US Bank Stadium Tour...Hints of Rams Park

[Farr Be It]

While travelling to Minneapolis in April, to tour one of our suppliers' manufacturing facilities, I took brief look through the itinerary. This was a quick 48hour trip. Just one overnight, and a late Tuesday flight back to Sacramento. Kind of stressful, actually, because I was buried with work.

"Tour of US Bank Stadium" it said we were to take, shortly after lunch, Monday. Cool, I thought. Is that where the Twins play? I honestly had no idea. I was actually looking forward to it. You see, this trip was something of a pilgrimage for me.

I lived in Bloomington, MN as a kid, for 3 years, and the old Metropolitan Stadium was my first stadium experience. Walking in and seeing that vast baseball diamond, and perfectly trimmed grass. All those Minnesota Twins players. Wow!

You guys remember that feeling? I watched Harmon Killabrew and Rod Carew that day. I don't remember a whole lot. But that field...

Well, as it turns out, it was the Vikings stadium we were to tour! Duh.

Then, I started thinking. It wasn't until later I remembered, THIS is where the Superbowl was just played 10 short weeks earlier! (Another Duh)

As our bus approached the stadium I noticed the distinctive look of a Viking ship in the shape of the building, which is located right on the outskirts of the impressively bustling city of Minneapolis.

Exterior

Notice the ad on the marquee in the first photo... this was just a few short days before the NFL draft.

As we walked into the stadium- we were a group of about 20- we were introduced to our tour guide, Jim. He assured us that most of the information he would share with us that day would be factual. When in doubt, though, he couldn't promise he wouldn't just make crap up. I thought, we are going to get along just fine.

Stadium Interior Surround

There it is! I thought. Not quite like when I was five, though. The grass being covered for an upcoming concert sort of took away from the awe effect. Still impressive nonetheless. Notice the glass ceiling. The below ground level lower section and field. Looks like a certain Southern California Stadium under construction. ( :rant: Only, lose those ugly purple seats! )

Of course, this is what the stadium looks like on game day...

Pretty impressive!... once you get past the nauseous feeling we get as Rams fans, seeing the Viqueen symbols.

Above is the famous "Viking horn" that is blown after every Minnesota touchdown, and symbolically, by a famous Minnesota honored guest before each game. The horn, itself, makes no noise, The stadium crew blow the noise as the guest puts their lips to the horn. (Insert tasteless joke here)

Luxury Boxes

Above is a typical 10-person luxury box....kinda cool. They get in-box-service, and costs only....ready...$60,000- a season for one of these babies! (If Jim is to be believed. :flanders: ) I dunno, if I'm dropping 60g's, I better not have to turn sideways past a garbage can, and a jagged 3/8" plexi-glass panel to get to my purple couch. You feel me?

Anyway, here is the view from these seats...

...not too shabby. "Hey, Waitress! Another round of beers for me any my crew. And while your at it, get me a heating pad for my thigh." That plexi- glass panel got me pretty good. My thigh is starting to betray my vow that I wouldn't be caught dead wearing purple.

Hey, this is more like it...

Adrian Peterson Mystery Solved?
Do any of you guys remember the bizarre image, a few years back, when the Vikings premiered their stadium on Monday night? Oh the pride they had in showing off the majestic showpiece! :yess:
...until their star running back went down...

There he was, getting paraded through...a sports bar???...on the way to the training room. Oh yeah, that's design genius right there. "Hey dude, want to take a shot for the pain?!" "AD!!!" "Yo man, we got a table. Come hang wid' us!"

Well, I got the scoop, from my man, Jim. Turns out, this sports bar is at field level, and, in fact the shortest route to the locker room. So, as Peterson was led from the Viking sidelines, (Pictured below)...

...and turned this corner, he was famously pictured walking past fans. at the end of that hallway is the locker room. Not a great distance, really. Just.......awkward. There is another path, at the end of the field through the tunnel. This was just, well, quicker. As you could imagine, the Vikings were roundly mocked for this design.

