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Illinois game

Rose bowl or bust

HR Heisman
Jul 30, 2003
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Thinking about heading to the Iowa-Illinois game on Oct 8th. I’ve never been there. Any recommendactions on where to stay, tailgating, restaurants, etc etc would be greatly appreciated.
 
Not answering your question, but I have wondered about the kickoff time for that game. Since we don't know now, is twelve days before the game the earliest that we will know?
 
Not answering your question, but I have wondered about the kickoff time for that game. Since we don't know now, is twelve days before the game the earliest that we will know?
That's gonna be a solid 11 am/Noon start on one of the side channels (BTN/FS1).......unless B10 games can still get picked up by an ESPN network.

Then I could see it being on say ESPN2.
 
Thinking about heading to the Iowa-Illinois game on Oct 8th. I’ve never been there. Any recommendactions on where to stay, tailgating, restaurants, etc etc would be greatly appreciated.
Tailgating is mostly around the stadium / basketball arena parking from what I recall. The last couple times have been there the stadium was pretty empty. We drove out and back same day as pretty easy drive on 4 lane highway all the way.
 
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That's gonna be a solid 11 am/Noon start on one of the side channels (BTN/FS1).......unless B10 games can still get picked up by an ESPN network.

Then I could see it being on say ESPN2.

Yeah, unless Illinois does better than expected, this one seems firmly in the 11 am zone. They’re not getting better time slots unless more fans start showing.

I have never gone to that stadium.....but have always thought it was a great looking place. I STILL can't figure out why the Illini are never any good?

Really is amazing isn’t it? Outside a couple years under Zook, that program has been moribund for 20 years. If Brett can come close to locking down the state, they should at least return to competent.
 
Thinking about heading to the Iowa-Illinois game on Oct 8th. I’ve never been there. Any recommendactions on where to stay, tailgating, restaurants, etc etc would be greatly appreciated.
I’ve not been there since Bielema got there. Prior to him, tailgating was atrocious outside the stadium because nobody was there.

As for where to stay, any number of the big chain hotels. Living in iowa city, coming from the north, I even stayed one time in Bloomington the night before the game. Right in the way and probably less than an hour from Champaign.
 
Champaign is the worst "college town" I have ever visited. Not sure how they recruit kids to go there; must a hostage style situation once they get them on campus.
Yeah, Champaign and West Lafayette are always competing for 14th place (now 16th place) among B1G college towns, although Champaign usually gets the nod due to the crime.

I don't know what the f* they do with the huge amount of sales and state income tax in Illinois, because they sure as heck don't seem to be supporting their land grant college (in state tuition >$15k and terrible campus). Pennsylvania seems to be worse, though (PSU, Pitt and Temple are all $19-20k in-state tuition, JFC).
 
It is really flat there. Bring an 8' ladder, step on top of it and you can plan out your entire time there.
 
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Thinking about heading to the Iowa-Illinois game on Oct 8th. I’ve never been there. Any recommendactions on where to stay, tailgating, restaurants, etc etc would be greatly appreciated.

I havent been there since the early '80s and it was a great win by Iowa in the closing seconds with a defensive stand. Early october game and the weather was beautiful. the city not so much as I already read the first 10 replies. We stayed in a nice holiday inn though and dinner after the game with our group of 10 people was interesting. The building seemed like a converted funeral home with smallish side rooms. It was a really good buffet but about half way through dinner a comedian started doing standup and we laughed a lot at how bad he was. It was a fun trip
 
Yeah, unless Illinois does better than expected, this one seems firmly in the 11 am zone. They’re not getting better time slots unless more fans start showing.
The days of all the subpar games being at 11am are long over. They are spread out throughout the day now, maybe even more so with B1G teams playing in the 11am FOX game often.

Iowa/Illinois was at 1pm last year on FS1. CSU game was 2:30pm FS1. Kent State was 2:30pm BTN.

2020 Iowa at Illinois was 2:30pm FS1.

I do agree it will be FS1/BTN/ESPN2 kind of game.
 
