Having just returned from Tuscaloosa and my first ever Bama game, thought I throw out some thoughts and opinions, et el.
THE GAME
Fantastic. Had the time of my life. Gorgeous stadium, fabulous, clean campus, and delightful folks abounded. Still.. many of the fans preferred to polish their seat with their trousers to actually standing and getting into the game... save for touchdowns of course. Some fans even opted to texting and playing on their I-phones. And with the exception of 4 crazy dudes 3 rows behind me and few Tide toddlers, I was the only one routinely up and pom pom waving. And because many seats behind me were vacant, I wasn't blocking anyone. Gotta be considerate.
Then by the start of the 3rd quarter, the fans began bailing , which kinda left me dumbfounded. If I could have afforded it... I think the Auburn game and crowd fandom would be more to my fan skill level. I mean... if you aren't up and active... buy a TV.
<a href="http://s670.photobucket.com/albums/vv68/ghostcinderella/?action=view&current=pic2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i670.photobucket.com/albums/vv68/ghostcinderella/pic2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
SEATING
H section was perfect, though really, the stadium is such that almost any place would be decent save the extremely elevated end zone bleachers. Next time... I'd really prefer to be in the "student" section as their fan philosophy is similar to mine.
TICKETS
This was a major well-learned lesson. Next time...buy them the day of the game from scalpers outside BD; and not off the Net at inflated prices. Tide/Georgia tickets were going as low as $20. Balls!!! Hell.. the fact that I am a single-ticket buyer, I could probably (as many told me) even find an Auburn ticket next week at 80% less then I'd pay on the Web to ticket re-sellers.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Stayed at the Econo lodge on McFarland. The room was fine, even though I was given a "smoking room" (and I don't smoke) and there was some left over food in the fridge from the previous guests, and the TV remote had worn-off numbers and the batteries taped into place cuz the backing plate was gone. But SO WHAT!!! No problem. Hell... I've stayed in hostels in China where the tiny room is crammed with 2 bunkbeds (sleeping with 3 strangers), and you can't even flush toilet paper cuz the plumbing is so primitive. (Won't elaborate further). So compared to that... the Econo Lodge was a palace. And the best part was the front desk clerk; a small funny chap who looked like India's answer to Joe Pesci. I totally regret not asking him to do some lines from "Goodfellas".
TRANSPORTATION
This is really my only gripe... and I'm a pretty easy-going dude with the patience and understanding of a demi-God.
Despite the how the brochures read, Tuscaloosa web pages, et el tell you.... there is no longer a shuttle service from McFarland mall to the University campus. As India's Joe Pesci told me, the new owner of the mall axed the whole shuttle service cuz he doesn't want Tide parking littering up his mall. So that leaves you with various taxis. I used this self-employed service called ANGIE's BAMA TAXI service, which is a woman in a mini vab who takes calls via her cellphone and then picks you up, along with others at the same time from other locations. Now then... the pick-up at the Lodge was okay (she told me it would be a 30 - 40 minute wait) but the post game affair was disappointing. When Angie dropped me off, she told me to come back to this crossing south of Bryant Denny near Little Caesars, and she'd be there after the game, waiting for me. (Why are we Canadians so trusting??)
Stop me if you've heard this one.
After the game.... she wasn't there. So I waited 30-plus minutes (outside) watching traffic zoom by in the night, and then had to go down the street to a gas station to make a call. She said she was in traffic (and where would that be??) and would be there soon. I went back. 45 minutes later. Nothing. 11:30. 90 minutes-plus waiting. Getting colder. Went back to the gas station, phoned her again and she admitted that I had slipped her mind but that she was now coming. Thankfully, I was then picked up 15 minutes later, and after driving about to pick up 4 other people, she took me back to the Econo Lodge. Cost: $10. We shall just chalked that up to an experience. LOL.
TIDE MEMORABILIA
Wholly SH*T !!!! Nothing could have prepared me for the onslaught of commercialism that waited for me outside Bryant Denny before the game (not to mention that incredible Fan shop on the campus). We're talking half-a-mile of tents and shops selling nothing but Tide stuff!!! Talk about a Tide wet dream.
OMG..... I went crazy!! I bought a killer jacket, a pull over, shirts, necklaces, Tide patches, a car flag, bottle holder, huge knit throw blanket, etc etc. I would have purchased more but my luggage was maxed out. I almost hate to admit that I didn't have time to go to the BD museum.
FANS
This was really impressive. Getting on the plane at Chicago (for Birmingham), I had several random folks greet me with "Roll Tide" as I walked down the aisle. I was even chatted up the day after the game in the Birmingham airport by a middle-aged woman (who was dressed like she'd just been to NY's 5th Ave) who expressed her disappointment at missing the game for a dinner engagement. At Sonics across from the Econo Lodge, a staff member told me the place was closed (when I walked in at 12am), but said goodbye with a "Roll Tide".
More amazing still was when I was back in Toronto taking the train home. A fellow Canadian/Michigan fan started chatting me up, and then a Canadian gentleman who coaches high school football joined us after over hearing our conversation and seeing my Tide pullover, necklace, Tide suitcase, and pom-poms (Yup... I'm a dorky fan). Turns out this coach is a Tide fan too and personally knows Nick Saban. And this was in Toronto. Talk about a small world!
