Need help. Questions about Chargers/Steelers game on Dec 9..

[lektrix]

Please help me out! I will be visiting Pittsburgh for 3 days from Dec 7-10 for some shopping with the gf. We're going to be driving 4-5 hours south of Toronto. We both love sports so we thought we'd check out a live NFL game for the first time since it's rated one of the top things to do in Pitts. The Chargers will be visiting Pitts on that Sunday afternoon. Being a complete newbie, I have a few questions:

1. From my research, the Chargers are an exciting team yes? Big Ben should be back in 2 weeks right? That means the game should be worth going to right?

2. What is the best place to buy tickets online?? I heard of stubhub.com but have no idea how legit it is. Also I see ticketmaster and ebay but all of them seem expensive.

3. Secondly, what prices should I be looking for? Is $100 for Level 500 seats good or bad?

4. Alternatively, should I go 1 hour early and buy off scalpers instead???

5. Is it recommended to drive there or should I take public transportation???

Thanks so much guys!!!

[Terminator]

Originally Posted by lektrix

Please help me out! I will be visiting Pittsburgh for 3 days from Dec 7-10 for some shopping with the gf. We're going to be driving 4-5 hours south of Toronto. We both love sports so we thought we'd check out a live NFL game for the first time since it's rated one of the top things to do in Pitts. The Chargers will be visiting Pitts on that Sunday afternoon. Being a complete newbie, I have a few questions:

1. From my research, the Chargers are an exciting team yes? Big Ben should be back in 2 weeks right? That means the game should be worth going to right?

2. What is the best place to buy tickets online?? I heard of stubhub.com but have no idea how legit it is. Also I see ticketmaster and ebay but all of them seem expensive.

3. Secondly, what prices should I be looking for? Is $100 for Level 500 seats good or bad?

4. Alternatively, should I go 1 hour early and buy off scalpers instead???

5. Is it recommended to drive there or should I take public transportation???

Thanks so much guys!!!

1. The Chargers are a train wreck this year. Many people are calling for Norv Turner's head. But, they do happen to show up often in December as a good looking team. I imagine Ben will be back by then, if not this Sunday.

2. I would check Craigslist.

3. Sorry, I am not good with ticket prices.

4. Again, I would cruise Craigslist the week of the game. There will be plenty of tickets.

5. I would take a cab there several hours early so you can join in on the tailgating facilities. Get yourself a terrible towel and enjoy some good food.

[Steel_Bus_24]

Ha, the worse the team looks, the better they will do against the Steelers

[steelfury02]

Originally Posted by lektrix

Please help me out! I will be visiting Pittsburgh for 3 days from Dec 7-10 for some shopping with the gf. We're going to be driving 4-5 hours south of Toronto. We both love sports so we thought we'd check out a live NFL game for the first time since it's rated one of the top things to do in Pitts. The Chargers will be visiting Pitts on that Sunday afternoon. Being a complete newbie, I have a few questions:

1. From my research, the Chargers are an exciting team yes? Big Ben should be back in 2 weeks right? That means the game should be worth going to right?

2. What is the best place to buy tickets online?? I heard of stubhub.com but have no idea how legit it is. Also I see ticketmaster and ebay but all of them seem expensive.

3. Secondly, what prices should I be looking for? Is $100 for Level 500 seats good or bad?

4. Alternatively, should I go 1 hour early and buy off scalpers instead???

5. Is it recommended to drive there or should I take public transportation???

Thanks so much guys!!!

Just my two cents:

A. If you've never caught an NFL game live and in person, any team they play will be exciting. The Chargers a middle of the pack team, meaning - they could be playing someone a lot worse.

B. $100/ticket would be a great deal. You might want to be prepared to spend $140-$190 a ticket, even in that section. Depends on when you buy, how lucky you get. You MIGHT be able to get a great deal at the last minute - if you are willing to take a little chance. If you go in the open end of the field, you'll find the cheapest tickets. Just plan on spending at least a few hundred on tickets, and food. If you want to save, I suggest you eat before going into the stadium. If you aren't worried about that - then go for some Primanti's sandwiches, Augustine's pizza, and maybe even throw in some Quaker Steak and Lube wings (Lickers flavor). Any of those sites will do, unless you can get a hold of a season ticket holder that will bargain with you. Don't do scalpers man - you're taking a risk of getting a phony ticket and possibly getting in trouble. For those that have successfully bought scalped tickets - they were lucky. Trust me - I've seen it all.

C. Are you driving to Pittsburgh? Flying? I'd say renting a car would be less expensive and less of a pain in the butt. Are you staying within the city, or somewhere outside? I would think about your surroundings first and then go from there. If you are staying within the city, or just outside - you might want to go 3 to 4 hours early, party with some tailgaters, go to the casino, and see some Steelers history inside the Stadium. If you want to park on the north shore for convenience, be prepared to shell out another $20-$40. You can easily park somewhere else downtown and take a 20 minute walk. It's not that big of a city.

[lektrix]

So the Steelers should destroy the Chargers then =)! I've watched games here and there on TV so I could only imagine how exciting it would be to watch it in person. All we have is the shitty CFL here in Toronto. Wooo we just won the Grey Cup! Hahahahaha who cares right?

Right now I think I see a good deal on 2 tickets for Section 123, Row AA for $98 each compared to the upper 500s for $80 each. Can anyone advise me if Section 123 is good or bad? Can anyone confirm that AA is actually mid-top (between A and LL)? I want to be able to see the action when it's at the opposite endzone. Gun to your head, would you choose Section 123 or Section 500s?

