Need Help - In Town for the Lions Game

[Corn Bread]

My friend and I have Lions season tickets (yeah, we got it bad) and take a road trip each year. Roll out the Red Carpet, folks. There's nothing more certain than when the Lions come to town. We make everyone happy wherever we go. This year we're heading to Buffalo for the game, and we're staying at the Holiday Inn on Delaware by E. North Street. I'm hoping some people can help out with 2 things.

 

Are there shuttles that take people to the stadium from this area?

 

And are there Must-Go-To bars and pubs in the area? Are there bars around the area that have any kind of shuttle deals?

 

We like to get around town on a pub crawl on Saturday and get a feel for the city. We'll wear our Lions swag, but we know the deal. Lions fans have NOTHING to be obnoxious about. We know we're the door-mat of the league. How can anyone hate on Lions fans? Usually, we're just an after-thought, but our recent 0-16 season makes us relevant for a laugh if nothing else.

 

If anyone's wondering about my user name, "corn bread" is like Cool Aide around Detroit. They keep baking it and selling it, and we keep bellying up to the table and paying for it. We've been to Chicago and Green Bay. Both are division rivals, so they can have hate for the Lions even if we're the laughing stock of the league. Chicago fans were rough, but Green Bay fans were very welcoming. I'm thinking Buffalo couldn't care less about the Lions.

 

We're looking forward to experiencing Buffalo's night life and game-day atmosphere. We'll be humble. That's all we can be. I know you must be frustrated by your season so far, but at least you're not the Lions!

 

Thanks for any help.

[SACKMARINO]

As far as gameday tailgating, Kenny's Red Pinto Tailgate and Ketchup ceremony is a must.

 

http://nycbbb.com/kenny/

 

I'll be up for this game as well!

 

Go Bills!

[rockpile]

As far as gameday tailgating, Kenny's Red Pinto Tailgate and Ketchup ceremony is a must.

 

http://nycbbb.com/kenny/

 

I'll be up for this game as well!

 

Go Bills!

 

Lot One Pole Five has been the traditional Two Bills Drive gathering place. Ken and the Pinto are close to there.

The No Fun League patrol made Ken tone down his tailgate. Other than banning the bowling ball shots, I am not sure what else has changed.

 

"Gates" open earlier at Hammer's Lot on Abbott Road.

 

If you search forums, you will find a zillion suggestions on what to do in Buffalo.

[FluffHead]

something tells me this game will have a whole lot of empty seats

[John Belucheese]

today is a bad bad day... but yes welcome to Buffalo! im a Detroiter now living in the Queen city and a huge Bills fan w season tix but i also love my beloved Lions. I been here a cuppala years and i have my own take on this great great city. the ppl r very nice and theres great food everywhere. but Unlike Detroit theres not a whole lot of shuttling from bars and hotels bc the stadium isnt all that far away, maybe 20 min ride from ur hotel. ur not gonna want to be shuttled in anyway, YOU have to get there early to see the greatest tailgate madness ever.its soo fun. i personally wudnt wear lions gear bc unlike detroit the crowd at Bills games is filled w young folks that PARTY very hard and might get outta hand w drunk loyalty and jeering.harmless boozy teasing...but ur big boys so handle urselves accordingly, the bills fans are very passionate.u have to experience the Ralph to fully understand the atmosphere. ppl share food and drinks like family. IMO there are 4 "party" districts that u can explore. i will start w my favorite and its called Allentown. have dinner at Gabriel's Gate excellent wings and check out the bars around that area. second "Elmwood ave" will remind u of Royal Oak but its truly ITS OWN THING. 3rd hertal ave area. this is an italian hood w great restaurants and a few fun bars. haha Last wud be ...i hate to say it but Chippewa/THEATRE district. every city has one one of theses areas that seem off the hook but in reality lacks substance, so if you wanna get ur jersey shore on thats where you go. as far as wings, youll here ppl talk about duffs and anchor bar. im here to tell u that everybody and there momma knows how to make great wings so just ask whereever u wind up and you will eat the best. i like McPartlins in williamsville. hit me up if you have any questions and maybe i will c u at the stadium.

