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Stadium #5 Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC |
Buffalo Bills
vs. Carolina Panthers Carolina Panthers Stadium October 25, 2009 20 - 9 Loss |
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Stadium Vitals Built: 1996 Capacity: 73,367 seats Playing Surface: Natural Grass Draft Beer: $7.00 Hot Dog: Stadium Parking: $30.00 |
 Bank of AmericaStadium Address 800 South Mint Street Charlotte, NC 28202 (704) 358-7800 Get Directions
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Stadium Review
- Southern Living There’s
just something about the south that brings out the best in its
people. The so-called “Southern Hospitality” that permeates through
every facet of their daily routine makes the experience of watching
an NFL football game down there so much more enjoyable. There’s a
sense of community and camaraderie that you just don’t find up
north. Southern strangers welcome their northern adversaries to the
tailgate table to break bread as fans of the NFL product that’s put
out there on Sunday afternoons. I’ve found it to be a universal
theme throughout my travels through the southern states.When I’m in Charlotte, North Carolina, there’s no place I’d rather be for NFL gameday than hanging out with the premiere Carolina Panthers tailgating experience that is PantherFanz.net. Hosted by head coach Dan Ortel, a fixture in the lot for over a decade, the PantherFanz put on an inspired tailgate with genuine Carolina Barbecue and genuine Carolina camaraderie. With characters like Joe the Cedar Street Seer, Patrick, Mike, James, and the others, there’s no shortage of solid pro football  conversation
and gameday analysis from some of the NFL’s most knowledgeable fans.
These guys know the pro game and are happy to debate its finer
points accompanied by a couple of local brews right up until game
time. With traditional Carolina Barbecue cooked up on a series of surfaces, these professional blacktop culinarians put out a mouthwatering spread that is on par with any other in the league. This year, Clay from Green Bay prepared rotisserie roasted chicken spinning on the spit over a base of hard wood coals accompanied by an impressive set of adversarial-themed roasted buffalo meat on a second spit spinning to perfection. There was plenty of Carolina Blonde beer chilling in coolers and the exceptional sides that really round out their traditional PantherFanz menu. I’m partial to the incredible southern potato salad that always seem to find a spot on my plate. Apart from inviting myself and my crew, the PantherFanz had their Canadian contingent in town as well as some Carolina Panther fans from Aruba to round out their distinguished list of guests. They are indeed an international brand.  After
consuming our fair share of grilled chicken and roast beast, we
decided to take to lot to see what the other Carolina Panther fans
had cookin’ up. We stopped in on Hall of Famer and PFUFA member
Pantherman, who graciously welcomed to his hidden tailgate lair.
Actually locating his tailgate is like stumbling onto that elusive
underground bar that everyone’s buzzing about in New York City. Past
the abandoned rubble of crushed concrete blocks and rebar, this
unassuming construction site opened up to reveal the Cat’s Den, a
hidden base of operations manned by the Carolina Panther’s biggest
fan. Pantherman is a hometown diehard and charter member of the Pro
Football Fan Hall of Fame. We had a couple cold ones and talked
about the matchup of mediocrity that we expected from
Bills/Panthers, while Pantherman jovially served up some grilled
southern ham. Continuing
through the lot, we stumbled onto Jason from the
Tailgate Rescue
Crew and their impressive custom rig. Salvaging this junked fire
rescue truck from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Jason and the crew
meticulously restored the vehicle adding some of their own amenities
to convert it into the ultimate Fan Tailgate Rescue Machine. With
chrome diamond plate accents, dual beer taps, and a multi-purpose
fire pole, this astro-turf floored tailgate cruiser ranks among the
best I’ve seen. In honor of their matchup with my Bills, they even
imported an expert from upstate New York to prepare some
Buffalo-style chicken wings, accenting what was already an
impressive spread of great tailgate grill work and cold beer on tap.As gametime approached, we headed to Bank of America Stadium to see if my Bills might pull out a road win. As an aside, I really have to say that I was embarrassed by the conduct of Bills fans in my section. My feeling on visiting another stadium is that it’s like being invited to someone’s home … respect the home team. It is possible to fervently support your team without  being
