A Yankee heads south
by psupride on Mar 31, 2010 9:01 AM CDT
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Hey All,
I am planning on heading own to your great state for the Penn State/Bama game. I was hoping to get some advice
Hotels - which is the best to stay at? (or would renting a RV be a better idea?) Ideally, the hotel would be close to the stadium and the bars. Speaking of bars, which ones are the must visits and are there any speciality drinks that I would be doing myself a disservce by not ordering at least 5 of?
Tailgating - What is the best area to tailgate in? Ideally there would be some other Penn Staters around the area but I would like to expereince the true SEC tailgate so I don't want to be in a visitors only area. What time do the parking lots open?
Tickets - I am not sure yet if I will be able to get tickets from Penn State. How hard are Bama tickets to get day of from a scalper? Is there a lot of talk from your side about this being a hard ticket to get?
Restaurants - which are the best. If reservations are needed, how far out should we make them?
Bars - how crowded do they get for a football weekend? Ideally I am planning on arriving on Tuesday or Wed so I can check out the bars/campus while it isn't too crowded.
Thanks for your input and this time next year if anyone is planning on making the trip up to Happy Valley come on over to www.blackshoediaries.com and there will be a plethora of people to give advice.
PS - Don't worry, I am not a Damn Yankee. I will be heaidng back up north after the game.
FanPosts are just that; posts created by the fans. They are in no way indicative of the opinions of SBN and the authors of Roll Bama Roll.
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carpetbagger
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by kleph on Mar 31, 2010 9:23 AM CDT reply actions 7 recs
Rec'd.
Unproductive since August 21st, 2008.
by ReadingRambler on Apr 6, 2010 10:05 PM CDT up reply actions
Lodging:
I’d be a little surprised if there’s a single hotel in Tuscaloosa that has an open reservation for the PSU game right now. RV might work, although I don’t know how the parking passes work and if they do any one game things.
Tailgating:
The big area is the quad. There are organizations that will rent you a tent and reserve you a spot there. It will be 90% ‘Bama fans. There will be tailgating on pretty much every speck of green space on campus that isn’t cordoned off, though.
Tickets:
This won’t be a super-easy ticket to get. Possible, I’m sure, but unless we drop the opener to San Jose State, there’s going to be a huge demand. Be careful, though: the SEC is starting to become a bit notorious for counterfeit tickets to big games. The SECCG is always rife with them and I can’t imagine a game this big not getting some attention in that regard. Getting a reputable ticket in the lower bowl prior to kick off is going to cost you.
Restaurants:
Depends what you like. If you’re getting to town early and like ribs, wait in line for Dreamland. Don’t ask to see their health inspection score, though. I’d advise going before the main game traffic gets to town. Check out City Cafe in northport for lunch one day (it’s a traditional, southern meat+3 place). Cypress Inn is a decent place on the river but it’s not open on saturdays, so hit this one up during the week. Kozy’s is also decent, looks like a house on the outside, nice on the inside.
Bars:
The rumor is that a lot of bars will make enough in one or two football weekends to pay for operations for the whole year. That’s how crowded they are. If you get away from the strip, though, I’ve had good experience with Catch 22 being not-so-crowded on game weekends. But the Houndstooth is the standard answer here, and of course Egan’s (chinesedentist can probably tell you more about the t-town bar scene)
PS – Don’t worry, I am not a Damn Yankee.
Yes, you are.
I'm wrong all the time.
Thanks for the tips
PPS – I thought a Damn Yankee was one who would’t leave?
Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face
All Yankees...
….are damn Yankees, whether they stay, go, or don’t come at all.
Roll Bama Roll - The Champagne of Bama Blogs.
by Todd on Mar 31, 2010 10:24 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
By the way
when buying your tickets on the street don’t wear blue or the price will go up another $100. Us Alabama people greatly prefer selling our extra tickets to Bama fans.
I’d think tickets for this game will be around the $250-$300 range especially if it is a night game.
I hate the NCAA more than UT & AU combined. At least with UT & AU you got a fighting chance.
