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OT: Stadium Tour
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Highline17
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Your stadium write up aside, wholeheartedly agree on Madison. Absolutely fantastic city, great urban city.
RocketsandCanes
RocketsandCanes
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UNC has a cool tailgating scene. You're going to have a blast. Parking is kind of tough to come by so maybe try and get that taken care of prior to gameday. Your eyes will be bleeding from all the Carolina Blue you will see during the day. Keenan itself is cool. I like NC State's stadium much better, but Keenan is a cool one to start off with. They will have a solid crowd there for sure.
NC has Red Oak beer which I am pretty fond of. Maybe try to grab some of that for pre-game.
Also, good luck on your chase! You should post a recap in here after your visit to Keenan.
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Thank ya sir! I was also thinking about going to the NC state game on November 2nd as well. Definitely will grab some Red Oaks too and try it out
RocketsandCanes
RocketsandCanes
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North Carolina is a great state to start out in. They have a ton of different schools in a relatively small region.
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I know man, like 3 major campuses connected by 40 minutes of each other and a fairly decent size airport in the middle of them. What I do for work makes it a perfect place to start
RocketsandCanes
RocketsandCanes
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Game: Bowling Green State University Falcons @ University of Michigan Wolverines
Date: 9-16-23
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Stadium: Michigan Stadium aka "The Big House"
Stadium Total: 32/133 = 24% complete
This was the first game of what I mentioned might be a lean year. I've got one more guaranteed game on the schedule. BUT, last night I might have caught a break with a work trip for my wife to Pittsburgh. She suggested me tagging along for the last few days, staying through the weekend, and possibly watching L-Ville at Pitt. We will see if that ends up working out. Fingers crossed and also fingers crossed that it doesn't fall on the same timeslot as the UM-UNC game.
But back to the Big House. Last weekend was the 5th annual CFB trip with a couple of my buddies from Toledo. One of them lives just north of Detroit so we decided on Michigan for this year. Bought a parking pass at Ann Arbor Pioneer High School which ended up working out great. Got to the lot around 1pm for a 7:40pm kickoff. Got a nice little setup going with a tv in the trunk of the car and watching football for most of the time leading up to the game. Great tailgate scene between our lot and the University of Michigan Golf Course, both within a 5-10 minute walk from the stadium.
I was pretty exited to be able to compare the Big House to the Horseshoe in Columbus, which so far has been my most impressive in-game atmosphere I've been to. It lived up to the hype. I didn't get the wow factor walking in to the bowl from the concourse like I did walking into the C-Deck at the Shoe for the first time (only other place I've had that feeling was my first time walking into Wrigley Field), but it was really close and the atmosphere throughout the game was comparable, and definitely better than the one game against a G5 team (UNLV) I saw at the Shoe.
They had recently installed new LED lights throughout the stadium, which I did not really understand the hype for until it got dark and they were on full display. I took a couple of videos which I am not sure how to upload here but you can get the gist in the picture with the blue lights below.
The crowd was insane. 109,000 strong, and I believed it when they put the number on the scoreboard. The only people that left somewhat early where the student section around the end of the 3rd. I'm sure they had all been getting at it since the night before so that's understandable.
Michigan as a team did not look great in the game with 4 turnovers I believe, but they ended up beating BG pretty good in the end. The Toledo fan in me was happy about that.
There is no way to sugarcoat it but it's pretty darn uncomfortable to watch a full game in those bleachers when there is a 109,000 packed in pretty tightly. We had aisle seats and had to kind of push in on the row to finally get enough room for our last guy to sit down. But I think the atmosphere is worth the sore back at the end of the day.
Concessions were solid. Big (and only) con, like most CFB stadiums in the state of Michigan, is that they don't serve beer/alcohol. That is likely to change in the next few years as the state just made it legal to do so within the past year or so. So I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they all start selling it. It wasn't a big deal for use though because we had a pretty good drive to make back to Auburn Hills. On the other side of the coin, the Big House had two very important pluses to their concession game. The first is having Dearborn Sausage Company as their hot dog/sausage vendor. They make great stuff. Not quite Koegel's level great (only Michigan natives will understand that reference), but great nonetheless. My buddy had the hot dog which he said was awesome and I splurged and got the stadium sausage which was phenomenal. The second big plus is something that I'm sure some other places have, but it was the first time I've seen a coffee truck. I've gotten a regular hot coffee at a cold noon game before. But this was like a full blown coffee shop on wheels. It was the perfect thing after a long hot day of beer and tailgating. We all caffeinated at half time for the hour drive after the game let out. I wish all stadiums would do that. Don't bother paying $5.50 for a bottle of water. Absopure (another good MI company) has hydration stations throughout the concourse where they just give out free cups of water. It was funny watching the water salesmen at their table like 20 feet from the hydration stations with absolutely no one buying their product.
