Colorado Buffalo Season Tickets on Sale

Image: Hipple
When more than 15,000 Georgia fans descended on the desert for the UGA vs. Arizona State game, the attendance was fueled by a convergence of factors including:

• $99 season ticket packages located directly adjacent to the visitors section
  
• A large stadium by non-SEC standards with more than 71,000 seats that almost never experiences a sellout
  
• Unprecedented optimism leading into the 2008 football season.
  
• The first big road game outside of the Southeast in 40+ years.
  
• Amazing tourism opportunities nearby

The dynamics of the 2010 Georgia vs. Colorado game are wildly different. However, we could still end up bringing a massive crowd to Boulder. With that in mind, I did want to let you know that season tickets for the 2010 Buffaloes season are on sale now from CU's Athletic Department. Here are the caveats you should know:

• The cheapest season ticket is $235. The seats available at that price point are located in the yellow sections on this map. Click on the section to get a view from those seats. They aren't bad seats because the stadium is so small, but they aren't very good seats for that price point. Especially, not when you can get tickets on Stubhub in Section 2 for $100 or so as of the time of this posting. View from Section 2.
  
  
• Enthusiasm for Colorado football is incredibly low, and they are hosting a truly pathetic home schedule. The best game on the docket is UGA. The second best game is Texas Tech. Your ability to unload your unused CU season tickets will be incredibly limited. Unlike the ASU season tickets two years ago where you could dump the UCLA and Oregon tickets and get some of your cash back.
  
  
• I researched last year's stubhub.com fees for CU home games. You could get dramatically better seats than what is marked in yellow on that map for less than $235 each.
  
  
• Individual game tickets go on sale roughly August 2nd. Last year, they didn't sell out the Nebraska home game in advance, and they were much more optimistic about the 2009 season than the 2010 season.
  
  
• Folsom Field only seats 53,000 people. That's smaller than Bobby Dodd Stadium. So if UGA brings 10k or more, there will be some interesting demand for tickets in the aftermarket.

Bottom line...do what you want. But I'll either buy them from the CU athletic department in August or I'll buy 'em off Stubhub.


Obviously, I have a referral relationship with Stubhub. So, I'm hardly unbiased. But I will definitely still post the link to buy single game tickets to their games when they go on sale directly from CU. I want as many Dawg fans as possible there one way or the other.

PWD

Georgia vs. Florida Travel Deal

As a heads up, you can book a flight to Jacksonville from Atlanta round trip departing ATL on Thursday or Friday and returning on Sunday for as little as $128 plus taxes and fees. That's not $128 each way...that's total.

Car Rentals on Hotwire are as little as $28/day. Just something to consider if you hate that drive as much as I do.

PWD

(Not a paid advertisement, but I wish it was)

Georgia vs. Colorado: 2010 Travel Info

Image: Hipple
The Colorado Dawgs have put up a blog for distributing information about the 2010 road trip to Boulder. The site includes hotel information, RV information and more.

See Also:
-- GSB Info on UGA Game

PWD

Shreveport Nightlife

The Shreveport bar scene is often hidden to out-of-towners, but don't worry.  We're going to give you a few recommendations for your trip.

As an initial tip, Shreveport upholds the well-known Louisiana alcohol philosophy.  Booze is readily available, even if you're in your car.  You'll see a number of drive-thru daiquiri stands. Isn't that dangerous and simply an enticement to drunk driving?  No.  Louisiana allows these stands to exist because they have to apply a tamper proof device to the lids of their styrofoam cups: a piece of scotch tape.  Who can possibly remove such a foolproof device while driving? 

Anyway, here are a few more traditional choices:

• Superior Grill (6123 Line Ave.) - Loud, noisy, and crowded.  The margaritas are made with PGA, so go light if you're planning to walk out of the bar.
  
• Superior's Steakhouse (855 Pierremont Road, but it's in a shopping center at the corner of Line and Pierremont) - The place to be and be seen in Shreveport.  It's a typical steakhouse with a big, nice bar including a back room with a roaring fire and leather couches.  You can buy cigars there and smoke them on the spacious patio. 
  
• The Cub (3002 Girard St.) - Classic dive bar with a diverse crowd that trends younger as the night progresses.  If you don't like smoke, stay away. 
  
