Brrrrr. Coldest stadium yet. Friendliest fans though. Really easy stadium to walk to or take public transportation. Lovely view of the Lake.
Toronto #2. The 2 guys sitting to the right of me were Blackhawks fans who came down to see the hockey game and also took in Da Bears game.
Here is one of the original episodes for those of us a little bit older who can remember:
And below is the current year version thanks to my pal from Chicago, Frank:
After 3 quarters I was freezing, the snowstorm was coming and I had to get back to Indy, so thank you for a good game and of course, some awesome deep-dish pizza. Seats in the stadium were tight though. Funny how I seem to end up seeing the same teams play. Might need to take a stat on that later on during this quest.
And here I thought that Buffalo would be one of the last ones I cross off my list!
October 20, 2019: Dolphins 21 vs. Bills 31
The Bills bring the word “tailgating” to an all time new level. I have never in my entire life seen anything like the tailgating that went on at the Bills game. This time I left my hotel early, and it took me about 30 minutes to go 1 mile down the street the stadium was on/to park. Every single car in every single parking lot was tailgating. Literally.
Every single car.
EVERY SINGLE CAR.
Except me.
But me being me, I solved for that by stopping to talk to the 3 guys parked next to me who were from Toronto. Toronto #1 (keep that for reference later on in Dana’s 32). One of the guys did a baseball tour (like my friend Jeremy!!) so we had quite a discussion around sports, stadiums, teams, what the definition of a cheap ticket is, and beer.
Stadium: let’s talk about the stadium. Pretty old, and very odd to see that the floor of row 1 in the stadium in on the actual field. It’s not elevated. As in you can lean over the railing, yell at the players, and they will hear you. Take a look at the picture below. Also, don’t buy tickets in the end zone. It’s a farce. Sounds nice but they are metal benches, and not seats.
I also didn’t really find any pleasant fans, other than the Toronto bunch from the parking lot. In fact, even the guys selling beer were kind of rude. To make up for that it was about 60 degrees out and for the second time this season, I left with quite the sunburn. Sunburn #2. Let’s see if we get any mileage out of the sunburn tracker.
And once again, said geography superstar husband pointed out that Niagara Falls is essentially next to Buffalo. Last time I was at the Falls I was probably a teenager and went out on the Maid of the Mist, so capping off the visit with a trip to the Falls seemed like the only logical thing to do. Jeepers there is a lot of water!
So just to recap the tracking within the tracking:
Toronto #1
Sunburn #2 (Bengals and Bills)
Famous places tacked on to a stadium trip #2 (Henry Ford Museum and Niagara Falls)
Wahoo, dome stadium on a rainy day and the Chiefs again! Like the only one in the stadium rooting for the Chiefs; not so friendly fans. Go Chiefs!
Then there was the man who threw up in the row in front of me and about 5 seats to the left. It seems he might have had a bit too much to drink. It was horrible. I thought I might have to leave. The people sitting immediately all around him did. The poor people that clean the stadium had to come up and pay a visit…..twice. Yuck.
Chiefs were losing, came down to last minute of the game, and they prevailed. I had to hightail it out of there quickly with my red jacket…..
Visited the Henry Ford Museum before game because what else would you do before a football game in Detroit??
The night before the game I had a chance to catch up with my golfing buddy Clark. I met Clark in Myrtle Beach on possibly Lion’s Paw course. He too was from the North and did not understand this “too cold to golf at 7am” concept. Great to see you again Clark.
What a great game and the fans were fun. No one sits down the entire game. And then there is the chant- it’s very good, I think they must practice in the off-season.
Parking was $60 (paying at entry) and it took 90 minutes to get into the stadium. Crazy! I got to my seat right as they started the National Anthem.
But what a really good game, super exciting. Chiefs totally dominated the first half, but the Ravens came back and threatened at the end, although did not catch up. Worth the 7 hour drive from Indy.
It’s fun to watch all the stuff that goes on during a football game in the stands, on the field and on the screens. I am so easily entertained.
Only 90 minutes out of Indy, of course they would be next!!!
September 15, 2019: 49ers 41 vs. Bengals 17
My coworker Danielle was amused by this odd fascination with the 32. For some reason she agreed to join me in Cincinnati with her son Hunter.
It was 90 degrees out, we all had a major sunburn but had a fun time. Location of Paul Brown stadium was pretty cool, it’s on the banks of the Ohio River and across the river is Kentucky. Pretty cool suspension bridge, reminded me of the Brooklyn Bridge. They had one of those fancy ferris wheels with enclosed cabins, thank God it was air-conditioned. Parking was easy. Ramps up to the stadium were very looooooonnnnng. No escalators, kind of odd.
But I came away with a snappy gift that I keep in our office, see picture below. One just never knows when it might come in handy (ha, ha, pun intended).
Bengals got beat up and my nose started to peel 2 days later as a result of it.
I decided to drive to Indy one trip. As I was heading west on Rte 80 somewhere in Pennsylvania, geographic super-star husband called to inform me that I would be driving by one of the most important places. I didn’t think I was passing an In-N-Out Burger so I inquired.
NFL HALL OF FAME.
Forgot that was in Ohio.
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Since I love to negotiate, I asked the Board of Commissioners (that would be said husband) to consider the following:
If I stopped in Canton to take a picture outside, I would get one pass.
If I stopped in Canton and went inside, I would get two passes.
These passes would be used at 2 stadiums of my choice, to be determined at a later date, to not have to enter the stadium. A picture outside the stadium, which shall be clearly labeled and identifiable, would be acceptable for both.
Why you ask? Have you actually checked the price of a Patriots ticket lately??? I don’t want to pay $250+ to see a team I can’t stand. Nope. Not happening.
Negotiation ensued and the Board agreed to my request. I thank the Board for their generous decision.
Seems only natural that I would start with the Colts, no?
And Da Bears!
Da Bears.
Da Bears.
God vs. Ditka.
Da Bears. (never gets old)
August 24, 2019: Bears 27 vs. Colts 17
I asked the folks in the office if anyone was interested in going to a game. My coworker Travis was and he totally scored some free tickets from his high school friend. Amazing seats in the end zone, in row 4.
But wait, that’s not all! It was the night Andrew Luck’s retirement was leaked out to the press during the game. People went nuts!
And it also happened to be the same night as the Indy Biker Festival, how excited was I??? So much socialization in one day, yay!!!
Enjoyable first start, very cool stadium, well done Indy.
Let me explain where all the trouble started. It began with a job in Indianapolis and a husband who was good with geography. He suggested that if I drew a circle around Indy, there would be quite a number of NFL teams I could go see in-person. So that’s where the trouble started. A simple question. “How long would it take you to go see all 32 teams?”
So here are the rules:
Go see all 32 teams at home (visit each stadium).
Must stay for at least 1 full quarter.
Must get a picture of me in the stadium and the team must be clearly identifiable.
I like football. I like watching football. I like watching football live.
I like to travel.
So why not marry the two and see if I can get all 32 teams completed within 5 years? That’s what this blog is about. Dana’s 32.
And for those who know me, you know this is not going to be without some fan-fare, some funny stories and some bad experiences. Seems only fair for my pals to follow what I have been up to.
Dana's 32 