[drinkTHEkoolaid]

it all depends what you are looking to do?

 

what type of club/bar scene are you looking for? what are you hoping to do?

 

you guys will be about a 20-25 minute drive from the stadium. you are staying just outside downtown and the stadium is in the suburbs.

Edited November 1, 2010 by drinkTHEkoolaid

[PromoTheRobot]

My friend and I have Lions season tickets (yeah, we got it bad) and take a road trip each year. Roll out the Red Carpet, folks. There's nothing more certain than when the Lions come to town. We make everyone happy wherever we go. This year we're heading to Buffalo for the game, and we're staying at the Holiday Inn on Delaware by E. North Street. I'm hoping some people can help out with 2 things.

 

Are there shuttles that take people to the stadium from this area?

 

And are there Must-Go-To bars and pubs in the area? Are there bars around the area that have any kind of shuttle deals?

 

We like to get around town on a pub crawl on Saturday and get a feel for the city. We'll wear our Lions swag, but we know the deal. Lions fans have NOTHING to be obnoxious about. We know we're the door-mat of the league. How can anyone hate on Lions fans? Usually, we're just an after-thought, but our recent 0-16 season makes us relevant for a laugh if nothing else.

 

If anyone's wondering about my user name, "corn bread" is like Cool Aide around Detroit. They keep baking it and selling it, and we keep bellying up to the table and paying for it. We've been to Chicago and Green Bay. Both are division rivals, so they can have hate for the Lions even if we're the laughing stock of the league. Chicago fans were rough, but Green Bay fans were very welcoming. I'm thinking Buffalo couldn't care less about the Lions.

 

We're looking forward to experiencing Buffalo's night life and game-day atmosphere. We'll be humble. That's all we can be. I know you must be frustrated by your season so far, but at least you're not the Lions!

 

Thanks for any help.

 

You are right near Allen St and there is a nice, low-key bar district along Allen. Plus Gabriel's Gate has excellent chicken wings. (Don't bother with the Anchor bar. It's a tourist trap now.) There's also a 24-hour Greek diner called the Towne at Allen & Elmwood. It's good, though being from Detroit I'm sure you've had better Greek food.

 

Here's a link for live music in town on Nov.13 Here's a link to BuffaloBarfly.com for useful bar info.

 

There are three major club districts in the downtown area. Allentown (Allen St) which your hotel is near, Chippawa St which is about 8 block south of your hotel, and the Elmwood Strip which is spread out along Elmwood Ave from Allen up to Buff State College. Remember bars are open until 4am in Buffalo.

 

As for transportation, there is a bus that runs to the stadium from the downtown bus terminal. (NFTA #93 bus) It leaves at 11am. It costs $1.75. But the bus station a good mile and a half from your hotel. You'd be better off driving.

 

Do not park in a stadium lot. They are expensive ($25) and it will take you all night to get out. Park in any private lot around the stadium. It's cheaper (usually $10) and you'll get your car out quicker. I recommend the lot at 3831 Sheldon Rd. Here is a map from your hotel. Stay off the I-90 game day. You'll move faster on the normal streets.

 

Once you are on McKinley Parkway, after turning right off Mile Strip Road, you'll see a Wegman's supermarket. I highly recommend stopping there for tailgate food. They have a great food court that has almost anything you could possibly want. (I recommend the hand-carved roast beef.) However buy your beer the night before because local blue laws don't allow Sunday beer sales until 12 noon.

 

Enjoy the game. I'll be there as well.

 

PTR

Edited November 1, 2010 by PromoTheRobot

[Corn Bread]

Wow! Thanks for all the great replies! I'm going to print off this thread by the time we go. We'll have about 5 hours to talk about what we're going to do. I don't think I thought it through very well when we chose our hotel. But it sounds like things are spread out a lot, so maybe you can't stay downtown AND be near the statdium. One thing I've picked up here I think, is that we will plan on driving to a lot and tailgating. We just really want to experience the city and the game day atmosphere.

