Minneapolis - Day 2

Happy Halloween!!

Today Adam & I woke up & took the light rail (train) to the Mall of America. I had been looking forward to going here for several reasons, the main one being it is sort of an American iconic destination. Everywhere, people across the country know of the Mall of America. That being said, it was really no big deal. It is a mall. Yes, there is a roller coaster inside it along with an underwater aquarium, but it is still a mall. I feel no real reason to go back. Don't get me wrong, I am glad I have seen it, but if you have seen one mall, you really have seen them all.

After returning from the Mall of America, we relaxed at the hotel for a bit then we decided to go down to a bar called the Shout House. On our first night in Minneapolis, while we were at the Brit Bar, we met Cathy & Scott. They are both from the area and told us about this bar and the fact that all night long the main attraction are 2 dueling pianos. Cathy & Scott met Adam & myself there around 8pm. This being Halloween night, if you showed up in costume, entry is free. It just so happened that Adam brought 2 Halloween masks with him on this trip, so he went as a demented clown & I had a skull face. It was really a fun time. We had a cool waitress and the scene was pretty fun as well. Almost the entire bar was in costume, so we were basically at one large costume party. We stayed there for several hours and finally made it back to the hotel after midnight. In all, it was a pretty fun day.

Minneapolis: Day 1

Well, I have left LA with my friend Adam for our annual football trip. Since I picked the destination last year, it was Adams turn to pick where we would see our game this year. As you can probably tell by the headline, he picked the Minnesota Vikings. So, here we are in Downtown Minneapolis - ready to see as much of the town as we can before the game on Sunday.

Yesterday I woke up at 3:30am and left to pick up Adam so we could make our 6:15am flight. We made it here to Minneapolis around 2:30pm and took the light-rail train system to downtown Minneapolis. Our hotel was only a few blocks from the train station and is also going to be able to take us to the football game on Sunday.

After we got settled into our hotel room, we set off to do a little walking and get a few drinks at a bar or 2. We walked to the warehouse district and also to the Nicoret Mall. Since we really didn't have any particular destination we just wandered until we came across someplace we were interested in checking out. We wandered by the First Avenue club. This club is famous for appearing in the Prince movie "Purple Rain." First Avenue is from what I understand, one of the most popular clubs in the entire state. Since it was too early for First Avenue to be open, we stopped at a bar called Donovan's that was right across the street from First Avenue. After a beer or 2 there, we continued walking around for another half and hour until we decided to end our night at Brits Pub. This was a cool pub that had a great outdoor area and had a Beefeater greeting people at the door. Of course, before we left, Adam had to have his picture taken with the Beefeater. The outdoor area surprised us because hardly anyone was using it. That was nice, because we got to take in the city and not be in a crowded bar at the same time. We also met a few locals there that gave me a little history on the surrounding buildings and mentioned the possibility of hanging out again this evening if Adam & I were free. We are not sure if we will hang out with them again or not, but it was nice to meet some cool locals on our first night in town.

After an hour or 2 at Brits Pub, we got some food at Chipolte and then returned to the hotel to get some much needed sleep. Tomorrow (Day 2) is Halloween Day, so I am sure it will be an interesting city to walk around in. In the afternoon, we plan on checking out the Mall of America.

San Francisco - Day 1

What a fun day.

Today My brother Dan & I woke up early and drove up north to San Francisco for a weekend of sightseeing on Saturday and then on Sunday see the New England Patriots vs the San Francisco 49'ers football game. On the drive up north, we were both attacked by strange animals at a rest stop!

After surviving those encounters, we proceeded to make it to San Francisco without any further incidents. The hotel we are staying at in located in "Union Square" which after a short walk we discovered was just a large block with really nothing of any real importance in it whatsoever.

We walked through Chinatown, which was cool, and then decided to walk towards the Bay and check out the Fisherman's Wharf area.

On the way there, we sidetracked for an hour and visited Coit Tower, which gave us a great view of the San Francisco area.

I don't quite remember the historical significance of Coit Tower right now, but I do remember that it was donated to the city from a wealthy lady who wanted to preserve the surrounding area.

After Coit Tower, Dan & I made it down to the Fisherman's Wharf area and got a great view of the city behind us and Dan also got a picture of himself with Alcatraz Island in the background

After having a few beers in the Pier area we walked back to out hotel to rest our weary legs. An hour later around 10pm we walked out and went to Nob Hill and a few other ares around our hotel are. Close to midnight, we returned and decided to call it a night. Tomorrow is the game, and I will hopefully take some kick ass pictures to share as well.

Going to San Francisco

Wow, what a surprise!

A co-worker (my only co-worker) of mine has offered me a chance to see the San Francisco 49'ers game this weekend vs. the New England Patriots!
My brother & I are driving up tomorrow to hang out in SF for a day and then go to the game on Sunday. I am really looking forward to this game! Up until 2 days ago, I was just planning on watching football on TV this weekend, so this is a major upgrade. I will be putting a few pics up from my trip around downtown SF tomorrow and from the game at Candlestick park as well.
I hope the weather is alright.