My friend and I have been season ticket holders since 2009. But we rarely go on road trips. Bill is from the Chicago area and he is really experienced doing road trips on his own, primarily to MLB games around the country.

We are planning a road trip to Evanston for the Northwestern game and, given the fact that it is labor day weekend, we want to get our flight plans asap so as to avoid high ticket prices.

But before we do that, Bill wanted to know if there are any already planned road trips for Cal fans and/or season ticket holders. I think he is trying to save money. Sometimes things are cheaper for groups.

So, does anybody know of any Cal groups that we could join for our trip to Evanston?

FWIW we were planning on flying a red-eye late Thursday night, rest and relax Friday. Maybe site see Saturday before game. Watch Cal upset Northwestern and Fitz. Do more exploring on Sunday. Go to Cubs game on Monday and fly out either Monday late (after game) or Tuesday early.

i can only wish at this time ... funny thing my have the ability then but not right now lol to properly make plans .. take pics to share

long time between now and then but nw with their union push not sitting well with frtizi

With you on the game Saturday and Cubs Monday.

The NFL schedule should be released in the next two weeks. We're really hoping for a home game at Soldier Field to complete the trifecta. Bears v Packers 2 years ago was a nice add in for Cal v Ohio State.

If you extend the trip for a week, Michigan's last home game v Notre Dame for some time is in South Bend the following weekend, if I'm not mistaken.

I'll only have been back in the US for something like 40 hours, but I will be making the drive from South Bend to Evanston for the game. Probably just a day-trip, but I might get a hotel. I'm really looking forward to it. I haven't seen the Bears play live since the last Nevada debacle (the day before I moved to Europe -- I couldn't have left with a worse taste in my mouth).

A couple of road trip-ish food-related recommendations on the cheaper end of the scale:

Burt's Pizza Morton Grove (real close to Evanston) -- best pizza I ever had. You have to call in advance and place your order. Then make sure to show up on time, as your pizza will be ready at the exact time you said you would be there.

Intelligentsia Coffee -- Really good coffee. Several locations in Chicago. As for the day of the game, there is a Peet's really close to Northwestern. This may not be exotic to you, but for Berkeley exiles in the midwest, it's a pretty big deal.

Ba le -- Awesome banh mi sandwiches in Chicago.

If you're going to a Cubs game, the Goose Island Brewery is real close to Wrigley. Not bad. I sometimes can get free tickets from a friend, so PM me if you are interested and I can see if I can talk my friend out of them.

The Duke!;842303805 said:

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I'll only have been back in the US for something like 40 hours, but I will be making the drive from South Bend to Evanston for the game. Probably just a day-trip, but I might get a hotel. I'm really looking forward to it. I haven't seen the Bears play live since the last Nevada debacle (the day before I moved to Europe -- I couldn't have left with a worse taste in my mouth).

A couple of road trip-ish food-related recommendations on the cheaper end of the scale:

Burt's Pizza Morton Grove (real close to Evanston) -- best pizza I ever had. You have to call in advance and place your order. Then make sure to show up on time, as your pizza will be ready at the exact time you said you would be there.

Intelligentsia Coffee -- Really good coffee. Several locations in Chicago. As for the day of the game, there is a Peet's really close to Northwestern. This may not be exotic to you, but for Berkeley exiles in the midwest, it's a pretty big deal.

Ba le -- Awesome banh mi sandwiches in Chicago.

If you're going to a Cubs game, the Goose Island Brewery is real close to Wrigley. Not bad. I sometimes can get free tickets from a friend, so PM me if you are interested and I can see if I can talk my friend out of them.

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Thanks Duke!
I'll stay in touch as things develop.
I am a vegetarian and have acid reflux (caused by being a Bear fan I think:headbang) so I won't be having meat or coffee. My friend is a recovering AA guy and I have sworn off pizza for some more personal reasons. Since my friend is from the area, he'll probably know about some places as well.

heartofthebear;842303834 said:

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Thanks Duke!
I'll stay in touch as things develop.
I am a vegetarian and have acid reflux (caused by being a Bear fan I think:headbang) so I won't be having meat or coffee. My friend is a recovering AA guy and I have sworn off pizza for some more personal reasons. Since my friend is from the area, he'll probably know about some places as well.

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There are several vegetarian and vegan places in Evanston. I lived there for a summer once back when I tried my hand at veganism. Not a terrible place to be if you don't eat meat.

Hippies

NFL season will start the following weekend...Pre-season games will end that Thursday/Friday

Thanks for the input folks.
I am really not looking for advice on what to do in the area so much as trying to find out if Cal, or Cal affiliates, are already planning a package for season ticket holders.

BTW Northwestern is going to be much better than they were last year and more similar to the year before. Veneric Mark was set to graduate, but he has been awarded another year of eligibility. If Cal can pull off an upset as a road opener it will make a statement for the season as a whole.

I'm predicting that NW will set up a picket line around the stadium and the Bears won't cross caUsing a cancellation of the game due to a double forfeit.

That's better than a loss, right?

71Bear;842304125 said:

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I'm predicting that NW will set up a picket line around the stadium and the Bears won't cross caUsing a cancellation of the game due to a double forfeit.