 

I can't, in good conscience, not wear our Lions gear. We like to represent, but we do it in a good way. I've seen that guy at Ford Field from the other team, and I never want to be "that guy". If we're guests in a city, we're going to act like guests; not provoke anyone. Actually, we got a lot of razzing when we first sat down in Chicago. By half-time, we made so many friends, people who started out giving us the business were actually buying us beers and defending us when others got vocal.

 

Someone asked what kind of bars/restaurants we like. Really, whatever is "Buffalo" and allows jeans and a jacket is good. We really like the sports bars/pubs where we can have some fun. Actually, the more casual, the better I suppose. Just some places to hang out, have a beer and talk with Bills fans.

 

Someone commented that there will probably some empty seats. LOL! We know about empty seats at Ford Field. When our season's officially over, around week 5, our stadium looks a lot more blue - because that's the color of our seats.

 

Thanks again for the feedback. I hope to get some more, but even if I don't, this has been a lot of help.

[thebug]

You are right near Allen St and there is a nice, low-key bar district along Allen. Plus Gabriel's Gate has excellent chicken wings. (Don't bother with the Anchor bar. It's a tourist trap now.) There's also a 24-hour Greek diner called the Towne at Allen & Elmwood. It's good, though being from Detroit I'm sure you've had better Greek food.

 

Here's a link for live music in town on Nov.13 Here's a link to BuffaloBarfly.com for useful bar info.

 

There are three major club districts in the downtown area. Allentown (Allen St) which your hotel is near, Chippawa St which is about 8 block south of your hotel, and the Elmwood Strip which is spread out along Elmwood Ave from Allen up to Buff State College. Remember bars are open until 4am in Buffalo.

 

As for transportation, there is a bus that runs to the stadium from the downtown bus terminal. (NFTA #93 bus) It leaves at 11am. It costs $1.75. But the bus station a good mile and a half from your hotel. You'd be better off driving.

 

Do not park in a stadium lot. They are expensive ($25) and it will take you all night to get out. Park in any private lot around the stadium. It's cheaper (usually $10) and you'll get your car out quicker. I recommend the lot at 3831 Sheldon Rd. Here is a map from your hotel. Stay off the I-90 game day. You'll move faster on the normal streets.

 

Once you are on McKinley Parkway, after turning right off Mile Strip Road, you'll see a Wegman's supermarket. I highly recommend stopping there for tailgate food. They have a great food court that has almost anything you could possibly want. (I recommend the hand-carved roast beef.) However buy your beer the night before because local blue laws don't allow Sunday beer sales until 12 noon.Enjoy the game. I'll be there as well.

 

PTR

 

 

I thought they changed that a few years ago? 8am now?

[PromoTheRobot]

I thought they changed that a few years ago? 8am now?

I don't live in WNY anymore so I'm not sure, but I never take the chance so I buy my beer early.

 

PTR

Edited November 1, 2010 by PromoTheRobot

[PromoTheRobot]

Wow! Thanks for all the great replies! I'm going to print off this thread by the time we go. We'll have about 5 hours to talk about what we're going to do. I don't think I thought it through very well when we chose our hotel. But it sounds like things are spread out a lot, so maybe you can't stay downtown AND be near the statdium. One thing I've picked up here I think, is that we will plan on driving to a lot and tailgating. We just really want to experience the city and the game day atmosphere.

 

I can't, in good conscience, not wear our Lions gear. We like to represent, but we do it in a good way. I've seen that guy at Ford Field from the other team, and I never want to be "that guy". If we're guests in a city, we're going to act like guests; not provoke anyone. Actually, we got a lot of razzing when we first sat down in Chicago. By half-time, we made so many friends, people who started out giving us the business were actually buying us beers and defending us when others got vocal.

 

Someone asked what kind of bars/restaurants we like. Really, whatever is "Buffalo" and allows jeans and a jacket is good. We really like the sports bars/pubs where we can have some fun. Actually, the more casual, the better I suppose. Just some places to hang out, have a beer and talk with Bills fans.

 

Someone commented that there will probably some empty seats. LOL! We know about empty seats at Ford Field. When our season's officially over, around week 5, our stadium looks a lot more blue - because that's the color of our seats.

