All Things Purdue Road Trip Game: Travel Info, Best Bars, Itineraries

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MplsGopherFan

MplsGopherFan

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I just returned from Chicago and I am looking forward to my first-ever trip to West Lafayette next weekend. Looking for recommendations on things to do before and after the game (bars, restaurants, etc.). Also, where are the Gopher visitor allotment tickets located? I'm assuming sections 101 and 102? I have not yet bought our game tickets, but would prefer to sit near other Gopher fans.
 

Purdue is the one Big Ten opponent where I have nothing to offer on bars and restaurants -- this will be my first time staying in West Lafayette for the weekend, as we've always just driven in/out from Chicago on game day. Hammer & Rails has a visitors guide here:

http://www.hammerandrails.com/2013/7/16/4528946/updated-game-day-guide-to-purdue-and-west-lafayette

The visiting team section used to be in the open end zone, but post renovations it is now in the corner of the enclosed end zone. Here is what it looked like for their last home game vs. Bowling Green:

ahay27-20131112155559.jpg

Tickets should be plentiful (we haven't bought ours yet) and we'll just move over to the Gophers section at kickoff, as we did at Northwestern.
 

Not to be a downer because all away trips are fun, but I was most disappointed in the trip to Purdue. We have relatives in central IN, so like Jike, just drove in & out for the game, so can't offer any advice on bars. Tailgating was OK in this big field where I think they play intramurals. But not really a raucous scene like other places. Ross-Ade is slightly larger than TCF but feels small for some reason. Student section and crowd wasn't really into the game. Team was down that year, like this year, so that probably had something to do with. And if you think we have lame promos at TCF, way worse at Ross-Ade -- super cheesy, worse than the Cenex "Get Energized" guy.

Again, all away games are fun and what you make of them. Just don't go in picturing Iowa City or Madison, or even Bloomington, IN.
 


I'm I the only one that thinks the Gophers might have a break out game on Saturday and get on a little roll? Am I crazy??
 



WorkingMyTailOff said:
I'm I the only one that thinks the Gophers might have a break out game on Saturday and get on a little roll? Am I crazy??
Click to expand...

I was thinking it would be against Northwestern. I guess I'll just keep believing the next one is the break out game until it actually happens.
 

There's some restaurant that I've seen on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives that supposed to be a big deal. Triple XXX Family Restaurant.
 

Unrelated to restaurants, but I once had to fly out of Lafayette, IN. The airport ticket taker also brought the luggage to the plane and served as the flag man for the plane to taxi out to the runway. I was waiting for the pilot to yell out, "There's a break in the clouds...I'm going for it!!!"
 



West State Street seems to be the closest to campus bar scene that I can remember. I don't think they have a stadium village or dinkytown type area because there are parts of West Lafayette that are "dry" do not serve alcohol and I think the campus is that way. The stadium itself still has a grass field, and if I remember correctly the older stands have a steep slant not a lot of butt room on your bench. Used to be able to get tickets near Gopher bench down low but those site lines suck and are kind of obstructed as you get near the field, but I think they stick everyone the visitors tickets in the closed end of the stadium end zone now. You will see that stupid train driving around, and they play this annoying Boiler up cheer a lot on the scoreboard. Back before their renovation they used to stick us in the bleachers near the open end and way up high, I think that is where we sat in 2011. Tickets are cheap here because Purdue has been down. I get the sense they think they can win and will beat the Gophers handily.

They have a brothers bar and grille there West State, a Jakes roadhouse, Charlie's Chocolate Factory old dump with a lot of carvings in the walls and tables, (this seemed to be the busiest place but it was really cramped and crowded in their and only place I remember seeing any decent looking women) I like Harry's but it get's super crowded like Sally's used to and the food was pretty weenie like Sallys. I don't know if they still have the Boiler room, but that seemed to be the other really busy place.
Kids and students seem to have this weird thing where they all dress up in costumes and run around dressed up like it is Halloween on game days, saw a lot undergrads doing that, dressed up like Walking dead characters, Zombies, Mummy's all of that kind of crap pre-game. When we parked and walked by a parking ramp had a group of tailgaters that tried to pee on us from the top of a parking ramp as we walked by. Good thing we noticed them swearing and yelling before those dudes decided to whip it out and pee from up there. Girls seem friendly, but this is a campus where the sausage party factor is high, the number of dudes far out weighs any available co-eds.
 

I walked around the stadium grounds and was able to walk right into the stadium and look out onto the field from the "bowl" end back in 2007. I flew into Chicago Thursday PM,, met up with a college friend, we then headed to INdy. with the intent to get to Bloomington on Friday night for the 2009 Brewster vs. Indiana game. We stopped at E. Layfayette to visit the Walmart for supplies and squeezed in a visit to t West Lafayette and the stadium for a look and a couple of beers at Brothers.

I always thought the Purdue Stadium looked a lot like old Memorial Stadium on TV, during games at least. In person with no one there, it was nothing like old Memorial Stadium. It was an erector set, built into the ground with zero character at all. The sightlines did seem to have all the flaws of old Memorial Stadium, with a too gradual elevation of the seats, and too many seats in the closed end zone, way too far from the field. They do have a giant suite tower on the west side though.

I am sure the environment will be OK there if they ever start to win again. I liked Illinois Memorial Stadium much better, when rating two Big Ten stadiums that tend to get poor ratings.
 

Thanks, everyone! We are headed to the airport soon. Hope to see a lot of Gopher fans there this weekend!!
 

Anyone know if there is some kind of gathering of Gopher fans before the game?
 



The only thing I remember about West Lafayette is the strip bar. There was a girl there not like the other ones - she was a good girl who just needed cash for school. And, I think she actually liked me.
 


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