I had been looking forward to seeing Target Field, the new home of the Minnesota Twins, ever since Swede called and said he had tickets and a Heartland charter bus ride to the Yankee game. From all reports it is a superb venue for baseball. One of the three best in the Majors. The game was scheduled to start at 6:10 P.M. with our bus leaving Rochester at 3:00 P.M. And not only were we going to see Target Field, the New York Yankees were in town. In addition there was to be a continuation of a rain delayed game the previous night If everything went well we would be able to catch a few innings of that game.

The bus was full, fifty happy souls on their way to see the new stadium and the Twins vs. the Yanks. Swede and I discussed such important issues as baseball, wives and grandchildren.

Our first indication that things might not go as smoothly as hoped was a traffic jam before we even got off highway 52 to crosstown 94. It was stop and go all the way from St. Paul to Minneapolis. We had run smack dab into the 4:30 rush hour. In addition to the Twins’ game in downtown Minneapolis, there was a huge motivational rally with Rudy Giuliani, Colin Powell and others at Target Center ending at 4:30.

We got to Target Field in time to see the first game’s ending out. The Twins lost one to nothing. However, the openness of the Stadium was certainly in evidence. We had quickly made our way inside the stadium and were there looking over the first level seats.

People, I had never seen so many people. We were cheek to jowl as we tried to make our way to our seats. We asked which way to the escalators and were pointed in the right direction. We worked our way-found the escalator, rode up to the second deck and with the help of a kind stranger located our seats.

We sat down with the whole of Target Field spread out before us. Beautiful! It was a sight to behold. Most stadiums look if they were cut with the same cookie cutter. Not so, Target Field. The overhang in right field, the different levels of seating, the glass partitions facing the field, the rooftop seats all lead to a feeling of uniqueness. This is ours and there is no other stadium like it. The sight lines were great and there were no people walking in front of you. I also appreciated the railings leading you to your seat.

Swede and I had started out with the intention of trying out the food we had heard about, but we didn’t get a chance and settled for a brat, chips and a beer. The brat was good and the prices hadn’t gone up and we later splurged on a bag of peanuts. Good ballpark food.

It’s been said that the field is a twelve acre stadium built on eight acres. If I had a complaint that would be it. It was hard to move both inside and out. We spent time inching along and consequently never got to try Tony O’s Sandwich Stand, Murray’s steak sandwich or Hrbek’s. However it appears that there is something for everyone, both in seating and food. Target Stadium was certainly a hit with me and helped soften the blow of the Twins losing twice.

One suggestion, I might have if you intend to see a Twins’ game, is to get there early. The gates open an hour and a half before game time Monday through Thursday and two hours before the games Friday through Sunday. That will give you some time to explore our wonderful new facility.