As far as bars go
It depends what you are looking for:
The place your most likely gonna wanna gonna wanna pre-game is an area called the strip. The Strip is right next to campus and very easy walking distance to both the stadium and The Quad that Pete told you about. Here is a link to a map that will kind of show you around
1) Egans thats where I work. We are a little bar that has a loyal crowd that as a rule plays nice with everyone other fans included as long as they are not dicks and are just looking to have fun and enjoy being in a foreign football mecca. Its always cool to cheer for your team and have a good time there and to be honest I’ve asked more bama fans leave then visitors. We have the biggest selection of craft beer on the strip. we are also known for our Bloody Mary that includes everything to make your saturday morning seem more like a Friday morning. We only do original rock music and have a very low Greek crowd.
2) The Houndstooth this is a bigger place that attracts a lot of what I call the tourist crowd. They have a low beer selection of macro American styles mostly on draft. They usually have a lot of people and a lot of visiting fans because they have a big out door area and as I saw mentioned down below this post have the awesome save your day BBQ stand right beside them . The BBQ place is a place that is only open during football season and the nachos will bring a tear to a glass eye. This place is a brand new building that features a lot of Bama memorabilia and even though it is not fro me several people here really love it. No bands
3) Every where else on the strip. There are many bars crammed in the block and a half of the strip. Buffalo Phils is a wings place that is a ok spot and several other places are around in my opinion they are just average places. Most likly cover/party bands
4)If after the game your fishing for a change of scenery down town is about a 1/2 mile away. Its walkable but after the game and drinking before it can seem a little bit daunting. Downtown you’ll find mostly cover band bars. The Mellow Mushroom down there has a huge draft selection in their upstairs bar that is separate from the restaurant. There is also a really cool off the beaten path place called the Alcove that is sort of a swank hipster place that has high end beer and mixed drink. Here is a link to a map of where they are and here is a link to their page. They are a non smoking place but have a deck out back where you can smoke. To tell you the truth I’m a smoker and its nice to go there because if you hang at any of the other places you feel like the Marlboro man dry docking with Joe Camel by the time you leave. Most of the bars down here will have cover bands. If you get a chance check out the new “”http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS262&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=the+booth+tuscaloosa&fb=1&gl=us&hq=the+booth&hnear=tuscaloosa&cid=10045580156517994835" >Booth"
Hotels are out of the question I run a podcast and web page here in town and have to putt different up when we do special events. I called most of my contacts and the closest place is about 45 mile down the road.
As far as tickets there is always some and you could get lucky sometimes people have a extra one or two depending on your budget. Also worse case you wait till the game has just started and the bottom will drop out of the market. If even that fails you’ll still have fun. Every where will have the game on and a festive atmosphere .
We will list everything bands events and so forth on our page wellthatscool.com . Its sort of a Tuscaloosa version of Wayne’s world podcast with a really good events calender.
by chinesedentist on Mar 31, 2010 2:41 PM CDT up reply actions
Especially Flyers fans.
Unproductive since August 21st, 2008.
by ReadingRambler on Apr 6, 2010 10:05 PM CDT up reply actions
More especially...
…Frequent Flyers fans….
"High standards come from passion within...." --Coach Nick Saban
by NiceLittleSaturday on Apr 6, 2010 10:28 PM CDT up reply actions
and it's "carpetbaggers" who come for a lil while, then roll out...
this is a lose lose situation for you…. cept when it comes to tailgating. even though you’ll probably be wearing penn st gear and whatnot, most everyone will be friendly to you and you’ll probably wind up tryin all kinds of food if your the social type…
for the next five days there is nothing in my heart but hate. pure, untempered, ice-cold hate. fond memories are for saturday. - Kleph
by tempebamafan on Mar 31, 2010 1:55 PM CDT up reply actions
city cafe
lord i miss that place.
Roll 'Bama Roll: The Champagne of 'Bama Blogs.
by kleph on Mar 31, 2010 10:44 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
^ this ^
"Yeah, it's Tennessee, that's the way it is sometimes." - Corey Zickefoose, Pulitzer Prize winner and robbery victim
"This is not the end. This is the beginning." - The Great and Powerful Saban
by Thomas Walker Esq on Mar 31, 2010 2:21 PM CDT up reply actions
here's a piece i did on egan's during last season.
http://www.rollbamaroll.com/2009/11/9/1122836/an-ode-to-egans
this was after the LSU game and while there was celebratory mood on the part of all the alabama faithful, folks had no problems hanging with the tigers that wanted to drown their sorrows. RBR says, “check it out.”
