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A ten hour road trip to New Jersey separated me from East Rutherford, New Jersey to watch the New York Football Giants take on the San Diego Super Chargers in a Week Nine Sunday afternoon matchup at Giants Stadium. So we packed up the Quest Machine and were on the road Friday evening right after work. Arriving in New Jersey early Saturday morning, I was amazed at how difficult it was to decode the cryptic New Jersey highway system. Even the GPS seemed to have trouble navigating the mishmash of bridges, tunnels, and elevated highways. We were constantly rerouting for no apparent reason, exiting via seemingly misplaced off-ramps, or crossing one of the many dilapidated-looking bridges in the area. I'm sure there are parts of New Jersey that are very picturesque, but judging by what I saw over the weekend, apparently I didn't happen to make it to those parts.

Early on Saturday morning we linked up with Mad Mike in Jersey City. Mike sold me his parking pass for the game which allowed us to park the Quest Machine right in the stadium lot. This was incredibly fortunate as it allowed us to avoid the mass of humanity trying to locate offsite parking on gameday, which would have really ruined the pregame libations. Right now with construction of the new stadium underway, the parking situation at Giants Stadium is a mess. Most people take public transit, such as the buses or trains that regularly service the area or they're parking off-site and then taking a shuttle bus to the game. Both options have their advantages, but I think they're outweighed by some severe drawbacks. The new rail system that was recently built to service the Meadowlands just opened this season, but it doesn't start running until two and a half hours before gametime (so there's no tailgating for these fans). Off-site parking is doable, but you spend the entire morning trying to get on a shuttle bus to the stadium when you should be guzzling that ice cold gameday beverage of choice. In my experience, if you're interested in doing some pregame tailgating, the best option is buy a parking pass. If you can't get your hands on a parking pass, take a New Jersey Transit bus. They begin running around 7:00AM, so they'll get you to the lot in plenty of time, and they're much easier than trying to park near the Meadowlands in a satellite lot. The return trip is a great time to grab that new rail back to New York, but be careful because it will quit running a couple hours after gametime as well.

Gameday at Giants Stadium was incredible. It was an uncharacteristically warm New York November day. With gameday temperatures in the mid-sixties, Giants fans were out in full force showcasing why this is one of the better tailgating venues in the league. Just like the Jets fans we visited earlier in the year, New York Giants fans are exceptional tailgaters. Once situated in their parking areas of choice, tailgaters throughout the lot setup the temporary tent communities that have become commonplace throughout the league and get to the business of putting meat to flame as soon as possible. To guide me in my own immersive study of New York Football Giants Tailgating, I selected two of their finest representatives to show me the ropes. Big Blue Tailgaters and Big Blue BBQ came highly recommended and as perennial asphalt all pros.  I knew they would be welcome additions to my Tailgating Hall of Fame.

I began by stopping in on Big Blue Tailgaters which traditionally sets up in lot 13B. Situated a bit further away from the hustle and bustle of the main lot, you'll find their 1981 SportCoach RV parked adjacent to the Giants practice field in the southwest corner of the lot. John Bakalarczyk and his crew have rescued this classic road warrior from living out its final days rotting away in relative obscurity, as it now makes the trip to Giants Stadium for every home game. A $1500 craigslist purchase, the SportCoach was meticulously restored with earth tone window treatments and some awesome, bronze-colored shag carpeting, making the plush interior of their tailgating cruiser an optimal tailgating base of operations. As BigBlueTailgaters.com, John and a bunch of buddies from high school continue to gather for Giants home games, cooking up some great barbecue and sharing in their ice cold liquid beverage of choice. Great group of folks, great food, a good time was definitely had by all.

For the latter part of the day, we retired to the other side of the lot to hang out with Big Blue BBQ and Greg Scharfstein, our host for the day. A amalgamation of once separate tailgates, Greg, Joe, Jimmy, and John have an incredible following over in 18F. A custom trailer painted with Giants Logos hosts a full bar, flatscreen TV, and onboard bathroom facilities to provide a suitable central command for Big Blue BBQ. Two ten by ten steel-framed tents flank the trailer, offering guests a respite from the elements with plenty of comfortable seating. Tailgaters spend the day watching NFL games in HD and eating some of the best BBQ available in the lot. There was plenty of great food and snacks and lots of beer (these guys had Sam Adams on tap!), as my family and I sampled everything.  A live DJ was spinning tunes throughout the pregame party and there were plenty of tailgate games to keep the fans entertained (I need to introduce these guys to fowling). If you're looking for prime time tailgating, this is the spot. Very impressive tailgate, lots of friendly, knowledgable fans, I was honored to be invited.

As gametime approached, we made our way over to Giants Stadium. I purchased some exceptional lower bowl seats from TicketCity that gave us a great view of the field. Wearing my Osi Umenyiora jersey, I was interested in keying in on the Giants Defense who appeared to be a big reason for their quick start at the beginning of the season. The first half ended in a 7-7 tie as the New York Giants Defense held LaDanian Tomlinson in check, continuing their dominant play. In the second half the Giants offense came to life building a solid lead, but settling for field goals when they should have punched it in the endzone.  In the end, the Giants allowed San Diego to hang around way too long and they paid dearly as Philip Rivers led the go ahead touchdown drive to notch a big win for the Chargers.  With a touchdown strike to Vincent Jackson leaving 21 seconds left on the clock, the San Diego Super Chargers stole a win.


For more information on the city of New York, NY check out my other reviews by clicking on the links below:
     NFL: December 5, 2010 - Washington Redskins vs. New York Giants
     NFL: October 11, 2010 - Minnesota Vikings vs. New York Jets
     NFL: September 20, 2009 - New England Patriots vs. New York Jets
     NBA: Madison Square Garden General Information & Cheap NBA Tickets
     NHL: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum - General Information
     NHL: Madison Square Garden - General Information
 

Local Foods:
New York Style Pizza
Nathans Hot Dogs - Coney Island

What They're Drinkin':
Captain's Reserve Imperial IPA, Brooklyn Intensified Coffee Stout, Miller Lite, Bud Lite

Tailgating Hotspots:
Lot 16E & Lot 18C, these days grab a spot wherever you can get one.

Fan Resources:
Pocket Map of New York
New York City Transit System Map
NJ Transit System Map
Stadium Policy
Stadium Parking Map
Fan Forum: BigBlueInteractive.com

Local Sports Media:
New York Post, New York Times, New York Daily News
660 WFAN
1050AM - ESPN Radio

Where To Stay:
When you’re in New York, and you can spend the money, you should plan to stay in Manhattan. The big city lights, dizzying skyscrapers, and especially the nightlife, makes NYC the place to be.  Hotels in the city will cost you though, so my suggestion is to stay near the stadium and train into the city. 

There are three hotels near Giants Stadium in New Jersey. Crowne Plaza Hotel Secaucus, Sheraton Meadowlands, Residence Inn Marriott .

If you plan on seeing NY. Popular hotels include Holiday Inn Manhattan 6th Avenue (very central to all major attractions including Penn Station train to Giants Stadium), W Hotel NY, Hotel Gansevoort, Doubletree Hotel New York, Holiday Inn Express Madison Square Garden, Hotel Pennsylvania.

 
Planning Your Next Trip to see the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium?
Traveling to all thirty-one stadiums around the National Football League, teaches you a thing or two about getting the most for your money.  I've set up this website to help others that are interested in NFL Travel.  Below you'll find links for cheap New York Giants tickets, stadium seating charts, local weather, hotel, and flight information, everything you need to plan a successful trip to MetLife Stadium.

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