Serendipity

When I got off the plane with the boy in a stroller on Sunday, I walked to baggage claim (ignoring the woman I asked for directions to the elevator to get to the baggage claim. She insisted I needed to go up a long flight of stairs to get the elevator to go down to baggage claim. I don't know if it's my skeptical nature, or my knowledge of the Americans with Disabilty Act, or just my general knowledge of the world, that you don't put an elevator UP A FLIGHT OF ABOUT THIRTY STAIRS!!!!). I took the opportunity to call MBB and tell him about the flight with the boy, and to see how things were going at home.

It was then that he informed me that the Minnesota Vikings would be playing in Detroit after the collapse of the roof of their stadium. "I so want to go to that game." That's what I said. First to him, and then to my sister, who doesn't really watch football, but is pretty open to new experiences. Really, how could I not go? A home game of the Vikings falls into my geographic area, where tickets will be really cheap? I HAVE TO GO.... Little did I know.

The tickets were free! The Lions (who play in Ford Field, but were lending it to the Vikings)were giving 30,000 tickets away, were accepting tickets from Sunday's Packers-Lions game, and were giving preferential seating to Vikings tickets holders.

We had none of those. The free tickets were gone in about an hour and a half, no one we knew was giving up their used Sunday tickets. And Minnesota was too far away to try to get tickets. Until the first two options were totally off the table. Then I made a phone call.

I don't really know why, but my cousin in Minneapolis decided it was his mission to get us to the game. He actually HAD tickets to the game, and had been planning to go on Sunday, until it was postponed until Monday. He still would have gone, but then they move it to Detroit. Lousy for him, lucky for us. Except he was in Minneapolis, and I was in Detroit, and the game was in seven hours. He tried numerous things, none of which were working out. Finally, he realized, he knew a guy who knew a guy. That guy worked for the Vikings. So he called the guy who called the guy and two tickets ended up at the Vikings will call window down at Ford Field.

Due to the nature of this oddity, changed venue, short notice, no "fans," there was open seating in all sections. We had gotten to the game about an hour early, and based on reports on the radio, even that would possibly leave us, literally,out in the cold (really cold, it's 10 degrees here, and the wind was blowing like crazy). So we picked up the tickets at Will Call, got a special bracelet indicating our seating in the "preferred section," and walked into the stadium.

The place is really nice, and it was really crowded. We were still a little apprehensive about it working out well, since no one was given a seat assignment. Potentially 60,000 people were going to show up at the venue and "work out seating?" I make seating when I have a few extra people at my house for dinner!

We walked to one of the three sections we were told our little plastic bracelets would give us access to. I'm not sure how we ended picking the right one, but when we got the nod of approval, and were allowed into the preffered section, and we walked down the steps, there was the fifty yard line. We found an empty row, and sat directly on the fifty yard line. 30 rows back. That may sound far, but you may recall that MBB and I took a trip to Minneapolis last year, and sat at the fifty yard line, in the front row. That seat was great for seeing the players on the sidelines, but it made it harder to see the game. This was the opposite. The players on the sidelines were further away (but I learned last time they completely ignore the fans, completely, they don't even look in that direction), but the action was so easy to follow.

Of course most of the action on the Vikings side was disappointing and flat, and after a great start and two interceptions we were feeling good. That didn't last, as the game ended with a loss, 21-3.

But we had such an awesome time, and it was so much fun, it didn't really matter!

I still can't believe it really happened.