Irish NFL fan in America Trip 3 Review (Oakland & San Francisco).

Best Game?

By all accounts it could well be. The Giants win over the 49ers in Levi Stadium on Monday night could be the best game I’ve ever been to, all things considered. The game was exciting the whole way through culminating in a last second game on the line win or lose throw. The stadium was the best I’ve ever been to. The pregame party was awesome. Getting on the pitch after the game was an experience of a lifetime.

Having said all that the atmosphere, overall, wasn’t as memorable as the Bills.

The San Francisco 49ers was a great experience. The Bills was an unbelievable experience, if that makes any sense.

When they built Levi Stadium in Santa Clara some 40 odd miles from downtown San Francisco they done it right. The stadium itself is just tremendous. It’s ultra modern. It has a patio at the top which probably hosts the best bar in all of sports. The inside of it is like club areas throughout. The stadium itself is a joy to behold. It is fresh, it is ultramodern, it is really just very impressive. Despite it being a few years old now everything about it seems brand new.

It’s the best stadium I’ve been to in my lifetime anyway.

I don’t think I can ever remember up until this year a game truly being on the line with one second left on the play-clock and yet there I was only my 6th game in and I had just seen it happen for the second time. It brought me right back to Philly as I looked up at that 0.01 on the screen. And it wasn’t just a Hail Mary left either, it was a genuine red zone opportunity, both times. This time it was the home team driving, last time it was the away team, ultimately neither of them would get the touchdown.

So what about the Raiders? I had high hopes for the Oakland Raiders. I was giddy the day I got a ticket in the black hole because I thought it was going to be an experience to remember for life getting in there. It wasn’t. It was good, it was memorable but it just wasn’t as good as I had thought it was going to be.

I suppose the big difference between the two games I went to last weekend were the kick off times. I think if you reverse the schedules I have two completely different experiences.

Monday night football is the nuts, plain and simple. I don’t know what it is about it but it seems like the crowd have waited all year for this fixture and are just so much more up for it than a daytime kick off. I’m sure the full day’s drinking probably helps.

I don’t think there’s any doubt about it that the Raiders are San Francisco’s team. That is, until they move to Vegas! They are so much closer to San Fran than the 49ers. Hell the 9ers aren’t even in San Francisco they’re in Santa Clara. I often wonder how the fan base of teams like that is made up. Who are these people in the stadium? Are they the Candlestick Park brigade? Are they new Silicon Valley blow ins that now have a team on their doorstep? Are they tourists like me? Who knows. Maybe a combination of all three. The Oakland Coliseum certainly had a more distinguished crowd. It had much more of hometown feel to it.

San Francisco itself was a good city without me actually loving it. I can’t really put my finger on why but it was my second time there and although there’s plenty on offer with the bridge and Alcatraz and tramcars going up big hills to me it was just not my type of city. North beach which I only passed through very briefly on Sunday night looked more like my kind of place but the city itself of San Francisco in and around Union Square was a bit humdrum, a bit lacking in atmosphere. It was more Chicago Bears than Buffalo Bills. I think I’m looking forward to getting out of the cities and in to the sticks with this tour.

Which brings me nicely on to my next trip, New York!

I’ll be back next month with my takings from the big apple just before Christmas where I’m going to see you guessed it, the Giants and the Jets.

Those vagabond shoes, they’re longing to stray.

Oakland - City (N/A)
Oakland - Raiders Gameday experience 6.8/10.

San Francisco - City 6.9/10
San Francisco - 49ers Gameday experience 8.1/10 

Irish NFL fan in America Trip 3 Preview.

Man, these NFL seasons are short.

My plan from the start with this has been to get four trips in a year and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. The problem what that is you really need to squeeze them in as you only have four months of regular season.

Although next year I might roll the dice and go to a playoff game with my fourth trip. Surely there’ll be some teams in there I haven’t seen!

All this means is that I’m away again this weekend for NFL trip three, this time to San Francisco.

