My Peach Bowl Experience

[WanderingSpectator]

TL;DR Really disappointed in the outcome. Freezing cold temps. Meh parade. Awesome aquarium. One of the best stadiums in the country. Happy the 12-team playoff is here.

I said at the game that I didn't know how many more Penn State Bowl Games I'd travel to. Then I realized that the playoffs saved the NY6 games. Without the playoff, the bowl would have died after this year. With it, each NY6 game is back to relevancy. Opt-outs will still happen, but I'd expect it to be much less. Lower bowls have always struggled for attendance, but they are made-for-tv (and player families) anyway.

The question now becomes, which one(s) will you attend? If money is no object, you attend all, but if it is, how do you choose if you want a first-round, quarterfinal, semifinal, or natty?

Bottom of the Bowl (Season)

The Capital of College Football! Atlanta is home to the Peach Bowl and the College Football Hall of Fame. Thankfully, the 12-team playoff will keep the NY6 Bowls relevant going forward.

wanderingspectator.wordpress.com

 

[MontereyLion]

We have a 77 inch OLED TV. Decision made.

 

[1995PSUGrad]

Equally disappointed in the outcome but loved Atlanta. We had never been. It was chilly, but freezing cold temps? Not that bad.

 

[WanderingSpectator]

It was chilly, but freezing cold temps? Not that bad.

Maybe it’s my Arizona blood .

 

[WanderingSpectator]

We have a 77 inch OLED TV. Decision made.

Especially if broadcast in 4K. Can’t believe the NFL doesn’t do most games in 4K.

 

[CVLion]

I still live in PA. I walked a half hour each way to the game and back in shorts.

Definitely loved the stadium. And I like that they make an effort to keep the concession prices “reasonable” — for stadium concession prices, anyway.

I wish I’d had the chance to check out the aquarium. I’ll have to make it back there sometime.

 

[Obliviax]

Having games at the ATL stadium is really great. ATL is NOT warm in the winter, though. It is often 30-ish and I recall spending a Christmas there was it was 10 degrees. Regardless, you can get off a flight and be at the MBS (Mercedes benz stadium) in about 45 minutes. I stayed at the "gateway" hotels which is the first stop on the tram on the way to rental cars. It was easy to take that tram, then get on MARTA to the stadium. The MARTA stop literally lets you off at the Atlanta Hawks arena right next to MBS. From there it is a short walk to the area you visited (Aquarium, Coke, Centennial/Olympic Square, Ferris Wheel, and all the hotels.

I would only add that the Ole Miss women did not disappoint

 

[lions1995]

12-team playoff just means PSU will most likely be bounced in the first round seeing that we can't beat top 10 teams.

 

[Bosco2]

I still live in PA. I walked a half hour each way to the game and back in shorts.

Definitely loved the stadium. And I like that they make an effort to keep the concession prices “reasonable” — for stadium concession prices, anyway.

I wish I’d had the chance to check out the aquarium. I’ll have to make it back there sometime.

$2 hot dogs and free refills on sodas. We got to the zoo on Sunday. Pretty nice. Who knew that Atlanta was so hilly, though.

 

[Georgia Peach]

$2 hot dogs and free refills on sodas. We got to the zoo on Sunday. Pretty nice. Who knew that Atlanta was so hilly, though.

Confederate cities often built on bluffs for defense. ATL can be cold in the winter but you often get breaks with temps rising into the 50's and 60's

 

[WanderingSpectator]

$2 hot dogs and free refills on sodas. We got to the zoo on Sunday. Pretty nice. Who knew that Atlanta was so hilly, though.

The $4 refillable souvenir cup was a hit with my girls.

 

[BostonNit]

A few random comments to add...

I had forgotten how massive the airport is. Two trams between landing, luggage, and the rental car center.

Getting in and out of the stadium parking area was a breeze. Stadium is perhaps the nicest I've been in.

Fan experience was nice, but man it was crowded and impossible to get out of when the school bands were swapping from PSU to Ole Miss.

re: stadium prices, I got two chicken sandwiches (which came with fries) and a soda for $24 at the stadium. Very fair. A hand-mixed margarita was $8. Huge number of concession stands and even between quarters the lines weren't long. Oh and you buy a soda cup and the soda machines are just out in the concourse and you get free refills.

The Coke museum was a fun slice of Americana to experience. And they have a tasting area where you can sample Coke products from around the world. There was one from the Caribbean that tasted like a mildly carbonated pina colada. They also had the "new Coke" available in the lab area and tasting it back to back with Coke Classic explains the outrage when they switched the formula.