• Giuseppe's (4800 Line Ave.) - The bar is usually quieter and less crowded than the steakhouse with a more sophisticated decor.  
• Wine Country (4801 Line Ave., but it's in Pierremont Mall) - It's a wine bar, but it doesn't lack anything, including two big TVs behind the bar. They also make the best bar food in town.
• Stray Cats (222 Travis St., Downtown) - A small bar, but it got a good bit of notoriety when Josh Brolin was arrested there while filming "W." in Shreveport last year.  There's a back patio that you should ask about, too.
• The Noble Savage (417 Texas St., Downtown) - A bit of a Bohemian feel, but it has the best selection of beers in town.  They usually run some interesting food specials, too.  There's also darts and pool, if you're interested.
• The Louisiana Boardwalk (Bossier City riverfront) - The Boardwalk is a huge outlet mall with restaurants and bars sprinkled throughout the development.  There's a Buffalo Wild Wings and a few other bars in there.  It's a good spot to visit during the day and those bars do a brisk business at night.  Be forewarned, Aggie midnight yell practice will be there Sunday night.
  

Quinton

Shreveport Dining

Shreveport gets a bad, almost unfair rap regarding dining and nightlife.  The city has a bunch of good dining spots, but they aren't in obvious locations or centralized within a few blocks.  In an interest to show you where some good spots are for your trip, here's a list of recommendations for local fare.

Casual dining:

• Superior Grill (6123 Line Ave.) - The busiest Mexican restaurant in Shreveport.  It is almost always crowded, but there is no more popular restaurant in Shreveport.  Beware the margaritas as they are surprisingly strong.  
• Monjuni's (1315 Louisiana & 7601 Youree Drive) - Tasty Italian food featuring a unique sweet red sauce.  
• Country Tavern (823 Brook Hollow Drive) - A Texas barbecue joint that hopped the border, Country Tavern features good Texas BBQ, but the steaks are awesome. 
  
• Bistro Byronz (6401 Line Ave.) - Modeled on a traditional a French brasserie.  Offers good French food for fair prices.  
• The Cub (3002 Girard St.) - A beloved local oddity, The Cub is a smokey dive bar with a steak and seafood restaurant attached.  The restaurant is really small and short on atmosphere, but the food makes up for it.  Great steaks and potatoes au gratin.  Reservations are required (318-861-6517) and you have to leave your info on a voicemail.  If there's a conflict, they call you. NOTE: Everyone in your party must be over 21, even just to eat there.
  
• Oyster Bar (855 Pierremont Rd., but it faces Line Ave.) - Oddly, this is a Mexican restaurant, although it offers raw oysters at the bar.  
• Strawn's (125 King's Hwy.) - A tasty traditional diner and Shreveport institution.  Recommended for breakfast or lunch.  Located across the street from Centenary College.
  
• Wine Country (4801 Line Ave., but it's in Pierremont Mall) - An excellent restaurant attached to a wine store.  The restaurant and bar are brand new and worth the search for the tucked away location.
• Papa & Co. (545 East Washington) - The biggest and best hamburgers in town.
• Herby K's (1833 Pierre Ave.) - Do not attempt without a GPS or a native guide.  This is another Shreveport institution that has never changed locations, even though it is situated in an old, almost abandoned commercial district.  The signature dish is the Shrimp Buster, flattened fried shrimp on toasted French bread.  Herby K's is small and almost hidden, but uniquely Shreveport.
• The Chains - Shreveport has the usual glut of national chain restaurants, too.  They are fairly concentrated along Youree Drive between 70th Street and Bert Kouns.

