Visiting College Park, MD for UMich game
Regrettably, I don't have any hot takes to throw out there regarding last week's game.
However, I am making the trip to College Park in a few weeks and wanted to hear from experienced fans on what to expect and if there is any extra advice.
Any Michigan tailgate spots?
Where to eat?
Best place to sit in the stadium?
Any fun Maryland traditions to gaze upon?
Anywhere worth stopping on the way from Metro Detroit to the final destination?
Thanks in advance. Go Blue!
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:41 AM ^
I went to the game two years ago. I recommend booking parking in advance. The lots are small and scattered about. Google Maryland football parking and you'll find the site to reserve prepaid.
Also, they sell beer at the stadium, including some craft brews. Something to keep in mind.
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:50 AM ^
Thanks. My wife and I are going to College Park for the first time and are looking for a place to tailgate. Looking forward to other replies on tailgating.
October 23rd, 2017 at 11:17 AM ^
There's a convenient Metro stop if you don't want to drive and park. They have a free shuttle that will take you to the big lots just outside the stadium. We stayed in DC two years ago and found the transportation very convenient.
October 23rd, 2017 at 12:46 PM ^
My wife and I are staying a mile or so from the stadium and we're planning on walking. However, if that shuttle is close I would take it.
Do you know what if there is a website that shows transit routes and times?
October 23rd, 2017 at 11:49 AM ^
A note of caution about the beer in the stadium: it's wretchedly expensive and it takes half an hour to get one from the incompetent and indifferent concession people.
Get one if you want the novelty of it, but if you really want to drink beer, do it at a tailgate before the game.
October 23rd, 2017 at 12:13 PM ^
Spot on about the parking. We didn't reserve in advance two years ago and I regretted it. I found a spot in a neighborhood but it was a rather long walk.
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:44 AM ^
Franklin's, on Route 1 in Hyattsville, is a good microbrewery/pub.
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:47 AM ^
Hit up busboys and poets. Pretty good spot.
October 23rd, 2017 at 1:58 PM ^
(if you're a vegan)
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:47 AM ^
My buddy went to MD for grad school and I've been there several times. It honestly kind of sucks. It's all highways and strip malls.
October 23rd, 2017 at 2:51 PM ^
Quite true.
It's a pretty campus but a very lame college town. There pretty much is no college town. It's fundamentally a commuter school.
Your formula for success is to walk around the campus itself before the game, attend the Michigan tailgates (official alumni tailgate in parking lot C1, informal ones all around there), then go somewhere in DC after the game.
There is no real college town scene. It's not an Ann Arbor / Madison type experience.
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:55 AM ^
I went in 2015 as well. We didn't have time to tailgate much, but from what I've heard, College Park is not a great town (it also felt that way when I was there).
However, parts of the actual campus are decently nice, with big lawns and cool architecture.
The coolest part about College Park is its proximity to DC. The DC subway system is one of the better ones and there is a stop on the green line in college park, so if you want to stay in/go to the city after/before, it's easy.
The only tradition type thing I saw was that turtle everyone touches on the main lawn of their campus (testudo, probably their M in the Diag equivalent). Students rub it for good luck before exams.
In terms of the stadium:
- Don't sit in the first 10 rows of the lower bowl if possible. These seats have obstructed views as they're very low to the ground and thus the players/coaches on the sidelines are in the way of the action. However, if you're the type who prefers to stand during games, these could be nice for you.
- Michigan's sideline will be the north side of the stadium.
- Section 2, 202 and 302 are the "official" visitors sections, but there will be UM people all over the place. The North side of the stadium felt 50-50 overall.
- Any of the seats are probably fine; the 200 level deck is where we sat (203) and the height of that deck is ideal in my opinion, but the lower bowl also would be great. I think that the bottom third of the top deck offers great views, but once you start getting up into the very top half of the upper deck, it gets very vertical. Good sight lines, just really steep/far from the field. However, the one positive about the top of the 300 deck is that you can see Washington DC (the monument, etc.) on a clear day.
October 23rd, 2017 at 11:20 AM ^
Agree with the seating recomendations. Two years ago they moved the game up due to a hurricane in the Atlantic. We sat wherever we wanted because the stadium was 1/3 full at kickoff. Most of the people around us were under the overhang of the upper deck to stay out of the rain.
The concession stands were pathetic. The kids running it were clueless about virtually everything. I was no more than 10th in line at halftime and missed two minutes of the third quarter.
October 23rd, 2017 at 2:53 PM ^
Don't go to the concession stands at half time, you will regret it. Go with about 5 min left in the 2nd quarter.
