Week 1 Tailgating Observations

[BCClone]

We park near east hyvee and walk. On saturday we went to the car, ate at Huhot, and dropped off our guests back at Gateway hotel, and there were still people leaving Ames. This is why we don't park in the lots - that is an absurd amount of time to be stuck in traffic.

So you are complaining about people driving into the lots and you don’t even park there? What difference does it make to you?

EDIT: cripes I read further. I wish they would kick the jack wagon cheapskates out of the tailgate lots that don’t park there. I will be a crybaby myself now. Good Lord.

 

[NickTheGreat]

We had no traffic problem getting into C4 at 10:30 - 11:00. Same with getting into the stadium at 2:45 or so. I was nervous about virtual tickets for both, but it went fine.

As an engineer, I don't really understand the parking setup. It's kinda like Southwest's Boarding Process with less structure (not a compliment)

But it seems to work okay. Yes some guys who take up 4 spots and the whole driving lane have to move. But they shouldn't be doing that anyways.

 

[ianoconnor]

These college age parking attendants have no clue how to park cars and are probably afraid to tell people how and where to park for fear they may get yelled at. Just my two cents.

No doubt - not a job I would have wanted. Probably comes down to a lack of training, etc and I don't fault the worker bees. But donors who are paying for a spot in a lot should not be getting turned away.

 

[Ms3r4ISU]

Was about 25 spots back westbound while waiting ~40+ minutes to enter lots north of stadium (from the south.) Well before they started letting traffic enter -- a few minutes after 7 BTW -- they started allowing eastbound vehicles to alternate going in. At least several behind us were all there before any from the other direction. Not fair to "allow" alternating when a few dozen of us were there well ahead of those others. One of our A3 friends told us they came from the west and were told to go east, do a u-turn and get in line westbound. They did so. And then the two parking guys let the others push their way in. Scan and mark the windshields of vehicles as they arrive especially from the preferred westbound lane, then let those in ahead of unmarked.
May be easier said than done, but it is doable. I fully expect much worse this weekend.

That and people leaving their vehicles early and "camping out" in their preferred spots. Not everyone can do that, so I wish no one would be allowed to. Frustrating, yet easy to control by lot attendants requiring the marked windshields.

 

[BCClone]

I had a person who had a spot in G7 say it was filled by 1 but a big part was that people were doing dumb stuff. Said 2 pickups parked crossways in the front row (this is being an ass) and then even needed more space on the ends of them. Said several people gave themselves half a car width on each side and there was a lot of wasted space.

 

[SoapyCy]

So you are complaining about people driving into the lots and you don’t even park there? What difference does it make to you?

EDIT: cripes I read further. I wish they would kick the jack wagon cheapskates out of the tailgate lots that don’t park there. I will be a crybaby myself now. Good Lord.

So you want to judge me for an opinion, just like everybody has opinions on uniform colors politics, and everything else. How are we at Cyclone fanatic to know what opinions are valid and what are invalid?

And to your edit, if only the people that came in the cars were allowed to tailgate, the lots wouldn't be nearly as fun as they are. I'm glad we know people who set up tailgates. It makes the experience awesome. Every one of them will tell you the same thing I said, that it sucks when someone drives through a bunch of kids playing catch and eating lunch 20 minutes before the game. I guess the opinion is valid now.

 

[CascadeClone]

These college age parking attendants have no clue how to park cars and are probably afraid to tell people how and where to park for fear they may get yelled at. Just my two cents.

They have done a good job in the past. I know they had issues getting staff, maybe they didn't have time to train/communicate the job well to them. Hopefully after a trial run it is better this week.

We got to G7 late only to be told it was full wtf. But they sent us down to G10, which is basically closer but crushed asphalt gravel. They were making cars RE-PARK closer to each other at that point, to save space.

One note - if you don't have your parking pass ready on your phone when you get there, and have to sit there for 5 minutes hoping for enough signal to get it, blocking a thousand cars behind you the whole while... there should be a punishment lot you get sent to, like the 3rd ring of hell, where you sit there for an hour in punishment for your sins. Meanwhile people who are ready can proceed in a orderly fashion. Come on people, its not that hard.

 

[BCClone]

So you want to judge me for an opinion, just like everybody has opinions on uniform colors politics, and everything else. How are we at Cyclone fanatic to know what opinions are valid and what are invalid?

