udonkey

I recommend the lodging options in the Hamburg area (right near I-90 - ~5 miles from the stadium). I have personally stayed at the Tally Ho-tel, the Holiday Inn, and the Red Roof Inn (most recently, last week). I would recommend any of the 3, in the order (good, better, best) of: Tally Ho-tel, Holiday Inn, Red Roof Inn. Cost has ranged from ~$50 to ~$105 / night. Definitely worth checking out.

We honestly had not even thought about extra food - we went to the Wegmans near the stadium late Saturday night to buy enough stuff just for us. Next year, we'll definitely plan on bring some extra to contribute to the group.

Well, at least the Buckeyes gave you a nice present...

Oh, absolutely...I'm well aware that many of you have known each other for a long time. In no way at all am I implying that I or anyone in my little group didn't feel welcome. I just think that the parking arrangement privided a more "intimate" setting, which is good for those of us that haven't been around as long.

For future notice (if you get personalized plates again), you might check out: lock-um.com A little pricey, but I just ordered up a couple in black to ensure that my plates stay put (especially since I drive to away games, including Chicago and Indy this season).

Which is exactly why I usually try to mind my manners - my goal to hit all of the NFL stadiums leads me to believe that if I'm a prick at the Ralph, karma is going to meet up with me somewhere along the way.

Not seeing Spikes come out during introductions was one of my biggest let downs on Sunday (right behind the loss).

I agree that the parking arrangement was better this year than last - it was definitely more welcoming for those of us who don't know as many of you (i.e. aren't part of the secret club). It also did seem to help keep the wind toned down.

I guess I'm heartless, but I'm seriously hoping the Saints get moved to LA. I wouldn't mind if they finished the season 2-14, if it means the Mayflower trucks visit them instead of the Bills.

Thats my biggest concern w/ my new tags...I'm going to be quite surprised if they last until 10/08, when I have to renew them.

Hey, I did say hi to you on my way to the salad bar. By the way, previous reports are correct, Danny's chicken wing soup is pretty damn good!

On the drive back today, I had plenty of time to think this issue over some more and I'm pretty sure that the wind had A LOT to do with toning down the volume of the fans. I thought about it, because of all the times the Bills scored, I could barely hear "Shout" being played afterwards, and it certainly wasn't because of the people around me singing/cheering too loudly. I really think that the wind carried the sound, from an already poor sound system, right out of the stadium.

Same thing here...people started clearing out in the 4th and my girlfriend looked at me. I told her that I didn't drive 7 hours to watch 3.5 quarters of football. It could've ended better, but I'm glad I caught the whole game.

From what I could tell, at least of the Rockpile section, there were 2-5 Jets fans per section. Not bad at all, but you could definitely pick them out as the Bills fans started to clear out in the 4th. For the record, the weather was the worst during the game on the final possession - 10 minutes prior, the sun was out. Once the refs said that the on side kick call stood, the clouds rolled in, it started raining heavily (for about 5-10 minutes), and it got VERY windy.

This was my 2nd TDB tailgate, but definitely a good group of people. - Great setup w/ the tent - it really came in handy, especially for those mini-downpours after the game - Great raffle/auction items - I'm really pumped that I picked up that TKO signed football (THANKS CINDY!!!). - Great wings by Rich (came in clutch pre-game, since our grill wasn't working)

Yeah yeah yeah... Regardless, it was good seeing everyone today. I look forward to making the trip back up Oct. 22...I usually park at Hammer's, but I think that I'll meet you guys at "the pole" this time around. My idiot Pats fan brother-in-law will be with me, so I'll need everyone to give him an extra hard time.

According to Bob Costas, today's game was the first time in history that a team has lost at home when the QB has passed for more than 300 yards and the RB has rushed for 150+. Makes those damn turnovers sting that much more.

Eh, I see them once every 3 months, and we drove up in seperate cars

I was catching up w/ the folks - sat in the bar area w/ my parents and girlfriend, so I didn't pop over and say hi to the group. I did also see McNally though...he sat at the table right behind us. See you all bright and early tomorrow!

Watch closely...this is the weather that our boys will be playing in tomorrow. GO BUCKS! GO BILLS! (and for the trifecta, GO BRONCOS! or DIE PATRIOTS!)

We should have time/room with ours...the only catch is that if the weather is really rough, we might forgo the grille and just get some sandwiches or something at the store. Assuming we take it, look for the red Focus hatchback w/ white rims...you really can't miss my car. Plus the Ohio tags "GOB1LLS". See you tomorrow!

I'm by no means an expert, but I DID make some money last week...I did a 5 team teaser, getting an extra 6 points each: Bengals +8 vs Steelers Dolphins -5 vs Titans Packers +13 vs Lions Ravens -1 vs Browns Falcons +2 vs Saints

I remember the first time that I ever went to the Ralph. It was the Bills Bengals game on Dec. 29, 2002. I made the trip up with 3 of my buddies, all Bengals fans. One of the highlights of the long weekend for me was my first visit to the Ralph - it was late Saturday night, we made a quick trek from our hotel to the stadium just so that I could see it before we hit up the night life in Niagara Falls. Upon driving up, we were all amazed at how many campers there were, with bonfires and drunks everywhere. The funniest part is that while we're driving through the lot, some (*^*&%^$^#started running towards our van - he probably ran 50 yards or more until he stumbled to our van and started yelling some random name. We were obviously a little threatened, but it turned out the guy thought that we were someone else and went on his way.

Don't feel bad - I've got a mid-year review w/ my boss today, so no hope of skipping out early. To top it off, I'm going to have to hit up the urgent care for some meds to try to put this would-be sinus infection in its place...I can't imagine that being in the wind & rain on Sunday will help me if I'm not prepared.

There's currently a member reading that thread that I find to be odd: theaddress.com/member.php?u=6095