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THE ULTIMATE SPORTS ROAD TRIP
By: Andrew Kulyk & Peter Farrell
October 12, 2003 - In 2001 we made our first trip to Lambeau Field, and got to see a stadium just beginning to undergo a massive renovation and transformation. We vowed right then and there that we would return to see how it all turned out. Heck, no need to twist our arms for a trip to Green Bay to see some football! So here we are, back to experience football in a place like no other, and in the NEW Lambeau Field..."The Rebirth of a Legend".
Lambeau Field Ranking by USRT Architecture 8 Concessions 9 Scoreboard 6.5 Ushers 7 Fan Support 10 Location 8 Banners/History 9 Entertainment 5 Concourses/Fan Comfort 8 Bonus: Tailgate Scene 3 Bonus: USRT Assist 2 Bonus: Atrium 1 Bonus: Hall of Fame 1 Bonus: Titletown 1 Total Score 78.5 Packers football is an institution here... it is a religion... and the team impacts the very fibre of this community in a very big way. So is it any surprise that the voters of this county approved a 1/2 percent sales tax dedicated to fund stadium improvements? The resulting plan was a total overhaul and facelift of Lambeau Field, a reconstruction costing $295M, and the venue standing today is a vastly different experience than the old Lambeau Field that people had been accustomed to. Yet in other ways it retains the same look and ambience, and gratefully, a day of football here has not been sanitized into some bland corporate experience.
Getting to the Venue
With a small town population, getting to the stadium is simple, with easy road access from any direction to the south end of Green Bay where the venue is located. The main expressway through town is US 41, exit on Lombardi Avenue and you are two blocks from the stadium. Hop in your car and chances are you will drive down a street named "Holmgren Way", "Packerland Drive" or "Lombardi Avenue" while enroute, and businesses such as "Titletown Collision" and "Titletown Brewing Company" will be in your sights. Clearly, this city's football team is meshed with the community's culture like nowhere else in America. If you have the time, stop by the grounds of old City Stadium, former home of the Packers and now the playing field for a local high school. The old clubhouse still stands and replica gates, turnstiles and iron fence are in place to give an idea of where the stadium once stood. Parking spots at Lambeau are reserved for permit holders, but there is plenty of general parking in private lots at business and homes. Prices start at $20-$25 but drop quickly if you are willing to walk a few blocks (we found a $5 lot three blocks away). More than a few homes offer amenities such as use of their bathroom facilities and backyard grills to entice parking patrons.Outside the Venue
When gameday comes to Lambeau Field, prepare for an extraordinary experience. The stadium lots open four hours before game time and the lines at the turn lanes stretch for quite a distance leading to the entrances long before they open. Then there are the bars, eateries and hotels surrounding the stadium, as well as the sparkling new Resch Center, the city's 12,000 seat arena all open for business. There are tailgates, street parties, live music, street vendors, barbecues and other entertainment everywhere, and fans packs the streets hours before the game to soak up the scene. Even in the cold weather, lots of drinking establishments set up large tents outside their buildings and invite fans for some pre and post game libations and entertainment.A couple of establishments deserve special mention, Brett Favre has a steakhouse in the vicinity amongst many sports bars. Again we have to mention one place in particular, and that is Kroll's West Restaurant, directly across from Lambeau. This Green Bay institution opened up in 1936 and is famous for its chili and most notably, its burgers with toppings such as ketchup, onions, and two slabs of butter...yes, you read that correctly. Radio personality Jim Rome once mentioned that Green Bay stands amongst the fattest cities in America, that after being offered shots of ranch dressing at his tour stop here. With all this plus the brats and cheese we also know that folks here love their cholesterol!