Locker Room

Here, lyin' Jim is telling us about the great amenities in the home team's locker room. This is where Peterson was led, that Monday night. Really the beginning of the end for him, in his legendary time in Minnesota. (By the way, that woman in the background, and another woman in our group, would slowly wander away from the group down to the showers....ya know, just in case.... :banana: ":coach:Sorry, ladies, all of the players have showered and been home for weeks now. There is NOTHING TO SEE HERE!!" alm:

...and it turns out this was the locker room designated for the AFC representative in the Super Bowl. Yes, gentlemen, Jim informs me it was in THIS VERY chair that Tom Brady sat and cried like a baby after losing the Super Bowl in February....

...and you know, this time I believed the sumbich.


Architectural Marvels

At the entrance to the stadium-at one end- is this thing of beauty: 100ft wide...

....and 80 ft. tall. The world's largest French doors...

...operated by these pistons. During the early part of the season, when it is still nice outside, these doors open, (it takes five minutes to fully open) and it becomes essentially an outdoor stadium. But come December, these are shut, and the stadium is kept at a comfortable 70 degrees.

Shout Out to High School Sports

Displayed in the promenade is a nice layout of helmets representing every high school in Minnesota! Kinda cool. Notice the solid gold helmets periodically. Those are place holders for the high schools that win their section championships. Those schools have their helmets displayed in an adjacent display to honor the champions.

Display of History

All around the stadium you can see displays of great players of the past, and current stars. here are the Purple People Eaters of the seventies...a sorry group of pretenders, wishing they could measure up to the great Fearsome Foursome. ....look at 'em... pathetic bunch of wrong way running, robe-wearing chumps.


Actually, I had a chance to meet Alan Page, back in '71, or so, when I lived there. My dad took us to Mankato, for their camp. I remember seeing Page, shaking his hand, and watching him drive away in his big purple sports car. Cool memory.

FINALLY, Anybody See Something On the Scoreboard That Makes You Smile...

...maybe someday, a guy stocking groceries at a Hyvee store could end up playing in a stadium like this, and winning a Superbowl....nah.

 

[Faceplant]

It really is a nice stadium. I was there last season for the Rams game and I loved the atmosphere in there. Loud as hell, and cool sight lines. Can't wait to see StanleyLand when it is all done.

 

[den-the-coach]

"Tour of US Bank Stadium" it said we were to take, shortly after lunch, Monday. Cool,
...maybe someday, a guy stocking groceries at a Hyvee store could end up playing in a stadium like this, and winning a Superbowl....nah.

Great post @Farr Be It just one question, you actually get a lunch? Seriously though, how lucky were you to move from Bloomington? Nothing against the great State of Minnesota, been there several times, people are great and was offered a golden opportunity to relocate to Minneapolis, but my response...I'm not moving where there is more snow. Anyway always felt if the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome was built a decade earlier, the Los Angeles Rams would have gone to a couple of Super Bowls under Chuck Knox.

And just to go really Old School on you and music my Father would listen to....God didn't make little green apples, And it don't snow in Minneapolis when the winter comes

 

[Farr Be It]

Great post @Farr Be It just one question, you actually get a lunch? Seriously though, how lucky were you to move from Bloomington? Nothing against the great State of Minnesota, been there several times, people are great and was offered a golden opportunity to relocate to Minneapolis, but my response...I'm not moving where there is more snow. Anyway always felt if the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome was built a decade earlier, the Los Angeles Rams would have gone to a couple of Super Bowls under Chuck Knox.

And just to go really Old School on you and music my Father would listen to....God didn't make little green apples, And it don't snow in Minneapolis when the winter comes

Thanks Denny. Yeah, it was cool to go back after 46 years! But, as you said, wouldn’t want to live there again. Good people. I can shoot up to Tahoe if I want snow.

The Rams sure had some heart-breakers against these guys in the seventies. I just saw the game, (‘77?) we beat them finally. Then we ended up losing to the cowpokes in the NFCCG.

I think our stadium in LA will be nicer than this. Can’t wait!

 

[Farr Be It]

The below ground level lower section and field. Looks like a certain Southern California Stadium under construction.

By the way, I mentioned this in another thread, but this stadium is designed by the same firm that is building the Rams stadium. I didnt just tie the architecture to LA because they are both recent builds. What aspects of this design do you see in common with the Rams new palace? I see quite a bit. Lots of glass and the feeling of openness.

