Anything But Trying!

At the end of June, Sarah and I went to Minneapolis for the gymnastics Olympics trials at the Target Center. We flew in and used the light rail to get around, staying at an Airbnb in Midtown. It was an urban, fan-girl adventure!

The trials were Thursday to Sunday, alternating between men's and women's. We spent a lot of time downtown, mostly on Nicollet Mall, which was filled with vendors and renamed "Promenade du Nord" in honor of the Paris Olympics.

We also explored the area around the Target Center, which included Target Field and the First Avenue nightclub, famous for hosting performances by Prince in the 1980s.

We arrived at the Humphrey Terminal early Thursday afternoon and took the light rail to the Airbnb, which turned out to be perfect for us. It was the left half of a 1940s(?) bungalow, with the owners living in the right. They were readily available via the Airbnb app, but we never saw them. Sarah and I shared a queen-sized bed in the single bedroom.

After getting settled, we caught the light rail downtown and walked Nicollet Mall. We spotted gymnast Jordan Chiles with some friends at a crosswalk. Sarah didn't want to intrude to ask for a selfie.We enjoyed appetizers for dinner at The News Room then headed to the Target Center.

The first night was men's competition, and our seats were on the third level, right above the pommel horse and parallel bars. After the competition, Sarah wanted to try to get selfies with the gymnasts. We took the escalators down a couple of levels, nearly getting crushed in a pile-up at one point (no kidding). We crossed over to the other side of the stadium, where some of the gymnasts had gathered on the edge of the floor. Sarah tried to work herself close enough, without luck.

Friday morning, we walked a few blocks to Northwoods Coffee and A Baker's Wife to buy coffee and pastries for breakfast, along with bottled coffees and bagels for later in our stay. At the coffee shop, I gave Sarah's name for the order, thinking it was simpler. Soon after, the barista called out, "Sarah," and we went to the counter, along with another woman, whose name was Sarah. 😖 

Later in the morning, we took the light rail to the University of Minnesota - East Bank for a campus tour. U of M is Don's alma mater, and while much has changed, the original mall is still impressive. Sarah was not forthcoming with her impressions.

After the tour, we had lunch at Bruegger's Bagels and boarded the light rail to return to the Airbnb. There were two drunk guys sitting across the aisle from us, one of whom was harassing two older women behind us. The other kept telling him to stop, and they got into a loud, heated, curse-laden argument. 

Unfortunately, Sarah was seated on the aisle, so she was closer to them. I considered moving but was concerned that might inflame them. When we switched trains at US Bank Stadium, Sarah let me know in no uncertain terms she wasn't happy with the situation, and with riding the light rail in general. I chose our seats much more carefully from then on. 

Sarah was now on a mission to get a selfie with a gymnast, and she wanted a T-shirt to have signed, as well. We got downtown early and stood in a long, slow-moving line at the merch stand at the Target Center. A helpful volunteer told us we could get all the same stuff, without the long line, at the acrobatic gymnastics competition at the Minneapolis Convention Center on the south end of Nicollet Mall.

We walked the length of Nicollet Mall to the convention center, about a mile, found the merch stand, and didn't see anything we liked. None of the shirts had the Olympic rings on them. So back to the Target Center we went.

At a crosswalk along the way, we noticed two of the male gymnasts, Kiran and Kai, waiting on the other side of the street. I asked Sarah if she wanted to ask them for a selfie, but she was too shy, so we passed them silently.

Back at the Target Center, we got into line at the same merch stand where we'd started and waited half an hour to reach the front, only to learn the only sizes they had left in the shirt Sarah wanted were large and up. The woman said there were smalls at the stand inside the Target Center. 

In we went. Once we were seated and competition had started, I went looking for the stand. After another 20 minutes in line, I finally had the shirt and a lanyard.

It was the first round of competition for the women, so we got to see Simone Biles, hometown girl Suni Lee, and Jordan Chiles, among others. Don was watching on TV at home, and we checked in via text until he went to bed. Simone fell off the balance beam and was caught on the arena's big screen saying the F-word. Fortunately, that was not broadcast on TV. And she still beat everyone else.

When competition was over, we made our way down two levels and to the other side of the arena once more. Sarah managed to work her way almost to the railing. Jordan Chiles came out, apparently looking for someone, and left. That was it. We stayed until security shooed us out.

Outside, we waited in line for 30 minutes to get a photo of Sarah in front of the Olympic rings. Then, we hopped the light rail back to the Airbnb.

Saturday, we slept in, then took the train to Nicollet Mall around 10:30. We walked around the vendor booths and had lunch at Caribou Coffee before going to the Target Center to be in our seats early for the men's finals at 2:00. 

I was surprised how quickly I'd become attached to some of the athletes, whom I hadn't known from Adam beforehand. I was rooting for Frederick Richard, who's from Massachusetts and charismatic, not to mention highly skilled. I'm absolutely amazed at how all the competitors can flip around on the rings then come to a stop and hold themselves completely still.

By now, we were getting the lay of the land and began strategizing to get better seats post-competition. During the last rotation, I scoped out two empty seats on the other side of the arena, near the aisle and four rows up from the floor. 

When the events were over and the seats were still empty, we set off to fill them. We asked the middle-aged woman sitting by herself on the aisle if anyone was still using them, and she said, "No, help yourself." So we did.