That's better than a loss, right?

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the nw HC is not happy with his team pushing the issue, then i believe by time aug rolls around their focus could be off just enough to make sure the bears get the win

20 nw 31 bears

Planning on making the game too. Will be there for about a week. Where's the cal section?

heartofthebear;842303978 said:

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Thanks for the input folks.
I am really not looking for advice on what to do in the area so much as trying to find out if Cal, or Cal affiliates, are already planning a package for season ticket holders.

BTW Northwestern is going to be much better than they were last year and more similar to the year before. Veneric Mark was set to graduate, but he has been awarded another year of eligibility. If Cal can pull off an upset as a road opener it will make a statement for the season as a whole.

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After an offseason where their coach and players were testifying against each other in court, I think this will be our easiest opponent outside of Sac State.

going4roses;842304131 said:

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the nw HC is not happy with his team pushing the issue, then i believe by time aug rolls around their focus could be off just enough to make sure the bears get the win

20 nw 31 bears

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Haha, Bears hold someone to 20.

alarsuel;842304172 said:

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Haha, Bears hold someone to 20.

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is ravaged by world record injuries again ... i expect def to be ranked 15th and 25th overall ... from what have seen at open practices plus my friend that is a ball coach in the bay area was at closed practice yesterday and he said D will be vastly improved or expect to see a few freshman on d play

the def players really like coaches and are learning /learning to love playing for them

the defensive staff is re installing confidence and swagger
..seems so like there is early cohesion among def coaches the mix of art / fred then burns with chachere its new a new DC ( head chef) and his new su chefs are going to prepare some nice gumbo(call good games make adjustments and most of being prepared)

only injuries can slow the team down.. they look like they are having fun...

check back with me in fall practice if we start on D with the same 11-22 guys on d though fall .... i be even more in the expectation of big things category from them

if you concede losses ... before the game is over or even played ... that way of thinking around these parts needs to find some way to get to the belief side

as of now i believe this team will go hard and be way different and thus results will be totally different

heartofthebear;842303834 said:

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Thanks Duke!
I'll stay in touch as things develop.
I am a vegetarian and have acid reflux (caused by being a Bear fan I think:headbang) so I won't be having meat or coffee. My friend is a recovering AA guy and I have sworn off pizza for some more personal reasons. Since my friend is from the area, he'll probably know about some places as well.

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No meat, no coffee, no booze, no pizza, and flying? What kind of road trip is this?

grandmastapoop;842304183 said:

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No meat, no coffee, no booze, no pizza, and flying? What kind of road trip is this?

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With all due respect to heartofthebear -- I have to agree, grandmastapoop.

I went vegan for 4 months once on a bet with a vegan friend. I won $400 for accomplishing the feat. And then I won another $100 on a side bet -- he bet me that if I did complete the task, that I would never go back to meat. The experience wasn't too bad -- in fact I enjoyed quite a bit of it. But I had no moral qualms about switching back the next day.

But as for football, I *might* be able to give up either beer, pizza, meat or coffee, depending on the situation. But I couldn't give up two or three, much less all four.

grandmastapoop;842304183 said:

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No meat, no coffee, no booze, no pizza, and flying? What kind of road trip is this?

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Isn't that called a spiritual odyssey?

I've tried to cheat on my diet several times.
Naturally I'm a meat eater (type O blood) and my job encourages coffee consumption. My friend, Bill can do all these things and will probably get frustrated traveling with me. But you have to be very careful with the kinds of conditions I have, which is probably why I'm better off not being a sports fan:p, let alone a Cal fan.

I do eat fish so I'm not really a vegetarian. I'm sure there are plenty of good seafood restaurants in the area. And it's true that road trips are limited as is life at this point. But I prefer to stay out of the hospital, even if it means eating salads.:bigpuke:

Expect an early game (Cal always seems to be nailed with early games going east), and hot, humid weather. Last year, at the same time, the temps were near 100 degrees. Think the Maryland game. Not sure how the baby Bears react to same.

heartofthebear;842304229 said:

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I've tried to cheat on my diet several times.
Naturally I'm a meat eater (type O blood) and my job encourages coffee consumption. My friend, Bill can do all these things and will probably get frustrated traveling with me. But you have to be very careful with the kinds of conditions I have, which is probably why I'm better off not being a sports fan:p, let alone a Cal fan.

I do eat fish so I'm not really a vegetarian. I'm sure there are plenty of good seafood restaurants in the area. And it's true that road trips are limited as is life at this point. But I prefer to stay out of the hospital, even if it means eating salads.:bigpuke:

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Seems rather sensible.

This was on the official Cal website, Cal official travel agent: http://www.gettravel.com/cal/

Doesn't look like they put together a package for NU but it's worth asking.

In Chicago I'd look for hot dogs and Italian beef sandwich.

beelzebear;842304371 said:

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In Chicago I'd look for hot dogs and Italian beef sandwich.