It’s the 9ers and the Raiders this time and they take on the Giants and the Chargers respectfully. Should be two good games. With the exception of the first game in Philly all of the games I’ve been to have been pretty one sided affairs with long odds on favourites getting it done. The Raiders Chargers game could be more of the same but the 49ers Giants game should certainly be more of a contest with two teams that have only managed three wins between them from a possible 17.

I’ve got some nice tickets for both games. Section 105 of the Oakland Coliseum is considered the black hole by Raiders fans and that is exactly where I’ll be on Sunday. This should make for an amazing experience and it’s just as well after my trip to Buffalo. Standards are high!

For the San Francisco game I managed to get postgame field access, premium game seating and pregame party tickets as part of a 49ers fan deal. This should also provide a cool experience and it’s important as the last thing I want is any two games being similar or the same. I want each and every one to be distinctive in some way or another come the end.

I’ll be in San Francisco for six days without any travelling bar the short trip to Oakland (20 mins driving) which means this trip should be a lot less hectic that the last two.

It’s a privilege to be able to do this and I’m really glad I’ve followed through with the idea. The vlog has been well received and like I keep saying I think it will get better as I go along.

Other than that not much else to say other than time to tackle San Francisco! Expect a review and vlog from trip three sometime late next week.

Irish NFL fan in America Trip 2 Review (Chicago & Buffalo).

A tale of two cities.

Chicago and Buffalo. Two very different cities. Bills and the Bears. Two very different teams.

I didn’t spend a lot of time in Buffalo (only 17 hours) but I’ve seen livelier places. It was a ghost town. Chicago on the other hand was absolutely vibrant.

However, their teams did not match their cities. The Bears game was entirely forgettable. Soldier field subdued. The brand of football unexciting. Even their jerseys are dull. I left with almost no love for the Bears.

It probably didn't help that the Jets are one of the weakest teams in the NFL this year and really struggled in this game on both sides of the ball. The Bears were certainly too good for them on this occasion, not that they really needed to be.

And then I went to Buffalo.

I said at the end of my last blog that Chicago and Buffalo would have to bring the party to me as I hadn’t got much planned and by Jesus did Buffalo oblige.

I don’t know what a frat party is but I’m guessing I walked in on one in New Era field on Monday night. 

I knew within 5 miles of the stadium that it was going to be good. Parties bopping, stereos pumping, say what you want about Buffalo they know how to party.

You know when you’re driving up to a stadium or a concert or whatever and you get within a mile or two of the stadium and you just think “this is going to be good.” That was exactly what driving up to New Era field was like.

It may have been because it was Monday night football. It may have been because it was the Patriots, but I have a good feeling you could go to any Bills game against any opponent at anytime and be almost guaranteed a good time.

They are going to be hard beaten. I literally sprinted into the club store soon as I got there to buy a hat and jersey and believe you me I ain’t rich enough to be doing that each time. I felt physically compelled, drawn to their merchandise like a magnet. Only then could I possibly feel comfortable. Only then could I settle in. It was almost tribe-like.

I’ll put it like this. The idea crossed my mind to drop the whole tour and just buy a Bills season ticket instead. It was that good.
The area in and around New Era Field was absolutely bouncing. It was like a rock concert. It was raw, it was loud, it was wild, it was totally compelling. I didn’t want to go to the game it was so good outside! But I did and that was great too. There is just such a great party atmosphere at Bills’ games. It’s a sight to behold.

I don’t know if I’m going to see a more exciting team than them to be honest. I know I’m only 4 games in and 28 to go but I will be very surprised if any team tops it. It was that good.

Chicago itself was a marvellous city with lots to do and see I’d say you could spend a year there and still not have seen a lot of it. The lake running through the middle of it makes it very beautiful. I would recommend it to anyone for a holiday vacation.

Buffalo not so much. But for game-day, there might be no better.

Buffalo - City (Didn't see one! N/A).

Buffalo - Bills Gameday experience 9.5/10.

Chicago - City 8/10.
Chicago - Bears Gameday experience 3/10.