Friday, March 30, 2007

Top 11 Reasons This Blog Opposes Making the Tilt-A-Whirl the Official Amusement Ride of Minnesota

11. The Flume ride better represents Minnesota’s logging history

10. Afraid special accommodations will have to be made for Tilt-A-Whirling imams

9. Tilt-A-Whirls unfairly discriminate against people with weak stomachs

8. The Ferris Wheel is much more dignified and inclusive

7. We’d hate to see the purity of the Tilt-A-Whirl corrupted by government involvement

6. Slippery slope could lead to vomiting becoming the official state bodily function

5. It’s about time someone stood up to the powerful Faribault Tilt-a-Whirl lobby

4. The Nihilist opposes all forms of amusement on general principle

3. Tilt-A-Whirl debate is distracting attention from dire need to pump billions of dollars into education

2. If the Tilt-A-Whirl Industrial Complex wants our support, they can pay us off like they’ve paid off Lileks

1. Taking light rail from the Mall of America to Minneapolis is the real state amusement ride

3 Comments:

Blogger Terry_Jim said...

1. Taking light rail from the Mall of America to Minneapolis is the real state amusement ride

Definitly.

July 2006, my family and I spent a few days in Bloomington at the Ramada- formerly the Thunderbird Inn by MOA (decor only James Lileks could do justice to - must have been a helluva convention place in its prime).

Son and I took light rail to a Twins game. The only one they won against the Rangers while we were there- entertaining game, Texas LF Carlos Lee lost two fly balls in the lights. When he caught one in the later innings, the fans gave him a mock standing ovation- priceless.

Where was I , Oh 'Light Rail'...
Uneventful trip up, strange trip back. We had a 6 hour pass- so getting on the southbound was easy-

I couldn't understand why so many locals were jammed in the ticket line instead of buying the 6 hour pass earlier
- they saved what-
a buck-
to go to a MLB game and drop ten spots like Carlos Lee dropped fly balls? Norwegian frugality, I guess.

At the second or third stop (Armory?) the train started squealing- soon screaming , then halted. A wheel hub or a brake froze up.
We limped to a station and waited for a replacement train, the first two or three were filled with,
you betcha, the Frugal Norwegians who had been waiting in line to buy the $1.50 or so ticket!
Got back eventually.

Just be thankful that Hanna-Barbera doesn't lobby hard for their lame cartoon Elroy ride to be the State Ride.They have the resources to make it happen.
Regards, Terry
Council Bluffs, IA

11:50 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What, this Thunderbird Inn?

http://www.lileks.com/mpls/modern/thunderbird

5:50 PM  
Blogger Terry_Jim said...

HA, Yes! thanks for the link.

Only the outdoor statuary is gone, the indoor clutter is still there.
Great photos by Lilek's esp. the outdoor pool - MPLS' only outdoor hotel pool. the circular iondoor pool had curious 'indian' murals of each Moon and it's title- Harvest Moon, Snow Moon , etc.

What a place, hope Ramada never politically correcticizes it!

1:07 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home