Roll 'Bama Roll: The Champagne of 'Bama Blogs.
DamnYankee
DamnYankee is one word, no such thing as a Yankee :-). I was at our epic games with penn state in the Bryant era. Love when two excellent and classy programs go head to head. should be a great game.
Egans on Saturday
Make sure and ask for Bo…aka our own “Chinese Dentist.” Also, get some Big Bad Wolves BBQ Nachos from the porch of The Houndstooth bar across from Egan’s.
RollBamaRoll.com - Also check out my music blog: Hear the World
To Do List
If you’re going to be here that long then you must visit the Bryant museum. It is a great way to spend a couple of hours, and you should see some exibits that contain your favorite team in there. Also there is a big pile of hardware on display that we picked up back in Dec./Jan. topped off by a crystal football! Hope you enjoy your visit except for the game of course. You should be welcome, after all it’s not as if you were from Notre Dame or something.
don't forget to genuflect
when you pass by the bust of coach bryant.
Roll 'Bama Roll: The Champagne of 'Bama Blogs.
i love you kleph
for making me use the dictionary
"You have to create 6 seconds of hell each play..."
Coach Nick Saban
What he's not telling you
is that he makes heavy use of the Thesaurus on his desk just to look smart in his posts. ;-)
"Let's go be champions, boys!" - Greg McElroy
(Formerly SugarBowl93)
by RememberTheRoseBowl on Apr 1, 2010 1:37 PM CDT up reply actions
Einstein always said why remember things you can gather from reference books. +1 Kelph.
It's not what you've done but what you are doing that matters.
And the roses in this grand ol' stadium are once again Crimson. - Eli Gold, CTSN Broadcast of the BCS Championship Game at the Rose Bowl, 1-7-2010
by AlabamaJammer on Apr 1, 2010 1:40 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm going to immediately forget that quote,
and if I ever need it, I’ll come back here and copy and paste.
"Let's go be champions, boys!" - Greg McElroy
(Formerly SugarBowl93)
by RememberTheRoseBowl on Apr 1, 2010 2:58 PM CDT up reply actions
you know, i've noticed something interesting over the years...
folks who tend to have a large vocabularies and strong writing skills don’t hesitate to pick up a dictionary to find the meaning of a new word or a open a thesaurus to find a better word.
Roll 'Bama Roll: The Champagne of 'Bama Blogs.
Microsoft Word's Thesaures
(and spell check) has made me seem so much smarter than I am
Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face
I R Erudite
Auburn and Tennessee fans are a lot like Slinkys...neither are worth much but you do get a sense of satisfaction from pushing them down a flight of stairs
Totally kidding,
in case you didn’t notice.
"Let's go be champions, boys!" - Greg McElroy
(Formerly SugarBowl93)
by RememberTheRoseBowl on Apr 2, 2010 12:58 AM CDT up reply actions
my problem is that
i will remember the definition of the word if i run across it again but when trying to use the new word, i know i know it but cant remember it.
"You have to create 6 seconds of hell each play..."
Coach Nick Saban
that's odd...
i’m exactly the opposite. i’ll often use a word correctly in an instinctive manner but not know the precise definition until i look it up.
Roll 'Bama Roll: The Champagne of 'Bama Blogs.
why am i the odd one?
maybe it’s YOU? ;o)
"You have to create 6 seconds of hell each play..."
Coach Nick Saban
by LittleSis on Apr 2, 2010 11:23 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Left brain, Right brain differences?
"Let's go be champions, boys!" - Greg McElroy
(Formerly SugarBowl93)
by RememberTheRoseBowl on Apr 2, 2010 8:32 PM CDT up reply actions
So you're both
right brained, but you just think you’re not…the plot thickens…
"Let's go be champions, boys!" - Greg McElroy
(Formerly SugarBowl93)
by RememberTheRoseBowl on Apr 3, 2010 10:53 AM CDT up reply actions
that's all good
but it doesn’t say anything about the lower brain.
That white stuff on the top of chickencrap is.....chickencrap.