THE GAME
Fantastic. Had the time of my life. Gorgeous stadium, fabulous, clean campus, and delightful folks abounded. Still.. many of the fans preferred to polish their seat with their trousers to actually standing and getting into the game... save for touchdowns of course. Some fans even opted to texting and playing on their I-phones. And with the exception of 4 crazy dudes 3 rows behind me and few Tide toddlers, I was the only one routinely up and pom pom waving. And because many seats behind me were vacant, I wasn't blocking anyone. Gotta be considerate.
Then by the start of the 3rd quarter, the fans began bailing , which kinda left me dumbfounded. If I could have afforded it... I think the Auburn game and crowd fandom would be more to my fan skill level. I mean... if you aren't up and active... buy a TV.
<a href="http://s670.photobucket.com/albums/vv68/ghostcinderella/?action=view&current=pic2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i670.photobucket.com/albums/vv68/ghostcinderella/pic2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
SEATING
H section was perfect, though really, the stadium is such that almost any place would be decent save the extremely elevated end zone bleachers. Next time... I'd really prefer to be in the "student" section as their fan philosophy is similar to mine.
TICKETS
This was a major well-learned lesson. Next time...buy them the day of the game from scalpers outside BD; and not off the Net at inflated prices. Tide/Georgia tickets were going as low as $20. Balls!!! Hell.. the fact that I am a single-ticket buyer, I could probably (as many told me) even find an Auburn ticket next week at 80% less then I'd pay on the Web to ticket re-sellers.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Stayed at the Econo lodge on McFarland. The room was fine, even though I was given a "smoking room" (and I don't smoke) and there was some left over food in the fridge from the previous guests, and the TV remote had worn-off numbers and the batteries taped into place cuz the backing plate was gone. But SO WHAT!!! No problem. Hell... I've stayed in hostels in China where the tiny room is crammed with 2 bunkbeds (sleeping with 3 strangers), and you can't even flush toilet paper cuz the plumbing is so primitive. (Won't elaborate further). So compared to that... the Econo Lodge was a palace. And the best part was the front desk clerk; a small funny chap who looked like India's answer to Joe Pesci. I totally regret not asking him to do some lines from "Goodfellas".
TRANSPORTATION
This is really my only gripe... and I'm a pretty easy-going dude with the patience and understanding of a demi-God.
Despite the how the brochures read, Tuscaloosa web pages, et el tell you.... there is no longer a shuttle service from McFarland mall to the University campus. As India's Joe Pesci told me, the new owner of the mall axed the whole shuttle service cuz he doesn't want Tide parking littering up his mall. So that leaves you with various taxis. I used this self-employed service called ANGIE's BAMA TAXI service, which is a woman in a mini vab who takes calls via her cellphone and then picks you up, along with others at the same time from other locations. Now then... the pick-up at the Lodge was okay (she told me it would be a 30 - 40 minute wait) but the post game affair was disappointing. When Angie dropped me off, she told me to come back to this crossing south of Bryant Denny near Little Caesars, and she'd be there after the game, waiting for me. (Why are we Canadians so trusting??)
Stop me if you've heard this one.
After the game.... she wasn't there. So I waited 30-plus minutes (outside) watching traffic zoom by in the night, and then had to go down the street to a gas station to make a call. She said she was in traffic (and where would that be??) and would be there soon. I went back. 45 minutes later. Nothing. 11:30. 90 minutes-plus waiting. Getting colder. Went back to the gas station, phoned her again and she admitted that I had slipped her mind but that she was now coming. Thankfully, I was then picked up 15 minutes later, and after driving about to pick up 4 other people, she took me back to the Econo Lodge. Cost: $10. We shall just chalked that up to an experience. LOL.
TIDE MEMORABILIA
Wholly SH*T !!!! Nothing could have prepared me for the onslaught of commercialism that waited for me outside Bryant Denny before the game (not to mention that incredible Fan shop on the campus). We're talking half-a-mile of tents and shops selling nothing but Tide stuff!!! Talk about a Tide wet dream.
OMG..... I went crazy!! I bought a killer jacket, a pull over, shirts, necklaces, Tide patches, a car flag, bottle holder, huge knit throw blanket, etc etc. I would have purchased more but my luggage was maxed out. I almost hate to admit that I didn't have time to go to the BD museum.
FANS
This was really impressive. Getting on the plane at Chicago (for Birmingham), I had several random folks greet me with "Roll Tide" as I walked down the aisle. I was even chatted up the day after the game in the Birmingham airport by a middle-aged woman (who was dressed like she'd just been to NY's 5th Ave) who expressed her disappointment at missing the game for a dinner engagement. At Sonics across from the Econo Lodge, a staff member told me the place was closed (when I walked in at 12am), but said goodbye with a "Roll Tide".
More amazing still was when I was back in Toronto taking the train home. A fellow Canadian/Michigan fan started chatting me up, and then a Canadian gentleman who coaches high school football joined us after over hearing our conversation and seeing my Tide pullover, necklace, Tide suitcase, and pom-poms (Yup... I'm a dorky fan). Turns out this coach is a Tide fan too and personally knows Nick Saban. And this was in Toronto. Talk about a small world!
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