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:51 AM ^
They aren't used to big crowds and don't know how to handle. Parked quite a ways away for $20 in someones lawn. Had a good time. Lots of climbing to get up to my seats, but highly recommended. Maryland fans were very accommodating.
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:59 AM ^
UMDC will be hosting a tailgate before the game in lot C1. You can either purchase a parking pass for lot C1 (or any other lot) at http://dots.umd.edu/fballParking.html. FWIW I’m parking in W1 - a nice little shaded enclave off the central mall of the campus - and may stroll over to the alumni tailgate at some point.
Fishnet is a good place to get a crab cake, and the beer is good all around. Look for local DC & MD brews like DC Brau, 3 Star, Waredaca or Flying Dog.
October 23rd, 2017 at 11:04 AM ^
I'll be making the drive up with my wife and best friend from North Carolina. We're meeting a group of friends/family in the DC/Baltimore area. 8 of us total. Sitting in section 28.
I don't think we have our parking passes yet, but are still trying to lock that down.
October 23rd, 2017 at 11:05 AM ^
I don't know of any set Michigan tailgate spots but I expect it to be interspersed as Maryland doesn't assign tailgate spots logically or by team.
Where to eat?
It depends, if you have time before the game I would recommend going to the new restaurants under Maryland's 4 star hotel (this is new as of the 2015 game)
Maryland's golf course club is also not bad for food.
Best place to sit
Don't go to the lower bowl as your view will be obstructed by the players. Aim for the middle "ring" of seating.
Maryland traditions
I would recommend visiting the mall as it's the largest in the country by length. Additionally, the Maryland creamery is pretty neat.
Our main tradition is putting our flag on everything so be prepped for that
Recommended Stops
Maryland's main appeal is its proximity to DC. The College Park metro is on the green line and will take you into Washington D.C. Check that out after the game if you want a nicer dining option or just to explore.
October 23rd, 2017 at 11:53 AM ^
Just a clarification . . . you want to sit in the lower bowl if you can, just not in the first dozen or so rows of it.
Those rows are at field level and your view is blocked by players, the way Michigan Stadium used to be if you've been around a while.
I don't like Maryland's upper deck at all. It is steep and windy and you feel isolated from the action/crowd. If you do sit in it, try to sit in the lower section of it.
In 2015 Michigan pretty much took over sections 2-7, 202-209, and 302-309 below.
Maryland students sit in sections 8 -16. They will dissapear if the Terps fall behind, but until then they can be a pain the the ass. Best to avoid them. There will be plenty of tickets elsewhere.
October 23rd, 2017 at 11:07 AM ^
You are just a long subway ride away from our nation's worst city! If you've ever said "wow, I like the dirtiness and expensiveness of New York City, but wish there was more humidity and politicians" then you should swing over to DC after the game, and watch the OSU-PSU game with a nice $32 jack and coke.
October 23rd, 2017 at 11:15 AM ^
I'd go for watching a live game instead of a replay, but to each his own.
October 23rd, 2017 at 11:27 AM ^
Washington is probably the cleanest American big city I've seen, not sure what you're talking about.
It's also the only city in the US that has more of that European feel in terms of architecture as well as not being vertical (no buildings are allowed to be taller than the monument, so not many skyscrapers).
DuPont Circle area is great for bars/restaurants. NW Washington is gorgeous; Rock Creek Park is very beautiful in that park of the city. Obviously also boasts the best museum scene in the country.
Yes, summers can be brutal at times, but this game is in mid-November.
October 23rd, 2017 at 11:35 AM ^
If it does not rain, it will be an excellent weekend to visit DC. The weather will be cool and clear, but not cold. Very fall-y in early November.
October 23rd, 2017 at 11:39 AM ^
Best museums is the only thing we can agree on. Washington DC is a garbage place.
October 23rd, 2017 at 11:46 AM ^
You seem to have a garbage opinion based on politics and nothing more.
DC metro has more than 6 million people. Guess what, they're not all politicians!
October 23rd, 2017 at 11:57 AM ^
In his; own special way! Hilarious
October 23rd, 2017 at 12:07 PM ^
I've lived in the DC area for 25 years. It's amazing how non-political it is most of the time for most people.
My wife was chief of staff for a congressman and even then our life did not revolve around politics.
Everybody knows that politics happen here, so nobody really cares about your snowflake political hot take. We all know that nobody is going change anybody else's mind.
We get some kind of rally/protest on the mall every single weekend. All from out of town people. It doesn't move the dial like people think it does (unless it gums up traffic, then people just get mad).
October 23rd, 2017 at 12:29 PM ^
Exactly.
