2019 Football Travel Guide
Posted: September 25th, 2018, 11:23 pm
September 7th:
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Lafayette, Louisiana
The culinary epicenter of Louisiana. As anyone from Baton Rouge or New Orleans will quickly point out, this is where you find the best Cajun & Creole cooking. I'll hit on the awesome dining options momentarily but let me start with the stadium:
Cajun Field
Opened in 1971 - Seats 41,426
Lafayette (pronounced LAFF-ay-ETT) is not the easiest to get to directly. The local airport which I have used a number of times has service from ATL (Delta Connection), DFW (American Eagle) & IAH (United Express). Typically it costs quite a bit extra to fly directly into LFT. I recommend flying into the Big Easy (MSY) and then renting a car and driving up. Flight are typically cheaper and easier to schedule. Then you have a little over a two-hour drive either through the bayous along the coast or up the freeway through Baton Rouge (or Red Stick as it locally called). If you take the southern route it takes you through New Iberia and the Tabasco plant. If you head up through BR then you have all that city has to offer. Of course New Orleans has a few things of interest as well.
Now back to Lafayette dining and it comes strong. The conversation always has to begin with Old Tyme Grocery. As the name suggest, it is an old corner grocery store that is alive and kicking less than a mile from Cajun Stadium. These are the best shrimp po-boys I have ever eaten and I have had more than my fair share. I have loved Blue Dog Cafe for years. Great Cajun seafood joint with oysters that rock. It is themed with the art of the late George Rodrigue. But the place that all tourists must go is Prejeans. It feels a bit like a Cajun theme park with the design and the expansive Acadiana menu that includes dishes you won't see on Virginian menus anytime soon that are unbelievable. Think creatures from the bayou (BY-oh) that bite back. The Cajun is so strong in this city that there are dozens of places that would be considered the best in any major city in US for lagniappe. Yes, I am drooling as I type this post. This is one game where you will definitely a Sly Fox sighting,
October 5th
New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Aggie Memorial Stadium
Opened in 1978 - Seats 30,343
In case you missed the 2018 visit to Las Cruces, it looks this might be your last chance to head to the Land of Enchantment with out schedule filled up the next few years. The key element to remember here is that Las Cruces is much closer to El Paso International Airport (ELP) than Albuquerque. So if you were planning combining these back-to-back games in New Mexico into one trip, you'd probably want to fly into Albuquerque and flight out of El Paso which is just an hour away. Even though it might be tempting to slip across the border into Juarez when you are driving from the airport to Las Cruces, it is not recommended AT ALL. But there are other cool places to visit in Southern New Mexico.
This taqueria in town called La Nueva has a big time reputation in New Mexico and Mrs. Sly & I checked it out for lunch on a recent business trip:
Mrs. Sly went with the huevos rancheros and I went with a combination of things to savor the local chiles:
Speaking of chiles, Hatch is just a few miles up the road. If you are into spicy food, this place is a mecca along the Rio Grande.
I referenced White Sands National Monument above and checked it out for myself yesterday for the first time. You head east over these mountains just outside of town:
Just as you reach San Augustin Pass, you are greeted by this view as you enter the White Sands Missile Range:
Once you roll down the mountain you drive across the range unless it is closed for a few hours during testing. Just before you arrive in Alamogordo, you can access White Sands National Monument:
It makes for a fun trip to Las Cruces but it does require some time.
Carlsbad Caverns is also a few hours away and there are countless Navajo places to visit across the state. I know we have several posters with El Paso ties including bozlady. It definitely offers some interesting experiences as well.
October 26th:
Rutgers University
New Brunswick, New Jersey
HighPoint Solutions Stadium
Opened in 1994 - Seats 52,454 - Located in Piscataway
Yes, this is a B1G school even though it still feels strange calling them a member of the same league with Ohio State, Michigan & Penn State. The bigger attraction for most of us is liek the game at West Point in 2018, this is another contest in close proximity to the Big Apple. The stadium is 37 miles and just an hour drive (non-rush hour) from Manhattan. And just 25 miles and 40 minutes from EWR for those of us flying in. That is much closer than Monmouth for those of you who made that run through Jersey. I know Haize like to ride the rails and the red line runs from Newark Penn Station passed EWR down to New Brunswick Fuhgedaboudit.
