to play "Twingo", which was a combination of bingo and traditional baseball scoring. I tried to keep up, but I lost the contest. This guy would dance, clap, sing, you name it, all while spitting out random facts, not just about his team, the Minnesota Twins, but about everyone in baseball. The other guy worth mentioning is who we'll refer to as toenail guy. This guy sat in front of us also, and I doubt he was handicapped. He wore sandals, and his toenails, I kid you not, were probably about 2 inches long. It was sickening. The girls had fun with these two, eventually saying our usher was Katie's boyfriend, the toenail guy Sarah's, and an old guy opposite of us, Jessica's. Batting practice was awesome to watch, we even got to see my favorite player Manny Ramirez bat. The time came however, and the National Anthem began.
Now, what ensued afterwards could only be described as more than our money's worth. Considering we had about 12 dollar tickets for this game, we got a bargain. Schilling versus Santana, and wow, was it a classic. Santana, was on fire, striking out some 13-15 Boston hitters. It was frustrating, but amazing to see. On top of that, one of the strikeouts was his 1,000. The game stopped momentarily and the fans cheered and cheered. I was rooting against the Twins the whole game, but we all still stopped to clap at being in attendence for such a feat. I give this moment the Most Remarkable Moment Of The Trip Award. However, Schilling pitched well also. Not as well, but after 7 innings, we had a tie 1-1. Eventually, both the starters left, and the game went to the bullpens. Important to point out a few notes here, one, food at the game was very expensive, 4.50 for a big hot dog I think. I think beer was 6.00 a bottle. I did take the time to buy a program, and did keep track of all the at bats. Sarah suddenly had the same favorite player as me, Manny Ramirez, although for completely different reasons. Jessica was obsessed with Coco Crisp (yes, that's his real name).
When the dust finally settled after 9 innings, we had a tie! Ladies and gentlemen, extra innings! How exciting! This really was a great game, and one we were privilaged to see. We hadn't slept much, so the only real problem was how tired we were. Still, the 9th inning turned to the 10th, the 10th to the 11th, and the 11th to the 12th. Lemme tell ya, happiness is Boston playing small ball to get a run in the top of the 12th inning at your first game in over 10 years. 2-1 Boston! Only problem is that we had to hold them off in the bottom of the inning. Now there's a pitcher who's name is Julian Tavarez, who is a total douche. Why Boston traded to get him I'll never know. Guess who comes in for Boston in the 12th. Several walks and hits later, and we have the bases loaded for the Twins. Next I about wanted to cry, as we watched the ball sail over the fence for a grand friggin' slam. Final score Twins 5-Red Sox 2. Tragic ending, but an amazing game! The stadium was rocking! A tough loss, but it was a great experience just to be at live baseball.
Out we file and onto the subway, now pros. It was packed this time, but it was fun to hear all the people on it talking about the game we just watched. One lady, who had a few too many kept trying to blame the loss on Manny, but she was beyond talking to. Anyway, we ended up back at the hotel and crashed right away due to fatigue and the fact that we had to wake up to get to Underwater Adventures!

Day Three
Nice and early we got up and had some free breakfast. Back to the mall, for our really big day of the trip. It was to be an exhausting one, but an amazing one nevertheless. Underwater Adventure is located at the East Entrance, and you have to actually walk below the mall to get there. Their claim to fame is that they have the largest shark exhibit I think it said in the world. All I know is that it was a favorite to everyone on the trip. You walk into the first "zone" and its like walking through a forest, not uncommon to this region. There we saw tanks with Koi, Turtles, Trout, a giant Alligator Snapping Turtle (who was shy) and a billion other fist and creatures. They also had several beaver exhibits, which Jess and I had a bit too much fun at. She decided to pose and the damn thing ran up and bit her finger. I on the other hand just chose to pose with the big beaver. I nominate this moment as the Wasn't Really Dirty At All, But Come On, Cody With A Three Foot Beaver of the trip. There was also something I happen to notice. Call it my keen or whatnot, but there were two turtles going at it. They also had a really bizarre display featuring live turtles inside a little fake barn or something close to that. I wasn't sure how the two were connected, but its cool I guess. Of course you couldn't tell, cause we all know how fast turtles are, but its almost as if you can hear the female turtle growing tired of the male, and saying "perhaps we should just watch TV instead Herb..." Regardless, I got a sweet picture of them doing whatever they were doing. All in all, it was a decent starting "zone" as had gotten to climb up and down walkways and see the different creatures that live near us. The trout looked like they could jump up and on to your plate at any moment. Up ahead was a tunnel. We could see it coming--sharks.

