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I have traveled to Columbus for business many times but I have not taken in a game. I am headed down there Tuesday and was looking for some advice:
Should I stay in the city and take a cab or stay close and walk?
What sections are best for UM fans?
Any other helpful advice?
Thanks in advance for your help!!
My advice: Keep careful watch over your cooler.
Body armor. Semiautomatic with laser scope armor piercing rounds, flash bangs and smoke grenades for distraction, side arm 9 mm, extra rounds, combat knife, suicide pill when you are captured by the enemy, good luck.
9mm?! You think that soft round is going to take down drunken Buckeyes? Go with the .45. And throw in a shotgun.
Stay in the downtown Arena district. There is a really nice Hampton Inn down there close to all the bars and restaurants. Take a quick cab ride to the Schottenstein Center. Other than that, dress warm and tip well.
would not help you at all. I see them in Ann Arbor for games and they are treated like a fan. The flip side is a matter of how you were raised in ohio. The area near campus is BAD from what I recall. I would stay on the outside circle and find a ride in to the game but someone may know better. Easton Mall area is good.
If your car has Michigan stuff on it, be prepared for either confetti or key scratches. It is a Columbus tradition much like the burning of the couches in East Lansing.
learned the hard way. It only had Michigan plates. . . but it was enough
If you have Michigan plates, my recommendation is to throw a red sweatshirt in the back and front windshield. This will make them think twice about keying it bc you could be a buckeye who happens to live in Michigan. If you have any buckeye gear, the better. I'm of the mindset I'd rather spend $5 at Walmart for a Buckeye decal than $$$ on damages to my car. All bets are off while in Columbus and you have to survive any way you can.
Don't open stray coolers. Don't look directly at Aaron Craft's cheeks.
A gas mask will help with the smell in Columbus.
It depends on how much money you want to spend, but theres a Red Roof Inn and a few others within a stones throw of the Schott that you can stay at and walk to the arena. That would be cheaper than some of the nicer big box chain downtown hotels.
I am a Hilton guy, so probably something downtown or the Homewood on Lane.
Is about a year old and spectacular. Stay there. Eat at Martini next door.
Stay in the Blackwell if it's available. Pricey, but it's a 4/5 star hotel attached to the business school. Probably looking a $500 a night though.
Tons of upscale hotels downtown, but that's probably a 10-15 minute cab ride.
Yeah, I'd stay downtown. Not much around campus - hotels or decent joints for food. Great places to eat downtown, and in Short North area. If you can swing the Blackwell, it's nice, but may be full this late in the game. I haven't had too much trouble with BBall games down here. They don't really care much, unless the team's in the hunt for a national championship, which, clearly... There was one game a few years ago, with my wife and two very young kids, when an old man put his finger in my face and chanted "just like football". Over, and over. Restraint, my friends. I'm debating going this year, hate the late tip.
Recommend the hilton on High Street. It's nice, medium price. Eat at Northstar cafe if you haven't already. Breakfast at Philco on HIgh street, the fried egg tacos. Drinks at House Beer on High Street and hubbard (chill place, little hipster). Coffee at one line on high street. Lots of those places are new so you probably haven't been there yet.
I used to live in the Short North. Drink there, sleep downtown.
In German village. Best meal in Columbus.
Their fans are horrible man. Not worth it. Watch on tv. Seriously. I learned the hard way.
in Columbus (we were in town for The Game) back in '90 as we walked into a bar somewhere on High Street. Turned out to be not so bad once I and my buddy dried off, as they spared my wife and my buddy's girlfriend the "beer baptism". In fact, the perpetrators bought us a round and, other than the drenching and lots of laughs at our expense, the enemy treated us well in that tavern.
From what I heard back at the hotel later (Hilton downtown), it was a well-known tradition at that particular bar to treat Michigan fans that way if they dared enter wearing Maize and Blue, something we didn't know being first-time travelers to Columbus. I wish I could remember the name of the place; maybe someone else here will come up with the name of that particular bar.
Other than that, had no problems in my one-and-only trip to Columbus, including tailgating and the post game after a Michigan Victory (the worst verbal abuse being "wait til we kick your butts in hoops!"). I think the abusive behavior in Columbus towards Michigan fans has risen to a much higher level in the 2+ decades since, though---others I've talked to have told me much worse personal stories of being abused and/or property damage.