Overall I can't recommend it enough. I was the only night game of the year so the tickets were ungodly expensive for a game against a MAC school. Most I've ever spent on a CFB game, and that was just to get in the door because we were sitting in just regular seats in the end zone. But frankly it was worth every penny.
View from behind from our seats
Date: 9-16-23
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Stadium: Michigan Stadium aka "The Big House"
Stadium Total: 32/133 = 24% complete
This was the first game of what I mentioned might be a lean year. I've got one more guaranteed game on the schedule. BUT, last night I might have caught a break with a work trip for my wife to Pittsburgh. She suggested me tagging along for the last few days, staying through the weekend, and possibly watching L-Ville at Pitt. We will see if that ends up working out. Fingers crossed and also fingers crossed that it doesn't fall on the same timeslot as the UM-UNC game.
But back to the Big House. Last weekend was the 5th annual CFB trip with a couple of my buddies from Toledo. One of them lives just north of Detroit so we decided on Michigan for this year. Bought a parking pass at Ann Arbor Pioneer High School which ended up working out great. Got to the lot around 1pm for a 7:40pm kickoff. Got a nice little setup going with a tv in the trunk of the car and watching football for most of the time leading up to the game. Great tailgate scene between our lot and the University of Michigan Golf Course, both within a 5-10 minute walk from the stadium.
I was pretty exited to be able to compare the Big House to the Horseshoe in Columbus, which so far has been my most impressive in-game atmosphere I've been to. It lived up to the hype. I didn't get the wow factor walking in to the bowl from the concourse like I did walking into the C-Deck at the Shoe for the first time (only other place I've had that feeling was my first time walking into Wrigley Field), but it was really close and the atmosphere throughout the game was comparable, and definitely better than the one game against a G5 team (UNLV) I saw at the Shoe.
They had recently installed new LED lights throughout the stadium, which I did not really understand the hype for until it got dark and they were on full display. I took a couple of videos which I am not sure how to upload here but you can get the gist in the picture with the blue lights below.
The crowd was insane. 109,000 strong, and I believed it when they put the number on the scoreboard. The only people that left somewhat early where the student section around the end of the 3rd. I'm sure they had all been getting at it since the night before so that's understandable.
Michigan as a team did not look great in the game with 4 turnovers I believe, but they ended up beating BG pretty good in the end. The Toledo fan in me was happy about that.
There is no way to sugarcoat it but it's pretty darn uncomfortable to watch a full game in those bleachers when there is a 109,000 packed in pretty tightly. We had aisle seats and had to kind of push in on the row to finally get enough room for our last guy to sit down. But I think the atmosphere is worth the sore back at the end of the day.
Concessions were solid. Big (and only) con, like most CFB stadiums in the state of Michigan, is that they don't serve beer/alcohol. That is likely to change in the next few years as the state just made it legal to do so within the past year or so. So I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they all start selling it. It wasn't a big deal for use though because we had a pretty good drive to make back to Auburn Hills. On the other side of the coin, the Big House had two very important pluses to their concession game. The first is having Dearborn Sausage Company as their hot dog/sausage vendor. They make great stuff. Not quite Koegel's level great (only Michigan natives will understand that reference), but great nonetheless. My buddy had the hot dog which he said was awesome and I splurged and got the stadium sausage which was phenomenal. The second big plus is something that I'm sure some other places have, but it was the first time I've seen a coffee truck. I've gotten a regular hot coffee at a cold noon game before. But this was like a full blown coffee shop on wheels. It was the perfect thing after a long hot day of beer and tailgating. We all caffeinated at half time for the hour drive after the game let out. I wish all stadiums would do that. Don't bother paying $5.50 for a bottle of water. Absopure (another good MI company) has hydration stations throughout the concourse where they just give out free cups of water. It was funny watching the water salesmen at their table like 20 feet from the hydration stations with absolutely no one buying their product.
Overall I can't recommend it enough. I was the only night game of the year so the tickets were ungodly expensive for a game against a MAC school. Most I've ever spent on a CFB game, and that was just to get in the door because we were sitting in just regular seats in the end zone. But frankly it was worth every penny.