But no...we were in Mississippi. This was still an AWESOME exhibit. From this point on, most of the Underwater Adventure tanks were full tunnels, meaning that not only were the fist on both sides of you, they could swim over your head also. Pretty fun stuff, and we had a fun time looking at all of the unusual fish that lived in the Mississippi (River) Region. This section was also fun because we had a moving floor, that eventually was stopped. :( Regardless, this section was maybe...100 feet long or so, and then it was time for...Sharks! I also had the girls pose next to the American Alligator tank. While most of the Mississippi "zone" wasn't as cool as what was coming next, I still would like to point out that I enjoy seeing what is going on in just a normal lake by me. I remember going to an outdoor world with an exgirlfriend of mine, and it was really interesting just to see them feed and interact.

Finally we stepped through the Mississippi and into the Shark "zone". Two words, FUCKING AWESOME. This was amazing, they had sharks and large sea turtles, other random fish, etc, but to my surprise it was another fish that got all my attention. They had at least ten different kinds of stingrays, and they were awesome. They moved so gracefully, it was soothing to watch them. It was awesome to see them go up and over the top of the aquarium, watching their gills flutter fromt he bottom. So cool. I want one. I name the stingrays the Most Peaceful Thing To Look At. Oddly I can't find any photos of the Stingrays. I think I was more concerned with getting a video of them swimming. I'll see if I can get them posted on my Myspace account, since it lets you post videos there. Anyway, back to the sharks, they had a lot of them, in all shapes and sizes. They didn't have a lot of big ones, but they did have a few big fatties. The largest one had scars all over it. Also funny in this section was a sea turtle, trying to swim to another talk through the glass! He was so determined, but just wasn't strong enough to break the glass. I also took the time to pose in front of the teeth of the Megaladon, who in case you didn't know was the largest shark ever in the seas of earth. Yumm. "hmm...a seal..." Yumm. "hmm...a whale..." Yumm. "hmm...a buick." Just a fun pose I thought of. They actually had a few reporters from someplace interviewing the keepers of the tanks. We had to stop and let them film what they were talking about. I got a few more videos of the Stingrays, including one fun one with Sarah unaware that she's being stalked! Again, I'll see if I can get them posted.

The last section of the aquarium was fun also. They had odd little exhibits, including Starfish, Piranha, and this little guy, the Octopus. They actually had a whole section with movies playing that featured aquatic creatures. In front of James Bond's Octopus was this little guy. He didn't move much, but he was still a favorite for everyone. Look at all the little suction cups. At the end of the displays, they had a Blue Lobster, which apparently are only born 1 in every 5-10 million. He was shy and didn't really come out, but I used a flash to get a photo anyway. They also had a huge tank with the bright tropical fish such as Yellow Tangs, Clown Fish, and Puffer Fish. On the last wall, there was a set up from Finding Nemo, featured all of the fish from the movie in a little diorama. They were cool, and I got another movie of that, but the really cool thing was right next to them. Moon Jellyfish were illuminated with a blacklight, but they were sooooooooooo cool! I tried to get a video of them also, but had a hard time getting a good one cause it was so dark. Still, so graceful, so creepy. Easily the Thing That Looked Most From Another World on our trip.
And so that brought our trip to Under--wait a second! The best two parts are still to come. One was watching Jessica and Sarah knock over a rather large fake tree and then watching them try to say it wasn't them. The other was the Circle of Life-Petting Pool. So cool. It was a large circle, you just stood around the outside of, and inside they had 3 types of creatures. A horseshoe crab, three types of fish (sharks maybe?), and STINGRAYS! We got to pet the stingrays, they were so friendly, they would pop their heads out and look at us. One of them, who we nicknamed Nippy kept getting higher and higher out of the water. They didn't have teeth, but they did have a big mouth. Kinda scary. This photo is of Sarah petting of the stingrays. We spent about 15 minutes just petting the little guys.

After we left Underwater Adventures, we voyaged around the mall for the rest of the day. We went in many stores, but didn't buy all that much. I purchased a salt and pepper shaker for my mothers birthday in July, and for myself I bought a Boston Red Sox keychain, Boston batting practice shirt, Boston 3/4 length T-Shirt that is way too long on me, but would be a great nightie for some cute girl, and a Boston Nike sweatshirt. I ended up paying some 80-90 dollars for my stuff. Two things I did look for were a polo that a friend wanted me to buy her (never did find one...) and a new necklace for me, which I also didn't find a good one. Katie and I went in a book store, but it wasn't as fun as the Barnes and Noble in Appleton. Jess and Sarah had a fun time going into the big department stores, but didn't buy anything in those either. There was a really cool puzzle/game shop we went into though. Jess also was impressed with the virtual NASCAR place in the mall. I didn't actually go into this store, but had to get my picture taken outside of it, since it was a nickname I gave myself on myspace. Pretty odd, since we went to Minnesota to see the Red Sox play that we should stumble across a store named this.

