Heading to my 1st Steelers game EVERRR!!! Need help.

SO, Ive had the unfortunate event of never making it to a Steelers game until this coming year. I am 27 BUT!! There's a good story behind this and I feel like I should share.

My guy purely wanted to talk to me because he knew I was a Steelers fan, literally that was the first thing he ever said to me. During the past few seasons, we have cheered and I cried a little last year when Brown got hurt. M'fer! Anyways, times have been tough but Ive been working on paying off a lot of school debt, and now working 3 jobs. I have saved enough to pay for the Browns game on Jan 1st. and have my hotel booked! Woop! Im giving him this as a surprise gift on our anniversary (I know Im a great GF right??)

Really my question is what are the MUST DOs while I am in Pittsburgh, as you can tell this isnt an every year kind of thing so I will be blessed if I ever get to do this again. As well, how likely is it that we will be covered in snow? I am coming from VA, and the past few Decembers we've had no snow, but wasnt sure how bad Pittsburgh would be. Any input, and information is welcome. Thanks so much in advance!
Bang Bang! <3

 

It's hard for me to give advice for a New Years day game as it will more than likely be very cold. Dress warm and have fun. Bring home a win.

 

The city of Pittsburgh has a great event on New Year's Eve called First Night. Definitely a lot going on (entertainment, fire works etc) and lots of fun. In view of Steelers game andNew year's eve--book your hotel as soon as you can.Also the SouthSide neighborhood has many cool bars and filled with the younger crowd Some things to do before the game you can Google to find out more info):
* Ride incline up Mt Washington (located near Station Square. Fantastic vista--especially at night. Cool bars and very good (but expensive) restaurants).
* Visit the Strip District on Saturday morning or afternoon--very cool ware house with many shops (including Steelers shops) and interesting bars and restaurants.
* Hang out on Southside on Friday or Saturday night--cool bars and lots of young people.
* Before the game there are a number of great bars and breweries in walking distance near Heinz Field. Also try to enter stadium early so you can visit the Great Hall which has Steelers memoriabilia and historical stuff.

 

*Primanti Bros. Restaurant and Bar is a must.
*Strip district is my favorite place to go.
*Go to Station Square and park in the parking garage, take the Clipper over to the stadium. They pull right up in front and drop you off, dont worry you can watch the whole game, they wont leave you. Dont tip the sax player, biggest jerk youll ever meet playing for money.
*Wear Steeler stuff and you will think you are at a family reunion.
*Bettis Grill is nice, kinda over priced but not bad.
*And as mentioned, it will be cold. The air coming off the 3 rivers is COLD. First game I went to was in mid Dec, it was 6* that night, I bout froze. Had to be -10-15 with that wind. My bottle of water froze at my feet if that tells you anything. Learn to dress in layers if you dont know how.
*Be prepared to experience the Steeler atmosphere. It is awesome, it cant be explained until youve been there.
*Make a list of things you want to do when you go back...you will want to go back. Pittsburgh is a great city.

 

New Year's Day game, eh?

Very Possible Scenario: Freezing. Miserably cold to the point you're ready to bail at halftime. Landry Jones and Fitzsimmons Touissant lead the way in a meaningless game against the Clowns as our playoff seeding is already cemented leading you and yours to wonder why the heck you picked a Week 17 game in January.

Best Case Scenario: Snow. No rain, no wind, but plenty of snow. Your first Steelers game is an epic battle in the snow (the way Pittsburgh football should be played) and we need to best the Clowns so we can take the division title over the rats or bungals. Obviously, we steamroll the Clowns as you watch, live, a division-clinching win.

I turned down free tickets for the Christmas Day game against the Rats. No chance you'll find me anywhere near the Northeast in December or January 1st (I'll head out for a home AFC Championship Game though). I've been in that stadium where I was so cold that I was absolutely miserable. No thanks! You're a better person than me!

DRESS WARM!!!!! Get heavy duty wool socks, load up on those hand warmer things (and get a couple extra pairs for your feet), gloves (make sure they're water resistant), don't wear jeans! (jeans are the worst thing you can wear in a cold weather game as they stay wet and make your experience worse), make sure you have a scarf and make sure your ears are covered. If it rains, you can always pick up one of the $5 yellow (sorry, 'Pittsburgh Gold') rain ponchos in the team shop. I would highly advise a wool blanket for you and yours to bundle up in as well.

 

Because the weather is probably going to be very cold and also the steelers playoff fate already decided, I would buy tickets as close to game day as possible. The prices will likely be close to face value.