 

[CGI_Ram]

Thanks for the effort sharing those photos @Farr Be It

Really cool to see from that perspective.

 

[1maGoh]

We toured the cowgirls stadium a few years ago, and I'm pretty sure they have a similar through-the-bar-to-the-locker-room "feature".

 

[Mackeyser]

Great post.

I remember being a kid in LA and spending my summers outside of Philly and all my friends were fans of various Dodgers like Garvey, Lopes, Russell, Cey, Dusty Baker, Valenzuela, etc or Phillies like Steve Carlton, Bake McBride, Greg Luzinski, Mike Schmidt, Larry Bowa, etc.

Not me.

My very favorite was Rod Carew. I even got a Rod Carew glove.

I was big for my age and could swing with power, but when I lowered my bat like Carew, I just couldn't be struck out.

When I was 11, I went to the batting cages and stepped into the 80mph+ machine. After the first pitch nearly took my head off, I lowered the bat...and I stroked every single ball (hey now!)

My family almost moved to Minny recently, but the move fell through.

Minneapolis is my favorite city...ESPECIALLY having grown up in LA (couldn't wait to leave).

That stadium is really nice looking, but simple in that utilitarian northern European style.

I worry that parts of the stadium in LA will be too much like Disney, but we'll see.

 

[Angry Ram]

That's awesome. I've really gotten into Viking (actual Viking) culture since the Thor movies and the tv show came out 5 years ago, so it's cool to see some of those elements in that stadium. The gjallarhorn and shield wall (heh...heh?!) are great touches. The Vikings really made it seem like you are in actual Viking land. Hope Stan makes it Ram land on game days and doesn't leave "multi-purpose" land all year.

 

[Farr Be It]

That's awesome. I've really gotten into Viking (actual Viking) culture since the Thor movies and the tv show came out 5 years ago, so it's cool to see some of those elements in that stadium. The gjallarhorn and shield wall (heh...heh?!) are great touches. The Vikings really made it seem like you are in actual Viking land. Hope Stan makes it Ram land on game days and doesn't leave "multi-purpose" land all year.

Just for my buddy, @Angry Ram I dug up these pics from Davey Jones locker...

Just outside the entrance to the stadium. "Hide yer women, and yer beer. The Norsemen are landing. Smelly, thirsty and horny! It's not going to end well for some... "

"One if by land, and two if by sea!"

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

That's awesome. I've really gotten into Viking (actual Viking) culture since the Thor movies and the tv show came out 5 years ago, so it's cool to see some of those elements in that stadium. The gjallarhorn and shield wall (heh...heh?!) are great touches. The Vikings really made it seem like you are in actual Viking land. Hope Stan makes it Ram land on game days and doesn't leave "multi-purpose" land all year.

Ram land? Like a pasture with shit piles everywhere? Or a steep mountain to climb up and down to get to the concessions?

 

[Angry Ram]

Ram land? Like a pasture with crap piles everywhere? Or a steep mountain to climb up and down to get to the concessions?

I was thinking of a bunch of pickups lined around the perimeter.

 

[LARams_1963]

I was thinking of a bunch of pickups lined around the perimeter.

I have always thought Dodge would be STUPID not too sponser the stadium and call it Dodge "RAM" stadium. I know it won't happen...cause the Charger ownership/fans would be seriously butt hurt. And Dodge probably couldn't afford the $$$.

 

[gogoat1]

Great post.

I remember being a kid in LA and spending my summers outside of Philly and all my friends were fans of various Dodgers like Garvey, Lopes, Russell, Cey, Dusty Baker, Valenzuela, etc or Phillies like Steve Carlton, Bake McBride, Greg Luzinski, Mike Schmidt, Larry Bowa, etc.

Not me.

My very favorite was Rod Carew. I even got a Rod Carew glove.

I was big for my age and could swing with power, but when I lowered my bat like Carew, I just couldn't be struck out.

When I was 11, I went to the batting cages and stepped into the 80mph+ machine. After the first pitch nearly took my head off, I lowered the bat...and I stroked every single ball (hey now!)