Bloomington is a decent option. IL. will never lock down their borders, but if they can start to get a better percentage there is so much talent available that they don’t need it all. Notre Dame, Wi.,Iowa, Northwestern and Minnesota all consider parts of the state a prime target.

Champaign is a Steve Alford Eden. Il is definitely a basketball school.
 
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As for where to stay, any number of the big chain hotels. Living in iowa city, coming from the north, I even stayed one time in Bloomington the night before the game. Right in the way and probably less than an hour from Champaign.
I am planning to stay in Bloomington on Friday night. I want to check out Destihl Brewing. Then an easy drive to set up tailgate.
Of course we have no idea of game time. It use to be that 11am was almost guaranteed for a game like this, but now it is hard to guess.
 
Wow, lol, these comments ... anyway, here are some thoughts from an Illini fan to you, as I am sure you will go in with an open mind and ready to have a great time as a first-timer:

1) It's such an Iowa fan cliché to hate on Champaign, and it really fascinates me. I don't usually hear it from other fan bases, and Champaign regularly finishes highly on top college town lists. Not sure if it's saltiness, some weird/subconscious association of it with Ames, if fans have not visited recently (Champaign is one of the few places in IL that has grown incredibly fast in the last decade, especially downtown) or what, but ZERO Iowa fans that I know personally and bring to Champaign from Chicago do not have an awesome time. Some of you geezers are way off.

2) The tailgating atmosphere is NIGHT AND DAY depending on the time of year, and most Iowa games lately have been at the absolute worst time - the Saturday before Thanksgiving, with the students gone, crappy weather and at the point where Illinois' season is over. This year will be at a much better time, and the tailgating will actually be fun. I highly recommend Grange Grove, a public tailgating spot on the west side of the stadium (press box side):

fan_experience_grange_grove_71.jpg
E6BXH_bWQAAL-YK.jpg
275.jpg


3) Unlike Iowa City, Champaign is split between Downtown and Campustown. Campustown is a stereotypical college-like feel, and I would suggest spending any non-football time in Downtown. Downtown Champaign has better restaurants and some cool breweries and stuff.

Campustown
Campustown-3-e1454343877443-1024x441.jpg


Downtown
DJI_0011-ZF-6555-75414-1-038-e1480627682152.jpg


4) With that said ... regardless of what anyone says about the city of Champaign, informed or not, the campus itself is objectively nice. If you're already in Campustown and it's a nice day, I would walk off your beers in the Quad and the engineering campus across the street:
university-of-illinois-urbana-champaign_hero.png
114702.jpg
0e8a6afaed5c9f1f2c0020e173d0ce8b--quad-engineering.jpg


5) Assuming you take my initial advice and hang around Downtown, though, I highly recommend the Italian restaurant Nando Milano for dinner ... it's as good as anything I have had in Chicago, and I believe there is actually still a sister restaurant of theirs in Wicker Park. Hamilton Walker's is a cool steakhouse across the street, but I actually have never eaten there ... so I cannot vouge for that one! Around the corner, there is a section of the old pedestrian mall that was never reconverted into streets, and there are a few bars on this stretch of pedestrian area. If it's nice enough out, just around the corner is one of my favorite beer gardens at the Blind Pig Brewery, and Cowboy Monkey (across from the beer garden below on this same mini-ped mall area) usually has some decent live music. Barrelhouse 34 is right by all of this, too, and it has a cool rooftop bar area.

Nando Milano (Cowboy Monkey to the left, Blind Pig across and to the left)
7e5da6cc7e16f2fc78d3f598c982e87e_-united-states-illinois-champaign-county-champaign-city-township-champaign-nando-milano-217-954-1439htm.jpg


Blind Pig Brewery
Beer%20garden.jpg


Barrelhouse 34
59882088_2238420359757279_4299158191943450624_n.jpg


6) If you do prefer to hang in Campustown (which is a walkable distance from the stadium), I would suggest Legends for a generic lunch place or Joe's for more of a party atmosphere beforehand (they also actually have a decent burger). I have not been to the new Kam's since they tore down the original and legendary dump, so I can't comment on what it's like ... but it looks pretty nice. I have never been to the new Illin Inn, but it looks cool and it's on your way to the stadium if you prefer a "halfway there beer" like my friends and I do. :)

