So, I'm considering taking my son to see a Rockets game - what's the Toyota Center experience like? What hotels or restaurants are nearby and recommended? Thanks in advance, YoungTurk
It is a very nice arena. I went to the game twice when i visited Houston this year. I got the $55 and $40 tickets. I liked my seat eventhough it was not the expensive one, i got a great view. The seat was comfort enough for me. The food price in the arena is not bad although i did not eat much. I have no idea about the resturant near the arena though. The Houstonians should go to the game more. It would make the difference if the arena were full. I stayed at Hollidays Inn which is so closed to the arena so I walked to the arena. That is very convinent. I heard some people complain about finding the parking spot though.
I find the Toyota Center exprience to be pretty enjoyable. Yes, its expensive, but what arena isn't these days. There are a few upscale hotels downtown you can stay at - The Four Seasons, the Magnolia, and the Hilton across the street from the arena may be open - i honestly don't know, but i think it might be. As far as restaurant options, i think the "hottest" thing downtow these days is Vic & Anthony's, which is apparently a really good steak place. There's a Kim Son downtown, too, and some places on/around Main, but not too much. You could try anything west of town and not have to go mroe than 15 minutes, depending on traffic. Oh, check the schedule and look for the free promotion night. get there early and you have a free gift for the boy.
OH, there is a restaurant in the arena called Red & White. The food is pretty tasty, but, it is pretty expensive. If you go buffet, I think it is $30, which means you really have to eat a lot of food to get your money's worth.
It really is a great looking arena, and the view is excellent from pretty much anywhere. I've sat in the upper deck and the lower deck, and I would say that both view beat the hell out of their counterparts in other arenas. Experience would be 10X times better if it were more crowded and loud.
Rockets games are fun! As long as we win of course...it's fun unless it's a blowout. There are some hotels and restaurants...inside the Toyota Center..food is quite expensive. But it's a great experience! Too bad I didn't get to sneak down...but man during some games..there are so many empty seats down there! I wish there were even more people at the games to make it even more exciting.
I'm from Dallas and went to the Magic game about a week ago. If you want a chance to catch a shirt sit behind the baseline. The seats are not too pricey in that area plus you are real close to the action. There is a restaruant called the Ledge that offers dinner plus a ticket for about 80 bucks a person. You get to sit in your dinner seats and watch the game from a ledge that is between the upper and lower bowl. Parking is a lot easier than I thought it would be since there are plenty of empty lots around the arena. I recomend getting your Rocket gear from oshmans or acadamy instead of buying from the arena although I think there are some jersey's in the arena not offered anywhere else. I got there just as the game was starting so I did not get to check out the TC much. Next time I go I am going to try to get there early enough to do some sight seeing.
crash5179 is the dallas arena better then the rockets? to me it looks nice and i really like the water shooters in the front.
only toyota center complaint,who agrees..? the food is good,and though pricy,you get a lot at least, but my complaint is the slooooooooow service opening night it took me 30 minutes to get a chicken strip basket. anyone else go thru this?
I would have to say that is a matter of Taste. I think the TC is better for watching the game but the AAC just seems a lot more upscale than the TC. When you walk into the TC you know you are in a sports arena. If someone put you inside the AAC and you could not see the inner bowl then you might think you are in a huge upscale hotel or some other fancy building. It just looks like they spent a lot more money on the interior of the AAC plus when you first walk up to the AAC the building is so huge compared to the TC. I think the reason the AAC is so much bigger on the outside than the TC is because the TC lower bowl is partially recessed into the ground. Another big difference that is noticeable is the amount of money put into entertainment at the events. When you walk up to the AAC it is almost a fair type of atmosphere. At the Rockets game here in Dallas, Cuban had a live band outside of the arena along with a place to shoot some hoops and a mechanical bull. You could have shown up an hour before the game and been well entertained. Granted I did not get to the TC until about 10 minutes before tip off in Houston but I did not see any form of entertainment outside of the arena. Like I said earlier I think your opinion of the two arenas just boils down to taste. The TC looks like a first class arena but it definitely looks like an arena on the inside. The one big advantage that I think the TC has over the AAC is when you get to your seats. In the AAC the seats go straight up. There are several different levels at the AAC and when you are at the top you almost need something to help you see the action on the court. At the TC there are two very clearly defined levels, the upper bowl and the lower bowl. The seats in the lower bowl at the TC seem to go out quite a bit instead of going straight up. The majority of the seats in the TC seem to be in the lower bowl and as a result the upper bowl seems to actually be a lot closer to the floor than the vast majority of the seats at the AAC. If you are looking for more of an event type of atmosphere with lots of entertainment and a building that looks more posh then the AAC is the place to be. But if you are looking for a 1st class arena that looks like a first class arena and a very good place to see a game with out much extra curricular entertainment then I would say the TC is the place to be. Personally I prefer the TC just because of the seats...and of course the Rockets.
The restaurants in TC aren't open to the general public. You must be a season ticket holder to get through the door.
Not at the ledge. The ledge was offering dinner and tickets for 80 bucks. Youre seat was at your table on the ledge overlooking the court.
No. Anybody can eat at the resturaunt. You just have to make reservations (season ticket holders do get priority), and anybody can buy ledge dinning seats for $85. If you are a season ticket holder it is a little less.
I liked the TC but it is not in the same league as the AAC. The AAC experience is much better and the crowd really gets into the game. It is really loud. The TC wasn't even sold out when I went, you figure it would sell out being a new arena. I did like it though, it just wasn't the AAC. The crowd wasn't as loud and the arena wasn't as nice. I have been to a few Rockets and Mavs games at the AAC and I have not been in a bad seat yet. The 2nd deck is really nice. It has bars, suites, plasma televisions everywhere, and someone serves you at your seat. TC is nice for the money that was spent on it. It blows the SBC Center away. That arena really sucks. It is very small and it's like being in a aluminum warehouse.
You haven't been in a bad seat at the AAC. Try sitting on the fourth deck (the same price as the second deck at TC). I couldn't even see the ball.
