OT: advice on going to the Rutgers game at SHI stadium

I have not been there, but I would suggest large quantities of Ax body spray and hair gel.  

Good luck, cheer loud, and Go Blue!

I've been.  I drove up from DC and parked in the stadium parking lot, so can't help you on the train station advice.  I will say that the Rutgers fans I met were amazingly gracious.  I knew ahead of time that it was going to be very cold that day, so I bought tickets that provided some kind of indoor access.  I did not appreciate until I got there that the indoor access was actually the club level for big Rutgers fans (something like the M Club or something).  Despite the fact that my son and I were decked out from head-to-toe in maize and blue inside their special place, all of the Rutgers folks were very welcoming and engaging.  

There is a shuttle from the train station in New Brunswick to and from the stadium on game days. 

https://scarletknights.com/sports/2017/6/11/facilities-parking-html.aspx 

Shuttle buses run from DT New Brunswick to the stadium. Easy-peasy.

Recommend staying at the Heldrich if you can get a room, otherwise the Hyatt isn't bad either.

I live in NJ and have been to this game at least twice. NJ Transit to New Brunswick is definitely the way to go; only warning for the weekends is the EWR AirTrain that takes you from the terminal to the train station is old and unreliable, and they often do maintenance work on the weekends. When it's completely down, they will have a bus service replacing it, but more often, it's just slower on the weekends, so be prepared. Backup would be Uber/taxi to train station or even all the way to SHI.

Pretty average stadium experience. Rutgers fans were fine.

I’m going to this game also. I’m going with friends of mine who graduated from Rutgers and are huge Rutgers fans. We are driving to the stadium so I don’t have any advice on trains,sorry.  But I’m glad to hear there will be other M fans in attendance.

Unfortunately I’ll be sitting on the Rutgers side, since my friend got the tickets from the Rutgers Alumni Association.  So I’ll be in my M gear amongst a crowd of Rutgers fans. I don’t care if I’m the only M fan in my section, I’ll be cheering my head off and singing the Victors.  

Go Blue. 

I haven't been to the Stadium, but - after last year's game against Rutgers (in Ann Arbor), we had dinner at a restaurant on Main Street and were seated near a table of Rutgers fans.  They turned out to be parents of a few Rutgers players.  The conversation was very enjoyable and we enjoyed meeting / getting to know them.

Hopefully, your experience will be similar.

Enjoy the trip!

I've gone to games at RU a couple times, taking the train from NYC. I've ridden the bus to/from the train station and I've walked one way and ubered the other - both are reasonable options depending on how much time you have. 

If you want an adult beverage near the train station, I really liked Harvest Moon Brewery, and they had decent food too.

I live in Somerset (right near New Brunswick) and walk to the game. Parking is not ideal, so I would suggest using NJ Transit.

Dining options near the train station are okay (Look at the Frog and Peach and the Harvest Moon), but there is really nothing near the stadium. If you have a car and decide to park at the stadium consider the Stage House Tavern in Somerset.

Stupid comments. I'm from Jersey. When my folks were still up there, I would go to the UM away games there. There are a lot of good places to eat on campus and some surrounding areas - in town though, not near the stadium.

For parking, if you can walk, park a little further and walk in. It is a long walk, but they, like Maryland's campus, do not have the capacity to deal with the packed game day experience and you'll be sitting waiting to leave forever. With a young family, that blows. If its just adults, not as bad. And now, I just read that you aren't driving, so nevermind! Trains are fine, but just less frequent on the weekends. They have a schedule, so you'll be fine.

Yes, its safe, and doable. You'll see a TON of UM fans there. Lots of partying and the Rut crowd is a good friendly one. 

They usually have some food trucks outside the stadium on your walk in, if you're so inclined. Fat sandwiches etc... 

The stadium isn't bad. IF they score, which they did not when I went and it was 78-0, they shoot off a cannon, which is jarring, to say the least.

Also, their 3rd down music thing is annoying as F. I think its a Metallica riff.

Lots of tailgating, so if you're so inclined to find your way to join up with folks, go early and enjoy it!

If you are on your way out of town in an evening, go to the Brazillian (portugese) local steak houses in Newark. The Rodizios are f-ing so good, 100x better than Fogo type places, authentic, and usually run by or involved with the mob. no joke.

