Final Four Weekend
Apr 5, 2001 | 10:46 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Westchester, NY AA P/3MM, DL SM/MM, STW PLT
Posts: 5,490
Final Four Weekend
I was lucky enough to be invited by a couple of Iron Dukes (as well as friends from business school) to travel to MSP and join in the Final Four Festivities. I hadn’t attended the “Big Dance” since the Blue Devils lost to the (much hungrier and deserving) Connecticut Huskies in 1999, and this is one of those opportunities that I would pass up only under very dire circumstances.
So after making a quick phone call to DL on Monday morning, I scheduled an award ticket from CVG to MSP on Saturday, with a scheduled return on the following Tuesday (hopefully). I had to use 50,000 miles for the SkyChoice award in Y, but it beat the $1,000+ price of purchase, and I was happy to find any availability on flights that matched my requirements, particularly given that with Comair on strike, flights from CVG to MSP were scarcer than usual.
Saturday, March 31st
I set off for the weekend on DL 1791 from CVG to MSP. The flight was full, as expected, with a significant proportion of the passengers seemingly on their way to the Final Four. Maryland fans appeared to be in the majority, and the comment, “Fear the turtle” could be heard repeatedly. My response, “I prefer turtle soup” largely fell on deaf ears. I was in seat 25D, in an exit row with tons of legroom. Boarding seemed fairly orderly, and I was pleasantly surprised not to receive any grief from the FAs for carrying on three bags (business in London was the next stop, which necessitated the extra luggage). As the plane was completely full, more than a few of the later boarding carry ons had to be checked, but to DL’s credit, we pulled away from the gate on time.
The flight time was under 100 minutes, and we landed in MSP approximately 20 minutes ahead of a scheduled 12:05 arrival time. During the flight, the FAs came through with basic drink service. Upon arrival, however, we found another DL plane sitting at our gate, and we quickly lost the early arrival by spending the next 20 minutes on the tarmac waiting for them to finish up paper work on the delayed departure.
With no checked luggage and no wait for taxis (well done, MSP), I was quickly on my way to Blue Devils central at the Radisson Hotel South & Plaza Tower, where the team was staying. The Radisson was fairly basic and okay, but nothing special. They did an excellent job of handling the crowds in the hotel throughout the weekend, however, and particularly Monday night. The hotel has standard amenities, including a couple of restaurants and bars (can’t comment on the food, but the beer was kept well chilled).
One advantage of holding the games in MSP is certainly the convenience factor. We drove from the Radisson downtown then across the Mississippi to a University-sponsored reception on Nicollet Island, then over to the Metrodome, where we parked one block away, and traffic was never an issue. Personally, I thought MSU vs Arizona was the best-played game of the day, with both teams playing very solid ball. The Duke vs Maryland game was a different event altogether. Watching Maryland pound the ball inside and run up a 22 point lead over the Blue Devils was a shock, and we were still in shock even after pulling back to within 11 at the half. I don’t think any of us really started to become comfortable until Baxter fouled out with under 3:00 minutes left, and then the celebrating began to build.
After the game, we walked down to Murray’s (on S. 6th St.) for a late dinner. Everyone was in a splendid mood (at least at our table), and we enjoyed having cocktails and dinner, having worked up quite an appetite. The atmosphere of the dining room may defy my accurate description, but I would suggest a cross between 1940-1950s retro-chic and a 1970s wedding or bar mitzvah hall. Steaks seem to be the name of the game here, and the filet mignon did not disappoint. Our only complaint was with the piano-violin duo, who responded negatively to our request for “Devil in a Blue Dress” in a snooty foreign accent (although who could really blame them?). Then it was back to the Radisson for a few more rounds of cocktails with the rest of the Duke supporters.
Sunday, April 1st
After sleeping in to recover fully from the evening’s festivities, we set off to the Warehouse District for lunch at Monte Carlo (3rd Ave. N.). The restaurant serves classic American comfort food, including excellent hamburgers. The steak sandwich was voted the entrée of choice however, followed closely by their martinis, which have earned a well-deserved reputation. The thin-crust pizza appetizer was also very good, featuring grilled chicken and assorted vegetables.
During the afternoon, we attended another couple of receptions, including one where we watched highlights from the Duke/Maryland game (i.e. not much from the first half). Then it was back to the Radisson for an afternoon nap before the evening began.
