When going to a game, which do you prefer, "in the elements" open air stadiums or "controlled conditions" domes?

Much as I like open air (and I definitely prefer "natural" lawn to artificial turf), there's something to be said for a covered stadium in northern climates in cooler weather. People scoff at retractable roofs, but I like them.

There's nothing better than watching a game in an outdoor stadium - on natural turf - in mid-November. It just adds to the whole football atmosphere. Conversly, there's nothing worse than sitting inside an antiseptic domed stadium on a beautiful late September or early October afternoon.

Or even an unseasonably warm January day.

One reason the Minnesota Vikings have become major wusses in the cold weather is that damned Metrodome. Viking fans used to go to Metropolitan Stadium bundled up and ready for the elements, and their team used to go to Super Bowls when they played in the blistery weather.

Then again, in the Metrodome, they could blast the air conditioning in the faces of teams like the Tampa Bay Bucs or turn on the heat for the Packers.