Thank you to whoever in this group suggested eating at Mary Mac's Tea Room. That was a home run. Classic southern food... I had chicken and dumplings, collard greens, and fried ocra. Wife had chicken fried chicken with white gravy and it was off the charts. Place is cool with tons of memorabilia. On the wall next to our table was a thank you note on Presidential letterhead from Jimmy Carter, thanking them for catering one of the inaugural functions. Great stuff.

Despite the Ole Miss team not "acting like you've been there before", we had zero issues with trash talkers and the fans were a good bunch.

Lane Kiffin's dog Juice was very chill on the sidelines and didn't seemed to react to the noise. Must be used to it. Every time they showed him on the board, it sounded like the fans were booing him... but they were just saying Juuuuuuuuuiiiicce.

Hadn't been to Atlanta other than changing flights in probably 25 years. It's super easy to get around and even rush hour traffic wasn't horrible (but my frame of reference is Boston traffic so maybe I'm forgiving).

 

[Lionshark]

We really enjoyed the trip. The College Hall of Fame was great. We went to the Hawks-Kings game the night prior at State Farm Arena. My kids first NBA game so that was fun. The arena and people could not have been nicer. I will say ATT has the Benz beat but still a great venue.

 

[NitneLiun]

Confederate cities often built on bluffs for defense.

Huh?

 

[BobPSU92]

We have a 77 inch OLED TV. Decision made.

Bigger is better, so I’m told.

 

[Obliviax]

Huh?

I read that and decided to let it pass. ATL wasn't built due to the Civil War and almost no battles were fought there until Sherman decided to burn it down.

 

[BobPSU92]

Confederate cities often built on bluffs for defense. ATL can be cold in the winter but you often get breaks with temps rising into the 50's and 60's

Huh?

I read that and decided to let it pass. ATL wasn't built due to the Civil War and almost no battles were fought there until Sherman decided to burn it down.

“This is Central Park. This was designed in 1850 by Joe Pepitone. Built during the civil war so the northern armies could practice fighting on grass.”

 

[FrontierLion]

TL;DR Really disappointed in the outcome. Freezing cold temps. Meh parade. Awesome aquarium. One of the best stadiums in the country. Happy the 12-team playoff is here.

I said at the game that I didn't know how many more Penn State Bowl Games I'd travel to. Then I realized that the playoffs saved the NY6 games. Without the playoff, the bowl would have died after this year. With it, each NY6 game is back to relevancy. Opt-outs will still happen, but I'd expect it to be much less. Lower bowls have always struggled for attendance, but they are made-for-tv (and player families) anyway.

The question now becomes, which one(s) will you attend? If money is no object, you attend all, but if it is, how do you choose if you want a first-round, quarterfinal, semifinal, or natty?

Bottom of the Bowl (Season)

The Capital of College Football! Atlanta is home to the Peach Bowl and the College Football Hall of Fame. Thankfully, the 12-team playoff will keep the NY6 Bowls relevant going forward.

wanderingspectator.wordpress.com

Thanks for another nice writeup. I don't go to away games, so these blogs always give me a real feel of the different venues and cities. I appreciate it!

 

[TheBigUglies]

Thanks for the nice writeup. I never had any desire to go to Atlanta, not on my bucket list and had oppty to go to bowl game but the desire just wasn't there because of location. Just couldn't bring myself to spend the money on the trip due to it being in Atlanta.

 

[Obliviax]

Thanks for the nice writeup. I never had any desire to go to Atlanta, not on my bucket list and had oppty to go to bowl game but the desire just wasn't there because of location. Just couldn't bring myself to spend the money on the trip due to it being in Atlanta.

Agree. I am not a fan of ATL, especially in late December. however, getting in and out is the best in the USA. MARTA allows you to get in, not have to fight traffic, no parking hassles/expenses, cheap hotels all along the MARTA line, and an overall seamless experience. I stayed at the AC Hotel (Marriott) for $110 a night. My MARTA weekend pass was $9. I ate decent food and had one big meal (at Wistera) and had a great time (except for the game). I much prefer it over Dallas or Orlando. Although I'd rather do AZ, Miami or LA due to weather.

 

[TheBigUglies]

Agree. I am not a fan of ATL, especially in late December. however, getting in and out is the best in the USA. MARTA allows you to get in, not have to fight traffic, no parking hassles/expenses, cheap hotels all along the MARTA line, and an overall seamless experience. I stayed at the AC Hotel (Marriott) for $110 a night. My MARTA weekend pass was $9. I ate decent food and had one big meal (at Wistera) and had a great time (except for the game). I much prefer it over Dallas or Orlando. Although I'd rather do AZ, Miami or LA due to weather.

