My Rose Bowl experience

[soduck]

I did not have a ticket until 45 minutes from game time. Four together for $125 each. Yes I was getting a little antsy. We had a friend, a USC grad, whose friend helped to run a ticket agency (glorified scalping agency, running scalpers at the game there.) They presold 400 tickets at $400 each and had a tailgater there. They had 23 pairs there at the game left to sell, selling for $175 two hours before game time, but his friend was saving us tickets, four together, we wanted 5 ideally, until near game time, so I was well positioned. Many were availble for around $200 all morning. I got there about 9:45, walking from the Pasadena Metro as we decided not to wait in line for the shuttle until 10:00. Beautiful walk, two miles. Tailgating on the golf course was really sweet. My seats weren't bad in section 13, row 63, except in the OSU section. The OSU fans were tolerable until the last touchdown. Mostly nice fans kind of nervous about not wanting to lose to us all game. One fan in front of me whined the whole game about East Coast Bias, of all things, on every questionable call, or play review. His take is the east coast media wants to put down OSU every chance they get. Keep the game close, enhance the SEC, what ever at The OSU expense. Like there is a conspiracy against The OSU. They kept yelling Lets Go Bucks, it ofcourse sounded like Lets Go Ducks. And OOOOhio, again weird. They were bad the last 5-10 minutes after the missed field goal. They started bouncing up and down and chanting OOOhio, or something. Rose Bowl is a beautiful setting and field. Horrible facilties and line / crowd management. Access to bathrooms etc. was horrible. The shuttle line back to Pasadena was terrible, disorganized mess, so we caught a taxi while walking back to Pasadena again, to our Highland Park Metro stop for $30, for all five of us. And got to the airport by 7:00, home in my own bed in Grants Pass after Mexico for 2 weeks by 11:45, Priceless. If we had only pulled out the win.

[ducksrock]

I did not have a ticket until 45 minutes from game time. Four together for $125 each. Yes I was getting a little antsy. We had a freind, a USC grad whose friend helped to run a ticket agency (glorified scalping agency, running scalpers at the game there.) They presold 400 tickets at $400 each and had a tailgater there. They had 23 pairs there at the game left to sell, selling for $175 two hours before game time, but his friend was saving us tickets, four together, we wanted 5 ideally, until near game time, so I was I was well positioned. Many were availble for around $200 all morning. I got there about 9:45, walking from the Pasadena Metro as we decided not to wait in line for the shuttle until 10:00. Beautiful walk, two miles. Tailgating on the golf course was really sweet. My seats weren't bad in section 13, row 63, except in the OSU section. The OSU fans were tolerable until the last touchdown. Mostly nice fans kind of nervous about not wanting to lose to us all game. One fan in front of me whined the whole game aboiut East Coast Bias, of all things, on every questionable call, or play review. His take is the east coast media wants to put down OSU every chance they get. Keep the game close, enhance the SEC, what ever at The OSU expense. Like there is a conspiracy against The OSU. They kept yelling Lets Go Bucks, it ofcourse sounded like Lets Go Ducks. And OOOOhio, again weird. They were bad the last 5-10 minutes after the missed field goal. They started bouncing up and down and chanting OOOhio, or something. Rose Bowl is a beautiful setting and field. Horrible facilties and line / crowd management. Access to bathrooms etc. was horrible. The shuttle line back to Pasadena was terrible, disorganized mess, so we caught a taxi while walking back to Pasadena again, to our Highland Park Metro stop for $30, for all five of us. And got to the airport by 7:00, home in my own bed after Mexico for 2 weeks by 11:45, Priceless. If we had only pulled out the win.

MY worst experience at the game was when some drink vendors refused to sell bottles of water or pop, w/o first removing the caps...

(so it made it harder for me to "throw the bottles")-like I was gonna throw any bottles). So, my wife and i stood at our seats, in a packed stadium, with 4 open drinks for the 2nd half, or at least until we drank em...it was assanine, but all in all, really a minor deal...Thanks Arizona, for being dumbass enuff to throw water bottles and make our bowl game a real joy...

[EncinitasDuck]

Getting to and from seats was really the only bad part for us except for an older Duck couple that were totally trashed and ended up getting escorted out by Security and Pasadena PD in a headlock, very funny to watch. The woman sat with her head between her legs the entire first half. When she finally stood she was like a rabid dog and started really cussing out a couple of OSU fans that were next to them. It was kind of funny, but sad at the same time. I was slightly embarrassed to be a Duck for about 10 minutes.

[Destroyer77]

Getting to and from seats was really the only bad part for us except for an older Duck couple that were totally trashed and ended up getting escorted out by Security and Pasadena PD in a headlock, very funny to watch. The woman sat with her head between her legs the entire first half. When she finally stood she was like a rabid dog and started really cussing out a couple of OSU fans that were next to them. It was kind of funny, but sad at the same time. I was slightly embarrassed to be a Duck for about 10 minutes.

