Northwestern road trip

goldyspop

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I know this subject has been discussed before, but I can’t find it. Am considering going down there this year. Can someone direct me to this discussion. Thanks in advance!
 

I'm also going down this year and spent a little bit of time looking for the previous thread(s) to no avail..
 

Will be heading to Evanston as well. Would appreciate any insight that would enhance our trip. Looks like tickets are super cheap.
 

Chicagoan here, there are a few things to do in Evanston. Depending on game time, tailgate scene is ok. Lot just west of stadium has some good tailgates. Checkout Bluestone on Central street a few blocks west of stadium, good pub food and beer but it’s small so get there early, might be a Good Friday night option. Getting to Ryan Field isn’t easy, it doesn’t have great access. You could stay in downtown Evanston and take the L up to Central Street very close to stadium. Smylie Brothers brewery on Oak in Evanston is pretty good. For a good breakfast there’s Sarkis’ a couple miles from stadium for good omelettes(expect to wait, it’s small like Al’s) or Prairie Joes on Central closer to stadium(also not very big but good). I’ll try and add to list.


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Stay in Chicago. Take the train up there to the game. Take a roadie on the train. We hit the bars near the stadium. After the game we went back to Chicago and did downtown Chicago. Pizza was fabulous.
 


With NW sucking it up this year and with an already small fan base and a similarly small Minnesota alumni base in Chicago, tickets will be, shall we say, plentiful and cheap. You will be able to buy virtually any seat in the house. I recommend buying from scalpers vs. StubHub or the like simply to save yourself the surcharges.

Staying in downtown Evanston is a good, less expensive alternative to Chicago. We live close by and my wife calls it mini-Chicago because there are good restaurants and shopping that doesn’t require the trip into the city. Edzo’s has really good burgers, fries and shakes, while The Farmhouse in the Orrington Hotel is a terrific sit down place for a nice post-victory dinner on Saturday night. I strongly agree with gregbrady’s call on Sarkis for breakfast (a true insider reco on a greasy spoon in the best Al’s tradition). Get a Loretta sandwich with a fried egg. You can thank me and Greg later.

If staying in Chicago is your thing consider Wrigleyville. The Ricketts family has transformed the place with a cool hotel (Hotel Zachary, right next to Wrigley Field) and awesome restaurants and bars are everywhere. Plus, the Purple line runs between the Addison stop and Central in Evanston, so your train trip is significantly shorter than going all the way downtown.

Welcome in advance to all fellow Gopher fans. Hope to see you at Ryan Field for a resounding win!
 

My friend and I are both freshmen at the U and we are taking our first football road trip for this game! We are landing Friday morning spending Friday in Evanston and then heading to Chicago after the game Saturday. We are looking for a good deep dish option and other trips regarding the L and public transport.
 

My friend and I are both freshmen at the U and we are taking our first football road trip for this game! We are landing Friday morning spending Friday in Evanston and then heading to Chicago after the game Saturday. We are looking for a good deep dish option and other trips regarding the L and public transport.

Lou Malnatti's is fantastic. They have many locations but the downtown location is pretty special.
 

My friend and I are both freshmen at the U and we are taking our first football road trip for this game! We are landing Friday morning spending Friday in Evanston and then heading to Chicago after the game Saturday. We are looking for a good deep dish option and other trips regarding the L and public transport.

Lou Malnati’s is the best deep dish around. There’s a location in downtown Evanston.
 





I will echo this. Don't waste your time looking any further...Lou Malnatti's is the best there is.

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Lol, it is not the best deep dish around. Greasiest yes but definitely not the best. Not even the top 10.
 




My friend and I are both freshmen at the U and we are taking our first football road trip for this game! We are landing Friday morning spending Friday in Evanston and then heading to Chicago after the game Saturday. We are looking for a good deep dish option and other trips regarding the L and public transport.

Go to Pequod's. Best pizza IMO.
 

Lol, it is not the best deep dish around. Greasiest yes but definitely not the best. Not even the top 10.