Fine dining:

• Superior's Steakhouse (855 Pierremont Road, but it's in a shopping center at the corner of Line and Pierremont) - The place to be and be seen in Shreveport.  It's a typical steakhouse with a big, nice bar including a back room with a roaring fire and leather couches.  I don't think they have the best steak in town, but they definitely have the steakhouse attitude.
• Bistro 6301 (6301 Line Ave.) - Maybe the best overall dining experience in Shreveport. 
• Giuseppe's (4800 Line Ave.) - Italian, served in a beautiful new restaurant.  It also features a small, quiet, and well stocked bar.
• Chianti's (6535 Line Ave.) - Another Italian restaurant with a piano bar and good food.
• The Village Grille (1313 Louisiana Ave.) - Where to go if someone else is paying.  There are no menus and the waiters tell you what they serve.  It's also very, very dark.  The food is great and their small bar makes a delicious after dinner drink called a "Snowbear," but be prepared for a big bill.
• Lucky Palace (750 Diamond Jack's Blvd. in Bossier City, located in the Bossier Inn & Suites hotel) - This Chinese restaurant is in a goofy location, but don't let that fool you.  The food is fantastic and they have an extensive wine list.  You're going to think I've led you wrong until the food arrives.

That should be enough.  You'll note that downtown dining is almost nonexistent.  The casinos and the Hilton have restaurants in the hotels.  Those restaurants are good, but they're about all that downtown offers for dining.  I'll do nightlife in a separate post this week.

Quinton

Shreveport Hotel Info

The hotel situation in Shreveport is just like any other midsize southern city, with the notable exceptions of the riverboat casinos.  All of the brand name, midscale business hotels have an outpost in Shreveport.  If you're looking to gamble, the casinos are the best choice.  They're nice and have built in dining and drinking.  I know Sam's Town has a significant block of rooms reserved for Georgia fans at about $180 a night.  Of course, you don't have to gamble, but you can.

Every hotel likely has some sort of I Bowl discount.  Mention that you're coming in for the game and see if they offer a discount.  The bowl website has a feature that allows you to book hotel rooms through it, presumably with a bowl discount.

Here are some other recommendations:

• The Downtown Hilton - The nicest non-casino hotel in town.  It's brand new and attached to the Shreveport Convention Center.  It's where your wife wants to stay.  I'm pretty sure it's the A&M team hotel.
  
• The Best Western Chateau Suites - Another downtown option that I'd recommend over the Holiday Inn downtown (of which I do not have a good impression).  There should be an I Bowl discount, but you'll have to contact them directly instead of going through the I Bowl hotel website.
• The Clarion Hotel - This is the UGA team hotel, I think, but you shouldn't stay there.  It's average at best.
• Don't forget Bossier City.  There are a couple of the national brands across the river from Shreveport.  Additionally, the Horseshoe hotel is probably the best casino hotel.  Boomtown casino has a nice hotel on the Bossier side of the Red River, too.

Don't be too intimidated by distance.  Shreveport is easy to get around by car and has lots of interstate highway.  It might take you twenty minutes to get somewhere at the other end of town.  In Atlanta, it takes twenty minutes to get out of your driveway. I'll also say that downtown nightlife is fairly diffused.  My recommended nightlife area isn't within walking distance of a hotel.  Bring along cab fare if your want to get sloshy.

Quinton

UGA vs. Colorado 2010 Hotel Info

Image by Jim Hipple
One of the things we try and do here at the Georgia Sports Blog is help out with road game travel plans when we can. With that in mind, I wanted to let you know that many Boulder Hotels for the 2010 Georgia Bulldogs vs. Colorado Buffaloes game are now open for booking.

The game is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010 according to the UGA Media Guide. Here's a sampling of some of the hotel rates I've found along with distance from the stadium per Google Maps: (UPDATE: All the prices have changed. Call the hotels)

Boulder Marriott - $239/night
2660 Canyon Boulevard
15 minute walk to stadium (Per Google Maps)
Originally listed at $189. Price jumped a few days later.

Courtyard Boulder - $99/night
4710 Pearl East Circle
2.3 miles from stadium
Exceptional value at that price.

Residence Inn Boulder - $139/night
3030 Center Green Drive
2.5 miles from stadium

Homewood Suites - $107-139/night
4950 Baseline Rd.
2.5 miles from stadium
Rate varies based on pre-payment as well as # of occupants.

Holiday Inn Express Boulder - $135-149/night
4777 North Broadway
4.9 miles from Stadium
Rate varies

Quality Inn & Suites Boulder Creek - No Rate
2020 Arapahoe Ave.
15 minute walk to stadium.
Appears booked (or they haven't opened reservations yet)

There are other places that are fairly close, but I gave you recommendations (except for the Quality Inn) for the types of places I stay when I'm on the road with the Dawgs.