The Lambeau Field Atrium
With the renovation now completed, this venue stakes the claim of being the first "retro" stadium in the NFL. Brick facade, stone accents and wrought iron dominate the exterior architecture, reminiscent of the new baseball parks erected during the last 15 years. The main entrance is on the northeast corner of the building and that is where you will find the stupendous Atrium at Lambeau Field. The beautifully landscaped and flowered entrance plaza outside makes for a great meeting spot and photo op, and people were lined up waiting to take their pictures at the massive statues of Curly Lambeau and Vince Lombardi. Step inside, and your senses will be dazzled, for here you will see a soaring five story atrium all flooded in natural light and beautifully tiled and decorated. Some of the facilities you will find in the atrium - the two level team store, with doors to the outside and to the lobby. Then there is the Packers Hall of Fame, relocated from their former home across the street from the stadium. Curly's Pub is on the second floor, a restaurant and bar with plenty of table seating and TVs to enjoy the game. Some specialty concession stands, including Brett Favre's stand are also exclusive to the Atrium. And we should mention an interactive game area and entertainment zone, also on the second floor. Glass view elevators and escalator towers provide a great view of the whole setup while riding upstairs. And balconies overlook the lobby from each level. Clearly, they have built a facility that is not only for use on ten game dates, but is a year round entertainment destination. And they did it with taste and style!Concourses
The renovation more than doubled the width of concourses and turned this from a one concourse to a two concourse facility. They maintained the "retro" look by keeping the old steel support beams and framework in place and even the old stenciled section signage, but painted and repaved the areas to give everything a fresh look. Concession stands were all given new canopies and old fashioned light fixtures. But the coolest decorative features are the ad panels and great moments exhibits amply scattered throughout the corridors. All signage here is black and white, the ads are old fashioned and "retro", and the historical murals are all done very nicely. The building is easy to navigate, until making your way into the seating area. That's where things get a bit dicey...Seating Area
One of the most famous seating bowls in all of sports, again we cannot emphasize enough about the old time feel of this place as it is something you cannot wholly recreate. Seating capacity was expanded and is now at roughly 70,000. Even with the renovation, the overall look of the seating bowl was left unchanged. Still bench seating with stenciled seat numbers, very narrow aisles and stairwells, and the only armchair seats in the building are the outdoor club seats on the east sideline. Indoor club seats and suites ring the top of the building on three sides, but the seating bowl is totally open air and very intimate. New scoreboards and video boards have been installed high above each end zone, and we were sorry to see the massive analog "Oneida Nation" clock gone. No digital LED boards or high tech gizmos here... the distinctive look was kept intact.Concessions
With the renovation comes lots of good food, and the coolest concessions are located in or near the Atrium. Brett Favre's Two Minute Grill offers steak sandwiches and jambalaya; Fratello's is an Italian stand offering lasagna, fettucini alfredo and a dish called "tiramisu". We have no clue what that is. Chili Johns offers home made chili and chili dogs and the Meat Packing Company(where the name Packers comes from) sells jumbo sandwiches. Pizza, chicken sandwiches and of course brats can be found throughout the stadium. The main team store is off the Atrium lobby with other merchandise stands around the building.Premium Seating
The renovation added a good number of indoor club seats and suites, and outdoor club seats, all with access to a private concourse on the fifth floor and overlooking the Atrium. Interesting here that in addition to the obligatory lounge areas, carpeted floors and bars, there is an area called the "Legends Club", with outdoor balconies, indoor table seating and configured to serve as conference/banquet space on non game days. All very practical!Banners/Retired Numbers
On the façade of the suites ringing the playing field is where you can see the history of this proud franchise. The seasons of the Packers 12 NFL Championships are here, and on their ring of honor are a total of 20 members of the Packers organization who have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. But the best of the best are reserved for the stadium's south end zone - the Packers four retired numbers #3 Tony Canadeo, #14 Don Hutson, #15 Bart Starr and #66 Ray Nitschke are displayed here.Touchdowns, Extra Points, and Fumbles
Touchdown to Green Bay Packers fans who have sold out this building and support the team like no other in any of the four major sports. Season ticket waiting list requests top 60,000 seats. The team maintains a separate season ticket base of "Milwaukee tickets", dating back to their playing days at Milwaukee County Stadium as well. Packers tickets are the hottest thing going in the state of Wisconsin and that is not going to change anytime in the forseeable future.