November 2nd
University of Massachusetts
Amherst, Massachusetts
Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium
Opened in 1965 - Seats 17,000
In case you didn't find a way to get up to UMass in 2018, the most important thing to note is that this stadium is nowhere close to Boston. Instead it is located in Hadley which is a shade under two hours driving time from Logan Airport. The airports at Springfield & Hartford are actually closer if you are planning on flying in. But Western Mass has its own appeal and this game is an attractive trip as well. It would be easy to visit the National Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield. If we didn't have some other attractive options, I'd probably make this trip myself from Texas. As the pirates who don't do anything so eloquently pointed out, who wouldn't want to see Boston in the fall?
November 9th:
Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah
LaVell Edwards Stadium
Opened in 1964 - Seats 63,470
This is easily the most attractive date on the 2019 slate from my perspective. Not only do we have a terrific matchup of the Evangelicals vs. the Mormons, we also have an incredible venue to watch a game. The stadium sets right along a mountain range and will have just received a small upgrade connecting the four sides on the corners for the 2019 season. While the program is no longer QBU and the controversial 1984 National Championship was before most of our fans were even born, it still is a legitimate name game for us. And one that Doc would have loved to see happen in his lifetime.
While BYU is located in Provo, the neighborning city of Orem is just as close to campus. Provo is your prototypical college town with its downtown eateries. Orem has all the chains along the freeway including In N Out Burger for those jonesing for some Double-Doubles Animal-Style. Provo is just south of Salt Lake City which is where you will need to fly in. SLC has a cool vibe with great restaurants including my favorite sushi place on the planet (and I have been to Japan numerous times), Takashi.
Park City is just the other side of SLC although early November is probably a little early for powder. However if you want to spend a few days and have time of your life, you need to head south down to Moab to see "The Mighty 5". I spent a night there this past summer and I want to go back and spend some time exploring perhaps the most beautiful desert on the planet.
November 23rd:
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
Scott Stadium
Opened in 1931 - Seats 61,500
Obviously this is the best known location on our schedule outside of Lynchburg. Any LU fans in the Commonwealth should not miss this game. Enough said.
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Lafayette, Louisiana
The culinary epicenter of Louisiana. As anyone from Baton Rouge or New Orleans will quickly point out, this is where you find the best Cajun & Creole cooking. I'll hit on the awesome dining options momentarily but let me start with the stadium:
Cajun Field
Opened in 1971 - Seats 41,426
Lafayette (pronounced LAFF-ay-ETT) is not the easiest to get to directly. The local airport which I have used a number of times has service from ATL (Delta Connection), DFW (American Eagle) & IAH (United Express). Typically it costs quite a bit extra to fly directly into LFT. I recommend flying into the Big Easy (MSY) and then renting a car and driving up. Flight are typically cheaper and easier to schedule. Then you have a little over a two-hour drive either through the bayous along the coast or up the freeway through Baton Rouge (or Red Stick as it locally called). If you take the southern route it takes you through New Iberia and the Tabasco plant. If you head up through BR then you have all that city has to offer. Of course New Orleans has a few things of interest as well.
Now back to Lafayette dining and it comes strong. The conversation always has to begin with Old Tyme Grocery. As the name suggest, it is an old corner grocery store that is alive and kicking less than a mile from Cajun Stadium. These are the best shrimp po-boys I have ever eaten and I have had more than my fair share. I have loved Blue Dog Cafe for years. Great Cajun seafood joint with oysters that rock. It is themed with the art of the late George Rodrigue. But the place that all tourists must go is Prejeans. It feels a bit like a Cajun theme park with the design and the expansive Acadiana menu that includes dishes you won't see on Virginian menus anytime soon that are unbelievable. Think creatures from the bayou (BY-oh) that bite back. The Cajun is so strong in this city that there are dozens of places that would be considered the best in any major city in US for lagniappe. Yes, I am drooling as I type this post. This is one game where you will definitely a Sly Fox sighting,
October 5th
New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Aggie Memorial Stadium
Opened in 1978 - Seats 30,343
In case you missed the 2018 visit to Las Cruces, it looks this might be your last chance to head to the Land of Enchantment with out schedule filled up the next few years. The key element to remember here is that Las Cruces is much closer to El Paso International Airport (ELP) than Albuquerque. So if you were planning combining these back-to-back games in New Mexico into one trip, you'd probably want to fly into Albuquerque and flight out of El Paso which is just an hour away. Even though it might be tempting to slip across the border into Juarez when you are driving from the airport to Las Cruces, it is not recommended AT ALL. But there are other cool places to visit in Southern New Mexico.