View from behind from our seats
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RocketsandCanes
RocketsandCanes
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Game: University of Colorado Buffalos @ UCLA Bruins
Date: 10-28-23
Location: Pasadena, CA
Stadium: The Rose Bowl
Stadium Total: 33/134 = 24.6% complete
Another year of catching up on the previous season's trips just before this season starts. What last season lacked in quantity (2), it made up for in quality (Big House/Rose Bowl). This was definitely a bucket list stadium. And to watch Deion and Colorado get bullied into oblivion made it even sweeter. My wife and I were out in LA for a Sunday wedding of all things so this worked out perfectly.
One of the coolest things about UCLA/The Rose Bowl is accessibility. For most of their games they sell general admission end zone tickets for $25. I'm about the pay that same amount to watch a game at Western Kentucky. We got the GA tickets and showed up about 2 minutes into the game and still found great seats. Parking pass was also purchased through the school and was a great location on the school's golf course outside of the stadium. Biggest con by far of the entire UCLA experience is getting into the parking areas though. It is a bottleneck in and out of the valley with only one way to do it. We showed up way before the game and didn't even get a chance to have a drink outside of the stadium because we had to hustle in.
The Rose Bowl itself was phenomenal. Did not realize how small it is. After being at Michigan a few weeks beforehand it felt like I was back at a Toledo-sized stadium (shoutout to the Glass Bowl). You felt like you were right on top of the game. The crowd was solid. This was my first game/stadium west of Air Force and I didn't know what to expect crowd-wise. It wasn't packed to the gills and they even had one section tarped off but it was mostly full and they were into it. It was homecoming so that might have been the reason. It would be interesting to see what it would be like this year for a home game against Purdue or Northwestern or some other random B10 team.
The Goodyear Blimp was there, and I had Ice Cube stuck in my head all evening.
Concessions were solid for stadium food and they serve alcohol. I wasn't too adventurous. Just got a hot dog and some Modelo. That being said on the way in and out there are little ladies with charcoal grills who sell tacos and all other types of good stuff. That is where to spend your money. Got some tacos on the walk out and they were delicious.
Overall definitely one of the cooler CFB stadium experiences I've had.
This year might be another lean(ish) year. Right now I am set to watch Toledo play at Western Kentucky on 9/21. After that I am for sure going to make it to 1 of Iowa/Notre Dame/Ball State/Iowa State. But I am really going to try and hit 2 of them. Ball state would be my last MAC stadium and my first completed conference. They are all between a 4 and 5.5 hours' drive for me. My sister-in-law recently moved to San Francisco and we were thinking about heading out there during the Canes/Cal weekend, but ended up booking our trip for new year's instead. Maybe @DMoney wants to sponsor me for a different Canes' road game and a CIS stadium review (that was a joke . . . unless he actually wants to in which case I'm in).
Anyone going anywhere interesting this year? Would love to hear about your plans.
Date: 10-28-23
Location: Pasadena, CA
Stadium: The Rose Bowl
Stadium Total: 33/134 = 24.6% complete
Another year of catching up on the previous season's trips just before this season starts. What last season lacked in quantity (2), it made up for in quality (Big House/Rose Bowl). This was definitely a bucket list stadium. And to watch Deion and Colorado get bullied into oblivion made it even sweeter. My wife and I were out in LA for a Sunday wedding of all things so this worked out perfectly.
One of the coolest things about UCLA/The Rose Bowl is accessibility. For most of their games they sell general admission end zone tickets for $25. I'm about the pay that same amount to watch a game at Western Kentucky. We got the GA tickets and showed up about 2 minutes into the game and still found great seats. Parking pass was also purchased through the school and was a great location on the school's golf course outside of the stadium. Biggest con by far of the entire UCLA experience is getting into the parking areas though. It is a bottleneck in and out of the valley with only one way to do it. We showed up way before the game and didn't even get a chance to have a drink outside of the stadium because we had to hustle in.
The Rose Bowl itself was phenomenal. Did not realize how small it is. After being at Michigan a few weeks beforehand it felt like I was back at a Toledo-sized stadium (shoutout to the Glass Bowl). You felt like you were right on top of the game. The crowd was solid. This was my first game/stadium west of Air Force and I didn't know what to expect crowd-wise. It wasn't packed to the gills and they even had one section tarped off but it was mostly full and they were into it. It was homecoming so that might have been the reason. It would be interesting to see what it would be like this year for a home game against Purdue or Northwestern or some other random B10 team.