Legends
DSC_9250ed-900x598.jpg


Joe's
PLACEHOLDER_image1.png


Kam's
EmptyName-6.jpg


Illini Inn
Dkw-E-JX4AAxoJx


7) If you are a fan of deep dish pizza ... WOOF, Papa Dels is honestly as good as (almost) anything I have had here in Chicago, as well! It is a cool spot and within walking distance from the stadium, but unfortunately I have heard they are having trouble getting help, and it is a total shit show ... so be prepared to wait.

Papa Dels
Best-of-CU-restaurants_ES_19-900x596.jpg


Hope you have a great time!
 
Wow, lol, these comments ... anyway, here are some thoughts from an Illini fan to you, as I am sure you will go in with an open mind and ready to have a great time as a first-timer:

1) It's such an Iowa fan cliché to hate on Champaign, and it really fascinates me. I don't usually hear it from other fan bases, and Champaign regularly finishes highly on top college town lists. Not sure if it's saltiness, some weird/subconscious association of it with Ames, if fans have not visited recently (Champaign is one of the few places in IL that has grown incredibly fast in the last decade, especially downtown) or what, but ZERO Iowa fans that I know personally and bring to Champaign from Chicago do not have an awesome time. Some of you geezers are way off.

2) The tailgating atmosphere is NIGHT AND DAY depending on the time of year, and most Iowa games lately have been at the absolute worst time - the Saturday before Thanksgiving, with the students gone, crappy weather and at the point where Illinois' season is over. This year will be at a much better time, and the tailgating will actually be fun. I highly recommend Grange Grove, a public tailgating spot on the west side of the stadium (press box side):

fan_experience_grange_grove_71.jpg
E6BXH_bWQAAL-YK.jpg
275.jpg


3) Unlike Iowa City, Champaign is split between Downtown and Campustown. Campustown is a stereotypical college-like feel, and I would suggest spending any non-football time in Downtown. Downtown Champaign has better restaurants and some cool breweries and stuff.

Campustown
Campustown-3-e1454343877443-1024x441.jpg


Downtown
DJI_0011-ZF-6555-75414-1-038-e1480627682152.jpg


4) With that said ... regardless of what anyone says about the city of Champaign, informed or not, the campus itself is objectively nice. If you're already in Campustown and it's a nice day, I would walk off your beers in the Quad and the engineering campus across the street:
university-of-illinois-urbana-champaign_hero.png
114702.jpg
0e8a6afaed5c9f1f2c0020e173d0ce8b--quad-engineering.jpg


5) Assuming you take my initial advice and hang around Downtown, though, I highly recommend the Italian restaurant Nando Milano for dinner ... it's as good as anything I have had in Chicago, and I believe there is actually still a sister restaurant of theirs in Wicker Park. Hamilton Walker's is a cool steakhouse across the street, but I actually have never eaten there ... so I cannot vouge for that one! Around the corner, there is a section of the old pedestrian mall that was never reconverted into streets, and there are a few bars on this stretch of pedestrian area. If it's nice enough out, just around the corner is one of my favorite beer gardens at the Blind Pig Brewery, and Cowboy Monkey (across from the beer garden below on this same mini-ped mall area) usually has some decent live music. Barrelhouse 34 is right by all of this, too, and it has a cool rooftop bar area.