Some people just need to be Tazered..... repeatedly.

[Tray Dub]

I got into a verbal altercation with a drunk Duck fan who kept yelling "rip his fucking head off" with a couple of 5 year old kids in front of him. There really are some embarrassing Duck fans.

[alabamaduck]

Taking caps off bottles has nothing to do with what happened at Arizona. I run a concessions company and venues have been doing this for a few years as a safety measure

[MFRDuckFan]

Just made it home - 12 hour drive.

1. I-5 closed just as we hit the Ashland on Tuesday night. Could have turned & went back home to Medford, but sucked it up and went through Klamath Falls to Weed, then down I-5 to Chico (my brother's house). Took 8 hours what usually takes 4. Oh well. Made it fine to Pasadena by 6:00 PM the next day.

2. Hotel (Regency Inn) was great & still had vacancies. $315 for the whole stay AND they let us tailgate on NY Eve right in the parking lot. Had 2 players's families staying there and it was great chatting/hanging out with them. Lots of eating places & especially coffee within short walking distance. Close to the RB & parking.

3. Buckeye fans that we ended up getting stuck with were okay, but a few I ran into (ladies in the bathroom) were pretty arrogant. Considered us trailer trash since they are an "elite" program. No use in trying to become friends. I kept getting dirty looks from a few females in our mostly GREEN section, because we kept shouting over them whenever they would do their little O H I O hand movements, we would just starting yelling OOOOOOOOOOOO and covered them up easily. They also got ticked because Oregon had more on screen videos showing the highlights. They are ticked off because theirs got cut off. Boo hoo!!! Their band was pretty good, but you'd think there would have been great halftime entertainment. Maybe they figured why bother when everyone will be in line to go to the bathroom or get something to eat.

4. I got my tickets from UA and there were several fans that typically root for Arizona, but had ties to either Oregon or Ohio State and ended up in that section. Wished the Buckeye fans would have just walked over to the other side and traded tickets with Duck fans. I would have done that had it been me.

5. RB facilities suck. The lines were SO long. Too many people to be comfortable for me due to the lines. TV timeouts were way too long. Man, the offense would just get rolling and then a TV timeout.....frustrating!

6. Will I go back? Right now, no. Autzen has spoiled me and not sure another bowl is in my future, but I'll probably change my mind!

7. Hints - ParPark was great. You are really only 1.4 miles from the RB and you can choose to take the shuttle or walk. We shuttled over, but walked back. Perfect!! The line to the shuttle after the game was at least 2 -3 hours long and the walk is well lit with tons of others with you. No security issues. I also suggest bringing some food with you & eat it at the parking facility & tailgate before hopping on the shuttle over to the RB. The food lines at the pre-game area was not worth it. Get your buzz on before you go over & save yourself lots of frustration & $$$.

[duckgrad99]

Interesting things everyone!!!! All I know is that after I got to the rose bowl, it literally took like an hour just to get to my seat. I guess traffic in la happens everywhere in la!!!!!! I believe there were like 93,000 fans there, but I don't think it came close to matching Autzen in terms of crowd noise, intensity, facilities, atmosphere and everything else. With all of that being said, it was still a great experience.

[QuackSince82]

I also just got home from the 12 hr. drive. I am sad we didn't have our best game but I had a great experience. My group left at like 8:00 AM for the rose bowl and got to park on the golf course and tailgate. That was difficult after partying til 3 AM on new years eve.

I was so glad they made me get up at 7. It was so worth it because I had a great tailgating experience. There was no traffic when we went to the stadium and we were able to park on the golf course and tailgate for like 5 hours before going into the stadium. There seemed to be like a 5 to 1 ratio with way more duck fans that Ohio State fans. I was surprised when I got into the stadium how many Ohio State fans were there. Has anyone mentioned how bad the replay system was. Or...what replay system?

The worst thing that happened, besides not winning of course, is I didn't run into any C4Q'ers. Oh and I had one of those hot dogs from the vendors outside the gates after the game. Let's just say it didn't stay in me for too long.

MFRDuckFan -
I'm glad you got there safe. I waited to drive down there until wednesday moring and it was all good by then. What did you think about the tailgating experience?

duckgrad99 -
I know what you mean about getting to your seat. If you call 4 inches of room on a bench a seat. I thought the atmosphere was pretty sweet. great weather for a game. The scenery was amazing and the stadium looked pretty bad azz lit up with green/yellow and red. I thought the crowd noise was pretty competitive back and forth. They would yell O-H-I-O and we would all just yell OOOOOOOO over it.

