We arrived to our hotel just after 4pm on Friday afternoon after Andee worked in the morning, quickly put on our Blue Jays gear, and headed to the game! Unfortunately, it had been raining for most of the day in Minneapolis, and so when we arrived at Target Field there were no Blue Jays warming up on the field, and only the dreaded white tarp remained. Good thing we came prepared! We were equipped with towels, sweaters, coats, and ponchos, and even with the hour rain delay we were actually quite comfortable in our seats! There were so many Canadian Blue Jays fans around us that when the Jays took the lead late into the game, an audible "Let's Go Blue Jays" chant emerged from the crowd! Between fighting rush hour traffic and chatting with other Canadians, we actually felt a little bit at home up in Minneapolis! And all the preparedness paid off, as we were able to watch a Jays 6-4 win over the Twins in the top of the 9th! And to top it all off, a fireworks show ended off a great evening! Excellent start, Minneapolis!
The next morning we enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the hotel, and headed to the Mall of America! We arrived about an hour before most of the stores opened, and so we spent a while just walking around and enjoying everything there was to see. An amusement park in the middle of the mall, tons of stores and restaurants, and lots of mall walkers! Since we are not much for shopping, a couple hours on Saturday and Sunday just about did it for us! If it weren't for Andee's keen sense of direction, I'm not sure I would have ever found our car!
Since we had a rainy ball game the day before, we decided to pay one more visit to Target Field to watch the Jays! There were just as many, if not more Blue Jays fans at the Saturday game, and even just hearing Canadian voices, phrases, and common goals made my heart smile! We had a nice sunny seat in the outfield, and though it was a bit hot and sunny for our poor Canadian skin, it was a wonderful experience! Unfortunately, the Jays can't win them all, and they ended up losing to the Twins 3-2. Still fun to watch!
After the game, we headed back to the hotel to change into some dressier clothes for our evening dinner date! We made reservations for a fun fondue restaurant called 'The Melting Pot', and thoroughly enjoyed our experience! We started with a cheese fondue with vegetables, breads, and artisan meats, and finished off with a chocolate fondue with marshmallows, fruits, cakes and brownies! It was both delicious and fun! We rounded out the evening with a walk around downtown Minneapolis, and back to our hotel for a little R&R! Another excellent day in Minneapolis!
The following day was a little more low-key, as we participated in some mall walking in the morning, and then headed out to lunch! We decided on a local favorite called the 'Juicy Lucy', which is sliced American cheese in between two burger patties. Kind of like an in-side-out cheeseburger, with a delicious melty cheesy center! We enjoyed the burger with an order of onion straws, and didn't even come close to finishing our order of one burger and an appetizer. Oh America, we will definitely never go hungry!
After lunch it was time to head home, as Andee started his night float shift at 6pm on Sunday. We arrived home to a chatty kitty, as our Aloe Cat missed us while we were gone! Lots of snuggles and mews ensued, and we were happy to be reunited as a family! Overall, we had a great weekend enjoying Minneapolis and enjoying each other during some uncommon time off together! Speaking of time off together, we are getting incredibly excited for our vacation to Canada in less than 2 weeks! Bring on the hot Summer weather, cottage time, and family and friends fun!