I am anxious to see which 10+ pizza restaurants are better than Lou Malnati's in the Chicago area. Pequods certainly gets some great press as well. Personally, I have been to LM's and really enjoyed it.
 




Minnesota Golden Gophers Bars in Chicago

For Minnesota Golden Gophers fans, the Minnesota Golden Gophers Chicago bars are:

The Other Side Bar

Highly endorse Snickers as a fun bar to visit in Chicago.
 

Just bought some tickets on StubHub. Less than $15 each after fees for within the first 10 rows between the 20s! It was recommended to buy on the east side of the stadium, between 105-110. Should be a good time and who knows what the implications will be by that time!
 

Just bought some tickets on StubHub. Less than $15 each after fees for within the first 10 rows between the 20s! It was recommended to buy on the east side of the stadium, between 105-110. Should be a good time and who knows what the implications will be by that time!

And with that as your entry into the stadium you'll be able to sit virtually anywhere you want. My guess is actual attendance will be fewer than 20,000.
 

Just bought some tickets on StubHub. Less than $15 each after fees for within the first 10 rows between the 20s! It was recommended to buy on the east side of the stadium, between 105-110. Should be a good time and who knows what the implications will be by that time!

I bought tickets one section away from gopher section row 17 for $12. Guessing you can pretty much sit where you want once inside
 

Just throwing this out there. Booked northwestern after beating Maryland. Booked Iowa after beating Penn state. This is historic. Win or lose let's show up for these guys if you can at all manage it. This is a season of a lifetime right now, don't miss it.

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How is getting to Ryan Field not easy? There's a Metra stop just west of the stadium and a CTA stop just east of the stadium.

If you are driving, it's not the easiest(should have clarified). Smaller city streets, no highway access, parking is few and far between.
 

My friend and I are both freshmen at the U and we are taking our first football road trip for this game! We are landing Friday morning spending Friday in Evanston and then heading to Chicago after the game Saturday. We are looking for a good deep dish option and other trips regarding the L and public transport.

Lou Malnati's all the way!
 

Pizza that often is not discussed (likely due to not being deep dish) is Piece.

Highly recommend checking out Wicker Park neighborhood and Piece Pizza and Brewery. Great pizza. Great atmosphere and variety of bars around the six corner area.
 

Evanston is an underrated town. Not the liveliest party scene but there is fun to be had.

Tommy Nevin's closed a couple years ago which sucks, but there are still some good spots in town.
 

A couple of buddies and I flew to Chi town for the game the last time we played in Evanston in '17. It was a rain soaked, Gopher beatdown. I'm sure the rain had a little effect on pregame festivities, but there was literally almost nothing going on outside the stadium pre game. We stayed in River North and took the train up to the game. Very easy ride. With the conditions and the score the way they were, we ended up leaving early in the 3rd quarter.

The advice I would give for traveling Gophers, heading to Evanston:
- Bring noise cancelling headphones and listen to Grimm on the play by play. The roar sounder that they play every time something somewhat good happens for them gets old real fast.
- Take the train to and from the game. The Central Street Station is a 2 block walk from Ryan Field.
- Hit up Wrigleyville before and or after the game. Quite a few B1G team affiliated bars on Clark right across from Wrigley. Redmond's Ale House is a Vikings bar and is in the area as well. However, it is also a Badger bar. If things go as we all hope they will in the next couple of weeks, Redmond's could be a real good place to do a little smack talking.
- Lou Malnotti's is amazing. Green Street Smoked Meats is legit. Smoque BBQ is A+ (some of the best brisket I've ever had) It's BYOB, so grab a growler from Old Irving Brewing right up the street and enjoy! For something a little different, Rick Bayless's restaurant Frontera Grill is superb as well.
- Our group did a tour of Solider Field and enjoyed that. Goose Island Brewery was alright.

Row the Boat! SkiUMah! Go Gophers!
 

Anyone know where the team stays?

Also, does it make more sense to stay Fri or Sat?
 





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