There were many cool things to see in my mall also. We did walk all through the mall, including the rather disappointing 4th floor, which really only contained Hooters and a huge movie theater. Sometimes it was hard to navigate with all the escalators here and there, and figuring out which way to go. We actually got seperated for lunch, but managed to find each other. Say what I do about cell phones, they can come in handy in a place like MOA. I was able to get my favorite Sbarros pizza, which was a delight since I only get it about three times a year or so. I liked stopping at some of the intersections and taking picturs such as this. It was an amazing structure to see, and there really were a about a million things to do. Still, we moved through at a fairly fast rate, and easily completed the mall by about 4pm on the second day. Still, there were a few things that were pretty cool to mention. First of which was Legoland. A small center area in the mall, where they had containers of Lego's that could be used to make anything. The cool things were the giant structures that were here. The coolest were a giant clocktower, a lifesize Harry Potter, a replica of the world, and some giant rhinos. We didn't really build anything, but did look at some sweet models they had of several Star Wars ships and other things. We did take the time while we were there to also cram ourselves into a booth and have a picture taken of us, that picture was then made into a drawing by a computer. It was probably a good sight to see us sticking out on both sides of the door. I also found a bathroom that had a fun vending machine in it. I paid 75 cents for a tiny vial of sour apple liquid. The idea was that you did hits on the sour part of your tongue, and it was really strong. It wasn't that strong, but it was fun and we all did a few hits of it. I accidently got some on Jess's new white shirt! I felt pretty bad, but she forgave me. One place I did love was the toy store simply called "Toys". I didn't buy anything, but it was a pretty cool place. One last place worth mentioning was the middle of the Mall, which is now simply called The Park. We didn't do anything there besides walk around, but it was still pretty cool to look at. There was a ride that was probably stupid, but looked cool. It put you on a moving track inside a little car a la a haunted house, but you had a laser gun and the objective was to see how many ghosts you could shoot as the ride went along. At this point in our day though, we were pretty shopped out, and we were, to varying degrees, hungry. The biggest thing we had been discussing was where we were going to eat and when we wanted to get to the game. I told them I only wanted to see batting practice one night, but they said it would be fine to eat and go there early again. That being said, our runner up was a tiki-cabana looking place whose name I can't remember.
However, our winner was...The Rainforest Cafe! I'll go through this quick, since I'm approaching a month behind in my entries. If you've never been to a Rainforest Cafe, the idea is pretty simple--you're eating in the Rainforest. They have animals all over the place, and every once in a while, a thunderstorm goes through, causing some rain to fall, and the animals to go ape, no pun intended. The lights dim and flicker, and they even have one room that is set up with a fake sky above you. All in all a highly enjoyable experience. It was a nice stop to end our mall-ings. The food is a bit pricey, but manageable. After we were done, we went to the stadium, exhausted and ready for our second game.
As you can tell from the photos, our second game was much, much closer to the field Worth noting that in Minnesota they don't have real bullpens for the pitchers to warm up in. As such, they practice like ten feet in front of the railing. The starter for the second game was Matt Clement, who I got up close and personal with. I was like a little boy, running down to the railing and standing behind the dugout. But the players were so close, it was crazy! Many of my favorite players made a cameo too, Jason Varitek warming up, Curt Schilling dropping his glove, Tim Wakefield passing by, Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz having a footrace backwards and forwards across the field. The game itself was another story though, the Red Sox lost, and badly. I think the final was like 8-2 or something close to that. Still, we got to see a few homeruns and it was enjoyable, if for no other reason than we were so close to the field. One highlight, which we should have gotten a picture of was late in the game when two fan jumped on the field, ala Fever Pitch and ran around avoiding security. One was caught, but the other did the ever classic stop for security and then bolt away as they dove for them. This guy high fived a player and then somehow made it all the way to third base. The fans were going ballistic as they all shouted "steal, steal" in reference to home base. He runs the last stretch, slides into home, and gets up. In doing so there was a security guard who was hidden behind a player and darted out and speared the guy literally in half. It was one of the hardest hits I've seen! It was nuts! About it from the second game and home we went.

The last night there was memorable if only for the reason that Sarah foolishly accepted a challenge she thought she could win. You know those nasty wax bottle candies you get with the little bit of juice in them, well I bought a big package of them, and challenged Sarah to see who could drink more of them and then shove the wax in our mouths. I don't remember how high we got, but Sarah easily wussed out, while I shoved another five or six in just to prove a point. Afterwards, we pulled them out, I had a huge chunk of nasty wax! Sleepy time after that, followed by our big ride home. We finished our trivia game, and Jessica won, with Katie in a close second.

All in all an awesome trip with some awesome friends! I hope to get the Chicago story up soon, as well as what else I've been up to!

bliss.

:)

see you all in four!

Cody

Red Sox 33-21
Four for Four
Well I'm four days in a row on my exercise...my legs in particular are burning! Still, I'm going to keep it up as long as I can.

In other greats news(!) we found a 4th to go with us to Minnesota. Jessica Squires, or Jessi Squ (rhymes with screw) will be joining Sarah, Katie and myself for three fun filled days! Yay! Hip Hip Hooray!

All for now...too late...need sleep! ;)