The Goodyear Blimp was there, and I had Ice Cube stuck in my head all evening.
Concessions were solid for stadium food and they serve alcohol. I wasn't too adventurous. Just got a hot dog and some Modelo. That being said on the way in and out there are little ladies with charcoal grills who sell tacos and all other types of good stuff. That is where to spend your money. Got some tacos on the walk out and they were delicious.
Overall definitely one of the cooler CFB stadium experiences I've had.
This year might be another lean(ish) year. Right now I am set to watch Toledo play at Western Kentucky on 9/21. After that I am for sure going to make it to 1 of Iowa/Notre Dame/Ball State/Iowa State. But I am really going to try and hit 2 of them. Ball state would be my last MAC stadium and my first completed conference. They are all between a 4 and 5.5 hours' drive for me. My sister-in-law recently moved to San Francisco and we were thinking about heading out there during the Canes/Cal weekend, but ended up booking our trip for new year's instead. Maybe @DMoney wants to sponsor me for a different Canes' road game and a CIS stadium review (that was a joke . . . unless he actually wants to in which case I'm in).
Anyone going anywhere interesting this year? Would love to hear about your plans.
DunedinCANE
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I added the New Orleans pelicans arena December of 2022. Added UNC and NC State last year, adding UF tomorrow!
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RocketsandCanes
RocketsandCanes
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Those are some cool adds! Did you have any Red Oak Beer in NC by any chance? Enjoy the Swamp. Hopefully you walk out of there with a smile on tomorrow evening.
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Any MAC stadiums this year? Or have you hit them all? I might go to an Eastern game again since not too far from my sister house.
@RocketsandCanes
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RocketsandCanes
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Possibly Ball State. That would be my last Mac stadium to complete the conference. Outside chance I go watch Toledo at NIU too since it’s so close to me.
But enjoy EMU! It’s certainly a unique environment to watch a game with all of the brick/steel themes.
RocketsandCanes
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Game: University of Toledo Rockets @ Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers
Date: 9-21-24
Location: Bowling Green, KY
Stadium: Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium
Stadium Total: 34/134 = 25.4% complete
Officially 1/4 of the way to visiting all FBS stadiums for a home game. Pretty pumped about that milestone. This time was at WKU on a South Florida-esque humid September Saturday.
This was my annual CFB trip with my two Toledo buddies who also like to check off stadiums. Two of us flew into Atlanta where the third guy lives and drove the 4-5 hours up to Kentucky, with an overnight stop in Nashville on Friday night. Nashville is definitely the easiest access point to WKU as it is only about an hour south.
Unfortunately the game was interrupted by a lightning delay midway through the 3rd quarter so we took off a little early to watch the end of the Miami and FSU games.
Bowling Green, KY is a cool college town (I much prefer it to Bowling Green, OH, but I am biased as a Toledo alum). The downtown has a square surrounded by bars and restaurants. Also, a place I had been to in previous trips to Bowling Green (it also happens to be a great home-base for trips to Mammoth Cave National Park) but didn't get a chance to make it to this time is White Squirrel Brewery. Love that place.
We were able to park for free at one of the many on-campus lots around the stadium, which was super nice. Specifically, we parked at the facilities building lot. Good solid tailgate scene, but nothing wild. Walk from that lot to the stadium took 10 minutes max. Campus is really pretty. A lot of red brick.
The only complaint I have for WKU is that it is bar none the worst ticketing/gameday operations system I have encountered. It is a bit of a long-winded story so TLDR: WKU box office is crazy unorganized and the gameday ops staff has no business being so slow/inefficient on getting fans into the game for being one of the smallest FBS stadiums.
Purchased 3 tickets from the WKU box office. Generally prices are $25 for upper deck and $35 for lower. I called and asked for 3 tickets in the Toledo section, which was in the lower deck. I even double-checked and said, "$35 per ticket, right?" The person on the phone said she thought it was only $10 for family and friends weekend on campus. She even checked with her supervisor. Sure enough, they sold me 3 for $10 a piece and then emailed me a receipt. We had to pick the tickets up at will call, which is fine.
But when we got in line (which was insanely long and slow for will call with people only picking up tickets and not buying any), a rep started directing everyone who had the $10 tickets to a different line (contrary to the directions on my receipt). Apparently, the $10 tickets were for family of the teams, and were sold to us inadvertently.
I'm thankful for the discount, but the issue was that will call didn't seem to have a record of my purchase when I got to the window, and they were close to telling me to get in the family ticket line (who almost assuredly would also not have had my tickets). I had to show them my receipt on my phone for them to double check, and I'm pretty sure they just said "F it" and printed new tickets because no one knew what was going on.
