brovol
Heisman
Posts: 5,947
Joined: Nov 2007
Reputation: 181
I Root For: WMU/ARMY
Location:
|
RE: Game Week: @Army
(10-10-2017 12:26 PM)emu steve Wrote: (10-10-2017 12:05 PM)brovol Wrote: (10-09-2017 06:25 PM)emu steve Wrote: (10-09-2017 06:05 PM)ChicagoMan Wrote: Should be a good one. Any game there is a good one, weather permitting. My son goes to Army, I get up there quite often.
Is stadium access and parking an issue?
BTW, mid-October should be prime time for the fall colors. Right?
FYI, ChicagoMan is a troll, and I am quite confident his son doesnt "go to Army". Mine actually does attend West Point, and we have attended several games at Michie Stadium. Access to parking is through a parking pass system. We order ours with the tickets. Unless you are a season ticket holder, or big shot, you get the standard pass, which allows parking at various lots on post. There is a buss system which will take you to the stadium, as well as various other stops. If you are attending the game, do yourself a favor and watch the "Cadet Review" on the plain. It consists of the cadets in full uniform precision marching, with the West Point Band playing traditional military marches, and it ends with each company passing the generals and other dignitaries. The parachute team drops onto the field. All very cool, and all very free. The bus will take you to the stadium from there, or you can hang at Grant hall, which is in the Cadet area, and have something to eat.
A football game at West point is very special. You will never be anyplace more beautiful than West Point. And the history oozes from everywhere. Walk around and take in the views of the Hudson. Once at the stadium there will be a "march on" of Cadets from one regiment, and they will lead the crown in the traditional Army cheers. This week it is my sons company.
After the game buses will line up to take folks back to the lots, but the waiting is long, and we typically walk back, if weather is OK.
I hope EMU brings a lot of fans. You will enjoy it, win or lose. Should be a great game. EMU has played great this year. Much better than your record. Amy is good too; at least by Army standards lately.
If anyone has specific questions, feel free to send me a message.
Are there any buses or shuttles (not parking shuttles) from the West Point area to the stadium (instead of parking/shuttle/walk). Or people sharing a taxi (I have never done Uber... ).
Curious where most people stay. I do understand that West Point isn't the easiest trip for attendees, be they Army fans or fans of the visiting team.
BTW, I will PM you.
Essentially, there are several "gates" where cars enter the West Point Base (Garrison). They are armed guards who control who gets in and who doesnt. You will need a parking pass to get in , and the pass will identify what gate you can enter. West Point is way bigger that you imagine. The gates are several miles away from each other from the exterior of the base. Once you are in you will be able to find one of the many lots where you are eligible to park. It can be frustrating though, as many lots are blocked by the Cadets on duty, who save certain areas for VIPs. But the buses (school buses) are constantly passing in a circuit. Either wait at your lot, or flag any of the buses and they will stop.
If you are asking whether there is a bus you can take which will shuttle you into the base, I cant answer that. They have tours, but I dont think that is what you are referring to. You could park in Highland Falls, which is the town adjacent to West Point, and walk through the Thayer Gate, then jump on a bus at Buffalo Soldier Field, which will run you to the stadium. I think that would work and Im sure people do that, but We have never tried that. I would pay for the pass and then have the opportunity to drive around West Point.
Places to stay: the best places will have already booked by now. The Thayer Hotel is spectacular, and is on base. It is VERY expensive though, particularly on a football weekend. Our favorite place, when it is available, it the IHG Army hotel, which is also on base, right across from the West Point Cemetery (another MUST see, and you can spend several hours walking around there, and seeing the monuments of some legendary West Point Grads, like Custer, who has a great monument). It looks like a dump from the outside, but is very decent and clean on the inside. There is another IHG Army hotel just outside the gate. There is a Holiday inn Express, and a few motels within a few miles in Fort Montgomery. The Holiday Inn Express is decent, but they ticked us off a couple times, so we go elsewhere. The two towns most people stay are Newburg and Fishkill, both about 25 minutes away, and both have lots of big chain hotels. We have stayed in both places, and no complaints.
Attending a game at West Point obviously has some barriers which dont exist other places, but they have been doing games here for ages and have it down pretty well. Unless you have physical handicaps, walking from point to point is a cool experience as there is so much to see. The architecture, the Hudson river, the mountains. You will take a million pictures for sure.
I havent seen my son since August, so I cant wait to get there this weekend.
|
|