Hotels within walking distance of the Metrodome.

Hey, I'm a huge Vikings fan, but live in Ohio. This year, though, I'm making the trip to Minnesota for the 9/25 game against the Saints. I can't wait, it's gonna be great.

Anyway, does anyone know of any decent, inexpensive hotels that are within walking distance of the Metrodome. I'm probably taking that Friday and Monday off work. I'll drive up Friday, I guess it's about a 12 hour drive from where I live, and stay Fri/Sat/Sun night, before leaving Monday. I've been looking at Expedia, Orbitz, etc.

I'm looking for something that for 3 nights will cost under $200. I don't know if that's realistic, but any help you can give would be greatly appreciated.

When I used to visit the 'Cities for games, I'd stay a little ways out and drive in and Park near the Nicollet Mall. We'd go a little early and make our way to the game...the sky walk system is nice. I don't believe in ruining my football experience with mind altering substances (can't even drink caffeinated beverages), so it worked great for me. I don't remember having much problem with traffic or parking at all...probably because we were far enough away...
Or you could stay at the Mall of America...they have a light rail to downtown...I'd guess they'd have a stop extremely close to the Dome. The prices at the MOA are good...plus the MOA is kinda fun. There are a few cheaper places a couple of miles away from the Dome, but there are some not so great neighborhoods in Msp...so I'm not sure if you end up in them if you find a decent price.

P.S. I know it says I'm from TX, but I'm from MN and went to undergrad in St. Paul. I also have driven in for 5-6 games from Madison, WI...so I promise I'm not making stuff up.

There are only two that I found that you can get for right around $100.00/night maybe a little less then $100.00. There is the Holiday Inn Metrodome which is about a 1/2 mile from the dome or there is the Residence Inn by Marriott which it also about a half mile they say it .7 miles from the dome. Both are advertised right now for around 99.00 per night for that time frame all the others within walking distance are quite a bit higher.

My fiance and I made our first trip to Minnesota and saw a Vikings game last December against the Seahawks.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn which is a couple blocks away from the Metrodome and just walked to the game. They also have a shuttle bus that will take you too if you prefer not to walk. It cost about 90 dollars a night to stay there. They have cheaper hotels in the area but they are a little further away from the Dome. Here is the link -- http://www.metrodome.com/

We actually took the Light Rail from the airport, to the Metrodome stop and just walked to the hotel from there. We also made two trips to the Mall of America by just walking back the the Metrodome and taking the Light Rail straight to the Mall. Here is the link -- http://www.metrotransit.org/rail/index.asp

The Light Rail is very convenient and cheap, about 2 bucks a person. This will save you a lot of money on renting a car and parking. Hope this helps!

This Light Rail is that basically a subway. I consider walking distance w/in 2 miles.

$90/night wouldn't be too bad, but I'm looking for $60-70/night.

We're probably going to spend most of Saturday at the mall too, so actually staying at the mall would be good.

Unfortunately, I happen to like the mind-altering substance known as alcohol, although, I doubt I'd have more than 2 or 3 watching the game.
But that's only one reason I want to be within walking distance. I just know what traffic is like in Cleveland for Browns/Cavs/Indians games and if it's anything like that in Minneapolis, I'd like to avoid that, especially since I'd be in unfamiliar territory. The walking doesn't bother me. Good exercise.

I'm not too concerned with the quality of the neighborhood. Don't mean to sound like a tightwad, but I'm more concerned with saving a few bucks.