[ducksin2010]

I really enjoyed my experience despite the loss. That isn't like me at all. I am usually very quiet and in a way depressed after losses but we accomplished so much that a good game was all I could ask for. 90,000 people will die if there is ever a fire. My only disappointment from the game was that the OSU fans weren't raging douche bags like I expected. I have a hard time hating them now. Go Ducks in 2010! (my name has been waiting for this year)

[bmxryder507]

Just got back. Bit of a drive but worth it.

Left wed night at 11:30 snowed pretty good but made it to LA at 3. Toured Hollywood on New Years Eve lotsa ducks, not many Bucks, I was shocked when we got in the stadium they started showing up in droves. We left our hotel at 7:45 to head to the stadium parked on the golf course super easy. No traffic getting out was easy to. Scenery was awesome the fly over the mountains the fireworks what a great experience. Loved the yellow pom's all beating in unison to, Tonights Gonna Be a Good Night before the Game it looked sweet. Buck's were quiet till the 4th quarter then they got that O h i o Chant goin around and were loud. Kinda bummed we never got a GOOO Ducks goin but lots of Lets Go Ducks. Had a ton of fun. Will definatley make the trip to Glendale next year!!

[05duck]

Good read....Anyway my time in LA was overall good. We had fun, made some friends from ohio, i can't be one of those 'typical duck fans.'

I did see some out of hand drunk ducks tho. I was really shocked the way some of them acted. If you walk down the stairs and stand at the bottom if you are asked to move so fans can see the game.....MOVE!! Dont be a little &*%$ get out of the way! less beer and more class is needed by some fans.

After waiting in line to get a soda forever I watched a girl open a bag of popcorn seeds and oil with HER TEETH, then poor it into the machine!!! I was in shock and didn't know what to say! The lady behind me went nuts it was pretty funny.

We used a parking pass and parked on the golf course. I dont know how the rest of you did, but we got out of their faster then masonic after a home game.

The Rose Bowl stadium sucks, but i would do the 14-15 hour drive from portland again!!

[MFRDuckFan]

I also just got home from the 12 hr. drive. I am sad we didn't have our best game but I had a great experience. My group left at like 8:00 AM for the rose bowl and got to park on the golf course and tailgate. That was difficult after partying til 3 AM on new years eve.

I was so glad they made me get up at 7. It was so worth it because I had a great tailgating experience. There was no traffic when we went to the stadium and we were able to park on the golf course and tailgate for like 5 hours before going into the stadium. There seemed to be like a 5 to 1 ratio with way more duck fans that Ohio State fans. I was surprised when I got into the stadium how many Ohio State fans were there. Has anyone mentioned how bad the replay system was. Or...what replay system?

The worst thing that happened, besides not winning of course, is I didn't run into any C4Q'ers. Oh and I had one of those hot dogs from the vendors outside the gates after the game. Let's just say it didn't stay in me for too long.

MFRDuckFan -
I'm glad you got there safe. I waited to drive down there until wednesday moring and it was all good by then. What did you think about the tailgating experience?

duckgrad99 -
I know what you mean about getting to your seat. If you call 4 inches of room on a bench a seat. I thought the atmosphere was pretty sweet. great weather for a game. The scenery was amazing and the stadium looked pretty bad azz lit up with green/yellow and red. I thought the crowd noise was pretty competitive back and forth. They would yell O-H-I-O and we would all just yell OOOOOOOO over it.

Tailgating was pretty good! You do have to get there early to get a spot & we hung with a player's family who were in a handicap area and they were lucky they got there by 5:00 AM (lots open at 4 AM) because their spots were filled by 9:00 AM. If you don't mind getting up early & tailgating at the venue, that's the best thing to do. Way more fun than standing in the food lines inside the "party" area. YUCK!! Also a good idea to bring travel johns & skip the bathroom lines. I was kicking myself for not having some. The portapotti's were horrible!! I was going to throw down with a few female Buckeye fans because they cut into the line. Let's say I got a little cranky.

[MFRDuckFan]

Also, what many folks thought were Buckeye fans were actually Duck fans. Lots & lots of white shirts being worn by Duck fans (I being one of them), so the overall view may have been that there were tons of Buckeyes, but in reality lots of Duck fans in white shirts. I'd say we had the overall advantage of filling the stadium, but they did show up in force as well. From what I could cull out of some conversations, many Buckeye fans were pretty close and didn't have to travel from their home state. Either alumni or family connections in some way, so they got the tickets to the game.

Should we create a separate topic to share our pics on? We should keep them separate.

[ducksrock]

Taking caps off bottles has nothing to do with what happened at Arizona. I run a concessions company and venues have been doing this for a few years as a safety measure

I know..I was being somewhat sarcastic....its just a PITA when a 54 year old adult has to have his bottle caps removed, for the doings of others...and yeah, even though I dont know your age, I have been at games probably before you were born where items have been thrown onto the field, at various venues...I do realize that Arizona was not innovative in this regard....lol