Hey guys - going on from my question in the GARM i've just got a couple more questions... Again - sorry for the hopeless questions... So as i mentioned in the other thread i'm definately coming to America somewhere from November - February for 5 weeks. There's a couple of things i really want to do while i'm over there... One of them is to attend an NFL game and more so a College Football game because i've watched on tv how crazy the atmosphere is at the college games. Just a question about that - are all the games between the good teams that crazy an atmopshere? Or is it specifically between schools with a history and rivalry?... My idea would be to watch a game between a couple of Texas teams (such as the Longhorns VS such and such...) but i'm not entirely sure who are in each others conferences and pools etc... And - are tickets to college games hard to come by? - because i did hear somewhere that a person didn't manage getting tickets to a game that had 90,000 people a season or 2 ago. Do people from the schools get preference for tickets? Again... sorry for these questions guys. I'm sure i could find it on the net guys so it's a stupid question but - what time frame is College Football and NFL on (as in what month does it end?) - sorry but i'm just about to head out so i can't check. And a question on the NFL - what team would you guys suggest in seeing if tickets are a possibility for any team? As i don't follow a specific team i'd be more interested in going for the experience and the atmosphere. The main reason in going to America is mainly for the sports and to go to Vegas (which will be the last 3-4 days of my trip so i don't blow all my money before most of my trip starts) but what are some major attractions which you guys would suggest someone sees? Alcatraz is one of the things i definately want to get around to visiting. As is Bourbon Street in New Orleans. I haven't begun officially planning yet because as in the other thread i mentioned i can't really plan the trip until next season's NBA schedule is released. Any suggestions and information would be greatly appreciated guys. Thanks.
Where are you coming from? One thing to remember is that the US is VERY big so you will have to be prepared to fly to different destinations or rent a car and drive - but driving could take days! Maybe you can plan your vacation around "hub" cities that you fly into and then rent a car and plan on spending several days or weeks in that vicinity. Then fly to the next hub and repeat. Or fly into one city, make your way by driving to another "Destination" city seeing the sites on the way and then fly from that second city to a new "starting" city and do that over again. For example, you mentioned Vegas, San Fransisco and Texas. While you "could" drive between all those destinations it will take a while. It's about 600 miles from SF to LV and then about 1300 miles from LV to, say Austin, TX where you might want to catch a Longhorns game (vs. A&M?). Also, you might have weather challenges in the Winter and outdoor-type stuff may be unavailable depending on where you go. The good news is you could ski. Having said that, if you are spending 5 weeks the Western part of the US (California to Texas) has some cool stuff. Suggestions: 1. Spend time in California - lots of scenic beauty everywhere including Yosemite National park (about 200 miles from San Fransisco), Pacific Coast Highway, Mir Woods, Golden Gate Bridge, etc.... Yosemite might be limited, though because of snow. You could drive all the way down to San Diego and hit Los Angeles along the way. 2. Grand Canyon - If you are going to Vegas and then to Texas (and driving)you can't miss it. Even if you are flying everywhere you could drive to the Grand Canyon from Vegas. It's about 8 hours (I think) so you might want to stay overnight (or even a few days). Again, it will be cold in the winter and there might even be snow. The good news is that it might not be too hard to get a room that time of year. 3. If you come to Texas and want to see college ball a Texas/Texas AM game might be what to catch. Especially if they play in Austin as that city is probably the best city to visit in Texas. As for NFL, you have either the Texans or the Cowboys and I would suggest (to a tourist with no vested interest in a specific team) seeing the Cowboys in their new stadium. That would mean going to Dallas, though. 4. In between Texas and California there are a ton of things to possibly do: Bryce Canyon (Utah) Petrified Forest/Painted Desert (Arizona) Joshua Tree National Park (Ca) Death Valley (Ca) You could go skiing in California, Utah... If you are driving to Texas and stop in Carlsbad, NM they have a very nice cave there. Oh, and Mardi Gras in New Orleans is ends on Mach 8 in 2011. That means the partying starts two weeks out so it will probably be good the last weekend of February and even better the following week/weekend. If you can time your trip to end up in New Orleans for Mardi Gras that could be pretty cool. I'm sure others can chime in with more and better suggestions.
I'm assuming you want to do Texas, so why not do a UT rivalry game? If you do it in Austin, you will get to see the city. Probably the most unique city in Texas. As for NFL- since you're going to NO anyway, and the Saints just won the SB, you might as well go to one of their games. Their fans are pretty rabid. Bourbon Street is crazy any weekend. Just be careful to not go off the beaten track in NO. It's a dangerous place.
What do you mean by off the beaten track? As for CF....Go to a UT and TAMU game. Those are damn fun, one of the most amazing atmospheres.
Sounds like a good trip. Are you booking hotels? for the Horns, you might want to go see OK State vs Texas, that should be a good game and I think the tickets would be easier to get than Texas vs A&M. Also go really early for parking and tailgating. For Vegas, book the MGM, Planet Hollywood, the Mirage or Treasure Island. Those are good value hotels. For NFL, I would check out the Cowboys cause they'll be contenders next year and their stadium is the newest and biggest. I know the Texans fans won't like it, but you can root against the Cowboys, just check out that stadium.
the NFL regular season is between september and the first week of january. then the playoffs starts, and the superbowl in february
Go to the Oregon State vs Oregon game if you want a great rivalry with great atmosphere. It will be a night game, so you can tailgate all day. it will be raining off and on. It might be cold. The atmosphere will be awesome, no matter what the record of the 2 schools is. It's in Corvallis this year, which is a short drive from the beautiful Oregon Coast.
Football, both NFL and college, is in off season mode. So sorry. Rodeo show on the other hand is an authentic American sport.
As far as college football on the west coast goes ... that's definitely the best game. Things I Like: (1) New York - How can you say you went to America and didn't see it's most famous statue. (2) San Francisco - possibly the most metropolitan city in the country (3) Drive Highway 1 from Monterey to Morro Bay in California - towards the south you might catch some dolphins in the ocean (4) Yosemite National Park: http://bit.ly/cCobS (5) College football in a college town - like oregon vs oregon state
If you want to see New Orleans, you should check out the Saints there as well. No point in driving up to boring ass Dallas if you want to see an NFL game. The Saints are a better team and in a more fun city. Like everyone else said, then make your way over to Austin for a UT vs. big 12/texas rival football game. Then make your way to San Francisco (you can do any number of things in between, go through the desert or through the Rockies, both nice). San Fran is a fun city with a lot to do and see. I've spent every summer of my life there (although I have never been to Alcatraz). Also from San Fran, Vegas is not too far, so you could then head there last.
Sup guys, I'm a rocket fan and I'm suggesting that the OP go to a Cowboy or Saints game instead of a Texans game. /gag
Downtown, Haven been to the states a couple of times.. Never had the pleasure of seeing the Rockets however.. My list would be - Seattle if you can get up there it is well worth the effort. Good part of the world and only a couple of hours from Vancouver so you could sneak up there if you so desired. - New York as one of the other posters said, great city plenty to see and do and i would sneak in a game at MSG if you can.. Hopefully watch the Knicks lose.. - Chicago was worth a visit as well.. F@ck me it is cold up there around that time of the year though.. Especially as you will be coming from Aust, as i was.. Can't advise on College games though, sorry..