I had had AMEX Centurion make a reservation for 9:00 PM at D’Amico Cucina, based on their advice as well as its #2 rankings for Food and Popularity in Zagat. It is also located in the Warehouse District, on N. 6th St. Upon our arrival, however, we were politely informed that the restaurant did not have our reservation, which a call to AMEX failed to clarify. AMEX’s response was that they would do nothing under the circumstances, despite the restaurant having been their suggestion, which left us rather miffed. The restaurant, in contrast and to their credit, handled the situation with aplomb, suggesting that we have a drink in the bar at their expense while they found us a table. Ten minutes later, we were comfortably ensconced at a table adjacent to John Chambers (CEO of Cisco), who we met as the evening progressed.
I would highly recommend visiting D’Amico, as the food and service was outstanding. Everyone was delighted by everything ordered, including appetizers such as gnocchi with lobster and spinach in a lemon beurre blanc, smoked chicken ravioli or squid ink tagliatelle with roasted octopus. Notable entrees included roasted halibut with a tomato and onion coulis, an outstanding grilled veal chop and an herbed filet mignon with barley in a balsamic reduction. I would also strongly recommend deserts, as we almost came to blows over sharing them. At the end of our meal, the restaurant apologized again for the reservation mix up, and also comped us on our deserts, a far more enjoyable response than I have received from AMEX thus far.
Monday, April 2nd, Game Day
Although we received a light dusting of snow in the early morning, by the time we got up the sky was looking blue in anticipation of the evening’s game. We made a perfunctory appearance at a University-sponsored brunch, and then headed downtown for lunch at Aquavit, in the IDS Center. Like its New York sister, the restaurant offers an excellent take on Scandinavian cuisine. The lunch menu is comparatively limited, but there are still a number of excellent choices. A frothed lobster bisque made an excellent starter, and the pine nut and bacon crusted salmon served with duck confit risotto was the stand out entrée. For the more adventurous eaters, the smorgasbord offered a variety of smoked fish and meats, not to mention a side of aquavit, a strong Scandinavian liquor. We tried a couple of flights of various aquavit, but no consensus emerged: some like the gooseberry and hated the lemon-mint, while others had exactly the opposite reaction. In my own opinion, I thought the gooseberry was quite good, as well as the rasberry and the lemon-orange, while I have much less of a taste for the more traditional fennel and caraway types.
We then headed back to the hotel for a pep rally to send the team off to the Finals, then proceeded to another reception sponsored by the president of Duke University, before finally making our way back to the Metrodome. Like everyone else, we had become quite impatient and nervous, and I wouldn’t have minded an earlier tipoff. Owing to the theory of not fixing what isn’t broken, we arranged ourselves into the same seats as Saturday, and then stood there waiting for the game to begin. Unlike in the Maryland game, the Blue Devils came out playing hard from the start, and the first half featured solid playing by both sides. We went into halftime 35-33, not much of a margin, but feeling much better about how we looked than on Saturday. During the first half we also saw an example of commercialism running rampant, when ushers tried to confiscate the sign a fan seated next to us was waving because it had two tiny Nike “swishes” on it, although they finally relented to tearing the two offending corners off the banner.
The Wildcats were not even close to dying however, and the game remained wide open until Williams hit a 3-pointer with under 2:00 minutes to go that we really began to celebrate, and as the game ended the Duke sections went nuts. We stayed with a good crowd to watch all of the after-game festivities, before reluctantly leaving the dome to head back to the hotel, where we (and everyone else, it seemed), stayed up partying into the very wee hours, gaining a strong second wind when members of the team were seen on the second floor.
Overall, I would rate MSP as an excellent venue for the Final Four. It may have been a little colder than I would have liked, but the local hospitality was omnipresent, parking was extremely convenient, and traffic was almost never an issue. I got up on Tuesday, tired but happy, and headed out to the airport to catch an AA flight to ORD and then on to London.
So after making a quick phone call to DL on Monday morning, I scheduled an award ticket from CVG to MSP on Saturday, with a scheduled return on the following Tuesday (hopefully). I had to use 50,000 miles for the SkyChoice award in Y, but it beat the $1,000+ price of purchase, and I was happy to find any availability on flights that matched my requirements, particularly given that with Comair on strike, flights from CVG to MSP were scarcer than usual.