My family almost moved to Minny recently, but the move fell through.

Minneapolis is my favorite city...ESPECIALLY having grown up in LA (couldn't wait to leave).

That stadium is really nice looking, but simple in that utilitarian northern European style.

I worry that parts of the stadium in LA will be too much like Disney, but we'll see.

Why "couldn't wait to leave" So Cal after having grown up there ? Very cold in Minny in the winter. I have not been to LA since the 90s. Has it gone downhill "that" much ?

 

[LARams_1963]

Why "couldn't wait to leave" So Cal after having grown up there ? Very cold in Minny in the winter. I have not been to LA since the 90s. Has it gone downhill "that" much ?

I'll say SoCal has not changed that much since the 90's.

 

[Mackeyser]

Why "couldn't wait to leave" So Cal after having grown up there ? Very cold in Minny in the winter. I have not been to LA since the 90s. Has it gone downhill "that" much ?

The vibe in LA is that the facade is more important than the substance. And I've slammed into that again and again and again.

Not saying that all or even most of the people are like that... My family's church home is still in Culver City, CA and we have friends and family all over the state.

But as someone who prefers deep, meaningful relationships with friends and family (I hate small talk and stink at casual conversations like "Have you been to a Dodger game recently?" that place got old real quick.

It's me so quick story. I had moved back to LA (that's a longer story) after getting out of the Navy. I was working in downtown LA at what was First Business Bank (I think Mellon bought them out when the founder died). Anyway, one of the customers owned this really ritzy, high end audio store on Wilshire Blvd in West LA that was near my house. We got to chatting and I told him how I was a budding home theater enthusiast, but had limited resources and wished I could audition pieces because you can only glean so much from reviews. I had enough for one specific piece, a Sony ES receiver. He invited me to make an appointment and audition it. Turns out his prices was also pretty competitive.

I thought, "GREAT!" I'll get to sit in one of those awesome auditioning rooms and really hear and compare it to the Onkyo and other brands in that same price range.

Well, I get there and it's Saturday so I have on a T-shirt and jeans because....it's freakin' Saturday, right? Well, the super snooty clerk working there won't even acknowledge my presence. He's preparing rooms for appointments and even when I shout back to him a few times, he won't come to the front. He keeps giving me looks like "clearly you can tell this isn't the place for you."

Finally, he comes out and I tell him that I'm his 12:30 and that the owner referred me. Well, NOW, he's all apologetic, asks me if I want an espresso or some wine or something else to drink, that he's got the room all ready for me...blah, blah, blah.

I told him, "sorry. I saw you ignoring me for the last half an hour. I realize you probably spend a lot of time with these 'north of Wilshire' guys who mostly couldn't tell the difference between an opera singer and an air horn but have huge wallets, but I'm not that guy. You wasted 30 minutes of my time for no reason then I didn't dress up for you. So, no. I'm gonna go down the block to the consumer audio store and buy it because they will appreciate my patronage. You take care."

And I left and bought the piece and still have it 22 years later and it's still the audio centerpiece of my setup.

When the owner came in on Monday with his deposits, I told him what had happened. I wasn't sure how he was gonna take it, but he agreed with me. "I wouldn't have put up with that, either."

That's just one example of stuff that used to happen all the freakin' time. And I was young, clean and mostly white-passing (when I was younger, I dunno what it was, but I'd have super racist people just walk up to me and ask me out loud in public, "you're part black, ain't ya?" And they didn't always use "black" if you catch my meaning. Was weird and off-putting, but...yeah). I wasn't grungy or unkempt or unclean by any stretch, but...man, it just kept happening. Which is weird, because when I dressed up? Never an issue. I STILL fly with at least a shirt and tie, dress shoes, the whole nine yards because of that stuff.

I've been back for a few occasions and yeah, it doesn't seem like much has changed since the 90's except that it's even more busy and congested and I didn't think that was possible.

Florida is okay, but I just vibed with the folks in Minnesota so much. I dunno if I'll ever move there (my youngest is convinced that's where they're going to eventually live), but I know I'll be back.

 

[PressureD41]

The vibe in LA is that the facade is more important than the substance. And I've slammed into that again and again and again.

