I had to go into downtown Minneapolis in the early afternoon. Unfortunately, the Vikings had a home game downtown. Parking was up to at least $25 near the stadium, $15 near my office, and $10 on the other side of downtown. I had $6 in my pocket, and there was no convenient drive-through ATM to get more cash.

So I drove a few miles south, found street parking near the light rail line, and took the train downtown. It took less than two hours to finish my work, so my inbound ticket was still good when I took a southbound train to retrieve my car. Total cost: $1.25.

I did what I had to do, and was feeling quite satisfied on the ride south. I must confess to some schadenfreude when I saw the long faces of the fans who boarded at the Metrodome station: The Vikings lost.