We also witnessed a ticket checker send a student (who gets in free with ID) to the entire opposite side of the stadium to enter in a different gate despite the fact that he had been waiting in these god-awful lines for 10 minutes.
Anyway, after, we got through that mess the rest of the experience was phenomenal. Concessions were great and very reasonable. $7 for a tall Yuengling and they had both Miller and Anheuser-Busch products as well as seltzers. $6 for a Chick-fil-a chicken sandwich with choice of sauce.
Plenty of room on the concourse to move around and a pretty great view sitting on the away side looking toward the press box and WKU water tower with the sun setting. Crowd was big but it was hard to judge how into it they were since we were surrounded by Toledo fans who had a lot to cheer for in the first half (I won't mention what happened in the 4th quarter).
Overall wonderful college town to visit and beautiful G5 stadium to watch a ballgame at.
Two pictures below are my attempts at trying to get shots of the WKU water tower with their "Big Red" mascot on it and the sun not cooperating.
Date: 9-21-24
Location: Bowling Green, KY
Stadium: Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium
Stadium Total: 34/134 = 25.4% complete
Officially 1/4 of the way to visiting all FBS stadiums for a home game. Pretty pumped about that milestone. This time was at WKU on a South Florida-esque humid September Saturday.
This was my annual CFB trip with my two Toledo buddies who also like to check off stadiums. Two of us flew into Atlanta where the third guy lives and drove the 4-5 hours up to Kentucky, with an overnight stop in Nashville on Friday night. Nashville is definitely the easiest access point to WKU as it is only about an hour south.
Unfortunately the game was interrupted by a lightning delay midway through the 3rd quarter so we took off a little early to watch the end of the Miami and FSU games.
Bowling Green, KY is a cool college town (I much prefer it to Bowling Green, OH, but I am biased as a Toledo alum). The downtown has a square surrounded by bars and restaurants. Also, a place I had been to in previous trips to Bowling Green (it also happens to be a great home-base for trips to Mammoth Cave National Park) but didn't get a chance to make it to this time is White Squirrel Brewery. Love that place.
We were able to park for free at one of the many on-campus lots around the stadium, which was super nice. Specifically, we parked at the facilities building lot. Good solid tailgate scene, but nothing wild. Walk from that lot to the stadium took 10 minutes max. Campus is really pretty. A lot of red brick.
The only complaint I have for WKU is that it is bar none the worst ticketing/gameday operations system I have encountered. It is a bit of a long-winded story so TLDR: WKU box office is crazy unorganized and the gameday ops staff has no business being so slow/inefficient on getting fans into the game for being one of the smallest FBS stadiums.
Purchased 3 tickets from the WKU box office. Generally prices are $25 for upper deck and $35 for lower. I called and asked for 3 tickets in the Toledo section, which was in the lower deck. I even double-checked and said, "$35 per ticket, right?" The person on the phone said she thought it was only $10 for family and friends weekend on campus. She even checked with her supervisor. Sure enough, they sold me 3 for $10 a piece and then emailed me a receipt. We had to pick the tickets up at will call, which is fine.
But when we got in line (which was insanely long and slow for will call with people only picking up tickets and not buying any), a rep started directing everyone who had the $10 tickets to a different line (contrary to the directions on my receipt). Apparently, the $10 tickets were for family of the teams, and were sold to us inadvertently.
I'm thankful for the discount, but the issue was that will call didn't seem to have a record of my purchase when I got to the window, and they were close to telling me to get in the family ticket line (who almost assuredly would also not have had my tickets). I had to show them my receipt on my phone for them to double check, and I'm pretty sure they just said "F it" and printed new tickets because no one knew what was going on.
We also witnessed a ticket checker send a student (who gets in free with ID) to the entire opposite side of the stadium to enter in a different gate despite the fact that he had been waiting in these god-awful lines for 10 minutes.
Anyway, after, we got through that mess the rest of the experience was phenomenal. Concessions were great and very reasonable. $7 for a tall Yuengling and they had both Miller and Anheuser-Busch products as well as seltzers. $6 for a Chick-fil-a chicken sandwich with choice of sauce.
Plenty of room on the concourse to move around and a pretty great view sitting on the away side looking toward the press box and WKU water tower with the sun setting. Crowd was big but it was hard to judge how into it they were since we were surrounded by Toledo fans who had a lot to cheer for in the first half (I won't mention what happened in the 4th quarter).