 

Thanks again for the feedback. I hope to get some more, but even if I don't, this has been a lot of help.

Actually you did the right thing staying in the city. There's nothing around the stadium. If you are in town you might as well be close to the bars. Just walk around Allentown and Chippawa and you'll find plenty of bars. Check out that BuffaloBarfly.com link for details on places.

 

As for wearing your gear, you'll be fine as long as you don't act like a douche. As always be respectful and folks will do the same to you. There may not be that many empty seats. The Bills are playing better and may actually win a game soon so I think folks will come out.

 

I forgot to mention there is a Sabres game on Saturday night. (11/13) They play the Capitals at 7pm. The Sabres suck too so you'll be able to find tickets on the street. There is subway that runs on Main Street. Once it come above ground, around Tupper St., you can ride it free and it will take you to HSBC Arena at the end of the line. If you do hit the hockey game, go to the Pearl Street Brewery. They make excellent beer.

 

Here's another option for Saturday night. Take a Forgotten Buffalo tour. Basically an educational pub crawl. They take you to historic private clubs and gin mills and tell you a lot of history about the city while you get liquored up. They bus you around so drink up.

 

Send me a PM if you have specific questions.

 

PTR

Edited November 1, 2010 by PromoTheRobot

[uncle flap]

I thought they changed that a few years ago? 8am now?

it is 8am now.

[Corn Bread]

I forgot to mention there is a Sabres game on Saturday night. (11/13) They play the Capitals at 7pm. The Sabres suck too so you'll be able to find tickets on the street. There is subway that runs on Main Street. Once it come above ground, around Tupper St., you can ride it free and it will take you to HSBC Arena at the end of the line. If you do hit the hockey game, go to the Pearl Street Brewery. They make excellent beer.

 

Here's another option for Saturday night. Take a Forgotten Buffalo tour. Basically an educational pub crawl. They take you to historic private clubs and gin mills and tell you a lot of history about the city while you get liquored up. They bus you around so drink up.

 

Send me a PM if you have specific questions.

 

PTR

Hey, the Sabers game sounds great... but so does this tour! So much city, so little time. We're staying until Monday, but usually Sunday night is more about recovering from Saturday night and Sunday at the game. Back in the day, we could go through to Monday, but we're in our 40's now. Not much stamina left by Sunday night.

[ConradDobler]

I thought they changed that a few years ago? 8am now?

 

Yup.

[ET1062]

Because there is a home Sabres game on Satuday night, down by the arena will be a good time. You can also check out what will be our new Erie Canal district that is currently under construction while you are down there. A few bars to watch the game or have some beers before or after.

 

Benchwarmers-South Park Ave

Cobblestones-Mississippi St

Pearl Street Brewry-Pearl St

WJ Morrissey Irish Pub-Mississippi St

[Corn Bread]

More great ideas. Thanks!

 

One more thing. Is there an area in the tailgating lots where you pay for food so we can hang out without worrying about a grill? It would be great to have a section where we could either pay a set fee and get a wrist band or just pay for food as we hang out & throw the rock around. We bring our own gear to Lions games, but bringing everything there would be a hassle.

[PromoTheRobot]

More great ideas. Thanks!

 

One more thing. Is there an area in the tailgating lots where you pay for food so we can hang out without worrying about a grill? It would be great to have a section where we could either pay a set fee and get a wrist band or just pay for food as we hang out & throw the rock around. We bring our own gear to Lions games, but bringing everything there would be a hassle.

Not that I'm aware of. The famous Pinto Kenny shares his food free of charge to all comers. I always go to that Wegman's supermarket food court and stock up with chow. So much less hassle than grilling and the food is usually better.

 

PTR

[drinkTHEkoolaid]

Because there is a home Sabres game on Satuday night, down by the arena will be a good time. You can also check out what will be our new Erie Canal district that is currently under construction while you are down there. A few bars to watch the game or have some beers before or after.

 

Benchwarmers-South Park Ave

Cobblestones-Mississippi St

Pearl Street Brewry-Pearl St

WJ Morrissey Irish Pub-Mississippi St

 

these are all good ideas for regular bars in the city and can be had for a 5 min or so drive.

