urbanMSP

Quick phone edit of what remains of the Metrodome tonight. This was taken just after sunset. I'll have some more up later.

Nice pic!
I was amazed to see the amount of demo work that was done over the weekend.

Nice pic!
I was amazed to see the amount of demo work that was done over the weekend.

This was basically my last chance to get a good image. In a few days it'll just be rubble. It'll be interesting to see this whole area knocked down and then rebuilt.

Here are some construction shots from Monday.

Is there any free parking on weekends nearby where I can come and see it?

Yep, at a blue line park and ride.

Or basically any meter south of Washington, right?

I believe so. Also, the MCTC ramp is free on weekends, though that stretches the definition of "nearby".

Someone linked to this handy meter map in another thread.

http://www2.mplsparking.com/CurrentMeterMap.pdf

For what it's worth, according to the construction schedule there will be 5 tower cranes and three large crawler cranes. All the tower cranes should be up by the end of July.

I was surprised the meters take credit cards now so I splurged on $1 for an hour rather than find a free one. It's been 10 years since I've been to the area, and not much has changed except for the obvious. I did get a good view of the last section of the Metrodome coming down, as well as found a traffic signal that still has an incandescent green (yes I took a picture).

(Couldn't ride the blue line because I was planning to drive to St Paul and maybe Stillwater directly from downtown).

Question from out of town.....With all the earthmoving overnights, where is the dirt going?? there are a lot of loads.

It has to be a big pile if only going to one place!!!

Question from out of town.....With all the earthmoving overnights, where is the dirt going?? there are a lot of loads.

It has to be a big pile if only going to one place!!!

Blaine.
http://www.startribune.com/local/west/236311971.html

Reminds me of when Empire Township got all the fill from the airport about a decade ago (construction of Rwy 17/35)... hurt Cedar Avenue through Apple Valley. Good thing we were able to use CTIB and FTA transit funds to rebuild and widen that stroad to last another 30 years....

Dome is completely gone... here's a shot from Viking's FB Page.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater

I was just over by there. It is an impressive hole! Lots of cleanup to do!

So... I knew that the new stadium was going to be a lot larger than the metrodome... but I hadn't reasoned this in my head. They posted a side by side comparison...

http://www.vikings.com/news/article-1/A ... b678c506e3

It's slightly misleading because it's comparing the long side of the new stadium with the short side of the Dome, but it's still definitely a "holy shit!" comparison. The height difference alone is pretty stunning.

From the bizjournal and confirmed by the Vikings...

Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods has signed a deal with Aramark to bring his AZ Canteen concept to TCF Bank Stadium and the new Minnesota Vikings stadium, the celebrity chef told the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.

A spokesman for Aramark confirmed the company and Zimmern "will be working together," on the Vikings stadium, but said more details won't come until a more formal announcement is made.

Zimmern said the deal with Aramarak is "pretty extensive."

"I am curating a special food court for them and will have a hand servicing the suites as well," Zimmern said. "This new stadium will have incredible culinary heft, designed from ground up to provide a food experience that will best anything existing anywhere in North America."

His AZ Canteen food truck came to my work a few times last summer. It's really, really, really tasty stuff. I've had the veal tongue sandwich, goat sausage grinder, butter burger, and more. All delicious.

It'll be interesting to see if he can break the $20 barrier at the new stadium. It's expensive enough from the truck.