For me, it could also be because I hate the Atlanta Braves like I hate the Dallas Cowboys(no desire to ever go to Dallas either).

 

[WanderingSpectator]

I much prefer it over Dallas or Orlando. Although I'd rather do AZ, Miami or LA due to weather.

It’s interesting. We LOVE going to see college campuses. Each Bowl city we’ve gone to has the same feel big city, spread out, and no college atmosphere.

Yet another reason we prefer in-season games.

 

[Obliviax]

It’s interesting. We LOVE going to see college campuses. Each Bowl city we’ve gone to has the same feel big city, spread out, and no college atmosphere.

Yet another reason we prefer in-season games.

Agreed. These bowls are NFL venues, for the most part. At least the large ones.

Several years ago, I read an article about retirement. Their recommendation was to retire in smaller towns that had large universities. The universities had entertainment but still had small town feel with low cost of living. I am thinking about State Collge, Bloomington, college station, champaign, Madison, etc.

 

[BobPSU92]

TL;DR Really disappointed in the outcome. Freezing cold temps. Meh parade. Awesome aquarium. One of the best stadiums in the country. Happy the 12-team playoff is here.

I said at the game that I didn't know how many more Penn State Bowl Games I'd travel to. Then I realized that the playoffs saved the NY6 games. Without the playoff, the bowl would have died after this year. With it, each NY6 game is back to relevancy. Opt-outs will still happen, but I'd expect it to be much less. Lower bowls have always struggled for attendance, but they are made-for-tv (and player families) anyway.

The question now becomes, which one(s) will you attend? If money is no object, you attend all, but if it is, how do you choose if you want a first-round, quarterfinal, semifinal, or natty?

Bottom of the Bowl (Season)

The Capital of College Football! Atlanta is home to the Peach Bowl and the College Football Hall of Fame. Thankfully, the 12-team playoff will keep the NY6 Bowls relevant going forward.

wanderingspectator.wordpress.com

I’m sure it was a great trip, until Penn State took a dump in the Peach Bowl.

 

[1995PSUGrad]

We stayed at the Aloft downtown. It was a short walk to the stadium and the pep rally (although we took the long way to the pep rally apparently). Thursday night was great as I guess a lot of people weren't in for the game yet. Friday was a different story. Our hotel was packed as were the restaurants we considered visiting.

The College Football Hall of Fame was a nice surprise. I didn't really want to go but my son and wife did and I really enjoyed it. We also visited the Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial and Visitor Center.

Didn't hear much trash talk from the Ole Miss fans although there was an old guy sitting a few rows behind me who was talking a lot. Not trash talk per se, but just about how bad we were. He may have been correct but I still didn't want to hear it so I got up and walked around for a bit, when I thought we still had a chance. Once reality set in I returned to my seat.

What bothered me the most about the old man talking was that he was talking about the team we put out on the field for that game, which in my opinion was a shell of what we played with all year long and I believe the outcome would have been different if we played them at full strength (including having Manny Diaz).

Overall, we did have a really good time.

 

[1995PSUGrad]

Agreed. These bowls are NFL venues, for the most part. At least the large ones.

Several years ago, I read an article about retirement. Their recommendation was to retire in smaller towns that had large universities. The universities had entertainment but still had small town feel with low cost of living. I am thinking about State Collge, Bloomington, college station, champaign, Madison, etc.

I agree with the small town feel, but not so sure about the small town cost of living in these college towns.

 

[razpsu]

I still live in PA. I walked a half hour each way to the game and back in shorts.

Definitely loved the stadium. And I like that they make an effort to keep the concession prices “reasonable” — for stadium concession prices, anyway.

I wish I’d had the chance to check out the aquarium. I’ll have to make it back there sometime.

You know concessions were cheap that was nice. They had that nice big screen but sitting in 300’s you are angled to look down and it was great to watch play development etc that you can’t see at home. One of the plays you can see is allar when he throws the bomb that gets intercepted. Two defenders down there annd receiver would never have.had a chance. Everybody around me was like, don’t throw it. Watched on tv but not same.

we will definitely go to playoff games but that is the end for any bowl game. The opt outs were ridiculous and to see ole miss giddy playing our second string defense was a joke .

Aquarium was awesome. Centennial park was nice and that event center is huge!!. Red parking next to stadium was awesome and so close and when we left we basically got right back on 20 heading rapidly to Myrtle.
stayed at Courtland grand and it was nice. My friends stayed at Marriott so we partied over there with team and alumni and friends. Good time.