Yes we are driving from Toronto for 4-5 hours. We haven't decided where to stay yet but it's either going to be around the Greentree area, Downtown, or Stadium area. I still can't figure out which option is cheaper, faster, and more efficient. I'm not spending the entire day in the hotel so I don't need a 4*. It just needs to be clean and quiet. I mean If I could subway for cheap and fast to avoid driving, I would. But if the drive is a no brainer, I'd drive. Someone help me make the decisions lol.

[steelerchad]

Originally Posted by lektrix

Please help me out! I will be visiting Pittsburgh for 3 days from Dec 7-10 for some shopping with the gf. We're going to be driving 4-5 hours south of Toronto. We both love sports so we thought we'd check out a live NFL game for the first time since it's rated one of the top things to do in Pitts. The Chargers will be visiting Pitts on that Sunday afternoon. Being a complete newbie, I have a few questions:

1. From my research, the Chargers are an exciting team yes? Big Ben should be back in 2 weeks right? That means the game should be worth going to right?

2. What is the best place to buy tickets online?? I heard of stubhub.com but have no idea how legit it is. Also I see ticketmaster and ebay but all of them seem expensive.

3. Secondly, what prices should I be looking for? Is $100 for Level 500 seats good or bad?

4. Alternatively, should I go 1 hour early and buy off scalpers instead???

5. Is it recommended to drive there or should I take public transportation???

Thanks so much guys!!!

I can answer your ticket questions.

You can use SH, TM. You will pay service fees of 10-15% on top of ticket prices at these.
Craigslist is risky unless you meet face to face. If you're coming in from out of town, then you're probably not familiar with the city and would want to meet at the stadium.

Ticket sales are illegal around the stadium even under face, unless you are in the designated area. They likely won't bother you, but just be aware.

Public transportation is not great in Pit. If you are staying downtown, then yes. Free subway to the North Shore from there. Really depends on where you're staying. Also, do you want to tailgate or a nice warm bar before the game.

I'm a season ticket holder and drive up from Virginia and I'm probably going to this game. If I do not attend you can have my tickets for cost. PM me this weekend and I'll let you know.

$100/ticket is not bad in Pittsburgh. Tickets usually go for double face value and face is around $77-$110 for non club seats. Club seats are $200 + face. December games are less due to the weather usually.

[lektrix]

I'm not too excited about the tailgate party. On a reasonably warm fall day I would be but my gf hates the cold. It's already going to be hell sitting for 2-3 hours outside in presumably -10C weather?!? Warm bar and lots of food sounds good to me. We were planning to walk the Strip District @ 10:00AM, maybe have breakfast/brunch/lunch there before heading over to the game around 12:30.

[steelerchad]

Originally Posted by lektrix

So the Steelers should destroy the Chargers then =)! I've watched games here and there on TV so I could only imagine how exciting it would be to watch it in person. All we have is the shitty CFL here in Toronto. Wooo we just won the Grey Cup! Hahahahaha who cares right?

Right now I think I see a good deal on 2 tickets for Section 123, Row AA for $98 each compared to the upper 500s for $80 each. Can anyone advise me if Section 123 is good or bad? Can anyone confirm that AA is actually mid-top (between A and LL)? I want to be able to see the action when it's at the opposite endzone. Gun to your head, would you choose Section 123 or Section 500s?

Yes we are driving from Toronto for 4-5 hours. We haven't decided where to stay yet but it's either going to be around the Greentree area, Downtown, or Stadium area. I still can't figure out which option is cheaper, faster, and more efficient. If I could subway for cheap and fast to avoid driving, I would. But if the drive is a no brainer, I'd drive. Someone help me make the decisions lol.

123 is OK. Rows start with A-Z, then go AA-LL. These are high which is what you want in the lower level. You want high in the lowers and low in the uppers.
They are actually my least favorite seats as I'd rather be sideline in a low row of the upper deck. The issue is you can see the action as it goes away from you and crosses mid field. You end up watching the game on the jumbo tron.

What night are you getting the hotel. If Sunday night, you're in luck. Cheap hotels downtown. Saturday will be expensive.

Greentree sucks. I did it for the Monday night game a couple of weeks ago. 4 mile cab takes about 1/2 hour with traffic. Good luck finding a cab after the game. Took us 1 1/2 hours after the game to catch a cab at the casino.

Downtown, you can subway or even take about a mile walk if you're up to it.

[lektrix]

Originally Posted by steelerchad

123 is OK. Rows start with A-Z, then go AA-LL. These are high which is what you want in the lower level. You want high in the lowers and low in the uppers.
They are actually my least favorite seats as I'd rather be sideline in a low row of the upper deck. The issue is you can see the action as it goes away from you and crosses mid field. You end up watching the game on the jumbo tron.

That's what I assumed as well. 123 is close action in your face (if you're lucky to even witness TDs in your zone), 500s more overall action as you get to see the game from side to side. What a tough decision for a first timer.

What night are you getting the hotel. If Sunday night, you're in luck. Cheap hotels downtown. Saturday will be expensive.

Greentree sucks. I did it for the Monday night game a couple of weeks ago. 4 mile cab takes about 1/2 hour with traffic. Good luck finding a cab after the game. Took us 1 1/2 hours after the game to catch a cab at the casino.

Downtown, you can subway or even take about a mile walk if you're up to it.

Staying Fri night and Sat night, checking out on Sunday morning. Stay in Greentree Fri night and then downtown Sat night I suppose is the best option? But if I check out Sunday morning, I have no choice but to drive to the game anyways unless I can leave the car parked somewhere. Traffic is going to be BAD on Sunday afternoon eh? We plan on having a nice dinner and then driving back around 8PM.

[steelfury02]

if you like craft beers, and love belgian/euro beers - i suggest a trip to the Sharp Edge - excellent time