 

This right here made me change my entire plan. I moved around a lot and instead just bought the tickets to the Oct 2nd game against the Chiefs! I know that should be good. At least I wont be freezing my butt off, I think this will be a better option. Thanks everyone for all the inputs I am so excited about tailgating with my fellow Steelers! I live in Redskins Country so going out in Steelers attire you always get the "look" haha

 

You know the Chiefs game is a prime time Sunday night 8:30pm kickoff, I'm sure.

You'll definitely get your tailgating fix taken care of on that day. New advice: pace yourself. I flew out for Joe Greene's jersey retirement game (a home prime-timer vs the rats) and a guy a row behind me and just to the left of me kept leaning over and puking at his feet then busting right back into cheering for the team. An extra seven hours of tailgating will do that to some.

 

How did you get tickets if they haven't went on sale yet? I have never been to a home game (fan from Ms), but going to cheatriots game this year. Thought tickets went on sale 6/16...

 

I bought my tickets through Ticket Monster they're on sale you just dont get your tickets til closer to the game but they are reserved.

 

Uggh yuck! Well, I feel after many years of Football, and drinking experience for a lady I handle my own pretty well! I am so ready for tailgating! Its going to be so nice to be in Steel City partying the right way!! Thanks for all your advice. So excited!

 

First game, so any tips on which sections of the stadium are better than others? Thanks in advance.

 

First, there is not a bad seat in the stadium. With that said, I'm not a fan of sitting down low. Sit on the Steelers side (west). If money is not a factor, club west seats are the best. If money is a factor, aim above this area.

 

Unfortunately, money is a factor. Thanks for the advice because I sure don't want to sit anywhere close to Cheatriot fans, so I'll be looking for seats on the west side. I'm 49 but going with my son, 26, and nephew, 27. Any suggestions on which hotel to stay in? Would like to stay in one with sports bars within walking distance but want to be in a safe area too. Don't wanna be caught in wrong place wrong time... im from Jackson, Ms and there are places here that simply should be avoided. Regardless of who you are, it's just not safe to be in south Jackson, and you sure don't wanna be on foot. Hoping you guys can give me sound advice on how to visit Pittsburgh and have a good time while remaining safe.

 

Try the Sheraton at Station Square. Right across the river from the Stadium. Couple sports bars there and Hometown Sports has a lot of cool Steelers gear.

 

Unfortunately, "money is a factor" and "I'd like to stay in the nicer part of town" don't often go hand in hand. If you want to save money then the first step is to book your hotel sooner than later. As far as staying safe goes, I think the "nothing good happens after midnight" rule would apply in downtown Pittsburgh (as it applies to most metropolitan downtowns). Hotels with sports bars in the Burgh . . . I don't know if they any have sports bars, per se, but the Marriott next to Consol Energy Arena comes to mind. Sheraton at Station Square has a huge lobby with a central bar and tv's. I would suggest Station Square would be the safest area you could stay in but will probably be the priciest. I believe the Springhill Suites by Marriott next to PNC and about a hundred yards from Heinz has a nice bar in its lobby and, if not, Mullen's Sports Bar (formerly the legendary Hi-Tops Sports Bar) is directly across the street (and Jerome Bettis' 36 Grill is a hundred yards away as well).

If you don't mind the distance, your cheapest hotel options are always going to be out by the airport. When I can't find a reasonable deal on any of my favorite hotels in the area (because I waited too long to book and the prices skyrocketed), then I always get a hotel out by the airport in the $50-$80 range and often get either the Sheraton or the Embassy Suites. It's safe as can be out there but there isn't anywhere to walk around either.

You can also opt for hotels in nearby areas like Green Tree, Monroeville, or Cranberry (Hines Ward has a sports bar there and hotels would be cheap as it's a twenty-to-thirty minute drive to the Burgh).

 

Since you said money is a factor, you might wanna know that the Sheraton in Station Square (which most people are going to suggest) is $372 a night with a two-night minimum.

The Marriott by Consol Energy is $254.

You're not going to get a hotel in downtown Pittsburgh that weekend under $200 unless it's in Oakland and you don't want to stay there anyways.

Since money is a factor, you want to stay safe, and you want to be near a sports bar, my recommendation would be to stay out in Cranberry a short 20-30mins away at either the Marriott Pittsburgh North or the Hyatt Place. Newer hotels in the $120 range, in the neighborhood of Hines Ward's Table 86 sports bar.

 

Thanks guys. I expected 200 range, but 400 a night isn't in my range. As far as being safe, it's just I'm not familiar with Pittsburgh at all. Maybe crime in general isn't as bad as it is here in Jackson... Again, thanks for the tips and I'll avoid oakland area.