 

[razpsu]

We stayed at the Aloft downtown. It was a short walk to the stadium and the pep rally (although we took the long way to the pep rally apparently). Thursday night was great as I guess a lot of people weren't in for the game yet. Friday was a different story. Our hotel was packed as were the restaurants we considered visiting.

The College Football Hall of Fame was a nice surprise. I didn't really want to go but my son and wife did and I really enjoyed it. We also visited the Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial and Visitor Center.

Didn't hear much trash talk from the Ole Miss fans although there was an old guy sitting a few rows behind me who was talking a lot. Not trash talk per se, but just about how bad we were. He may have been correct but I still didn't want to hear it so I got up and walked around for a bit, when I thought we still had a chance. Once reality set in I returned to my seat.

What bothered me the most about the old man talking was that he was talking about the team we put out on the field for that game, which in my opinion was a shell of what we played with all year long and I believe the outcome would have been different if we played them at full strength (including having Manny Diaz).

Overall, we did have a really good time.

Did you tell him we had no oc dc or 90 percent of defense. Ole miss by us knew it. 2 ole miss kids behind me were twins to Ricky Bobbie’s kids I swear. Just random screaming that had nothing to do with anything. Didn’t say anything because I kind of thought they were challenged. Parents never said anything. My girls were ready to strangle them.

 

[WanderingSpectator]

Several years ago, I read an article about retirement. Their recommendation was to retire in smaller towns that had large universities. The universities had entertainment but still had small town feel with low cost of living. I am thinking about State Collge, Bloomington, college station, champaign, Madison, etc.

There was just an article that said Phoenix is no longer a recommended retirement destination and I couldn’t agree more. We’re considering a move at some point and have always considered a small college town for those reasons.

This will probably belong on the test board, but transplants over the past several years have dramatically changed Arizona and it’s no longer our “final destination.”

 

[WanderingSpectator]

I agree with the small town feel, but not so sure about the small town cost of living in these college towns.

Housing is the biggest difference in most small towns. We can get a brand new home for a whole lot less than the value of our current place.

 

[Obliviax]

I agree with the small town feel, but not so sure about the small town cost of living in these college towns.

I guess it is all relative. If you live in NY, LA or SFO it would be much cheaper. But if you live in a norther burb of ATL or Charlotte, maybe not. It all depends. Personally, I like the larger MAC sized schools like Miami of Ohio or Ohio U. But Troy, App State, Davidson, Elon would all work great.

 

[laKavosiey-st lion]

I guess it is all relative. If you live in NY, LA or SFO it would be much cheaper. But if you live in a norther burb of ATL or Charlotte, maybe not. It all depends. Personally, I like the larger MAC sized schools like Miami of Ohio or Ohio U. But Troy, App State, Davidson, Elon would all work great.

Davidson ain’t cheap. We looked at a lake house down there $$

 

[CVLion]

You know concessions were cheap that was nice. They had that nice big screen but sitting in 300’s you are angled to look down and it was great to watch play development etc that you can’t see at home. One of the plays you can see is allar when he throws the bomb that gets intercepted. Two defenders down there annd receiver would never have.had a chance. Everybody around me was like, don’t throw it. Watched on tv but not same.

Oh yeah… we were also in the 300s, centered high above the “Penn State” labeled end zone and had quite the view of that long-developing Allar interception. It felt like the ball was in the air FOREVER and the defender had so much time to position himself under it to snag the INT — it was more like fair-catching a punt. Ouch.

Great watching the plays unfold from up there though!

 

[CVLion]

A few random comments to add...

I had forgotten how massive the airport is. Two trams between landing, luggage, and the rental car center.

Getting in and out of the stadium parking area was a breeze. Stadium is perhaps the nicest I've been in.

Fan experience was nice, but man it was crowded and impossible to get out of when the school bands were swapping from PSU to Ole Miss.

re: stadium prices, I got two chicken sandwiches (which came with fries) and a soda for $24 at the stadium. Very fair. A hand-mixed margarita was $8. Huge number of concession stands and even between quarters the lines weren't long. Oh and you buy a soda cup and the soda machines are just out in the concourse and you get free refills.

The Coke museum was a fun slice of Americana to experience. And they have a tasting area where you can sample Coke products from around the world. There was one from the Caribbean that tasted like a mildly carbonated pina colada. They also had the "new Coke" available in the lab area and tasting it back to back with Coke Classic explains the outrage when they switched the formula.

Thank you to whoever in this group suggested eating at Mary Mac's Tea Room. That was a home run. Classic southern food... I had chicken and dumplings, collard greens, and fried ocra. Wife had chicken fried chicken with white gravy and it was off the charts. Place is cool with tons of memorabilia. On the wall next to our table was a thank you note on Presidential letterhead from Jimmy Carter, thanking them for catering one of the inaugural functions. Great stuff.