Touchdown to the Packers front office for making a small float of tickets available to the single ticket buyer. Here's how it works... during the summer residents of Brown County show up and enter a "ticket lottery". One must sign up for four seats and if you are selected, they come in the mail and your credit card is charged. The downside... you don't know what game you are getting, it is all the luck of the draw.
Fumble to the USRT Karma...again we wanted to will the home team to a victory, but the hometown Packers blew a 17 point lead in the fourth quarter and the game went into overtime. The undefeated Kansas City Chiefs won the toss and marched down the field, but their field goal attempt was blocked. The Karma strikes!!! But it was short lived as the Packers fumbled on the next play. KC quarterback Trent Green threw a long touchdown strike on the subsequent play and it was lights out. KC 40, GB 34.
Extra Point As with the old set up, the new scoreboard at Lambeau keeps track of total rushing and passing yardage for each team.
Extra Point another unique fact about this franchise - it is community owned. People own shares to the team and elect a board of directors, who in turn appoint officers to run the team. Don't expect to make a financial killing though. The stock pays no dividends and is not traded on the open market. Plus ownership is capped at 200,000 shares, insuring that no billionaire swoops in with a hostile takeover bid.
Touchdown and props to MARK SCHIEFELBEIN of the Packers front office who made precious game tickets available for two desperate road trippers from Buffalo, terrific seats 14 rows off the field no less. Thanks Mark and we are pleased to induct you into the USRT Hall of Fame with our appreciation.
Fumble To Continental Airlines... what is it about our plans to go to Green Bay that things always go haywire?! We were forced to DRIVE (yea, we know....we're the Ultimate Sports ROAD Trip! Quit yer whining, right!!!) here, this after we arrived at the airport, saw our flight was delayed, we would miss our connection, and the airline couldn't even promise us seats even the next day since it was a holiday weekend and all their flights were full. To top it off, we have a non refundable ticket, so no money back, but we have one year to use the tickets for full value less a $100 per ticket "change fee". A change fee? A CHANGE FEE? You almost ruin our entire weekend and now this?! You can't be serious Continental!!! (Andrew made the call to their customer service department, and yes, they waived the "change fee". Can you imagine the nerve of these people?!)
Extra Point Hand painted advertisements on brick walls. Holy Conseco Fieldhouse!!! Many concourse design elements seem to mimic the wonderful and nostalgic feel of Indianapolis' great temple to basketball. The finishing touches and decor throughout this venue are outstanding!
Touchdown To the Packers, for not putting some corporate name on Lambeau Field, which would be the ultimate slap in the face to such a hallowed ground. Similar to Cleveland Browns Stadium they let the big corporations such as Verizon and Miller Beer fight over the naming rights to the gates to the stadium.
Summary
Tailgating and football here in "Titletown" is as pure and good as it gets anywhere in the National Football League. People here are so nice, so friendly, so down to earth and they just love their Packers. But in these days in sports, it's all about suites, it's all about corporate sponsors, hospitality tents, big dollars. Here was our biggest fear - Would the renovation of the stadium crowd out the average fan? Would the expansion turn Lambeau Field into a playpen for the corporations and the conglomerates? Think it couldn't happen here? Just talk to Redskins fans, who wax poetic about their old RFK Stadium and rail about sterile and expensive Fedex Field and you get the picture.The answer here is just good, good news - the great and noble Packers football experience has been left intact. It's all here - the brats, the tailgates, the cheeseheads, the party atmosphere in a small town, yet they have a beautifully reconstituted stadium with all the modern bells and whistles to call home.
Let's pose this hypothetical question... "If I am attending a pro football game for the very first time, and I have 32 NFL teams to pick from, where should I go?" The answer from the Ultimate Sports Road Trip: "Green Bay".
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