College: Louisiana State University
Year: 2016
Game: Alabama 10 LSU 0
Rating: 8.5
Cost Index: High
Tickets: Difficult
Cost Index: High
Tickets: Difficult
Stadium: Tiger Stadium
This year we decided to get the Alabama LSU game while Saban and Miles were still there, figuring that this would be the last year but Miles didn't make it. Fortunately the game was still important and both teams came to play. Crowd was excellent, loud as hell.
Baton Rouge is not a great city. There is barely a downtown, area is mainly heavy industry so it's not what I would call scenic, no urban planning to speak of. It was interesting to talk to some local people who explained how Katrina influenced Baton Rouge. It was the primary staging area after the flood and Baton Rouge's population grew overnight, stressing the infrastructure. Traffic being the most obvious problem but not the only one.
The college has an area off campus called Tigerland which is where the students party. I would say anyone over the age of 25 would feel out of place there. It looked like a shit show, evidently there is a lot of violence there.
The tailgate down there is top of the line. It was a night game so we got there around 2PM. There is a huge free lot about a 15 minute walk from Tiger Stadium. We walked around, tried to find Game Day but could not, we ended up hanging around ESPN radio. Those guys to a good job for the most part.
Tiger Stadium: Definitely a college football shrine, not an architectural masterpiece but not an eyesore either. They have recently redone one End Zone, they integrated it well. We grabbed tickets at the very front of the sideline upper deck. If I had to do it over again I probably would have sat closer to the field (prices were about the same).
I understand people watching on TV thought the game was very good. It wasn't that great live, at least not in my opinion. It's tough to get too excited about a game that is scoreless through three quarters. We came down there hoping for the 2012 game, we didn't quite get that one. Alabama's defense is so good they make the game boring.
How to do LSU: I fully expect to come down here again, this is how I would approach LSU. I would stay in New Orleans and head down in the AM. I would rent a car that I could reasonably sleep in for a few hours (van, or a car where you can put the rear seats down). If you want to tailgate and party, by all means go ahead. You can sleep it off and drive back to New Orleans whenever you feel ready.
If you want to make it part of a larger trip: New Orleans, HoustonThis year we decided to get the Alabama LSU game while Saban and Miles were still there, figuring that this would be the last year but Miles didn't make it. Fortunately the game was still important and both teams came to play. Crowd was excellent, loud as hell.
Baton Rouge is not a great city. There is barely a downtown, area is mainly heavy industry so it's not what I would call scenic, no urban planning to speak of. It was interesting to talk to some local people who explained how Katrina influenced Baton Rouge. It was the primary staging area after the flood and Baton Rouge's population grew overnight, stressing the infrastructure. Traffic being the most obvious problem but not the only one.
The college has an area off campus called Tigerland which is where the students party. I would say anyone over the age of 25 would feel out of place there. It looked like a shit show, evidently there is a lot of violence there.
The tailgate down there is top of the line. It was a night game so we got there around 2PM. There is a huge free lot about a 15 minute walk from Tiger Stadium. We walked around, tried to find Game Day but could not, we ended up hanging around ESPN radio. Those guys to a good job for the most part.
Tiger Stadium: Definitely a college football shrine, not an architectural masterpiece but not an eyesore either. They have recently redone one End Zone, they integrated it well. We grabbed tickets at the very front of the sideline upper deck. If I had to do it over again I probably would have sat closer to the field (prices were about the same).
I understand people watching on TV thought the game was very good. It wasn't that great live, at least not in my opinion. It's tough to get too excited about a game that is scoreless through three quarters. We came down there hoping for the 2012 game, we didn't quite get that one. Alabama's defense is so good they make the game boring.
How to do LSU: I fully expect to come down here again, this is how I would approach LSU. I would stay in New Orleans and head down in the AM. I would rent a car that I could reasonably sleep in for a few hours (van, or a car where you can put the rear seats down). If you want to tailgate and party, by all means go ahead. You can sleep it off and drive back to New Orleans whenever you feel ready.
Don't Miss: Tailgate
Avoid: Tigerland
Attendees: Bones, Polychronopolous
Game Recap: http://www.espn.com/ncf/recap/_/id/400869044
Game Recap: http://www.espn.com/ncf/recap/_/id/400869044
