I'm sure most of you guys have been to a game already, but last night was my first, and I loved it. You know, you don't have to spend 10 bucks at the parking lots, because there are some fairly close streets with free parking. Look for the meter streets, if it's after 6, it's free. And, 10 bucks is what you'll pay for an astros game, so nothing new. The place is awesome! That's all you gotta say. I'm 5'10 or so, and I fit fine up in Section 425, and could see everything on the court perfectly. The best thing about the Toyota Center is that it's well lit. I hated sitting in the nose bleeds at Compaq, because it was dark, but the Toyota center is pretty bright even at the top. The people were all friendly too, saying "welcome", "have fun at the game", etc. The opening name call was neat with the rocket blasting off - nice television/prop combo. It gets the crowd going with a buzz. In between commercials, they keep you fairly entertained with clutch skits and these dudes who can jump like crazy. On TV the place doesn't always look packed, but the top half was totally crowded. While I heard rumors about the food being expensive, it was about what I thought it'd cost, and the chicken fingers is a pretty good deal for 7 bucks, it's like a buck more than Whataburger, and it's much better. Burger and fries - 6 bucks, hotdog 3 dollars, coke 3 bucks. I'm looking forward to the next time I get to go. I had a great time!! I liked reading other people's opinions of the place before I went, so I just wanted to toss in my two cents. Go Rockets!!! 28-21, Fifth, Midwest
My first game was in Seattle three and a half years ago. I was lucky enough to see the Rockets paste the Sonics 111-104, with Hakeem scoring 15 points, grabbing 7 boards, and swatting 5 shots. It was beautiful. I haven't seen a game like it since. Nothing like getting a win on your first ever game. But I have paid the price since. I sat through a 30 point rout at Key Arena, an ugly 78-74 loss in Portland, another 92-79 loss in Portland (this was the last game of the losing season that got Yao Ming, so I guess it was worth the loss), a heartbreaking 3-point loss in Seattle (thanks to Steve Francis for missing a wide-open layup in the final 30 seconds), and two more relatively close defeats at the Key. Since that first win, Houston's record when I'm in attendance is 2-8. Ouch. Hope you have better luck in attendance.
My first game was incredibly enough, courtside seats at the compaq center...incredible experience and they beat the blazers...after the game i walked out onto the court and talked with rasheed and got his autograph..man that was an awesome experience
My first game experience at "The Summit" was back in 1978. Short shorts. Tight shirts. And those were just the players. I remember several trips on or around my birthday, at least, each year for several years. There was this crazy jerky guy that wore a huge cowboy hat. Every half he'd get two huge cokes. He'd literally sit there the whole game a jerk, jiggle, dance, etc. (He attended 'Stros games too.) Anyone else ever see this dude? I remember the early '80's seeing Carl and Carol Lewis there in the seats... and then seeing them again after winning medals in L.A. I remember seeing some of the Oilers like Ray Childress, and Willie Drewery through the years... It's funny. I got more autographs of non-b-ball player celebs and sports figures than I did Rockets. I only visited about 4 times after the change to the Compaq Center... not much different. I visited once (so far) this season at the TC.. and I gotta say I dig the building, but the announcer has nothing on the old guy at the Compaq (Summit). Anyway, I have some pics of my trip to TC on my pics page (see my sig). I hear the new rocket blast-off countdown intro is cool. They had just started dumping the drummers when I went, and had implemented playing "The Who" but had no rocket yet.... Hope to get back this season (live in Dallas... so you know where I'll be on Feb 21st.) Enjoy the pics if you choose... and may all of you have a "first time" to a game if you've not already!