 

I like Pearl street as a personal prefrence but cobblestones and benchwarmers are fun when there is a Sabres game night

 

also, along main street in downtown wherever the metro rail runs above ground is free to hop on. it wont really get to anywhere crazy but can beat walking 6 blocks? just a thought to help you get around

 

if you wanted to venture into the suburbs a few suggestions for sports bars are;

 

Duffs in Orchard Park (about 5 mins from stadium)

The wareouse in blasdell (5 mins from stadium)

 

 

Generally speaking Buffalo is very easy to get around, its a medium sized city and you can pretty much be anywhere you want in 20 mins (other than Bills traffic) so getting around for sightseeing will be easy. keep in mind bars are open here till 4am so pace yourself and keep an eye on the time... nothing is worse than all of a sudden hearing "last call" and realizng its 4am and you want to be at the stadium in 4 hours to start all over again!

 

have a good time and enjoy! post back and let us know what your plans are and how things turn out

 

also forgot to throw in if you want to get the "buffalo food experience" check out things/foods/places such as;

 

-mighty taco (local taco chain beloved by residents)

-teds chargrilled hotdogs (beloved local hot dog chain)

-wings from just about any buffalo bar (tons of ways to get them and they are all pretty good, everyone has their own prefernce)

-"beef on weck" is a delicious beef sandwich at many local restaurants

-tim hortons coffee (not sure if these are in michigan or not, been a while since i've been there)

-get some local pizza, for whatever reason local buffalo pizzerias have developed their own brand/style of awesome pizza

 

thats all i can think of for now, sure others will chime in with suggestions

[Corn Bread]

Okay! Everything sounds great. I hope we're sitting around people as friendly as what I'm seeing here!

 

We'll be in section 109 - row 9 - seats 1 & 2.

 

If there's anything good about having an awful team to road trip for, it's that we've lost wherever we've gone and the fans don't take out a loss on us. We were winning at one point in Chicago 2 years ago, and that's when we got real quiet and sat low in our seats.

 

I've seen the opposite at Ford Field. Visitors egging on Lions fans in our own house and getting abusive. NOT-A-GOOD-IDEA!!

[DreReed83]

You are right near Allen St and there is a nice, low-key bar district along Allen. Plus Gabriel's Gate has excellent chicken wings. (Don't bother with the Anchor bar. It's a tourist trap now.) There's also a 24-hour Greek diner called the Towne at Allen & Elmwood. It's good, though being from Detroit I'm sure you've had better Greek food.

 

Here's a link for live music in town on Nov.13 Here's a link to BuffaloBarfly.com for useful bar info.

 

There are three major club districts in the downtown area. Allentown (Allen St) which your hotel is near, Chippawa St which is about 8 block south of your hotel, and the Elmwood Strip which is spread out along Elmwood Ave from Allen up to Buff State College. Remember bars are open until 4am in Buffalo.

 

As for transportation, there is a bus that runs to the stadium from the downtown bus terminal. (NFTA #93 bus) It leaves at 11am. It costs $1.75. But the bus station a good mile and a half from your hotel. You'd be better off driving.

 

Do not park in a stadium lot. They are expensive ($25) and it will take you all night to get out. Park in any private lot around the stadium. It's cheaper (usually $10) and you'll get your car out quicker. I recommend the lot at 3831 Sheldon Rd. Here is a map from your hotel. Stay off the I-90 game day. You'll move faster on the normal streets.

 

Once you are on McKinley Parkway, after turning right off Mile Strip Road, you'll see a Wegman's supermarket. I highly recommend stopping there for tailgate food. They have a great food court that has almost anything you could possibly want. (I recommend the hand-carved roast beef.) However buy your beer the night before because local blue laws don't allow Sunday beer sales until 12 noon.

 

Enjoy the game. I'll be there as well.

 

PTR

 

Can you go more into detail about that parking situation? I google mapped the 3831 Sheldon Rd and theres nothing out there. Just stores and stuff. Is this a parking lot or parking deck that i just pay to get into? I was gonna park in the stadium lot, but not so sure anymore.