I tell you what, my dedication to CUF knows no bounds.
Out of the goodness of my heart and concern for my fellow CUFfers, I braved the long and winding road down to Dallas to recon the Cowboys Stadium. For you guys heading down to the game, here are my notes:
the stadium:
Simply put, it lives up to the hype. Very very nice venue all the way around. I'm sure you've seen the pictures. Also, you certainly can't complain about the location: it's right across the street from wal-mart. So if you have any big-box-discount-retailer sorts of emergencies during the game, you can just scurry over at halftime.
seating:
300-level seats on down are great. 400-level is a nice view, but you're *way* up there. You're in plastic bucket seats. No benches. The leg room leaves you wishing you could call and upgrade to "economy plus" like you do with United Airlines. Otherwise, comfortable enough.
concessions:
Don't expect to come away with anything that's not emblazoned with the Cowboys logo. Even the pretzels are shaped like stars. Beers are 8 bucks, and sodas are 6 - but there's a cupholder in your seat, so you don't have to watching your money cascade down the steps when you knock over your Diet Coke. Popcorn is 5.50, and the snacks go up from there.
parking:
Jerry really will charge you forty to park. But for ten you can park at one of the churches just a couple of blocks down Randol Mills. (Access to the stadium is by assigned entry locations, though, so you may want to make sure you're parking near your assigned side of the stadium.)
Caveat: the area is NOT pedestrian friendly at all. Much of the area is still under construction, so a lot of the sidewalks are closed or torn out. Even once you get to the parking lots surrounding the stadium, there's no designated pedestrian access. For a minute there I felt like I'd gotten trapped in a game of frogger.
traffic:
Last night was considered "the test" (that's what they were calling it), as it was the first time they had events at both the Ballpark and across the street at the Stadium. Officials were really concerned that the infrastructure couldn't handle the traffic, but it really wasn't bad at all. It shouldn't be a problem on gameday.
funny:
sign at a house that used to be in a neighborhood, but is now adjacent to the new parking lot:
"Welcome to Jonestown, suckers!!"
He seemed to be making the best of it, though, selling drinks and snacks to passersby. And isn't that the American Way: if you can't beat 'em, at least find a way to make money off of them!
Anyway, a great venue for a great game. I can't wait!
Out of the goodness of my heart and concern for my fellow CUFfers, I braved the long and winding road down to Dallas to recon the Cowboys Stadium. For you guys heading down to the game, here are my notes:
the stadium:
Simply put, it lives up to the hype. Very very nice venue all the way around. I'm sure you've seen the pictures. Also, you certainly can't complain about the location: it's right across the street from wal-mart. So if you have any big-box-discount-retailer sorts of emergencies during the game, you can just scurry over at halftime.
seating:
300-level seats on down are great. 400-level is a nice view, but you're *way* up there. You're in plastic bucket seats. No benches. The leg room leaves you wishing you could call and upgrade to "economy plus" like you do with United Airlines. Otherwise, comfortable enough.
concessions:
Don't expect to come away with anything that's not emblazoned with the Cowboys logo. Even the pretzels are shaped like stars. Beers are 8 bucks, and sodas are 6 - but there's a cupholder in your seat, so you don't have to watching your money cascade down the steps when you knock over your Diet Coke. Popcorn is 5.50, and the snacks go up from there.
parking:
Jerry really will charge you forty to park. But for ten you can park at one of the churches just a couple of blocks down Randol Mills. (Access to the stadium is by assigned entry locations, though, so you may want to make sure you're parking near your assigned side of the stadium.)
Caveat: the area is NOT pedestrian friendly at all. Much of the area is still under construction, so a lot of the sidewalks are closed or torn out. Even once you get to the parking lots surrounding the stadium, there's no designated pedestrian access. For a minute there I felt like I'd gotten trapped in a game of frogger.
traffic:
Last night was considered "the test" (that's what they were calling it), as it was the first time they had events at both the Ballpark and across the street at the Stadium. Officials were really concerned that the infrastructure couldn't handle the traffic, but it really wasn't bad at all. It shouldn't be a problem on gameday.
funny:
sign at a house that used to be in a neighborhood, but is now adjacent to the new parking lot:
"Welcome to Jonestown, suckers!!"
He seemed to be making the best of it, though, selling drinks and snacks to passersby. And isn't that the American Way: if you can't beat 'em, at least find a way to make money off of them!
Anyway, a great venue for a great game. I can't wait!
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