We will welcome you, feed ya on gameday, talk football with ya...
…scream bloody murder at you and your team during the game, wish you a safe trip home afterward.
The Quad is where the major conglomeration of tailgaters are found. On gameday, do the Big Bad Wolves BBQ Nachos like Nico said. I haven’t stayed overnight in Tuscaloosa since the late ’80’s/early ’90’s, so cannot tell you much about accommodations. I drive down the morn of a game and back the night after.
Hope you really enjoy your stay except for the time inside Bryant-Denny stadium.
Auburn and Tennessee fans are a lot like Slinkys...neither are worth much but you do get a sense of satisfaction from pushing them down a flight of stairs
See you in T-Town
I’ve been to Happy Valley for a Bama game.. Lost unfortunately.. we are coming in from Orlando, picking up two friends from cherry hill, both PS grads.
Here’s the drill from a 60 yr. old grad who thinks all the coeds dress up just for me on game day—
Quad is the tailgate heaven, probably sold out, but walk around with some beer, you’ll have fun, and probably get fed if you’re “good people”. Houndstooth before and after the game. On the porch. Hate to be rude, but since you will lose, pregame will be more fun. Po-mouth like the Bear used to and you will get lots of Bama fans buying you beer. Stay humble, we hate cocky fans on our turf. Don’t even try to stay in Tuscaloosa, been full for months and months. I’m getting rooms now in Bham.
Sheraton downtown is nice, Aloft Hotel in Homewood, any Hampton on west side or down on I-475 is easy to get to Tuscaloosa. I got 4 tickets together for $300 each. Hope its cheaper at your place next year. Check e-bay, about 50-75$ cheaper per ticket usually.
Good luck, hope you have a great trip. I enjoyed Happy Valley. I think Bama fans generally respect PS and certainly Joe Pa… but if you were in the SEC, probably hate you like rocky top or gators or awbarn or LSwho.
RTR
Hasn't The Booth reopened in/near downtown?
If so, it once was deemed the number 1 bar in America to pick up an STD! :-D
After spending seven wondrous years in the state of Alabama, never in my life have I seen fans, who claim to be loyal to one team, spend more time AUbsessing over the other more so than they do their very own.
Thanks everyone for your tips
Hopefully we will be able to keep it a close game starting a sophomore QB w/ very little experience and 3 new LBs. I’ll make sure to stop by Egans and buy beers for any RTRs there.
Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face
Damn - wish there was an edit feature
meant RBRs – for some reason thought this site was roll tide roll.
Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face
don't worry...
just ask for bo the bartender and he’ll sort it out for you.
Roll 'Bama Roll: The Champagne of 'Bama Blogs.
by kleph on Apr 1, 2010 7:37 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
for a room thats not too far from T-town, try Columbus Mississippi.
it’s also the home of Tennesee Williams, so you can stay at a comfort inn or motel 6 for a halfway decent rate and get some culture in before you head to T-town.
for the next five days there is nothing in my heart but hate. pure, untempered, ice-cold hate. fond memories are for saturday. - Kleph
T-town = culture
"Yeah, it's Tennessee, that's the way it is sometimes." - Corey Zickefoose, Pulitzer Prize winner and robbery victim
"This is not the end. This is the beginning." - The Great and Powerful Saban
by Thomas Walker Esq on Apr 1, 2010 3:49 PM CDT up reply actions
excuse me
before you head to T-town for even more culture…
for the next five days there is nothing in my heart but hate. pure, untempered, ice-cold hate. fond memories are for saturday. - Kleph
"High standards come from passion within...." --Coach Nick Saban
by NiceLittleSaturday on Apr 4, 2010 8:00 PM CDT up reply actions
SCOTS!
because any band whose drummer plays standing up has got to be good.
Roll 'Bama Roll: The Champagne of 'Bama Blogs.
I respectfully submit Information Society...
…we need some qualifier on your statement.
It's not what you've done but what you are doing that matters.
And the roses in this grand ol' stadium are once again Crimson. - Eli Gold, CTSN Broadcast of the BCS Championship Game at the Rose Bowl, 1-7-2010
by AlabamaJammer on Apr 4, 2010 11:06 PM CDT up reply actions
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