Saturday, March 31st
I set off for the weekend on DL 1791 from CVG to MSP. The flight was full, as expected, with a significant proportion of the passengers seemingly on their way to the Final Four. Maryland fans appeared to be in the majority, and the comment, “Fear the turtle” could be heard repeatedly. My response, “I prefer turtle soup” largely fell on deaf ears. I was in seat 25D, in an exit row with tons of legroom. Boarding seemed fairly orderly, and I was pleasantly surprised not to receive any grief from the FAs for carrying on three bags (business in London was the next stop, which necessitated the extra luggage). As the plane was completely full, more than a few of the later boarding carry ons had to be checked, but to DL’s credit, we pulled away from the gate on time.
The flight time was under 100 minutes, and we landed in MSP approximately 20 minutes ahead of a scheduled 12:05 arrival time. During the flight, the FAs came through with basic drink service. Upon arrival, however, we found another DL plane sitting at our gate, and we quickly lost the early arrival by spending the next 20 minutes on the tarmac waiting for them to finish up paper work on the delayed departure.
With no checked luggage and no wait for taxis (well done, MSP), I was quickly on my way to Blue Devils central at the Radisson Hotel South & Plaza Tower, where the team was staying. The Radisson was fairly basic and okay, but nothing special. They did an excellent job of handling the crowds in the hotel throughout the weekend, however, and particularly Monday night. The hotel has standard amenities, including a couple of restaurants and bars (can’t comment on the food, but the beer was kept well chilled).
One advantage of holding the games in MSP is certainly the convenience factor. We drove from the Radisson downtown then across the Mississippi to a University-sponsored reception on Nicollet Island, then over to the Metrodome, where we parked one block away, and traffic was never an issue. Personally, I thought MSU vs Arizona was the best-played game of the day, with both teams playing very solid ball. The Duke vs Maryland game was a different event altogether. Watching Maryland pound the ball inside and run up a 22 point lead over the Blue Devils was a shock, and we were still in shock even after pulling back to within 11 at the half. I don’t think any of us really started to become comfortable until Baxter fouled out with under 3:00 minutes left, and then the celebrating began to build.
After the game, we walked down to Murray’s (on S. 6th St.) for a late dinner. Everyone was in a splendid mood (at least at our table), and we enjoyed having cocktails and dinner, having worked up quite an appetite. The atmosphere of the dining room may defy my accurate description, but I would suggest a cross between 1940-1950s retro-chic and a 1970s wedding or bar mitzvah hall. Steaks seem to be the name of the game here, and the filet mignon did not disappoint. Our only complaint was with the piano-violin duo, who responded negatively to our request for “Devil in a Blue Dress” in a snooty foreign accent (although who could really blame them?). Then it was back to the Radisson for a few more rounds of cocktails with the rest of the Duke supporters.
Sunday, April 1st
After sleeping in to recover fully from the evening’s festivities, we set off to the Warehouse District for lunch at Monte Carlo (3rd Ave. N.). The restaurant serves classic American comfort food, including excellent hamburgers. The steak sandwich was voted the entrée of choice however, followed closely by their martinis, which have earned a well-deserved reputation. The thin-crust pizza appetizer was also very good, featuring grilled chicken and assorted vegetables.
During the afternoon, we attended another couple of receptions, including one where we watched highlights from the Duke/Maryland game (i.e. not much from the first half). Then it was back to the Radisson for an afternoon nap before the evening began.
I had had AMEX Centurion make a reservation for 9:00 PM at D’Amico Cucina, based on their advice as well as its #2 rankings for Food and Popularity in Zagat. It is also located in the Warehouse District, on N. 6th St. Upon our arrival, however, we were politely informed that the restaurant did not have our reservation, which a call to AMEX failed to clarify. AMEX’s response was that they would do nothing under the circumstances, despite the restaurant having been their suggestion, which left us rather miffed. The restaurant, in contrast and to their credit, handled the situation with aplomb, suggesting that we have a drink in the bar at their expense while they found us a table. Ten minutes later, we were comfortably ensconced at a table adjacent to John Chambers (CEO of Cisco), who we met as the evening progressed.