I travel a lot for work, and I don't like staying in 2 star hotels. If you want to stay at the Best Western or Ramada Inn in a college town, you're more than welcome. But I'm not. There's actually a Best Western very close to campus, but I didn't research it. I typically stay at a Hampton Inn for personal travel. In fact, there is a Hampton Inn in Boulder for about $110, but it's located about 6+ miles away so I didn't bother to link given the other properties nearby.

This trip, I'm staying at the Boulder Marriott because I love walking to the stadium for road games. The trip to Tempe spoiled me in regards to walking to the game. I only listed the Google Map distances from the stadium. A search from whatever bar district (if any) they have would likely also be useful, but I didn't check into that. The rates were based on my best efforts as of Monday, Oct. 19.

The team hotel is unlikely to be in Boulder. They usually stay further out than that, but I didn't bother checking.

As for air travel, I'm going to wait until the NFL announces the 2010 Football Schedule before booking anything. I wouldn't mind sticking around Sunday and watching Knowshon and Champ play if the Broncos have a home game that weekend.

Hope that helps.

See Also:
-- UGA vs. Colorado: Tale of the Tape - From 2006 (GSB)

PWD

Cheap Airfare for Arkansas Game

Over the past few weeks, Delta has offered all sorts of really cheap fares from Atlanta. Because the UGA vs. Arkansas game starts at night, you can get a good rate on a flight out Saturday morning...if you're willing to fly into Springfield, Mo. and drive down.

RockDawg on the DawgVent pointed out that Delta has a sale (tonight at least) starting at $152 (plus fees).

Departing ATL to SGF:
8:40 am = $152.01 round trip (plus fees)
12:18 pm = $195.01 round trip (plus fees)

Returning SGF to ATL:
6:10 AM (cheapest)
5:30 PM (2nd cheapest)

It's about 145 miles (2.5 hours) from Springfield, Missouri to Fayetteville. Rental cars are cheap on Hotwire from the SGF airport, and the Bentonville Hilton Garden Inn north of Fayetteville has rooms starting at $76/night without a two night minimum stay. I get no kick backs from Delta, Hotwire or Hilton for the heads up here.

And, tickets to the Georgia vs. Arkansas football game...should you need them...start at $82 currently on Stubhub.

See Also:
-- Arkansas Game Travel Info - Georgia Sports Blog

PWD

Arkansas Game Travel Info (Part I)

Georgia has only played Arkansas in Fayetteville three times in 11 games* so there's obviously a large chunk of UGA fans who've never made the trip for this one. (image: Arkansas-Cafe)

We face the Razorbacks in Week 3 of the 2009 season, and I personally think it's one of the more underrated venues in the SEC. Since its massive $110 million renovation in 2001, Donald W. Reynolds Stadium is one of the best looking facilities in the SEC.

I'm especially partial to the hospitality of their fans who went out of their way not to beat my ass when I drunkenly and relentlessly informed them of our overwhelming awesomeness following the 38-7 game in 2000. God Bless Doe's. But I digress.

Fayetteville is truly the far end of the realm. Chicago is only two miles further from Athens than Fayetteville, and Minneapolis is closer to Fayetteville than Athens. In other words, don't drive.

Preface: If you need tickets to the UGA at Arkansas game, you can pick them up here on Stubhub.

Airports to Consider:

Arkansas Northwest Regional (XNA) -- Located about 45 minutes northwest of Fayetteville. Delta flies direct here from Atlanta. The fares are usually not cheap, and the planes are small. This place is basically Air Walmart. There are business traveler type hotels available in Springdale and Bentonville. Hotels for the game in Fayetteville are harder to find. I'm going this route.

Fort Smith, AR (FSM) -- Located about 1 hour south of Fayetteville. I think that Delta (via partners) has one direct flight in and out of Atlanta per day. They have one stop flights throughout the day. Again, the planes are pretty small, and the flights aren't cheap. Both FSM and XNA are generally good options for redeeming Sky Miles.

Tulsa, OK (TUL) -- Tulsa's airport is about 2 hours from Fayetteville. If memory serves, the flights are cheaper than the above options. I flew into Tulsa for the 2004 game. The drive is boring, but it's painless.