If you're buying fast food, Starbucks, etc, order it to go - sales tax is charged on dine-in orders but not to-go orders (even if you turn around and eat in anyway). Save yourself a few cents, and give a little less to the state university.
last year. 4 of us that split my season tix here. We wore gear and parked in one of the lots - it was a Sunday afternoon game which may have helped. We had no trouble at all. We did have great seats - 1/2 court a few rows behind Clark Kellogg. So we were with the older alumni type and they talked with us and were as nice as buckeyes can be. I am sure other parts of the arena would be worse. I think basketball is a much different environment. I will say they have a lot of fun with wolverine fans on the big screen. They mock us during just about every tv timeout. There is definitely a savagery we don't have - when we went down 20 or whatever it was in the first half, I thought the lid was going to blow off the building. Had burke's 3 dropped at the end.....would have been so nice.
I've gone to the Mich/OSU basketball game the past two years. I've worn my stuff, and haven't gotten any shit.
As far as where to stay? Any hotel downtown is solid: Hampton, Drury, Renaissance, etc.
Is there a visitor section or a section with a representation of our people? Any sections to avoid? Tickets are dirt cheap on stubhub right now.
Kind of piggy backing off this, but does anyone gave advice for attending a football game there? A couple of buddy's and myself plan on going this November and need to start planning.
Don't go!
The end of snatch
You will be getting some young buckeye in your face, calmly point somewhere and say look there's your cousin go #$%^ her. OK maybe not, just laugh and think of a witty comeback and you should be fine. Remember watch your speed on the way down. Remember also, if you go to Columbus looking for trouble you will find it and it will probably be wearing scarlett and grey. But If you go to Columbus looking for a good time, well you should have stayed in AA. Go Blue and always always wear your colors, because if your not wearing Scarlet and Grey they know your from Michigan anyway.
Thanks, and yes definitely will be sporting the colors. I plan on just laughing off the trash talk but heard it's pretty vile so not always easy to do.
I work in the arena district. There are numerous bars with cheap happy hours. The R Bar is a hockey bar that is a good place to relax , unless there is a hockey game and it will be packed.
While the arena is only a few miles from the Schott, traffic right before the game is horrible. Make your way to campus an hour or so early. There are 2 bars within walking distance of the Schott - Varsity Club and BW3. I'd reccommend BW3 and its only2 blocked further.
OSU fans are nearly as feisty during basketball season as they are in football. Its also ridiculously cold out, so you won't have many people on your walk - which is when you'd usually run into trouble.
There will be scalpers outside, but tickets for this game will probably be at least face value until after the first few minutes of the game. With this team, the game could be over by then (either way.. )
The schott is a decent venue, and there will be a small section cheering for Caris from Pickertington. However, the fans will be dying for a win - its been a bad season for them. They were civil the past 2 years because everyone loved Trey - the guy who OSU passed on, but clearly wanted to go to OSU.
Lets hope we play up to our ability, not like we have against Iowa and Indiana. A road win in Columbus would look great on the resume.
I went to both games last year and I got more crap from Ohio fans in Ann Arbor than I did in Cbus. I parked in a stadium lot and rode the buss over. I didn't see anything or have anything said to me.
I give you props for going. Try not to start trouble but be prepared for someone to start it with you.
your car take a cab or walk. Oh and stay inside the speed limit on the way down, if I had a nickle for every time I heard a fan say they were pulled over,,, well I would golf with a ball instead of a disc.
I am doing a lot of business with a law firm in Columbus, and so I have to keep my Maize and Blue yap shut for the next couple of days in order to not alienate those clowns.
Bring lots of anti-bacterial lotion. In fact, have a couple 50 gallon drums shipped to your hotel room so you can bath in it after you have mingled with the population.
is a great place to get a burger.
But prepare to wait 1-2 hours even for bar seats
OSU fans are a lot more tolerable when they're winning. Back in the 90's or early 2000's it would have been a nightmare to travel there.
Over the last 10 years, OSU is 27-4 against UM in football/basketball. They've toned down the hate considerably.
and hard on my eyes.
We have to start beating them in both sports ASAP
They are ridiculously expensive. COTA busses are notoriously unreliable. There is plenty of cheap parking for the Schott, but you have to ride a shuttle with all of the osu mouth breathers.