And to your edit, if only the people that came in the cars were allowed to tailgate, the lots wouldn't be nearly as fun as they are. I'm glad we know people who set up tailgates. It makes the experience awesome. Every one of them will tell you the same thing I said, that it sucks when someone drives through a bunch of kids playing catch and eating lunch 20 minutes before the game. I guess the opinion is valid now.

I will listen to those who it affects. Someone who is crying because he doesn’t want to be bothered in a place where they didn’t pay anything doesn’t get the opinion to be valid.

When my kids wanted to participate, I let them and figured the game thing out later or gave the tickets away. It’s just different priorities.

 

[JM4CY]

Wait until you have kids playing youth sports or daughters in VB. Those jerkwads may very well be the next players or students at ISU you are telling to screw off.

I will be coming super late Saturday due to a flag football game for little JM. I would be in that position. (I have access to a parking pass but aren't even going to try and use it and deal with that. I found a semi-secret place to park awhile back that, while not close, will allow me to get out of there way faster even with a bit of a walk.)

 

[SoapyCy]

I will listen to those who it affects. Someone who is crying because he doesn’t want to be bothered in a place where they didn’t pay anything doesn’t get the opinion to be valid.

When my kids wanted to participate, I let them and figured the game thing out later or gave the tickets away. It’s just different priorities.

Does my opinion affect you? No. Then why do you care?

 

[BCClone]

Does my opinion affect you? No. Then why do you care?

And why do you care about mine?

 

[BCClone]

I will be coming super late Saturday due to a flag football game for little JM. I would be in that position. (I have access to a parking pass but aren't even going to try and use it and deal with that. I found a semi-secret place to park awhile back that, while not close, will allow me to get out of there way faster even with a bit of a walk.)

We dropped down to G7 for several years due to kids in youth sports or my daughter who was in VB. They filed you in them and that way you weren’t having to hunt for one.

BTW, both kids are ISU students, and I doubt either would have been had it not been for going to the games and making it a homey feel when they walked on campus.

 

[GetAwesome]

 

[clonerules]

I plan on riding an E-bike from DSM to avoid the traffic. Anyone know of a place to lock up and charge safely?

 

[8bitnes]

That's where we walk around

So I pay for a space that you want to walk around in. Don't mind me next time I'm taking a nap on your couch

 

[Cyclone06]

Sorry if a donor chooses or is required to be productive in the morning and still wants to attend the game in the afternoon and park in the spot he paid and donated towards.

Your gripe is akin to saying fans shouldn't be allowed into the stadium after the first quarter because you've already spread out on their unclaimed seats

Watching the lack of mutual respect play out a couple hours before the game is absolute comedy. "You're late, screw you, I'm playing bags." "I pay for this spot, I will not wait 5 seconds for you to move that bag chair 5 feet." "Hey ******* get here earlier, I'm trying to throw a touchdown to my boy." "Move you idiots, I am here now, its all about me!"

With that said on Saturday the lot attendant in my area would walk with the later arrivals and help reposition tailgates and it didn't seem too bad. Did watch a bag board get crushed from a distance though. Lots of giggles on that one.

 

[dafarmer]

We park in a sorority lot. Have to walk from cy stevens, but can get out reasonably easy. Just need cross walks over duff and university.

 

[TitanClone]

To the A-holes coming in from the east on 4th to enter the A/B lots when they opened at 7, yes we can come in from the West and have been for decades, zipper method is simple. Granted the guys scanning passes didn't do anything to control traffic. Doesn't help that they have to write your lot on the windshield since there aren't physical passes anymore.

 

[LarryISU]

I had a person who had a spot in G7 say it was filled by 1 but a big part was that people were doing dumb stuff. Said 2 pickups parked crossways in the front row (this is being an ass) and then even needed more space on the ends of them.

I arrived at G7 at 2:15 and the kid scanned me right in. I'm sure each parking employee just did or said whatever he thought based on what someone else told him. I parked, used a port-a-potty, then walked through the G6 entrance where they had closed the gate and the parking guys were sitting on the ground drinking beer. One of them smiled at me and said "I can't believe they are paying us for this."

 

[BCClone]

I arrived at G7 at 2:15 and the kid scanned me right in. I'm sure each parking employee just did or said whatever he thought based on what someone else told him. I parked, used a port-a-potty, then walked through the G6 entrance where they had closed the gate and the parking guys were sitting on the ground drinking beer. One of them smiled at me and said "I can't believe they are paying us for this."

Glad you found a spot. Was going off what this guy said. Maybe he did t look hard enough.