Local Government Management Internship Program

Last Saturday, we headed to the Minneapolis area for an afternoon at the Mall of America and an evening major league baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and the Washington Nationals.  The Mall of America is a huge monument to American consumerism, and regardless of your point of view on our economic system, it makes an impression when you see it for the first time.  As we drove in from the Interstate, it appeared on the horizon as a huge behemoth.  Once inside, the enormity of its size was astounding.   Complete with an amusement park in the center, the mall is about the size of two professional sports stadiums combined.  

It was interesting to see the Mississippi River at its northern locale, and close to its origin.  Here its size pales in comparison to its legendary status as the “Mighty Mississippi” further south towards its terminous in the Gulf of Mexico.

The baseball game was played in the massive Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, an incredibly expansive, air-conditioned dome.  Watching the game in this environment seemed somewhat surreal.  The Twins lost 3-1, but they didn’t go down without an exciting 9th inning rally. Even though it was eventually squelched, it brought the fans to the edges of their seats hoping for a victorious outcome.