Branson, MO (SGF) -- The Springfield-Branson Airport is a little under 2.5 hours from Fayetteville. If you're staying in Springdale or Bentonville, it's not that bad. The only appeal for flying into SGF is that it's the closest airport serviced by AirTran. If you're looking to use AirTran Rewards, this is your best option.

Little Rock (LIT) -- Little Rock is about 3 hours from Fayetteville. If I recall correctly, the drive up I-540 through the Ozarks was really scenic, but it's still 3 hours.

Memphis (MEM) -- Memphis is roughly 4.5 long hours from Fayetteville. However, it's consistently one of the cheapest towns to fly from Atlanta. I want to emphasize that there is nothing visually stimulating about the drive from Memphis to Little Rock. It's hideous. Dallas is further than Memphis if you were wondering.

Hope that helps. Any of you guys going?

See Also:
-- Tickets: UGA at Arkansas
-- Arkansas fans are nuts in a good way - DeadSpin

PWD


*We've played them in Atlanta, Dallas, New Orleans, Memphis and Shreveport, but not Little Rock.

Arkansas Game Travel Info (Part I)

Georgia has only played Arkansas in Fayetteville three times in 11 games* so there's obviously a large chunk of UGA fans who've never made the trip for this one. (image: Arkansas-Cafe)

We face the Razorbacks in Week 3 of the 2009 season, and I personally think it's one of the more underrated venues in the SEC. Since its massive $110 million renovation in 2001, Donald W. Reynolds Stadium is one of the best looking facilities in the SEC.

I'm especially partial to the hospitality of their fans who went out of their way not to beat my ass when I drunkenly and relentlessly informed them of our overwhelming awesomeness following the 38-7 game in 2000. God Bless Doe's. But I digress.

Fayetteville is truly the far end of the realm. Chicago is only two miles further from Athens than Fayetteville, and Minneapolis is closer to Fayetteville than Athens. In other words, don't drive.

Preface: If you need tickets to the UGA at Arkansas game, you can pick them up here on Stubhub.

Airports to Consider:

Arkansas Northwest Regional (XNA) -- Located about 45 minutes northwest of Fayetteville. Delta flies direct here from Atlanta. The fares are usually not cheap, and the planes are small. This place is basically Air Walmart. There are business traveler type hotels available in Springdale and Bentonville. Hotels for the game in Fayetteville are harder to find. I'm going this route.

Fort Smith, AR (FSM) -- Located about 1 hour south of Fayetteville. I think that Delta (via partners) has one direct flight in and out of Atlanta per day. They have one stop flights throughout the day. Again, the planes are pretty small, and the flights aren't cheap. Both FSM and XNA are generally good options for redeeming Sky Miles.

Tulsa, OK (TUL) -- Tulsa's airport is about 2 hours from Fayetteville. If memory serves, the flights are cheaper than the above options. I flew into Tulsa for the 2004 game. The drive is boring, but it's painless.

Branson, MO (SGF) -- The Springfield-Branson Airport is a little under 2.5 hours from Fayetteville. If you're staying in Springdale or Bentonville, it's not that bad. The only appeal for flying into SGF is that it's the closest airport serviced by AirTran. If you're looking to use AirTran Rewards, this is your best option.

Little Rock (LIT) -- Little Rock is about 3 hours from Fayetteville. If I recall correctly, the drive up I-540 through the Ozarks was really scenic, but it's still 3 hours.

Memphis (MEM) -- Memphis is roughly 4.5 long hours from Fayetteville. However, it's consistently one of the cheapest towns to fly from Atlanta. I want to emphasize that there is nothing visually stimulating about the drive from Memphis to Little Rock. It's hideous. Dallas is further than Memphis if you were wondering.

Hope that helps. Any of you guys going?

See Also:
-- Tickets: UGA at Arkansas
-- Arkansas fans are nuts in a good way - DeadSpin

PWD


*We've played them in Atlanta, Dallas, New Orleans, Memphis and Shreveport, but not Little Rock.

