Local Tourist -- US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis

Once again, the Local Tourist is taking some liberties with the word "local."  Earlier today, the Local Tourist and his Mrs. crashed a group outing with the Roots to Wings Summer Camp to tour US Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings.  Although our Roots to Wings overlord is a Packers fan, she told our tour guide, 'Today, we are all Vikings fans."  I disagreed.  Go, Pack, Go!

Nevertheless, US Bank Stadium is a magnificent structure.  We got to see several luxury boxes and club areas, the Gjallarhorn, the Vikings' locker room, the press room, the nose-bleed seats, and even were invited to run around on the field.  The children took full advantage of that.  I tried to kick a field goal, but without a holder, it was a pretty ugly attempt.  The Vikings are welcome to have me kick whenever they play Green Bay.

Here are some photos from today.

Local Tourist: NFL Draft in Detroit

On Friday, April 26, the Local Tourist went with Nathanael and his high school classmate Chad to Detroit to check out the festivities for the NFL Draft.  Estimations were that there were 230,000 people in attendance.  But since the footprint of the whole NFL Draft experience was so huge, it never felt too crowded.  The whole event was very well organized.  Getting in and out was pretty easy.  There were long lines for various activities, so we were selective in what we wanted to do.

We stuck around for the actual draft until the Packers made their first pick in the 2nd round.  The wind was picking up a bit, and it was getting chilly, so it was the right time to go.

Detroit put on a fantastic show.  The city was great.  The fans were fun.  Lions' fans booed the Packers enthusiastically.  Good times!

Here are some pre-draft photos, taken about a week before the NFL Draft.   Lots of construction was still going on, and access was limited in most places. On the upside, there was no waiting for photo ops.

Photos from Draft Day, Day #2.

Admiring the other fans is fun.  Here are some zealous Packers' fans,

I have always entertained myself with jersey watching.  Jerseys of players from 25+ years ago are great.  Twice, I had people ask about my #54 Larry McCarron jersey--Packers' center (1973-1984).

Fake Troy Polamalu.  We saw him while watching the Pat McAfee show.

That's me under the arrow!

Next step: Get this guy noticed by the NFL.

Local Tourist: A Day in the D

The Local Tourist and his lovely wife spent the day bumming around downtown Detroit.  After a stop at the RenCen, we enjoyed a leisurely stroll on the award-winning Detroit Riverwalk.  We went as far as Milliken State Park and Harbor and then returned to the RenCen.  From there, we walked to Campus Martius Park.  On the way, we saw Mariner's Church (made famous by Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"), the Joe Louis Fist, and the Spirit of Detroit statue.  At Campus Martius Park, we expected to see the countdown clock for the NFL Draft in Detroit.  Despite online articles saying it was there, we never found it.

We returned to our car and drove down to Mexicantown for lunch/supper at Mi Pueblo, and enjoyed some fancy margaritas with our chimichanga dinners.

It was a great day in the D, even though Laura's foot flared up and needed to be iced.

Mariner's Church

The Spirit of Detroit

Wayne County Courthouse

The Renaissance Center, home of GM Headquarters; ironically, built by the Fords.

Things that make me go HMMMMMMM -- Super Bowl 52

On Sunday, February 4, the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles will face each other for Super Bowl LII (52, that is).  These two teams had played each other before in Super Bowl XXXIX (39, that is), with New England proving to be victorious, 24-21.


The previous Patriots-Eagles Super Bowl was played in Jacksonville, Florida.  This upcoming Patriots-Eagles Super Bowl will be played in Minneapolis, Minnesota.


Which two teams did the Patriots and Eagles just beat to get to Super Bowl LII?


Things that make me go HMMMMMMM.....

Things that make me go ARRRRGGGGHHHH -- Hall of Fame Game

This past Sunday, after church was over, Nathanael, Andrew, and I took a road trip to Canton, Ohio for the Hall of Fame Game.  It was cancelled on account of paint.  PAINT!!!

For details, see here.

Super Bowl reflections

Super Bowl reflections.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS observation:
          As opposed to many other years, I applaud the choice of MVP this year, linebacker Malcolm Smith.  The Seahawks defense ruled that game.  They held the most prolific offense in the NFL to a mere 8 points!  It was nice to see someone from the defense be recognized for that, even if one particular player did not have an eye-popping game. 
         And thank you for NOT giving the MVP to Russell Wilson who, while having a decent game, was not exactly MVP-special in doing so.  The Seahawks played the whole game so well and were so dominant in their win that it was hard to pick anyone who was the most valuable.  That had to be the most thorough team win in Super Bowl history.


DENVER BRONCOS observation:
          Sometime in the next week or so, I imagine that Peyton Manning will have a get together with his father, Archie, and his brother, Eli.  After a lull in whatever conversation they have, Peyton asks, "Do you have any idea what it is like to have your butt handed to you in the Super Bowl?" 
          For very different reasons, Archie and Eli look at him and say, "Nope."
 

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

Andrew's first game at Lambeau Field was on Sunday, September 9, 2012.  The Green Bay Packers faced the San Francisco 49er's in what was considered the premier game of the week.

The Packers did not look very sharp.
The replacement referees did not look very sharp.
The 49er's did look very sharp and produced a 30-22 win over Green Bay.

Andrew said that his trip to Lambeau was still memorable and fun despite the outcome.  Thanks to my mom and dad for the use of the tickets.

Now, some pictures from Lambeau Field.