Not saying that all or even most of the people are like that... My family's church home is still in Culver City, CA and we have friends and family all over the state.

But as someone who prefers deep, meaningful relationships with friends and family (I hate small talk and stink at casual conversations like "Have you been to a Dodger game recently?" that place got old real quick.

It's me so quick story. I had moved back to LA (that's a longer story) after getting out of the Navy. I was working in downtown LA at what was First Business Bank (I think Mellon bought them out when the founder died). Anyway, one of the customers owned this really ritzy, high end audio store on Wilshire Blvd in West LA that was near my house. We got to chatting and I told him how I was a budding home theater enthusiast, but had limited resources and wished I could audition pieces because you can only glean so much from reviews. I had enough for one specific piece, a Sony ES receiver. He invited me to make an appointment and audition it. Turns out his prices was also pretty competitive.

I thought, "GREAT!" I'll get to sit in one of those awesome auditioning rooms and really hear and compare it to the Onkyo and other brands in that same price range.

Well, I get there and it's Saturday so I have on a T-shirt and jeans because....it's freakin' Saturday, right? Well, the super snooty clerk working there won't even acknowledge my presence. He's preparing rooms for appointments and even when I shout back to him a few times, he won't come to the front. He keeps giving me looks like "clearly you can tell this isn't the place for you."

Finally, he comes out and I tell him that I'm his 12:30 and that the owner referred me. Well, NOW, he's all apologetic, asks me if I want an espresso or some wine or something else to drink, that he's got the room all ready for me...blah, blah, blah.

I told him, "sorry. I saw you ignoring me for the last half an hour. I realize you probably spend a lot of time with these 'north of Wilshire' guys who mostly couldn't tell the difference between an opera singer and an air horn but have huge wallets, but I'm not that guy. You wasted 30 minutes of my time for no reason then I didn't dress up for you. So, no. I'm gonna go down the block to the consumer audio store and buy it because they will appreciate my patronage. You take care."

And I left and bought the piece and still have it 22 years later and it's still the audio centerpiece of my setup.

When the owner came in on Monday with his deposits, I told him what had happened. I wasn't sure how he was gonna take it, but he agreed with me. "I wouldn't have put up with that, either."

That's just one example of stuff that used to happen all the freakin' time. And I was young, clean and mostly white-passing (when I was younger, I dunno what it was, but I'd have super racist people just walk up to me and ask me out loud in public, "you're part black, ain't ya?" And they didn't always use "black" if you catch my meaning. Was weird and off-putting, but...yeah). I wasn't grungy or unkempt or unclean by any stretch, but...man, it just kept happening. Which is weird, because when I dressed up? Never an issue. I STILL fly with at least a shirt and tie, dress shoes, the whole nine yards because of that stuff.

I've been back for a few occasions and yeah, it doesn't seem like much has changed since the 90's except that it's even more busy and congested and I didn't think that was possible.

Florida is okay, but I just vibed with the folks in Minnesota so much. I dunno if I'll ever move there (my youngest is convinced that's where they're going to eventually live), but I know I'll be back.

Which cites in Cali do you recommend for a young family to live in, and which cities to run from?

 

[Mackeyser]

We loved Culver City. Feels like a family oasis in the middle of the big city, but it was getting crazy expensive. Still really like it.

So much of SoCal has gotten crazy expensive that I don't really know anymore. The current Angelenos would have to answer that because I left expressly because I'm a disabled Vet on a fixed income and I had 4 small kids and couldn't keep up with the increasing costs.

What I do know is that as has been the case for 70 years in LA, there are pockets... usually an entire city isn't great, but it's almost like "neighborhoods" in NYC, but slightly more spread out.

I dunno where the "young family" pockets are.

I would stay away from any coastal city (rich or poor, they find a way to remove money from your wallet, from BS parking issues to over-enforcement of traffic laws to other stuff). It's not political, it's...just the money.

I'd try to be relatively close to work. With a young family, the time with your family is far more valuable than being in that "great neighborhood". You don't want to all be together in a dump but you also don't want to be a weekend dad because you're commuting 2+ hours each way to your great neighborhood and only really have family time on the weekends.