 

You don't want to be walking around downtown Pittsburgh late at night. Can draw a sketchy crowd and it gets worse the later it gets. Stick to hotels and cabs.

If you insist on staying in downtown Pittsburgh, Priceline has some decent 'Express' deals going on right now that I'd jump all over if I was heading there that weekend. 3-star in downtown Pittsburgh for $205 a night or a 4.5-star (I can only imagine that would be the Fairmont, the Monaco, or maybe the Renaissance -- which is my favorite hotel in the Burgh and in a choice location) for only $241 a night (which would be a steal). You can get 'express deals' through Priceline by the airport for a three or four-star hotel in the $100 range and Cranberry between $60-$80.

Have fun!

 

Tim,

I would expect that tickets for that game are going to be a little more pricey on the secondary market, as well. Over the past few seasons the Steelers have gone to variable pricing for the games. Up until this year, the preseason tickets have been the cheapest, followed by the designated "black" games. The designated "yellow" games were the most expensive-all this means is that the face value on the tickets were different depending upon the designation. This year (because we're hosting both the Pats & Cowboys) they added a 4th tier to the mix, the premium tier with those 2 games being the "premium" games, so your Pats and Cowboys ticket will have a higher face value than the rest of the games-so you can expect to pay more for your ticket, even if you can find one at cost. I would expect this to "jack-up" the secondary market price, as well.

As far as seat location, my opinion is that the worst seats at Heinz Field are down low. I would try to find something in the 500 level. It really doesn't matter if you sit on the West or East side of the stadium. Although the west side is behind the Steelers bench, you're not going to encounter more Pats fans on the east side. Both sides are practically made up of season ticket holders. If you end up on the East side, I'd carry some sunglasses, since that side tends to get much more sun but I don't know how long that you'd need them for a late (4:25) start. Generally, your out-of-town fans will cluster in the North End Zone in Sections 518-520-these are usually the sections made available to visiting fans. In addition, I would try to avoid sitting in Section's 528-530 West & 515-517 East. The weather here can be brutal, it tends to travel up the Ohio River and into the stadium. There is nothing to block it or keep the wind out of these sections and it can be nasty, a real possibility for a late kick-off in November.

Can't be of much help with hotels. I've had to get rooms for clients before and know that most downtown hotels have 2-night minimums for Steeler weekends and that they jack-up the rates considerably. There is Best Western, Hampton Inn and Doubletree in Greentree which is a very short drive into town and to the stadium. There are also a bunch of places to stay in the Robinson area, which is a little further but not quite as far as the Airport. Not many sports bars downtown. There are a bunch of restaurants and a few bars in Market Square. You have Redbeards and Olive "r" Twist near the Renaissance Hotel (6th Street, I believe) which is close to the Roberto Clemente Bridge (that you can see from PNC Park). All of the bars/restaurants adjacent to PNC Park are open on Steeler game days-a short walk to Heinz Field. Nearer to Heinz, you have Bettis Grille 36, Rivertowne Tavern and a few others. I think that a Bar Louie is supposed to open down there but I'm not sure when (it might be already). There is also a concert venue, Stage AE, that is open with beer stands, food stands, etc.

Above all, have fun. I'm a season ticket holder and have been going to games since the 3rd grade. I never get tired of it.

 

You could also check out AirBnB. I'm staying at an apartment on the strip for 5 nights and it's costing me $600 for 2 people. Don't think you'll get much cheaper than that for somewhere so close to the downtown area.

 

Air BnB usually requires a longer rental (like your five night trip). Most people don't come into town for a Steelers game and stay for a week. But, yeah, Air BnB and VRBO are certainly solid options for longer-than-usual stays.

 

Agreed. Love VRBO, usually requires a minimum 2 day stay. There is one on there now that looks about 5 blocks from Heinz for $300 a night. Think there was also one near the Mattress Museum (?) for about $120 a night.

 

Another question because not sure who all will be able to go. If I bought tickets to NE game off ticketmaster now from season ticket holders, would I be able to sell 2 tickets on game day if everyone can't go? Would only hope to cut my losses, not make a profit. And is that legal? Don't wanna do anything illegal. It's just my brother may or may not be able to go and I don't wanna be stuck with 2 unused tickets. Thanks again for everyone's advise. I really appreciate it and looking forward to seeing Brady get his ass knocked around! Bring it Big Dan hard up the middle. Timmons and company will do the rest...

 

Yeah we use VRBO quite a bit. Renting a house at Lake of the ozarks next week for our annual golf/ fishing trip. I'm on a three week vacation. We're down in Cancun right now.