Oklahoma State Game Travel Info (Part I)

Dawgs sack Ok State (Image: Hipple)
I'll have more on this later, but I wanted to give a couple of quick nuggets related to the Oklahoma State game.

A few days ago, Damon Evans told DawgPost.com that he had no interest in playing the Oklahoma State game on Thursday night. This probably squashes the last of that rumor. I'd wager that Damon's preference to avoid Thursday night games is less of an issue than the "T. Boone Factor." I seriously doubt that Boone Pickens spent $165 million to renovate Oklahoma State's new stadium just to have the grand opening on a Thursday Night.

With that in mind, the first travel advisory involves air travel. As I'm sure you know by now, there are no commercial airports in Stillwater. I've seen commenters on this site discuss flying into Dallas or Kansas City. Those folks need to crack out a map and see what a very bad call that would be.

PREFACE: Tickets to the game are available on stubhub for UGA at Oklahoma State. Some pretty decent deals are available given that face is $100.

The three closest towns with commerical airports to Stillwater are:

Oklahoma City (OKC) - 65 miles
Tulsa (TUL) - 64 miles
Wichita, KS (ICT) - 131 miles

Dallas is 272 miles away and Kansas City is 320 miles away according to the Stillwater Convention and Visitors Bureau. Delta serves all three airports and AirTran serves Wichita. Both airlines fly direct from Atlanta.

Tulsa used to be a city that you could fly into via 1 stop for under $250, but I haven't seen that fare available in a very long time. Lately, direct flights into OKC or TUL airports from Atlanta have been running $300-425 round trip. Flights to Wichita have consistently been about half that. The standard Delta best deal to ITC is $230. Airtran matches that Delta deal and occasionally has web specials for as low as $150 round trip.

As for hotel accommodations, we'll cover that later. I know that I'm staying at a Fairfield Inn about 1 mile from the stadium, and I know the Hampton Inn next door is booked. Beyond that, I don't know much. Hope this helps.

See Also:
-- Tickets: UGA at Oklahoma State
-- AJC Travel Info for 2009 UGA Schedule
-- Cowboy Gameday
-- Stillwater CVB

PWD

Oklahoma State Game Travel Info (Part I)

Dawgs sack Ok State (Image: Hipple)
I'll have more on this later, but I wanted to give a couple of quick nuggets related to the Oklahoma State game.

A few days ago, Damon Evans told DawgPost.com that he had no interest in playing the Oklahoma State game on Thursday night. This probably squashes the last of that rumor. I'd wager that Damon's preference to avoid Thursday night games is less of an issue than the "T. Boone Factor." I seriously doubt that Boone Pickens spent $165 million to renovate Oklahoma State's new stadium just to have the grand opening on a Thursday Night.

With that in mind, the first travel advisory involves air travel. As I'm sure you know by now, there are no commercial airports in Stillwater. I've seen commenters on this site discuss flying into Dallas or Kansas City. Those folks need to crack out a map and see what a very bad call that would be.

PREFACE: Tickets to the game are available on stubhub for UGA at Oklahoma State. Some pretty decent deals are available given that face is $100.

The three closest towns with commerical airports to Stillwater are:

Oklahoma City (OKC) - 65 miles
Tulsa (TUL) - 64 miles
Wichita, KS (ICT) - 131 miles

Dallas is 272 miles away and Kansas City is 320 miles away according to the Stillwater Convention and Visitors Bureau. Delta serves all three airports and AirTran serves Wichita. Both airlines fly direct from Atlanta.

Tulsa used to be a city that you could fly into via 1 stop for under $250, but I haven't seen that fare available in a very long time. Lately, direct flights into OKC or TUL airports from Atlanta have been running $300-425 round trip. Flights to Wichita have consistently been about half that. The standard Delta best deal to ITC is $230. Airtran matches that Delta deal and occasionally has web specials for as low as $150 round trip.

As for hotel accommodations, we'll cover that later. I know that I'm staying at a Fairfield Inn about 1 mile from the stadium, and I know the Hampton Inn next door is booked. Beyond that, I don't know much. Hope this helps.

See Also:
-- Tickets: UGA at Oklahoma State
-- AJC Travel Info for 2009 UGA Schedule
-- Cowboy Gameday
-- Stillwater CVB

PWD