I had a blast and it was the best CFB game I have ever seen and attended. My Dads favorite game was 1974 game with USC/ND where he attended. But now he said this game is #1. How was I so lucky that this was the year I decided to make my first trip to South Bend.
I left Thur morning to Chicago with my Mom, Dad, Brother and came home late Mon. night. Chicago is a great city. I wasn't expecting much but it blew me away. I LOVED the architecture and the many many many skyscrapers. Amazing.
Thur. had famous Chicago pizza at Geodellis (however you spell it). Very good!
Friday went to Navy Pier and USC pep ralley there. Got my picture taken with John Robinson.
After pep ralley did boat cruise on the SEA DOG and went on the river in Chicago and got tour of skyscrapers. Amazing! Went up Sears Tower which was cool. Friday night went to dinner at the chophouse for great Steak dinner. Excellent food! Piano bar after that where I smoked a stogie. Was going to smoke it after USC/ND game but if USC lost I wouldn't be able to enjoy it. It is a $4 stogie which is a premium for me! Gurka.
Sat. morning we were supposed to leave at 7am go to CFB hall of fame, then go to ND campus and then game. Well to my disappointment it didn't work out that way. We left at 8am and decided not to go to CFB HOF. Not enough time. But we had plenty of time to tour ND campus which was really nice. Although I prefer USC's brick style better. The lake, church, grotto etc was great. Buildings I thought were boring appearance wise. I am biad to red brick buildings.
I had 10 yard line seats which was basically right next to press box. GREAT seats but I think all seats at ND are great because you are close to action. First time I saw ND band and I was very impressed. (they don't travel to USC for whatever stupid reason) I must say, I LOVE the tradition at ND games. Amazing. The band was fantastic and I was really impressed with the student section. They were located below us and the to left. They have all these cheers and hand signals and more importantly ALL IN UNISON! I wish USC had that.
The stadium is great but I have one MAJOR complaint. No replay screen. WTF is up with that? Get a freaking jumbo screen. I had to use my binocs and look into press box TV's for replays.
This def. was the loudest game I ever attended. USC might be this loud "if" it was build upright instead of going out. The crowd was HUGE advantage for ND and I amazed how loud it was. USC people told me ND and Oregon have the 2 loudest stadiums who travelled to both this year.
The biggest thrill I had was all the up and down emotions. I sat in ND section all decked out in my USC Hockey jersey and USC hat with my Dad who also was in USC clothes. All the ND fans around us treated us with respect and we interacted all game. But the ups and downs of this game was amazing. USC drives down field late 4th and takes lead I was screaming. But when ND drove down with less than 5min. the place was ROCKING! When they scored my God it was loud. Then it got super loud on Leinarts sack on 2nd 10. 4th and 9 was the loudest ever but when Leinart completed that 4th down pass the place went SILENT! CRAZY SILENT. The ND people in my section were crazy in belief. It was something else. Of course I jumped up and down screamed as loud as I can and lost my voice. It cracked and was gone! :mj07:
Then of course we had the USC fumble at goaline and USC TD which were even more UPS and DOWNS!
Best of all, after the game was over, EVERY ND fan surrounding me who I interacted with shook my hand. It was a blast!
Sunday went to couple museums and toured Loyd Wrights house. Very interesting. Had cocktails with my family up in Hancock tower overlooking the skyline. Amazing view! Best $12 cocktails I ever had thanks to the view!
Ate dinner at Carsons Ribs which were very good. Went to Ditkas Bar that night and watched the Angels lose to the White Sox but enjoyed another stogie! Padron 2000!
All in all, I had a blast! 3 things I wasn't able to do was go see the ND ralley, CFB HOF and see WRIGLEY FIELD. ND ralley was SB and that is 2 hours from Chicago. Not enough time but I will make a trip back and saved stuff to do next time. Loved South Bend and Chicago is now one of my top 5 favorite cities.
#1 New Orleans (best city by far)
#2 South Beach
#3 Chicago
#4 New York
#5 LA
To top all of that, I had great weekend capping CFB, won my NHL play, and won a big bet on Ravens ML in NFL. Most importantly, USC is still undefeated!
Def. the best sports weekend I have ever had. A memory that will last my entire life.
Any USC fans who read the board, South Bend is a must do trip! But stay in Chicago and drive to SB. USC/ND is the best rivalry in CFB!