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Dipped italian beef sandwich with gardiniere....rooling

philbert;842304375 said:

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Dipped italian beef sandwich with gardiniere....rooling

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Also incredible museums, and I am not a museum kinda of guy. Also, the river trip is great that time of year. If I wasn't going to stay in Chicago later in the year to attend a game in South Bend, I would go to this game. Chicago is awesome.

wifeisafurd;842304444 said:

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Also incredible museums, and I am not a museum kinda of guy. Also, the river trip is great that time of year. If I wasn't going to stay in Chicago later in the year to attend a game in South Bend, I would go to this game. Chicago is awesome.

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I wouldn't stay in Chicago for a trip to South Bend if I were you. You should stay in South Bend, or some charming little lake town like New Buffalo or South Haven if you really can't stand the thought of spending the night in SB.

If you do stay in Chicago, you will lose an hour in the time change driving into EST. So what is normally a two hour drive requires you to leave 3 hours early. But then with all the gameday traffic and parking issues you really should leave 4.5 hours before kickoff (plus whatever time you want to see the campus and tailgate). The return trip is a bit better because the the time change will work in your favor. But it will still take at least an hour to get to the freeway with all the traffic.

Gameday at Notre Dame is crazy. Unless you want to spend the vast majority of it in your car, I would highly recommend staying locally -- South Bend, Mishawaka, Granger, Niles, or one of the aforementioned lake towns.

My wife and I live in an apartment that is about 200 yards from the NU stadium. I will be making the trip. On Saturday there was some traffic as NU had a public practice. I was totally psyched. I just wish my apartment faced the street so I could hang a Cal flag out.

For those not familiar with Chicago, you can take the commuter train (METRA North line) from downtown Chicago to the Central Street Station in Evanston and walk about a half mile to the stadium. A weekend pass is about $7.00 good for unlimited rides on the weekend.

Go Bears.

Looks like the Packers have a tentatively scheduled preseason home game on Thursday August 28th vs. the Chefs. I don't know how often those dates get changed, but that's something to consider. BCS busters NIU also plays at home on the 28th versus the mighty Blue Hoes.

grandmastapoop;842304183 said:

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No meat, no coffee, no booze, no pizza, and flying? What kind of road trip is this?

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Not a bona fide one to the Midwest anyway.

I'm currently planning on attending the Cal vs. Northwestern football game, too.

Drop me a direct message when it gets closer to gameday, and maybe we can all have a mini-rendezvous with any other Cal fans who want to join.

heartofthebear;842303135 said:

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My friend and I have been season ticket holders since 2009. But we rarely go on road trips. Bill is from the Chicago area and he is really experienced doing road trips on his own, primarily to MLB games around the country.

We are planning a road trip to Evanston for the Northwestern game and, given the fact that it is labor day weekend, we want to get our flight plans asap so as to avoid high ticket prices.

But before we do that, Bill wanted to know if there are any already planned road trips for Cal fans and/or season ticket holders. I think he is trying to save money. Sometimes things are cheaper for groups.

So, does anybody know of any Cal groups that we could join for our trip to Evanston?

FWIW we were planning on flying a red-eye late Thursday night, rest and relax Friday. Maybe site see Saturday before game. Watch Cal upset Northwestern and Fitz. Do more exploring on Sunday. Go to Cubs game on Monday and fly out either Monday late (after game) or Tuesday early.

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The Duke!;842304521 said:

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I wouldn't stay in Chicago for a trip to South Bend if I were you. You should stay in South Bend, or some charming little lake town like New Buffalo or South Haven if you really can't stand the thought of spending the night in SB.

If you do stay in Chicago, you will lose an hour in the time change driving into EST. So what is normally a two hour drive requires you to leave 3 hours early. But then with all the gameday traffic and parking issues you really should leave 4.5 hours before kickoff (plus whatever time you want to see the campus and tailgate). The return trip is a bit better because the the time change will work in your favor. But it will still take at least an hour to get to the freeway with all the traffic.

Gameday at Notre Dame is crazy. Unless you want to spend the vast majority of it in your car, I would highly recommend staying locally -- South Bend, Mishawaka, Granger, Niles, or one of the aforementioned lake towns.

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Notwithstanding the traffic, parking and everything else (usually weather), there is no way I am getting the wife to stay in South Bend rather than Chicago. We sometimes leave real early and try to see the college football museum or the Studebacker facility. No around the hell of getting back however. At least if the weather is not horrible we visit some of the campus.

KoreAmBear;842304879 said:

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Not a bona fide one to the Midwest anyway.

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A bona fide trip to the Midwest should include a ginormus farmer's breakfast, something like 2 smoked pork chops, 3 eggs, short stack, hash browns and toast. Seriously, the Midwest doesn't win many culinary battles but if there's one it's breakfast.

Bear_Elegance;842304917 said:

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I'm currently planning on attending the Cal vs. Northwestern football game, too.

Drop me a direct message when it gets closer to gameday, and maybe we can all have a mini-rendezvous with any other Cal fans who want to join.

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sounds good.
I'll bump this thread once it gets into summer however we may want to get plane tickets earlier. I'll check in in about a month.

Thanks for the feedback on museums. I haven't been to a good museum for a while. It would be great to take advantage of those opportunites while in the midwest since I don't visit very often, if ever.