Nando Milano (Cowboy Monkey to the left, Blind Pig across and to the left)
7e5da6cc7e16f2fc78d3f598c982e87e_-united-states-illinois-champaign-county-champaign-city-township-champaign-nando-milano-217-954-1439htm.jpg


Blind Pig Brewery
Beer%20garden.jpg


Barrelhouse 34
59882088_2238420359757279_4299158191943450624_n.jpg


6) If you do prefer to hang in Campustown (which is a walkable distance from the stadium), I would suggest Legends for a generic lunch place or Joe's for more of a party atmosphere beforehand (they also actually have a decent burger). I have not been to the new Kam's since they tore down the original and legendary dump, so I can't comment on what it's like ... but it looks pretty nice. I have never been to the new Illin Inn, but it looks cool and it's on your way to the stadium if you prefer a "halfway there beer" like my friends and I do. :)

Legends
DSC_9250ed-900x598.jpg


Joe's
PLACEHOLDER_image1.png


Kam's
EmptyName-6.jpg


Illini Inn
Dkw-E-JX4AAxoJx


7) If you are a fan of deep dish pizza ... WOOF, Papa Dels is honestly as good as (almost) anything I have had here in Chicago, as well! It is a cool spot and within walking distance from the stadium, but unfortunately I have heard they are having trouble getting help, and it is a total shit show ... so be prepared to wait.

Papa Dels
Best-of-CU-restaurants_ES_19-900x596.jpg


Hope you have a great time!
That's nice and all.....just never forget:









Iowa > Illinois :cool:
 
Wow, lol, these comments ...
LOL all you want, but the Univ of Illinois campus and Champaign have a strongly-earned and well-deserved reputation. Don't take our word for it, though. You'll find the same comments everywhere.

I appreciate that you're sticking up for your school, but try to get out more and/or take off the orange and blue glasses. And remember - there's always Purdue...
 
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LOL all you want, but the Univ of Illinois campus and Champaign have a strongly-earned and well-deserved reputation. Don't take our word for it, though. You'll find the same comments everywhere.

I appreciate that you're sticking up for your school, but try to get out more and/or take off the orange and blue glasses. And remember - there's always Purdue...
Says the 50-year old Iowa fan who has confirmed it with his poker buddies! Lol. Considering how well it ranks on lists made by non-Iowa fans, perhaps it is you who needs a healthy dose of exposure? If you don’t like it, fine … not everyone likes every town…? But your claim that it takes “orange and blue glasses” to not share your particular view of Champaign, much less the campus, REALLY lacks evidence.

Either way, my goal wasn’t to change the mind of a stubborn Iowa curmudgeon. It was to give advice to the OP on his first visit to a new college town.
 
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Wow, lol, these comments ... anyway, here are some thoughts from an Illini fan to you, as I am sure you will go in with an open mind and ready to have a great time as a first-timer:

1) It's such an Iowa fan cliché to hate on Champaign, and it really fascinates me. I don't usually hear it from other fan bases, and Champaign regularly finishes highly on top college town lists. Not sure if it's saltiness, some weird/subconscious association of it with Ames, if fans have not visited recently (Champaign is one of the few places in IL that has grown incredibly fast in the last decade, especially downtown) or what, but ZERO Iowa fans that I know personally and bring to Champaign from Chicago do not have an awesome time. Some of you geezers are way off.

2) The tailgating atmosphere is NIGHT AND DAY depending on the time of year, and most Iowa games lately have been at the absolute worst time - the Saturday before Thanksgiving, with the students gone, crappy weather and at the point where Illinois' season is over. This year will be at a much better time, and the tailgating will actually be fun. I highly recommend Grange Grove, a public tailgating spot on the west side of the stadium (press box side):

fan_experience_grange_grove_71.jpg
E6BXH_bWQAAL-YK.jpg
275.jpg


3) Unlike Iowa City, Champaign is split between Downtown and Campustown. Campustown is a stereotypical college-like feel, and I would suggest spending any non-football time in Downtown. Downtown Champaign has better restaurants and some cool breweries and stuff.

