Line to see Astrodome wasn't worth the wait

Disney World was never this bad.

Before April 9, the longest line I can recall standing in was at Disney World and it was just over an hour. On April 9, I stood in line with two of my sons, Luke and Colton, for two hours. Only there was no exciting thrill ride at the end of this line. It was all for a chance to spend a few minutes gawking inside the world’s largest storage shed – the Eighth Wonder of the World – the Houston Astrodome. Fifty years ago it was the most amazing building on the planet – a marvel of modern architecture and engineering. Today, it reminds me of a wino in need of a shower, shave and breath mints.

Growing up in Colorado, I never really paid much mind to all things Texas. Still, you couldn’t help but hear about two very important buildings – the Alamo and the Astrodome. I’ve been to the former a number of times, most recently just a few weeks ago. The latter I had only seen from the outside. It closed a couple years before I moved to Texas.

For some reason I’ve always been interested in sports stadiums and arenas. As we stood there for 40 minutes just waiting for the line to budge, I couldn’t help but think of the other sports venues I’ve driven by or been to. There are lots of them. With my parents having season tickets to the Denver Broncos for more than a quarter century and me having very brief employment with the Colorado Rockies (ticket taker), I got to know Denver’s sports venues real well inside and out.

The first Major League game I ever saw was in 1987 in Minnesota at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. The Twins beat the A’s in the game that was Reggie Jackson’s last in the stadium. It was amazing to be in a building with an inflatable roof. You literally got blown out of the building when you left. I returned for lots of Twins games and even a few Vikings games. Fun stuff. Still, as interesting as the stadium was, it was ugly and lacking in character.

A couple years later came a move to northeast North Carolina. I saw a lot of East Coast stadiums from the outside. I was at the fourth game played at the new Camden Yards in Baltimore. I even detoured once to see Foxboro Stadium near Boston. When we went to the ticket window to ask if they gave tours, the lady gave me look like I was the biggest moron on the planet. I stole a quick look inside and left.

By the time I moved to Texas in 2005, the Astrodome was shuttered. Minute Maid Park took in the Astros and the new Houston Texans set up shop in Reliant Stadium – a new domed stadium with a retractable roof that dwarfs the Astrodome next door. I’ve been inside the new stadium – now called NRG Stadium – numerous times. Every time I went to the new place, I could not help but look at and wonder about the dilapidated hulk next door.

The debate has been raging for years about what to do with it. It’s historically significant as the world’s first domed stadium, so it should be saved. Yet it serves no purpose and costs millions each year just to maintain. There are factions that would tear it down in a heartbeat. Can you imagine the discussions held about preserving the Alamo 50 years after the battle? It’s no different here.

As my boys and I slowly inched our way in the line, we saw Harris County Judge Ed Emmett sing happy birthday to the building. We heard him give a speech about how important it was to Houston and how he would like to see it repurposed as an indoor park. I think it’s a great idea.

As we moved along, my boys were bored, tired and starting to nag me. New arrivals tried to cut in line. (Have you ever seen the resolve of people who have stood together for nearly two hours as newbies step up thinking they can walk in shoulder-to-shoulder with you? It ain’t pretty.) We started on the north side of the new stadium and wound our way to the east side of the old one.

When we got to the entrance, I asked a guy working a clicker what number we were. It was 2,434. Finally, after two hours we entered the gray, dank place for one of the biggest letdowns of my life. Most of the seats have been ripped out and are stacked on the field. The old Astroturf was sitting rolled up on racks. There were a few historic photo displays and Orbit, the Astros’ mascot, posed for pictures.

Other than that, we were ushered through like cattle, given only a few moments to take photographs. For one evening the Astrodome became the selfie capital of the world. Then the line before us ended and we were back outside. By now the line behind us ran back to NRG, down the walkway between the two stadiums, and crisscrossed the south ends of both.

I later learned that 25,000 people went through. They stayed open past midnight to let everyone in. For many, it was some trip down memory lane. For some, it was just a trip. I had no memories of the dome until that night. I can’t say they’re pleasant memories. I hope to return someday, though. I want to see it repurposed and returned to its former glory. The building has meaning and value. It just needs a purpose and maybe a breath mint. Then it might be worth standing in line for.