rturner92128

as yall know, we had no idea what to expect when visiting baton rouge for the alabama game. everyone on this board was very helpful in providing insight and i thought i would let yall know how our trip went.

almost immediately upon arriving in new orleans i learned how to use "yall". i also learned that following up a hurricane with a handgernade can cause unexpected results.

the gameday experience was something i will never forget and was one of the greatest spectacles i have ever seen. not all things live up to the hype, but gameday in lsu is one of those things that outperforms the expectations.

we arrived on campus around 10:00am, parked on la30, and walked towards the northern end of the stadium in hopes of seeing mike the tiger. mike was not out when we went by, but what we did see was people in every direction in some of the most elaborate tailgating setups we have ever seen. literally, you could look in any direction and see people enjoying themselves.

we stopped at the campus store to buy our lsu gear so that we were not confused as tiger bait.

based on the many recommendations, we made our way to the chimes and had a couple plates of jambalaya and red beans and rice. very cool place and the food was fantastic. we didnt wait for a table, instead headed to the back room for open seating.

we then headed back towards the stadium by going through the parade grounds. not sure how to describe what we saw, but i do remember seeing beer flowing through r2d2 and a stripper pole.

we purchased chairs and positioned ourselves to watch the players and band come down the hill into the stadium. while sitting there we talked with others doing the same. it was here that i think i learned the most about how important lsu football is to yall. there were 3 generations of families that just showed up to watch the parade of players, coaches, band, and cheerleaders. amazing that they would fight through this amount of people just to see them and not actually go to the game.

we told our story to many people and they were all shocked we wanted to be there, but were more than friendly in telling us their stories and how much they loved lsu football.

we got to our seats and sat among the nicest people you could imagine. again, we told our story and they did everything to make us comfortable and understand why lsu football is what it is.

we all know how the game turned out. i can only imagine what it would have been like if they would have been able to hold on.

all in all, this was one of the best experiences we could have asked for. to see that many people enjoying themselves in so many ways, and to see no incidents, was truly amazing. what i will remember the most is the sense of tradition and pride people have for lsu football.

thank you all so very much. we will be back.

geaux tigers

at this point, hotel availability in baton rouge is very scarce. the only rooms available are outside of the area, so we would have to deal with traffic anyways.

we are just going to bite the bullet and head south. our clocks will still be on pacific time so it hopefully wont be too rough.

we travel back to san diego on monday and plan to spend sunday in new orleans.

recommendations from friends have pointed us towards:

ralph and kacoo's
mother's
acme oyster house
broussard's
cafe de monde

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What part of San Diego are you from?

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we live in a community called carmel mountain ranch. 25 miles north of downtown san diego, near poway and rancho bernardo.

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Do y'all have hotel reservations near campus Saturday night? Driving back to Nola would be hell.

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we had considered getting hotel in baton rouge for saturday night but decided to head back to our room in new orleans after the game instead. is this a poor decision? what time do you think we should expect to arrive in new orleans if we were to leave immediately after the game?

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Son of a bitch. This is the very definition of "go big or go home"

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credit the wife for bringing up the idea to travel to different college football games. my idea to start it off with alabama/lsu

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What colors will you be wearing?

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purple and gold

our group consists of only myself and my wife. both in our mid-40s (if you see my wife dont tell her i said so).

i have heard the experience is legendary, that is the main reason we are coming. i just want to be as logistically prepared as possible and have somewhat of a plan.