Campustown
Campustown-3-e1454343877443-1024x441.jpg


Downtown
DJI_0011-ZF-6555-75414-1-038-e1480627682152.jpg


4) With that said ... regardless of what anyone says about the city of Champaign, informed or not, the campus itself is objectively nice. If you're already in Campustown and it's a nice day, I would walk off your beers in the Quad and the engineering campus across the street:
university-of-illinois-urbana-champaign_hero.png
114702.jpg
0e8a6afaed5c9f1f2c0020e173d0ce8b--quad-engineering.jpg


5) Assuming you take my initial advice and hang around Downtown, though, I highly recommend the Italian restaurant Nando Milano for dinner ... it's as good as anything I have had in Chicago, and I believe there is actually still a sister restaurant of theirs in Wicker Park. Hamilton Walker's is a cool steakhouse across the street, but I actually have never eaten there ... so I cannot vouge for that one! Around the corner, there is a section of the old pedestrian mall that was never reconverted into streets, and there are a few bars on this stretch of pedestrian area. If it's nice enough out, just around the corner is one of my favorite beer gardens at the Blind Pig Brewery, and Cowboy Monkey (across from the beer garden below on this same mini-ped mall area) usually has some decent live music. Barrelhouse 34 is right by all of this, too, and it has a cool rooftop bar area.

Nando Milano (Cowboy Monkey to the left, Blind Pig across and to the left)
7e5da6cc7e16f2fc78d3f598c982e87e_-united-states-illinois-champaign-county-champaign-city-township-champaign-nando-milano-217-954-1439htm.jpg


Blind Pig Brewery
Beer%20garden.jpg


Barrelhouse 34
59882088_2238420359757279_4299158191943450624_n.jpg


6) If you do prefer to hang in Campustown (which is a walkable distance from the stadium), I would suggest Legends for a generic lunch place or Joe's for more of a party atmosphere beforehand (they also actually have a decent burger). I have not been to the new Kam's since they tore down the original and legendary dump, so I can't comment on what it's like ... but it looks pretty nice. I have never been to the new Illin Inn, but it looks cool and it's on your way to the stadium if you prefer a "halfway there beer" like my friends and I do. :)

Legends
DSC_9250ed-900x598.jpg


Joe's
PLACEHOLDER_image1.png


Kam's
EmptyName-6.jpg


Illini Inn
Dkw-E-JX4AAxoJx


7) If you are a fan of deep dish pizza ... WOOF, Papa Dels is honestly as good as (almost) anything I have had here in Chicago, as well! It is a cool spot and within walking distance from the stadium, but unfortunately I have heard they are having trouble getting help, and it is a total shit show ... so be prepared to wait.

Papa Dels
Best-of-CU-restaurants_ES_19-900x596.jpg


Hope you have a great time!

Wow! Nice work. Actually a great post.
Have they made any upgrades to the stadium? I haven't been there in 10 years.
 
Wow! Nice work. Actually a great post.
Have they made any upgrades to the stadium? I haven't been there in 10 years.
Not since about 2008. They renovated the press box side and stopped, which is really frustrating … because the east side and horse shoe need a lot of work. Future plans will make the horse shoe actually look a lot more like Kinnick, which I would absolutely love!


illini_1.jpg


It sucks, because our stadium could be really cool, but if just has a few blech parts.
 
Not since about 2008. They renovated the press box side and stopped, which is really frustrating … because the east side and horse shoe need a lot of work. Future plans will make the horse shoe actually look a lot more like Kinnick, which I would absolutely love!


illini_1.jpg


It sucks, because our stadium could be really cool, but if just has a few blech parts.
Haha, you had to find an artist rendering to get a pic of the place full? 😂😂😂... Nice. I was there around 06, it was the worst big ten game day atmosphere I've experienced, no offense
 
Illinois is one of the trips you can sit behind the Iowa bench, or sit on the 50’s relatively inexpensively.

Someone else can weigh in, but if I recall correctly, you can also sit too low, so make sure you check on that before purchasing tickets.

I don’t know what the hotel situation is. It used to be the prices in Champaign got jacked up for the Iowa game, and I haven’t stayed in Champaign due to this for quite a while. There are a lot of other options relatively close. Even Peoria isn’t too far of a drive.

It also used to be worth the trip to Covington, Ind for the Beef House. While it isn’t a dump, it isn’t what it used to be.

There is an o.k. family owned steak place on the other side of the stadium. Usually less crowds. I think that’s towards Rantoul.

Supposedly the bowling alley has original deep dish Chicago pizza.