obnoxious, but some fans seem to feel a sense of entitlement when
they travel. They ingest their liquid courage, which apparently is a
license to act out and be a constant disruption. Although this type
of behavior is tolerated at “the Ralph” in Orchard Park, New York (I
know, I been going there for years), I’m here to tell you that they
won’t stand for it in Carolina. If you’re being disruptive, using
foul language, spilling beer on folks or trying to incite fight, the
home crowd will get you booted out of their stadium and I applaud
them for it. To the younger generation who mistaken believes that
their respect is something that’s earned, you’re wrong. Respect is
given freely to your fellow man as a courtesy, especially when
you’re in their house. You’re an embarrassment! But
I digress … the game was an incredible contest showcasing the
mediocrity of two offenses. On this day, my Bills just happened to
be less mediocre than the home team. Jake Delhomme threw three
interceptions, which the ball-hawking Bills defense took full
advantage of, sealing the fate of the Carolina Panthers. The Bills
offense, led by journeyman quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, played
mistake free football and even showed signs of life getting the ball
to Lee Evans for the second touchdown of the day and then again to
Evans on a 50-yard strike, which led to a Rian Lindell field goal.
The running game however was fairly unimpressive and the offense
line play uninspired. The bottom line is that after a gritty win the
Bills are back in the playoff hunt, hopefully they can string a
couple of these together. For more information on the city of Charlotte, North Carolina check out my other reviews by clicking on the links below: NFL: November16, 2008 - Detroit Lions vs. Carolina Panthers NFL: October 29, 2006 - Dallas Cowboys vs. Carolina Panthers NFL: July 1, 2009 - Bank of America Stadium Tour NFL: July 12, 2010 - Bank of America Stadium Tour NBA: July 12, 2010 - Time Warner Cable Arena Tour |
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| City of Charlotte Local Information | |
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Top Tourist Attractions: NASCAR Hall of Fame Richard Petty Driving Experience Mint Museum Local Foods: Carolina BBQ Fried Chicken Brunswick Stew What They're Drinkin': Carolina Blonde, Highland Brewing Company, Red Oak Tailgating Hotspots: Pecan Parking Lot B-3 Local Sports Media: The Charlotte Observer WBT 1110AM |
Popular
Bar Districts: Uptown Charlotte (Buckhead Saloon, Bar Charlotte) Best Restaurants: Mert's Heart and Soul (Soul Food) McIntosh's Steak & Seafood Lavecchia's Seafood Grille Fan Resources: Pocket Map of Charlotte Stadium Policy Stadium Parking Map Getting to the Stadium: Bank of America Stadium is located in uptown Charlotte. There's no metro rail in Charlotte, so your best bet is to drive to the stadium and park in one of the many lots scattered throughout the city on gameday. Where to Stay: Find a hotel in the downtown area as Bank of America Stadium is right downtown. I would suggest the Ritz-Carlton, Courtyard Charlotte, or the Residence Inn by Mariott. |
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Ticket Prices:
$4 Adults,$3 Seniors,$2 Children |
Check out my YouTube Video from Bank of America Stadium: |
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| Tailgate Rescue Crew |
Built in Dual Taps ... not bad Fellas. |
Importing experts from upstate New York | ||
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| Back Porch on the PantherFanz Prowler | Seer, Coach, Canada, Quest | Myself and Jermain | ||
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| There's the Crew - Let's Go Buffalo! | Mad Mike, myself, and Jermain | Game over. Bills Win! | ||
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| "Why are you wearing a Cowboys Jersey?" | The Quest for 31 Jersey | Kenny, Erik, Jacob, Myself, and Jermain | ||
| COMMENT FORM: Please feel free to post any suggestions or comments you might have for my journey to Bank of America Stadium, including the following: - Local Hotspots (Bar Districts, Restaurants, Clubs) - Local Foods (Traditional Cuisine, Micro Brews) - Tailgating Traditions - Your Experiences or Helpful Hints - If you saw me let me know! All commentary will be moderated. Your e-mail address will not be published. |
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