It's the same sort of thing for LA with Hollywood. Living here, you almost never even notice it because it's such a small subset of the population. I even work in entertainment (on the tech side of it, not creative) and I don't even feel it all that much.
October 23rd, 2017 at 3:02 PM ^
Yeah, I thought of the Hollywood analogy. It applies as well.
You are not going to trip over yourself just because you see Stockard Channing walk down a street.
When you live in an "industry" town, you often tune it out.
Detroit is not 2 million car nuts either.
October 23rd, 2017 at 12:37 PM ^
My opinion of the city actually has very little to do with the politicians. I go to DC a few times a year. I can't stand the place. My friends who live there can't stand it. I also despise New York and LA. I think you and I just have different tastes on what makes big cities good. Outside of the museums and monuments, I struggle to find it very hard to say a nice thing about the place.
October 23rd, 2017 at 3:04 PM ^
Duly noted.
Cool with me, we don't need any more people here.
October 23rd, 2017 at 9:49 PM ^
Cleanest big city I've ever been in. What you described in your original post was New Orleans (minus the politicians).
October 23rd, 2017 at 11:29 AM ^
you lost me at "expensiveness."
October 23rd, 2017 at 11:46 AM ^
I'm guessing you've never been to DC or spent any signficant time in DC with that take.
DC is one of the most vibrant cities in the US. World class museums, one of the best public transporation systems in the US, top notch restaurant scene (DC is one of just four US cities to have a Michelin star guide). It's one of the most desirable places to live in the US alongside NYC, LA, SF, Chicago and Boston. Maybe throw in Seattle in that mix.
Yes it's expensive, but the trade off is you get access to all of the above.
October 23rd, 2017 at 12:03 PM ^
Avatar checks out.
October 23rd, 2017 at 12:39 PM ^
I almost went to Georgetown, have friends who work in DC (1 at Georgetown) and go to the city for work multiple times a year. I hate it all the same. Some people have different opinions from yours.
October 23rd, 2017 at 11:53 AM ^
To say; I've been to the west side! You are the donkey of the day!
October 23rd, 2017 at 12:23 PM ^
I live in DC. I don't care enough to bother defendning it (no way I'd live here if I didn't need to for my job), but I must say: NYC is way, way, way, way, way dirtier. It isn't even close.
October 24th, 2017 at 7:11 AM ^
The “expensiveness” is for good reason. It keeps the riff-raff out.
October 24th, 2017 at 11:57 AM ^
Does the $32 include the tip?
October 23rd, 2017 at 11:13 AM ^
Anyone else thinking of Amtrak-ing it down from NYC for the day?
October 23rd, 2017 at 11:26 AM ^
I just parked at the College Park Metro station and took the free shuttle bus in to the staduim. It's walkable if you don't want to wait for a bus after the game.
If you have time after the game you might consider heading over to Annapolis which has more charm than DC or Baltimore. For simply hanging out, I prefer the Ram's Head Tavern over in Savage.
October 23rd, 2017 at 2:13 PM ^
Whoa someone on the internet mentioned the bar by my house... This is weird.
October 23rd, 2017 at 11:34 AM ^
Does anyone know if there is a shuttle or the like from the College Park metro stop to the stadium?
EDIT: nevermind answered by the post above.
October 23rd, 2017 at 11:45 AM ^
I'll be at the game with my GF who lives in Baltimore and goes to Maryland's Dental School. Looking forward to seeing another stadium outside of Ann Arbor. My favorite non UM stadium is in Seattle for UW. Terrible memory of a game there, but amazing setting/atmosphere
October 23rd, 2017 at 3:10 PM ^
You will be disapionted in Maryland's stadium. It's a very ACC football stadium.
Functional, but nothing compelling about it.
October 23rd, 2017 at 11:46 AM ^
Couldn't tell you about the UMD area specifically, but the drive to the DC area (coming from MI/OH) has a strange sight (IMO). Along I76 (at the interchange with I70), there there is a town called Breezewood, PA. The countryside around it is beautiful rolling hills, but the town itself is nothing but one giant truck stop. Not saying it was a great place, just odd to see.
October 23rd, 2017 at 12:06 PM ^
It's like a 10 square mile truck stop with 50+ hotels and cheap restaurants and gas stations.
All in the middle of nowhere.
I always wondered how they get enough volume to keep all those places in business, but it's been there a long time so they must get it.
October 23rd, 2017 at 2:15 PM ^
Breezewood is a major chokepoint for travel through the area, so there's plenty of volume. The hotels are all seedy as fuck though, and the place is a ghost town at night. Really don't like that place.