5 BOROUGH SPORTS

There is no order to my list, its not a ranking…to organize my thoughts, I’m going to attempt to go state my state to try and not forget things…undoubtedly I will, and I’ll make up for it later…

Auburn, Alabama and Jordan Hare Stadium

First thing on my list, I’ve already checked off. I visited Auburn last fall and I was very glad I did. The people were very nice for the most part and its your classic college town. The town itself is nice, fairly small and right next to campus. Its Alabama, so its hot often, but from visiting other college towns, its no problem.

The Auburn campus is nice, but not nearly as wooded as I expected. There is a mix of older nice buildings, and the 70’s architecture that I hate.

Jordan Hare Stadium is big, 87,000 people big. The enclosed endzones and location make the surroundings of the stadium rather irrelevent. Inside the lower bowl is huge and the students pack their section. I really like their student ticket policy, that is mostly first come first serve, forcing the students to get inside the stadium early. This helps create a great pregame atmosphere. While traditions are great, I liked the willingness to do cheers and sing songs as a group. It was the most coordinated student section I’ve seen in my experiences so far.

One thing  I don’t like about the stadium is how far away the stands are from the field. While I did not sit down at field level I know some people who did and they couldn’t see the game. That means watching the jumbotron, which is not what you pay for. If the sidelines were closer it’d help Auburn’s home field advantage by making it louder out on the field. Overall the stadium is very loud, and one of the loudest I’ve been too.

Overall its a great college atmosphere and most definitely worth visiting.

University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Bryant-Denny Stadium

The other side of Alabama I have not been too yet, so I have less to say. Alabama is the most successful college football program and the energy and passion of their fans is unbelievable. I want to experience how they do it, where they win. College towns are great I’ve heard Tuscaloosa is a fun place. Bryant-Denny Stadium is huge now, over 100,000, but I’ve heard its not quite as loud as some other venues. Still its supposed to be a great atmosphere and being their for a huge game like Auburn-Alabama is something I must do someday.

Attend the Rose Bowl Game (National Championship) and Parade in Pasadena, California

 

I thought long and hard about not including this, but attending the Rose Bowl as opposed to a UCLA game made it more appropriate. The Rose Bowl is the most famous bowl game in the country and attending the game, and perhaps the National Championship there seems like something I must do.

I’m not a huge fan of Southern California, but this is at the top of my list of places to go there. The Rose Bowl is clearly a much better facility for football then the Colosseum in LA, and the Parade of Roses is something everyone raves about. Perhaps while I’m in Pasadena I will visit Dodger Stadium too, but that facility doesn’t have the history of architecture to lure it to my list.

AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA

Another bucket list accomplishment, I was at AT&T Park back when it first opened and before it was called many different things. This ballpark is really cool, and one of the best in baseball. The uniqueness of it includes the bay right outside the stadium, as well as many of the attractions inside. San Francisco is a very cool city to begin with, and worth visiting atleast once in your life. Make a trip to Alcatraz and many of the other sites, but this ballpark is a baseball fan must. While afraid of earthquakes, its worth gambling a plane trip out there for a game sometime, perhaps against your team visiting in town.

Folsom Field, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado

I’ve not been to Boulder for a game, but this is one of the most recommended trips I’ve heard about. Folsom Field lies in the foothills of the Rockies, and is a very picturesque and unique facility. Add in Ralphies Run, where they have a live Buffalo run out before the game, and we’re talking something pretty cool.

It’d be nice to sit in on a big game, and a black out in Boulder once the Buffs can turn around the football team. The whole Denver area is cool, and Colorado in general, so why not make a trip, and maybe hit some of the nearby slopes if its a late season game.

This entry was posted on April 3, 2011 at 10:41 pm and is filed under Bucket List. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.