Maybe the Illinois guy can fill in the names of these two places.

I’d go the the stadium a bit early. Illinois is broke and the parking and security can be an issue. The last two trips it snowed on the way back. Illinois is so broke the one year they didn’t do snow removal on the interstate. We drove 20 MPH and when we hit the Iowa border it was cleared off. Revealing for those that consider Iowa a dump.

I personally like the Illinois trip because it’s an easy trip, and I used to go in and out on game day. I don’t do that anymore, but it’s still an easy trip with just one overnight at the most, and very good tickets are available. Over the years sitting behind the Iowa bench at away games I’ve learned a lot. Illinois is an opportunity to sit right on top the Iowa bench. It’s a different way to watch a game.
 
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Haha, you had to find an artist rendering to get a pic of the place full? 😂😂😂... Nice. I was there around 06, it was the worst big ten game day atmosphere I've experienced, no offense
Not sure what you mean, buddy, it’s an artist rendering of a future renovation. 😂 It doesn’t look like that now, obviously. This is what will be done to the horse shoe part below the scoreboard, a true eyesore on the stadium:

Illinois3-1080x675.jpg
 
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Wow, lol, these comments ... anyway, here are some thoughts from an Illini fan to you, as I am sure you will go in with an open mind and ready to have a great time as a first-timer:

1) It's such an Iowa fan cliché to hate on Champaign, and it really fascinates me. I don't usually hear it from other fan bases, and Champaign regularly finishes highly on top college town lists. Not sure if it's saltiness, some weird/subconscious association of it with Ames, if fans have not visited recently (Champaign is one of the few places in IL that has grown incredibly fast in the last decade, especially downtown) or what, but ZERO Iowa fans that I know personally and bring to Champaign from Chicago do not have an awesome time. Some of you geezers are way off.

2) The tailgating atmosphere is NIGHT AND DAY depending on the time of year, and most Iowa games lately have been at the absolute worst time - the Saturday before Thanksgiving, with the students gone, crappy weather and at the point where Illinois' season is over. This year will be at a much better time, and the tailgating will actually be fun. I highly recommend Grange Grove, a public tailgating spot on the west side of the stadium (press box side):

fan_experience_grange_grove_71.jpg
E6BXH_bWQAAL-YK.jpg
275.jpg


3) Unlike Iowa City, Champaign is split between Downtown and Campustown. Campustown is a stereotypical college-like feel, and I would suggest spending any non-football time in Downtown. Downtown Champaign has better restaurants and some cool breweries and stuff.

Campustown
Campustown-3-e1454343877443-1024x441.jpg


Downtown
DJI_0011-ZF-6555-75414-1-038-e1480627682152.jpg


4) With that said ... regardless of what anyone says about the city of Champaign, informed or not, the campus itself is objectively nice. If you're already in Campustown and it's a nice day, I would walk off your beers in the Quad and the engineering campus across the street:
university-of-illinois-urbana-champaign_hero.png
114702.jpg
0e8a6afaed5c9f1f2c0020e173d0ce8b--quad-engineering.jpg


5) Assuming you take my initial advice and hang around Downtown, though, I highly recommend the Italian restaurant Nando Milano for dinner ... it's as good as anything I have had in Chicago, and I believe there is actually still a sister restaurant of theirs in Wicker Park. Hamilton Walker's is a cool steakhouse across the street, but I actually have never eaten there ... so I cannot vouge for that one! Around the corner, there is a section of the old pedestrian mall that was never reconverted into streets, and there are a few bars on this stretch of pedestrian area. If it's nice enough out, just around the corner is one of my favorite beer gardens at the Blind Pig Brewery, and Cowboy Monkey (across from the beer garden below on this same mini-ped mall area) usually has some decent live music. Barrelhouse 34 is right by all of this, too, and it has a cool rooftop bar area.