Despite the Ole Miss team not "acting like you've been there before", we had zero issues with trash talkers and the fans were a good bunch.

Lane Kiffin's dog Juice was very chill on the sidelines and didn't seemed to react to the noise. Must be used to it. Every time they showed him on the board, it sounded like the fans were booing him... but they were just saying Juuuuuuuuuiiiicce.

Hadn't been to Atlanta other than changing flights in probably 25 years. It's super easy to get around and even rush hour traffic wasn't horrible (but my frame of reference is Boston traffic so maybe I'm forgiving).

Yes, I was quite impressed by the airport and amazed by the size of it. It had been very long since it had passed through there, so I didn’t recall that it was so big. Got a whole lot of steps in just walking through a series of the concourses.

And I agree that the Ole Miss fans were very civil and well-behaved — a pleasant contrast to that douche Kiffin and the jackass antics he allowed/encouraged within his team.

Is it true that one of their players had to go into concussion protocol from hitting his head on the rim while doing one of those ridiculous celebratory basketball dunks on the sideline?

 

[WanderingSpectator]

it was more like fair-catching a punt.

Geiger called that play.

 

[razpsu]

Geiger called that play.

I said the same thing when it happened. Even if he wasn’t hit when throwing that long pass play was a prayer.

 

[ODShowtime]

And I agree that the Ole Miss fans were very civil and well-behaved

Surprising but heartening to hear. Contrast that to the shockingly disgusting behavior I endured from Georgia fans a few years ago after the bowl.

 

[Alphalion75]

Surprising but heartening to hear. Contrast that to the shockingly disgusting behavior I endured from Georgia fans a few years ago after the bowl.

Which is exactly why I always pull for the Big Ten versus the SEC. I live here in Georgia and cannot tolerate Georgia fans.

 

[CDLionFL]

I would only add that the Ole Miss women did not disappoint

How’d we go this far into the thread without someone screaming for a FLAG?

 

[PSUFBFAN]

TL;DR Really disappointed in the outcome. Freezing cold temps. Meh parade. Awesome aquarium. One of the best stadiums in the country. Happy the 12-team playoff is here.

I said at the game that I didn't know how many more Penn State Bowl Games I'd travel to. Then I realized that the playoffs saved the NY6 games. Without the playoff, the bowl would have died after this year. With it, each NY6 game is back to relevancy. Opt-outs will still happen, but I'd expect it to be much less. Lower bowls have always struggled for attendance, but they are made-for-tv (and player families) anyway.

The question now becomes, which one(s) will you attend? If money is no object, you attend all, but if it is, how do you choose if you want a first-round, quarterfinal, semifinal, or natty?

Bottom of the Bowl (Season)

The Capital of College Football! Atlanta is home to the Peach Bowl and the College Football Hall of Fame. Thankfully, the 12-team playoff will keep the NY6 Bowls relevant going forward.

wanderingspectator.wordpress.com

Nice write up and you and your family definitely hit the high points (tourist spots) around the stadium. The stadium was probably the best stadium I've ever been in for a game as far as "fan comfort" is concerned.

This fad of quitting on your team (oops, I mean "opting out") is a very disappointing aspect of college football and it's obviously not limited to Penn State. It started with the idea of a top 5 draft choice sitting out, then it spread to top 10, then first round, then second round, and now its spread all the way to anyone who may or may not get drafted and just doesn't "feel like" playing in the bowl game. I am a (mostly) reasonable guy and I have no issues with Chop sitting out (potential concussion issues) or Olu sitting (he came back when he could have been a top 10 draft choice last year).

But, Johnny Dixon and Kalen King? When was the last time a cornerback suffered a serious, life changing injury in a bowl game? There were half a dozen other guys that sat out the entire second half. These guys are literally getting paid to play, yet they decide to sit out a NY6 bowl - ridiculous.

Its going to get worse. I guarantee that if Penn State misses the playoff next year (which I think is very possible), the opt outs will be worse than this year. There will probably be about 20-25 teams that go into next year thinking they have a shot at the playoffs. For those teams that finish 12 -25 (1 spot reserved for G5) , they might as well not even accept a bowl bid because they'll all look like FSU did this year.

Finally, it's just a matter of time before some guys from the lowest ranked seeds decide to sit out the playoff all together. If the mindset of playing in one postseason game (i.e. a non CFP NY6 bowl) is too risky, why should they risk injury by playing in potentially 3 or 4 more games?