Overall wonderful college town to visit and beautiful G5 stadium to watch a ballgame at.
Two pictures below are my attempts at trying to get shots of the WKU water tower with their "Big Red" mascot on it and the sun not cooperating.
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RocketsandCanes
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Game: University of Virginia Cavaliers @ University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Date: 11-16-24
Location: South Bend, IN
Stadium: Notre Dame Stadium
Stadium Total: 35/134 = 26.1% complete
I went behind enemy lines today. I hate ND more than any team outside of those in Tally and Gainesville, and maybe even more honestly. But a goal is a goal and I knew I'd have to check out South Bend at some point. Miami being on a bye seemed like a good time to do that.
My wife, in-laws and I made the 3 hour and change trip from Milwaukee and parked in the Blue Lot in White Field. Parking passes go for $50 from the school but I found one slightly cheaper on Seatgeek. Campus lots open at 8am on gamedays. A great thing about the ND campus passes is that school buses run continuous shuttles between the lots and the stadium from the time the lots open until 2 hours after gametime. Otherwise it would have been about a 1.3 mile walk from the Blue Lot, which wouldn't have been bad either. There didn't seem to be much of a tailgating scene in that lot, but I think other parts of campus had some parties going on.
Before we parked we went and ate at a place called Taphouse on the Edge. Seemed like a typical campus bar. The parking lot allows free 1-hour parking passes for people eating at the bar, which is great because otherwise you would never be able to find parking for it. Food was good campus bar food. I got boneless wings with a garlic buffalo sauce that was legit. Each booth has it's own TV that you can control yourself as well.
Back to the shuttle, it drops you off at the campus library, which is a quick 3-4 minute walk to the stadium. You walk right past Touchdown Jesus. We sat in the corner of one of the end zones. Great view. Really not a bad seat in the house. Knute Rockne Supposedly was the catalyst for getting ND Stadium built back in the 1930's, and he was heavily involved with the design, modeling it after the Big House at Michigan, just a little smaller. Today it holds about 77k, which is about 30k less than the Big House. It does have a similar feel to the Big House. I think the coolest bit about the stadium is that there are no corporate ads at all in the stadium. Neat how ND wants to keep it as traditional as possible.
It was a sell out today, and the crowd was into it but not overly loud for being 77k strong. Maybe that is because Virginia might be one of the worst football teams I've ever watched. They muffed or fumbled 3 times on punt returns, and threw 3 picks. Their QB couldn't hit the broadside of a barn with a football if he threw it at one. Felt like watching a bad high school time that wanted to pass the ball but should only be running the I-formation. Felt bad for Virginia's defense which played some gutsy football despite being put in awful positions time after time.
The majority of the seats in the stadium are bleachers, but plastic instead of metal. That was a nice touch for a cold November game in Indiana. Kept the rear end much warmer.
No alcohol sales in the stadium, but the other concessions were reasonably priced and solid for stadium food. We got a hot chocolate and pretzel bites. The pretzel bites were pretty good with the sweet mustard dipping sauce. A nice touch is that you are allowed to bring in any personal water bottle as long as it's empty. So my wife brought in her huge Hyrdoflask and filled it up at the drinking fountains the whole game.
One of the highlights of the game was that the band Chicago was there and played the halftime show with the ND band. They played Saturday in the Park and 25 or 6 to 4. We had no idea that was happening today and it was a great mini-concert at the half.
South Bend as a CFB town is pretty well run. It is relatively east to get in and out of the campus before and after the games. There isn't too much traffic on I-80 after you leave, and everything on campus is pretty convenient.
Overall it was really cool to see ND Stadium. It is one of those "Big Fish" as far as legendary places to watch a game, despite it being more or less just a smaller Big House. I loathe ND, but would go back to watch a game there if it was convenient (or if Miami or Toledo were playing).
There is a slight chance that I make it to one more stadium this year during the weekend after Thanksgiving. But if not then this would be another lean-ish year of 2 new stadiums. Still successful considering I am running out of stadiums that are a reasonable drivable daytrip. The only ones that fit that bill that I haven't been to are the Iowa schools and Indiana/Ball State.
Next year I am going to try and do at least one double-header to maximize my time. I have early plans to watch Kennesaw State play at Indiana on 9/6/25, and my annual CFB trip with my buddies from Toledo is eyeing Toledo at Washington State on 10/25/25. Thankfully we have a friend from school that actually lives in Spokane, WA, so we would have a place to stay only 1.5 hours from Pullman, which is not an easy place to get to. Hopefully when I look back at this post next November both those games will have worked out!
