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Wake - ND football travel plans

ClemmonsWFU said:
Planning to take my teenage son to the Wake - ND in November. Tentative plan is to fly up to Chicago the Thursday before the game and spend part of that day and Friday doing some sightseeing in Chicago. Then the game in South Bend on Saturday. Fly back to NC sometime Sunday. Looking for some suggestions on logistics of getting around…car vs train to South Bend? Stay in Chicago Thur and Fri nights and head to ND early Saturday morning? Or head to ND Friday night and stay there somewhere?

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Want to make this a special guys trip weekend for my son.
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Wife and I stayed at The Blackstone, a Marriot Autograph Collection overlooking Grant Park in the Loop, for a long weekend last fall. We loved it. Easily walkable to the Aquarium/Field Museum (both musts, IMHO). Probably a mile or so to the magnificent mile area of Michigan Ave, but not a bad walk. We got a great deal on using points too.
 
If you get to ND on Friday, there is enough to do to keep you busy. Tours, the Grotto, etc. it can be enjoyable. I would feel if you showed up just on Saturday you may feel you missed out. I don’t know how old your son is but Tippecanoe Place is an old house that has been turned into a steakhouse, nice ambience.
 
I will be driving up to the game from Dayton. Staying in Elkhart since places like the Fairfield Inn will cost $696 per night. Uh, nope. I have a friend within the company I work for that attended ND. I asked for some tips on places to stay, things to do, etc. I will copy/paste the info he sent so you can all consider these ideas....

Here you go...

Day of the game, the band will put on an outdoor performance in one of the outside areas on campus. It’s really nice. Watching the team ‘process’ from the Admin Building (the Golden Dome) to the Stadium is impressive, too . . . all in suits. Of course, walking around the stadium is amazing with all the tailgating and things going on . . . something to behold.

Things on campus to be sure to not miss:
  • The Golden Dome – the Admin Building – it something to see, from the outside and inside. It will be open. Check it out.
  • The Grotto – it’s soul of campus. Light a candle for someone you love (have some dollar bills for a voluntary contribution).
  • The Basilica – the heart of campus. In the Basilica, go to the area behind the alter, in the eastern wing and check out the ‘bone chips’. Unbelievable. Most people don’t know about it and it’s worth seeking out. Be sure to check the ‘bone chip registry/map’ to find some famous saints.
  • ‘Touchdown Jesus’ and reflecting pond – speaks for itself. Go in, head to the 13 floor (I think) and you can go to the corners and have the best views of campus – not all floors have windows.
  • The Stadium – when you go in, notice have the ‘new addition’ was put in so that you can see the old stadium. Very cool
  • If time allows, there are two lakes on campus and it’s worth a stroll around both.
My life-long favorite pizza in South Bend is Barnaby’s Pizza. They have two locations – I recommend the one on Jefferson near downtown – it’s the original and the better of the two.

Go online the week before the game and you’ll find an itinerary of events that specific weekend and it will tell you where some of these events are happening.

Wear comfortable shoes – you’ll want to walk until your feet hurt, there is so much to see. Dorms cooking food for sale as fundraisers.

Hope this information is helpful.
See you all there!!
GO DEACS!!
 
Looks like I’m making the trip.

I originally planned on going to law school at ND and had an apartment lined up before going to UVA.
 
You poor, poor souls. That game is going to be an ass whooping. Or maybe a comedy of errors. Hartman and Griffis combine for 18 turnovers and 12 defensive TDs.
 
DeacsNDayton said:
I will be driving up to the game from Dayton. Staying in Elkhart since places like the Fairfield Inn will cost $696 per night. Uh, nope. I have a friend within the company I work for that attended ND. I asked for some tips on places to stay, things to do, etc. I will copy/paste the info he sent so you can all consider these ideas....

Here you go...

Day of the game, the band will put on an outdoor performance in one of the outside areas on campus. It’s really nice. Watching the team ‘process’ from the Admin Building (the Golden Dome) to the Stadium is impressive, too . . . all in suits. Of course, walking around the stadium is amazing with all the tailgating and things going on . . . something to behold.

Things on campus to be sure to not miss:
  • The Golden Dome – the Admin Building – it something to see, from the outside and inside. It will be open. Check it out.
  • The Grotto – it’s soul of campus. Light a candle for someone you love (have some dollar bills for a voluntary contribution).
  • The Basilica – the heart of campus. In the Basilica, go to the area behind the alter, in the eastern wing and check out the ‘bone chips’. Unbelievable. Most people don’t know about it and it’s worth seeking out. Be sure to check the ‘bone chip registry/map’ to find some famous saints.
  • ‘Touchdown Jesus’ and reflecting pond – speaks for itself. Go in, head to the 13 floor (I think) and you can go to the corners and have the best views of campus – not all floors have windows.
  • The Stadium – when you go in, notice have the ‘new addition’ was put in so that you can see the old stadium. Very cool
  • If time allows, there are two lakes on campus and it’s worth a stroll around both.
My life-long favorite pizza in South Bend is Barnaby’s Pizza. They have two locations – I recommend the one on Jefferson near downtown – it’s the original and the better of the two.

Go online the week before the game and you’ll find an itinerary of events that specific weekend and it will tell you where some of these events are happening.

Wear comfortable shoes – you’ll want to walk until your feet hurt, there is so much to see. Dorms cooking food for sale as fundraisers.

Hope this information is helpful.
See you all there!!
GO DEACS!!
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Thanks for all the info….much appreciated
 
deacdixieboy said:
You poor, poor souls. That game is going to be an ass whooping. Or maybe a comedy of errors. Hartman and Griffis combine for 18 turnovers and 12 defensive TDs.
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It would be sweet if we got the annual “Hartman special”, but he’ll prolly melt down vs. USC or someone lame
 
deacdixieboy said:
You poor, poor souls. That game is going to be an ass whooping. Or maybe a comedy of errors. Hartman and Griffis combine for 18 turnovers and 12 defensive TDs.
Click to expand...
I mean, I was at the 2012 game where they could have hung 80 or 90 points on us, so...
 
I think my wife and I are going to make the trip to Chicago. Can someone tell me more about the South Shore train? Is it important to buy tickets in advance for that? Does it fill up on game days? Can we hop on the morning train from Millennium station with little trouble? Their website kind of sucks.
 
Arsene Wenger said:
I think my wife and I are going to make the trip to Chicago. Can someone tell me more about the South Shore train? Is it important to buy tickets in advance for that? Does it fill up on game days? Can we hop on the morning train from Millennium station with little trouble? Their website kind of sucks.
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The South Shore website does indeed suck.

There are six stations for the South Shore train in Chicago (Millennium Station, Van Buren, Museum Campus/11th, McCormick Place, 57th, and 63rd), they are all outdoor stations except for Millennium Station & McCormick Place. All of the stations in Chicago are shared with the Metra Electric line, so make sure you're getting on the correct train. The South Shore people know lots of fans take the train out on game day, so you should have little problem. You'll have the most options at Millennium Station since its the terminus.

I would wait to buy tickets until we're closer to game day (they do have an app, which they didn't have last time I took the train out) - they are currently doing improvements on the tracks between Gary and Michigan City and buses are currently running between those stations and that could add anywhere between a half hour to 45 minutes to the trip. The most recent news is that they're ahead of schedule and they may begin operating train again by the end of the month/early Nov. It may wind up being easier to rent a car to avoid the shuttle.
 
Do they do the architectural boat tours that late in the year, and if so, is it even worth doing it when it is likely to be very cold. I took the tour a long time ago and enjoyed it. I think my son would as well, but don’t want to be miserable during it
 
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