I thoroughly enjoy reading opposing fans' takes on their first visit to Columbus and the 'Shoe for a game so I thought I'd share my first visit to South Bend and Notre Dame Stadium.
Parking: parking kind of sucked. We parked in the White Field which is literally a huge grass (and super bumpy) field where they pack the cars in with only a few ways in and out. Getting in was easy, getting out was another story. Staff was super friendly though and they offered shuttles to get to the stadium but we made the 1.5 mile walk to take in campus sites.
Campus: Absolutely beautiful. You get the sense that you're at a place of significance. I'm not catholic, but I could tell that most people felt a sense of reverence being on campus. The architecture is stunning, although living in Indiana, I'm a bit tired of all the limestone. We visited the Grotto, Golden Dome, Basilica, Quad, Touchdown Jesus library, etc. Extremely clean and well maintained. I'd put it second on my list behind UC - Berkley.
Tailgating: we tailgated with our ND friends just south of the stadium. It was packed to say the least, could barely walk around. But the people were friendly and we only got a few jabs for "wearing the wrong colors." Most people just left us alone but many welcomed us to campus and South Bend. Very cool scene, domers love their tailgating.
Stadium: the stadium is beautiful. You could tell that they spent a lot of time ensuring the interior and concourses weren't just an afterthought. This is where I wish OSU would improve the Shoe, where the interior looks like a big utility room closet. Bathrooms extremely clean and spacious. And not a hint of advertising anywhere; just old posters and ND artwork. Everything had an art deco theme to it. Staff was very friendly and courteous. Oh, and no alcohol sales.
Game Experience: We sat in the south end zone with a mix of Buckeyes and Irish. Their fans were nice and courteous though did give us a few friendly jabs during the game. Some were passing out these weird golden coins, not sure if that's some kind of tradition. The light show wrist bands were kind of cheesy but if you pressed the button a few times, you could change the green light to a red light (not sure if they realized that). I'm not a fan of the goofy LED light shows that some stadiums do but it was a very cool experience when all the lights went off.
The Game: awesome experience, obviously. Buckeye nation represented although I'm not sure how well that showed up on TV. I'd say 1/3 of the stadium was wearing Scarlet, particularly in the South and East ends. Domers were loud but it wasn't close to what I've heard in other stadiums, including the Shoe on a Saturday night. Domers were devastated after the game, as you can imagine. Very quiet leaving the stadium and walking back to the car except for all of us Buckeyes who were elated and excited, but respectful as far as I can tell.
Conclusion: amazing experience and I would recommend making the trip to anyone, even if not a Buckeye game. Their fans were cordial towards us and very accommodating (note: we didn't really spend a lot of time around the actual students and were far from the student section). They really have their shit together when it comes to football culture and I came away with a new sense of respect for ND. I'm curious to hear what others experienced on their trip.