This taqueria in town called La Nueva has a big time reputation in New Mexico and Mrs. Sly & I checked it out for lunch on a recent business trip:
Mrs. Sly went with the huevos rancheros and I went with a combination of things to savor the local chiles:
Speaking of chiles, Hatch is just a few miles up the road. If you are into spicy food, this place is a mecca along the Rio Grande.
I referenced White Sands National Monument above and checked it out for myself yesterday for the first time. You head east over these mountains just outside of town:
Just as you reach San Augustin Pass, you are greeted by this view as you enter the White Sands Missile Range:
Once you roll down the mountain you drive across the range unless it is closed for a few hours during testing. Just before you arrive in Alamogordo, you can access White Sands National Monument:
It makes for a fun trip to Las Cruces but it does require some time.
Carlsbad Caverns is also a few hours away and there are countless Navajo places to visit across the state. I know we have several posters with El Paso ties including bozlady. It definitely offers some interesting experiences as well.
October 26th:
Rutgers University
New Brunswick, New Jersey
HighPoint Solutions Stadium
Opened in 1994 - Seats 52,454 - Located in Piscataway
Yes, this is a B1G school even though it still feels strange calling them a member of the same league with Ohio State, Michigan & Penn State. The bigger attraction for most of us is liek the game at West Point in 2018, this is another contest in close proximity to the Big Apple. The stadium is 37 miles and just an hour drive (non-rush hour) from Manhattan. And just 25 miles and 40 minutes from EWR for those of us flying in. That is much closer than Monmouth for those of you who made that run through Jersey. I know Haize like to ride the rails and the red line runs from Newark Penn Station passed EWR down to New Brunswick Fuhgedaboudit.
November 2nd
University of Massachusetts
Amherst, Massachusetts
Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium
Opened in 1965 - Seats 17,000
In case you didn't find a way to get up to UMass in 2018, the most important thing to note is that this stadium is nowhere close to Boston. Instead it is located in Hadley which is a shade under two hours driving time from Logan Airport. The airports at Springfield & Hartford are actually closer if you are planning on flying in. But Western Mass has its own appeal and this game is an attractive trip as well. It would be easy to visit the National Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield. If we didn't have some other attractive options, I'd probably make this trip myself from Texas. As the pirates who don't do anything so eloquently pointed out, who wouldn't want to see Boston in the fall?
November 9th:
Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah
LaVell Edwards Stadium
Opened in 1964 - Seats 63,470
This is easily the most attractive date on the 2019 slate from my perspective. Not only do we have a terrific matchup of the Evangelicals vs. the Mormons, we also have an incredible venue to watch a game. The stadium sets right along a mountain range and will have just received a small upgrade connecting the four sides on the corners for the 2019 season. While the program is no longer QBU and the controversial 1984 National Championship was before most of our fans were even born, it still is a legitimate name game for us. And one that Doc would have loved to see happen in his lifetime.
While BYU is located in Provo, the neighborning city of Orem is just as close to campus. Provo is your prototypical college town with its downtown eateries. Orem has all the chains along the freeway including In N Out Burger for those jonesing for some Double-Doubles Animal-Style. Provo is just south of Salt Lake City which is where you will need to fly in. SLC has a cool vibe with great restaurants including my favorite sushi place on the planet (and I have been to Japan numerous times), Takashi.
Park City is just the other side of SLC although early November is probably a little early for powder. However if you want to spend a few days and have time of your life, you need to head south down to Moab to see "The Mighty 5". I spent a night there this past summer and I want to go back and spend some time exploring perhaps the most beautiful desert on the planet.
November 23rd:
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
Scott Stadium
Opened in 1931 - Seats 61,500
Obviously this is the best known location on our schedule outside of Lynchburg. Any LU fans in the Commonwealth should not miss this game. Enough said.