We had a spectacular view as they announced the members of the men's Olympic team: Brody Malone, Fred Richard (yay!), Asher Hong, Paul Juda, and (surprise!) Stephen Nedoroscik, another Bay Stater, from Worcester. Khoi Young and hometown-favorite Shane Wiskus were named as alternates. It was such fun to watch the streamers come down and the team play in them afterward, sliding on their stomachs like Frosty on a sledding hill.

When the ceremony was over, Sarah moved down to the railing and waited ... and waited ... for a chance to meet a gymnast. When it became clear they weren't coming out, we reluctantly gave up once again. Sarah wanted to see if we could catch them leaving the arena, so we walked around back, where Target Field is. 

There were a couple of coach buses parked on a lower level that we couldn't reach. We kept walking and came upon a small group waiting by the loading dock. Rumor had it the women's team exited that way the night before, so we settled in to keep vigil in view of the closed overhead door.

After a while, I walked around the entire Target Center to check for any other activity and found none. Soon after I returned to the loading dock, Bart Conner, a member of the 1984 gold-medal team, wandered by.  I recognized him from a short tribute he and others received before that night's competition.

I asked Sarah if she wanted his autograph, and she said yes, so I approached him. He was congenial and seemed happy to be asked. I told him I remembered watching him in 1984, and he said, "No, you're not old enough." I'm sure he says that to all the girls. It was only after Googling him later that night I remembered he married Nadia Comaneci and they run a gym in Oklahoma.

Finally, one of the security team at the loading dock came over and said the team was no longer in the building. The handful of fans remaining debated whether to believe him but eventually accepted defeat and dissipated, us included.

We had an hour to kill before our dinner reservation at Hell's Kitchen, so we went to the Target on Nicollet Mall. It's the chain's flagship store and much like an old-time department store. It has two levels, with escalators, and the goods are much more spread out. Sarah bought birthday gifts for her friend Gabby and talked me into buying her a very cute new swimsuit top that's bright yellow with sunflower appliques.

We still arrived early for our reservation and proceeded down into the bowels of an old office building, emerging into a dark, cave-like space. Sarah definitely had her doubts. We waited in a dimly lit alcove with some nerdy millennials discussing computer stuff.

Once we were seated in the main dining room, things improved. It was still rather dark, but with colorful lanterns hanging from the ceiling and a jazz trio performing on the small stage. There were lots of young families and mother-daughter pairs. Sarah had the chicken sandwich, and I had the warm greens grain bowl. Yummy!

On our walk to the light rail, we spotted a family of Indian descent with three adult sons. We both thought one of the young men looked like gymnast Kiran, but we couldn't be sure. We hemmed and hawed and kept walking. 

When we looked back, they were shaking hands with two men who seemed quite excited, then they continued down a cross-street. By then, Sarah was convinced it was Kiran and wanted to get his autograph. I suggested we cut over on the next cross-street and circle back to meet them head-on. That turned out to be a tactical mistake, because we lost them.

Sunday morning, I walked to an eco-conscious store called Tare a few blocks away while Sarah slept in. She had arranged to meet her friend June, who moved from Massachusetts to Minnesota the summer before 4th grade, at the Mall of America that afternoon, and we'd planned to take the light rail.

As it turned out, June picked us up at the Airbnb and drove us to the mall. I was amazed at how relaxed I felt in the back seat listening to June and Sarah catch up on mutual friends as June navigated city streets and the interstate. It was actually fun!

I left them at the mall and took the light rail to Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, a couple of stops away. It was too hot to hike, so I toured the visitor center and discovered an exhibit on prescribed fire I wrote and designed nearly 20 years ago still on display!

Back at the mall, I had time to kill, so I walked for a bit and came across the Lindt store. I couldn't resist buying a sampling of unusual flavors, like pistachio, raspberry, and now I can't remember what else. I made my way back to the main level and waited for Sarah outside the amusement park and The Lego Store. There was a dog-trick show going on, and it was pandemonium! Sensory overload for this introvert.

We took the light rail back to the Airbnb, ate our Hell's Kitchen leftovers for an early dinner, and headed downtown, arriving at Nicollet Mall around 5:00. We shopped at Target and got some sorbet from a food truck.

We were in our seats at 6:10, and competition began at 6:30. When it ended, we headed for Section 111, where there were some empty seats by the floor. When we got there, we couldn't see the seats from above, so we took a couple up by the entrance. We watched the announcement of the team from there: Simone Biles (of course!), hometown favorite Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and (surprise!) 15-year-old Hezley Rivera. Alternates were Joscelyn Roberson and Leann Wong.

As soon as the team left the floor, Sarah went down to be in position for autographs and selfies. We waited for nearly an hour, but no one returned. We caught the 10:44 train back to the Airbnb.

Monday morning, we were up at 5:20 and caught the 6:10 train to the Humphrey Terminal for our 8:20 flight. The place was packed! While we waited in a long line to check our bag with Sun Country, on a whim, I looked to see if we could make a reservation for security screening. Lo and behold, we could!

Bag checked, we headed for security, and I must admit, I felt pleased with myself to have a reservation. I showed it to the TSA agent, who directed us to a line that, oddly, seemed no shorter than any others. We walked one at a time past a large German short-hair pointer and his handler and joined another set of lines for the circular scanner. Although there was no evidence of special treatment, we seemed to sail through and were at our gate in plenty of time.

We arrived home mid-afternoon. Don left for the lake the next morning, and we followed a day later. The grown kids and grandkids flew in on the 4th, and suddenly, we were no longer travelers but hosts!