In the meantime I hope everyone has gone to some good games this year. As always would love to read about anyone else's experience at ND or anywhere else.
Here are today's bad iphone pictures:
Date: 11-16-24
Location: South Bend, IN
Stadium: Notre Dame Stadium
Stadium Total: 35/134 = 26.1% complete
I went behind enemy lines today. I hate ND more than any team outside of those in Tally and Gainesville, and maybe even more honestly. But a goal is a goal and I knew I'd have to check out South Bend at some point. Miami being on a bye seemed like a good time to do that.
My wife, in-laws and I made the 3 hour and change trip from Milwaukee and parked in the Blue Lot in White Field. Parking passes go for $50 from the school but I found one slightly cheaper on Seatgeek. Campus lots open at 8am on gamedays. A great thing about the ND campus passes is that school buses run continuous shuttles between the lots and the stadium from the time the lots open until 2 hours after gametime. Otherwise it would have been about a 1.3 mile walk from the Blue Lot, which wouldn't have been bad either. There didn't seem to be much of a tailgating scene in that lot, but I think other parts of campus had some parties going on.
Before we parked we went and ate at a place called Taphouse on the Edge. Seemed like a typical campus bar. The parking lot allows free 1-hour parking passes for people eating at the bar, which is great because otherwise you would never be able to find parking for it. Food was good campus bar food. I got boneless wings with a garlic buffalo sauce that was legit. Each booth has it's own TV that you can control yourself as well.
Back to the shuttle, it drops you off at the campus library, which is a quick 3-4 minute walk to the stadium. You walk right past Touchdown Jesus. We sat in the corner of one of the end zones. Great view. Really not a bad seat in the house. Knute Rockne Supposedly was the catalyst for getting ND Stadium built back in the 1930's, and he was heavily involved with the design, modeling it after the Big House at Michigan, just a little smaller. Today it holds about 77k, which is about 30k less than the Big House. It does have a similar feel to the Big House. I think the coolest bit about the stadium is that there are no corporate ads at all in the stadium. Neat how ND wants to keep it as traditional as possible.
It was a sell out today, and the crowd was into it but not overly loud for being 77k strong. Maybe that is because Virginia might be one of the worst football teams I've ever watched. They muffed or fumbled 3 times on punt returns, and threw 3 picks. Their QB couldn't hit the broadside of a barn with a football if he threw it at one. Felt like watching a bad high school time that wanted to pass the ball but should only be running the I-formation. Felt bad for Virginia's defense which played some gutsy football despite being put in awful positions time after time.
The majority of the seats in the stadium are bleachers, but plastic instead of metal. That was a nice touch for a cold November game in Indiana. Kept the rear end much warmer.
No alcohol sales in the stadium, but the other concessions were reasonably priced and solid for stadium food. We got a hot chocolate and pretzel bites. The pretzel bites were pretty good with the sweet mustard dipping sauce. A nice touch is that you are allowed to bring in any personal water bottle as long as it's empty. So my wife brought in her huge Hyrdoflask and filled it up at the drinking fountains the whole game.
One of the highlights of the game was that the band Chicago was there and played the halftime show with the ND band. They played Saturday in the Park and 25 or 6 to 4. We had no idea that was happening today and it was a great mini-concert at the half.
South Bend as a CFB town is pretty well run. It is relatively east to get in and out of the campus before and after the games. There isn't too much traffic on I-80 after you leave, and everything on campus is pretty convenient.
Overall it was really cool to see ND Stadium. It is one of those "Big Fish" as far as legendary places to watch a game, despite it being more or less just a smaller Big House. I loathe ND, but would go back to watch a game there if it was convenient (or if Miami or Toledo were playing).
There is a slight chance that I make it to one more stadium this year during the weekend after Thanksgiving. But if not then this would be another lean-ish year of 2 new stadiums. Still successful considering I am running out of stadiums that are a reasonable drivable daytrip. The only ones that fit that bill that I haven't been to are the Iowa schools and Indiana/Ball State.
Next year I am going to try and do at least one double-header to maximize my time. I have early plans to watch Kennesaw State play at Indiana on 9/6/25, and my annual CFB trip with my buddies from Toledo is eyeing Toledo at Washington State on 10/25/25. Thankfully we have a friend from school that actually lives in Spokane, WA, so we would have a place to stay only 1.5 hours from Pullman, which is not an easy place to get to. Hopefully when I look back at this post next November both those games will have worked out!