Yes NE Corridor train is a great, convenient option. You take the Air Train from EWR (free) to the NJ Transit station, where you buy tickets, very straightforward. It's a commuter train primarily so weekends will be less crowded

I was thinking of going this year too, and came across this website with good info
https://www.tailgaterconcierge.com/tailgater-guide-rutgers-university/

You can also ask/search for help in the Rutgers sports subreddit (yes there is one). Not many participants but pretty helpful to me in the past

Travel from the airport to the game – heard from some people that the train down to New Brunswick is the way to go. I saw on NJ Transit website the Northeast Corridor train runs regularly from EWR to New Brunswick. ? any experience with the train on weekends ?

You will be fine taking the train. They run more or less every hour on the weekends.  If coming from EWR, make sure to take the Northeast Corridor line and not the North Jersey Coast Line which will take you to the Jersey Shore.  Also, make sure to take the train heading towards Trenton (i.e. away from NYC).

The station there looks on Google maps to be a 2 mile walk to the stadium - safe and doable. ? Suggestions on trains ? rental car ? uber ?

The walk is completely fine. You will walk through campus and see all the students partying.  Good luck on getting an Uber. If you're going to rent a car, you might as well do so at EWR and drive to the stadium directly from the airport.

Places to eat?

New Brunswick / Piscataway generally has trash food. Get a fat sandwich at RU Hungry and then head to NYC to get an actual meal.

Prior experience with stadium ? We are on the visitor side

Trash stadium with no atmosphere whatsoever. There will be a lot of U-M fans/grads in attendance.

I went back in 2018 (flying from DTW) and had a great time.

1.  We went Friday night (it was a Saturday night game), and taking the train from EWR to NB was no problem.  Would recommnend.

2.  Walk is safe/fun/doable.  Campusy bars along the way.  It's a hike from the campus/downtown NB, but enjoyable.  Like walking down Hoover Street, if it were 2 miles long.

3.  Jokes about NJ/wrong side of the tracks/bridge aside.... there's RR tracks that run diagonally through NB.  South of it seems to be where more "grown up" restaurants and bars are.  We did that Friday night (Blackthorn, Rafferty, Destination Dogs, etc).  

3b/4.  On game day, we bar hopped NW of the train tracks, with more of a youthful campus vibe (we were all late 30's).  We went to Stuff Yer Face for fishbowls (cuz we always look for fishbowls... at least in a pre-COVID world), little dive places, and a great pizza place.  I forgot the name, but they could accommodate large tables, as we met up with others in town.

BONUS:  The biggest lesson learned about going to @ Rutgers is:  Go easy on the edibles, if you aren't used to it!

As for me, @Rutger'18 was my 9/14 B1G Stadium tours.  I leave Ann Arbor for Bloomington at 5:15am tomorrow. 

GO BLUE!

Both sides will be our side.  Nice and friendly atmosphere.  Parking is similar to ours but don't come too late.

Sorry, can't help ya. I have never once stepped foot into SHI.

I was at the 78-0 game.

It was comical how pumped up they were before the game...with the "Fence the Garden," the stripe-out, etc. 

After halftime, the entire student section was empty.  Became a Michigan home game at some point during the 3rd quarter.  By the end of the game, there might have been 100 Rutgers fans left.

The highlight was when Rutgers scored and they shot off the cannon...and then the TD was called back.

I drove with a friend from NYC, so can't comment on the train.  Parking was pretty easy.

We've taken the train from EWR to NYC.  It can be somewhat unreliable.  Might be better off getting an Uber from EWR.

The whole experience there is "meh" compared to the away games I've been to in EL, Columbus, State College, and Bloomington. 

There will be a ton of Michigan fans there given the proximity to NY...so you'll be among friends.

Go Blue!  

I've been there for 2 Michigan games.

I've taken NJ transit trains all the time but not for the game.  Usually reliable, but not 100%.  Does NJ Transit call it the Norhtheast Corridor?  Because that's what Amtrak calls its usual trains.  Amtrak and NJ Transit are two different things.

There isn't much near the stadium, unless it's on the other side from where I was.  Check Google maps.

Safety?  I was on the campus side of the river.  The stadium is on the other side.  Campus side was fine.  I would be surprised if you stay on the north side of the river there's any issues.

The stadium dug into a hill; it's kind of cool.  Concourses are narrow; there's stuff all around it, but you know, it's a stadium.

My experience with fan hassle was it wasn't Nebraska; it wasn't Ohio State.

I’d stay in the city, take the NJ transit or Amtrak from Penn Station on game day, probably Uber to the stadium if you’re not feeling the walk. 

The train is absolutely the way to go. Rutgers has buses from the train station to and from the stadium.

We stay in Manhattan, see a play and other sights and then take the train before the game.

Train is the way to go. Download the NJ transit app and you’ll have the schedule and can buy the tix without dealing with the station machines (source: commuter from NY to Princeton this fall). They check on board.