I would highly recommend visiting D’Amico, as the food and service was outstanding. Everyone was delighted by everything ordered, including appetizers such as gnocchi with lobster and spinach in a lemon beurre blanc, smoked chicken ravioli or squid ink tagliatelle with roasted octopus. Notable entrees included roasted halibut with a tomato and onion coulis, an outstanding grilled veal chop and an herbed filet mignon with barley in a balsamic reduction. I would also strongly recommend deserts, as we almost came to blows over sharing them. At the end of our meal, the restaurant apologized again for the reservation mix up, and also comped us on our deserts, a far more enjoyable response than I have received from AMEX thus far.
Monday, April 2nd, Game Day
Although we received a light dusting of snow in the early morning, by the time we got up the sky was looking blue in anticipation of the evening’s game. We made a perfunctory appearance at a University-sponsored brunch, and then headed downtown for lunch at Aquavit, in the IDS Center. Like its New York sister, the restaurant offers an excellent take on Scandinavian cuisine. The lunch menu is comparatively limited, but there are still a number of excellent choices. A frothed lobster bisque made an excellent starter, and the pine nut and bacon crusted salmon served with duck confit risotto was the stand out entrée. For the more adventurous eaters, the smorgasbord offered a variety of smoked fish and meats, not to mention a side of aquavit, a strong Scandinavian liquor. We tried a couple of flights of various aquavit, but no consensus emerged: some like the gooseberry and hated the lemon-mint, while others had exactly the opposite reaction. In my own opinion, I thought the gooseberry was quite good, as well as the rasberry and the lemon-orange, while I have much less of a taste for the more traditional fennel and caraway types.
We then headed back to the hotel for a pep rally to send the team off to the Finals, then proceeded to another reception sponsored by the president of Duke University, before finally making our way back to the Metrodome. Like everyone else, we had become quite impatient and nervous, and I wouldn’t have minded an earlier tipoff. Owing to the theory of not fixing what isn’t broken, we arranged ourselves into the same seats as Saturday, and then stood there waiting for the game to begin. Unlike in the Maryland game, the Blue Devils came out playing hard from the start, and the first half featured solid playing by both sides. We went into halftime 35-33, not much of a margin, but feeling much better about how we looked than on Saturday. During the first half we also saw an example of commercialism running rampant, when ushers tried to confiscate the sign a fan seated next to us was waving because it had two tiny Nike “swishes” on it, although they finally relented to tearing the two offending corners off the banner.
The Wildcats were not even close to dying however, and the game remained wide open until Williams hit a 3-pointer with under 2:00 minutes to go that we really began to celebrate, and as the game ended the Duke sections went nuts. We stayed with a good crowd to watch all of the after-game festivities, before reluctantly leaving the dome to head back to the hotel, where we (and everyone else, it seemed), stayed up partying into the very wee hours, gaining a strong second wind when members of the team were seen on the second floor.
Overall, I would rate MSP as an excellent venue for the Final Four. It may have been a little colder than I would have liked, but the local hospitality was omnipresent, parking was extremely convenient, and traffic was almost never an issue. I got up on Tuesday, tired but happy, and headed out to the airport to catch an AA flight to ORD and then on to London.
Apr 5, 2001 | 12:00 pm
#2
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 101
Nice report, and as a person fond of food I appreciated the details of your culinary experiences in MSP. I wish I could have made it to the games, but contented myself to celebrate in New Mexico before heading back to Durham next week for some business.
-- DJB (Duke '87, '01)
-- DJB (Duke '87, '01)
Apr 6, 2001 | 11:26 am
#4
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Matthews, NC
Programs: AA AAdvantage Gold, HHonors Gold, Marriot Bonvoy Gold, Hyatt Member
Posts: 1,459
Outstanding report wigs - should have tried to meet up with you at the Radisson after the 'Zona game. Did end up getting tix from other Duke alums, who were quite happy to sell some great lower level tickets at face value. We do take care of our own.
Next year - Atlanta. Unfortunately, they don't have as good a setup as Minneapolis had.
CLTFlyer (Trinity '91)
[This message has been edited by CLTFlyer (edited 04-06-2001).]
Next year - Atlanta. Unfortunately, they don't have as good a setup as Minneapolis had.
CLTFlyer (Trinity '91)
[This message has been edited by CLTFlyer (edited 04-06-2001).]