Nando Milano (Cowboy Monkey to the left, Blind Pig across and to the left)
7e5da6cc7e16f2fc78d3f598c982e87e_-united-states-illinois-champaign-county-champaign-city-township-champaign-nando-milano-217-954-1439htm.jpg


Blind Pig Brewery
Beer%20garden.jpg


Barrelhouse 34
59882088_2238420359757279_4299158191943450624_n.jpg


6) If you do prefer to hang in Campustown (which is a walkable distance from the stadium), I would suggest Legends for a generic lunch place or Joe's for more of a party atmosphere beforehand (they also actually have a decent burger). I have not been to the new Kam's since they tore down the original and legendary dump, so I can't comment on what it's like ... but it looks pretty nice. I have never been to the new Illin Inn, but it looks cool and it's on your way to the stadium if you prefer a "halfway there beer" like my friends and I do. :)

Legends
DSC_9250ed-900x598.jpg


Joe's
PLACEHOLDER_image1.png


Kam's
EmptyName-6.jpg


Illini Inn
Dkw-E-JX4AAxoJx


7) If you are a fan of deep dish pizza ... WOOF, Papa Dels is honestly as good as (almost) anything I have had here in Chicago, as well! It is a cool spot and within walking distance from the stadium, but unfortunately I have heard they are having trouble getting help, and it is a total shit show ... so be prepared to wait.

Papa Dels
Best-of-CU-restaurants_ES_19-900x596.jpg


Hope you have a great time!

I have no problem with the town but I don't like Memorial Stadium.
 
Yeah, Champaign and West Lafayette are always competing for 14th place (now 16th place) among B1G college towns, although Champaign usually gets the nod due to the crime.

I don't know what the f* they do with the huge amount of sales and state income tax in Illinois, because they sure as heck don't seem to be supporting their land grant college (in state tuition >$15k and terrible campus). Pennsylvania seems to be worse, though (PSU, Pitt and Temple are all $19-20k in-state tuition, JFC).
The university itself is pretty good ... I did some postdoctoral research there eons ago. Their STEM fields are top-notch. I loved their old library ... kinda felt like reading my math books in a crypt ... just kinda felt "right."

But yeah ... the college-town vibe there sucks. They at least used to have some decent Chicago-style pizza ... and some decent cheap Asian restaurants (more for lunch-fare). I could see going there for academics ... but probably no other reason.
 
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Big Ten towns are mostly the same. Champaign is fine. The campus is great.

The stadium feels bad because its always half empty. The most fantastical thing about those artist renderings are the sold out stadium....
 
Not since about 2008. They renovated the press box side and stopped, which is really frustrating … because the east side and horse shoe need a lot of work. Future plans will make the horse shoe actually look a lot more like Kinnick, which I would absolutely love!


illini_1.jpg


It sucks, because our stadium could be really cool, but if just has a few blech parts.
It had been half empty a lot since 2008.
 
It had been half empty a lot since 2008.
Yeah, I know…? I didn’t come to talk smack, but if that’s all you have to offer … tip of the hat, I guess.

No fan base is immune to losing interest after prolonged and intensive losing. You might think Iowa fans are above that or especially loyal or something, but I was at Carver several times during the Lickliter years … ghost town. If you had the pathetic football results we’ve been tortured with over the last two decades, Kinnick wouldn’t be full, either.
 
I have no problem with the town but I don't like Memorial Stadium.
Eh, I love the architecture outside and the history of the place. However, it has a few huge, glaring errors - namely the horse shoe. If they fixed that up as the rendering proposes, it would be a perfectly fine stadium. As another poster said, people’s opinions of stadiums have a lot to do with the crowd, and bad teams don’t have good crowds. If Purdue were awful at basketball, no one would have a single good thing to say about Mackey Arena, lol.
 
Eh, I love the architecture outside and the history of the place. However, it has a few huge, glaring errors - namely the horse shoe. If they fixed that up as the rendering proposes, it would be a perfectly fine stadium. As another poster said, people’s opinions of stadiums have a lot to do with the crowd, and bad teams don’t have good crowds. If Purdue were awful at basketball, no one would have a single good thing to say about Mackey Arena, lol.

Fair point but I went in the 00s when Illinois was okay. I still didn't enjoy the stadium.
 
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