Jen K.
Yelp
I am a Lions fan and my husband is a Bills fan. They only play each other every few years, so we decided to go to the game. This was my first time to New Era. I was not happy when we found out the game was in December, lol.
We lucked out with the weather, and it was 37 degrees and not rainy or windy. My husband wanted to tailgate all day, but I didn't want to be stuck outside from 9am until 5pm, so we got there at 11:00. The parking lot was much more tame than I expected. People were drinking and playing games and stuff, but nothing crazy like you see on youtube, It might be because we came later in the day so we were in a different lot.
Our seats were in 222, row 3 (which is actually the front row). They were bench seats with lots of leg room in front of us. And since it was the first row, there was no one in front of us, so it was easy to see. And 4 Lions fans ended up sitting right next to us, so that was great. The only issue was that there was a huge puddle at my feet, so my legs were soaked the entire time. I really was not cold, but I'd have been comfortable if the puddle wasn't there. Even so, if we go back, I'd get these seats again.
Since it was almost Christmas, I was going to buy my husband a Bills hat or something at the game. It was super weird though; we didn't walk buy a single souvenir stand the entire time. I know there's a store, but it's odd that you have to go find the store to spend your money. Usually there's stands every like 20 feet so you'll buy stuff. The marketing department is missing the mark on this. However, my husband got a sandwich and a beer for $27, so they're certainly making their money off that.
We left a few minutes early to avoid the traffic, and I'm glad we did. We got out very easily, and I didn't feel like waiting an hour or more to get out of the parking lot. We listened to the end of the game on the radio in our car.
When the Lions play the Bills in Buffalo again in 7 years, I may go back, but I'm really in no hurry. Hopefully they're downtown by then. It's much nicer to go to a game when you can stay at a hotel, walk to the game, and then walk back afterward and not worry about traffic. The stadium being indoors would also be a huge plus for me. If it had been raining or snowing that day, no question, I'd have been miserable. I guess I'm spoiled by the Lions playing inside in Detroit, but hanging out in a parking lot for hours outside, then watching a game outside for hours is just not my thing. It would be nice if there was a room or somewhere you could go to get warm, but you're basically stuck outside from the time you get out of your car. There are Club seats that I think were inside, and I'd look into getting those if I went again. We lucked out with the weather, but in December, I'd rather be inside.