In the meantime I hope everyone has gone to some good games this year. As always would love to read about anyone else's experience at ND or anywhere else.
Here are today's bad iphone pictures:
CANESCANES
Sophomore
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- Oct 6, 2024
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Wow, what a great idea…I may need to start doing it on Miami off weeks next year…I can’t ever miss watching the Canes play live
Caneadian
Sophomore
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I can't believe this thread started in 2020. Flashbacks, and not the good kind.
Been to Commonwealth Stadium, google it. Horrible stadium.
Rose Bowl is a super cool setting geographically . Been there for a game. FSU V Auburn NC game.
Washington is a very loud stadium. Saw Miami play there in 2000. Incredible.
The Kingdome in Seattle. Place was a concrete circle.
Been to Blue turf Boise for Micron PC bowl vs Nevada. Picture with Coker and Calais Campbell. What a bitter cold evening that was.
San Fran baseball stadium to watch FSU and UCLA in bowl game.
Waco Tx. For a Baylor game.
Jerry's world for a college game. That place is just too big.
Colorado has a neat stadium and great town. Security was garbage when I was there. I swear all I had to do was duck under a rope and I could have ran out with the team on the field. Always wanted to go back and try.
Auburn v Lsu in '08 with my Aub fan buddy. That was an experience. Loud, but not louder than Washington.
Hard rock before all the renos.
of course dream came true when I got to go to the Orange Bowl. Last game there. Forget about the outcome of the game. It was the greatest experience of my life. Went down the day before game. Got to just waltz onto the field. Waked almost every inch of grass. It was amazing. Walked right into the home team locker room. Wow. What a dump. haha. But just being there was spiritual.
For a Canadian who gets 0.70 cents on every $1.00 I've been to a fair amount.
Been to Commonwealth Stadium, google it. Horrible stadium.
Rose Bowl is a super cool setting geographically . Been there for a game. FSU V Auburn NC game.
Washington is a very loud stadium. Saw Miami play there in 2000. Incredible.
The Kingdome in Seattle. Place was a concrete circle.
Been to Blue turf Boise for Micron PC bowl vs Nevada. Picture with Coker and Calais Campbell. What a bitter cold evening that was.
San Fran baseball stadium to watch FSU and UCLA in bowl game.
Waco Tx. For a Baylor game.
Jerry's world for a college game. That place is just too big.
Colorado has a neat stadium and great town. Security was garbage when I was there. I swear all I had to do was duck under a rope and I could have ran out with the team on the field. Always wanted to go back and try.
Auburn v Lsu in '08 with my Aub fan buddy. That was an experience. Loud, but not louder than Washington.
Hard rock before all the renos.
of course dream came true when I got to go to the Orange Bowl. Last game there. Forget about the outcome of the game. It was the greatest experience of my life. Went down the day before game. Got to just waltz onto the field. Waked almost every inch of grass. It was amazing. Walked right into the home team locker room. Wow. What a dump. haha. But just being there was spiritual.
For a Canadian who gets 0.70 cents on every $1.00 I've been to a fair amount.
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RocketsandCanes
RocketsandCanes
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- Oct 28, 2014
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Thanks! It's been a lot of fun over the last decade or so. I do my best not to pick games that interfere with the Canes' tv slot. I watched Manny's first win over FSU at a random bar in West Lafayette, Indiana after a Purdue game lol. But every now and again I miss a Miami game. Bye weeks are the best though.
RocketsandCanes
RocketsandCanes
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- Oct 28, 2014
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That's awesome great memories! I'm thankful to have gotten to the OB once. Actually still haven't been to Hard Rock for a Canes game. Only a Marlins one back when it was Pro Player. Commonwealth Stadium as in Kentucky's before it was Kroger Field? I've enjoyed my couple of visits there. Nothing special though. Love Lexington as a town.
Or is it the Commonwealth up in Edmonton? If so that's pretty cool!
Caneadian
Sophomore
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- Nov 5, 2011
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- 3,045
Haha, oh yes. Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. Stadium itself isnt all that bad. It actually kind of reminds me of the Orange Bowl ONLY in the sense that it is basically in the middle of a neighboorhood. Like people used to charge for parking on their lot and stuff.
Hard Rock for a Canes game will def be soon hopefully.
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- Nov 30, 2021
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Man, I love this thread. I got excited seeing it pop up. Great writing and very immersive style, great stuff OP. We live vicariously through you.
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