So all that for... I dunno.

 

[rdlkgliders]

The vibe in LA is that the facade is more important than the substance. And I've slammed into that again and again and again.

Not saying that all or even most of the people are like that... My family's church home is still in Culver City, CA and we have friends and family all over the state.

But as someone who prefers deep, meaningful relationships with friends and family (I hate small talk and stink at casual conversations like "Have you been to a Dodger game recently?" that place got old real quick.

It's me so quick story. I had moved back to LA (that's a longer story) after getting out of the Navy. I was working in downtown LA at what was First Business Bank (I think Mellon bought them out when the founder died). Anyway, one of the customers owned this really ritzy, high end audio store on Wilshire Blvd in West LA that was near my house. We got to chatting and I told him how I was a budding home theater enthusiast, but had limited resources and wished I could audition pieces because you can only glean so much from reviews. I had enough for one specific piece, a Sony ES receiver. He invited me to make an appointment and audition it. Turns out his prices was also pretty competitive.

I thought, "GREAT!" I'll get to sit in one of those awesome auditioning rooms and really hear and compare it to the Onkyo and other brands in that same price range.

Well, I get there and it's Saturday so I have on a T-shirt and jeans because....it's freakin' Saturday, right? Well, the super snooty clerk working there won't even acknowledge my presence. He's preparing rooms for appointments and even when I shout back to him a few times, he won't come to the front. He keeps giving me looks like "clearly you can tell this isn't the place for you."

Finally, he comes out and I tell him that I'm his 12:30 and that the owner referred me. Well, NOW, he's all apologetic, asks me if I want an espresso or some wine or something else to drink, that he's got the room all ready for me...blah, blah, blah.

I told him, "sorry. I saw you ignoring me for the last half an hour. I realize you probably spend a lot of time with these 'north of Wilshire' guys who mostly couldn't tell the difference between an opera singer and an air horn but have huge wallets, but I'm not that guy. You wasted 30 minutes of my time for no reason then I didn't dress up for you. So, no. I'm gonna go down the block to the consumer audio store and buy it because they will appreciate my patronage. You take care."

And I left and bought the piece and still have it 22 years later and it's still the audio centerpiece of my setup.

When the owner came in on Monday with his deposits, I told him what had happened. I wasn't sure how he was gonna take it, but he agreed with me. "I wouldn't have put up with that, either."

That's just one example of stuff that used to happen all the freakin' time. And I was young, clean and mostly white-passing (when I was younger, I dunno what it was, but I'd have super racist people just walk up to me and ask me out loud in public, "you're part black, ain't ya?" And they didn't always use "black" if you catch my meaning. Was weird and off-putting, but...yeah). I wasn't grungy or unkempt or unclean by any stretch, but...man, it just kept happening. Which is weird, because when I dressed up? Never an issue. I STILL fly with at least a shirt and tie, dress shoes, the whole nine yards because of that stuff.

I've been back for a few occasions and yeah, it doesn't seem like much has changed since the 90's except that it's even more busy and congested and I didn't think that was possible.

Florida is okay, but I just vibed with the folks in Minnesota so much. I dunno if I'll ever move there (my youngest is convinced that's where they're going to eventually live), but I know I'll be back.

As a born and raised Angelino that has traveled a bit but always looks forward to coming home no matter how much LaLa Land changes these stories still piss me off. As a middle class dirty blonde with green eyes I can say that the level of social, regional and economic snootiness in this town is palpable. Sorry you dealt with that B.S. I think Angelinos are mostly good but there is just a strange layer of judgment and classist B.S at every turn. I have many examples myself, at times I may be in the company of so called L.A elite and to watch people interact is humorous.

 

[Farr Be It]

Which cites in Cali do you recommend for a young family to live in, and which cities to run from?

Lots of good people in California. Keep in mind a lot of the "phony" people that come to Southern California to act, or model, or through music get "discovered", do not represent a good core group of people. Unfortunately, as a result, there are still a lot of phony people.

The central valley, outer suburbs, and many parts of San Diego, Orange County, Northern California are great places to raise kids. We are in Placer County, just outside Sacramento. love it. But shhhh. Don't tell too many people.