VERY much under the New Stadium radar
- Thread starter ZetaZetaBeta
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let me add a disclaimer that this my post is in fantasy world, leaving out details of finances, land ownership, availability of technology so with that said, a waterfront venue on the shores of hazelwood (Directly across river from UPMC southside complex) would have been pretty cool. I know the land was bought a decade ago, im just saying, it would have been sweet. Build a little dock and running boats across from Southside / Southside works.. Sorry for adding mythical ideas to a serious thought, just wanted to play the "what if" game..
I've been into Oakland thousands of times, school, games, you name it. Never once has it ever taken me two hours to leave. You guys sound like idiots when you post this, like anyone who has ever been to Oakland or has ever lived in western pa is gonna believe this for a second..
What's the deal with the building/land that is roughly across the Blvd of Allies from Hampton Inn/McGee. There's some vacant buildings and run-down looking ones. I'm not saying so much for a football stadium, but I can't believe with the proximity to Pitt/UPMC there wouldn't some interest in re-developing that as nicer apartments, shopping, restaurants, etc. It's right off the freeway. For anyone who has been down to OSU, there is a newer area called the South Campus Gateway, that I think would be a good concept for that area.
The more work Pitt and the city can do to help re-develop and clean-up the appearance of the South/West Oakland area, the better. I honestly think that area's appearance is one of the biggest downfalls to landing students. Living there for a few years, I realize it's a pretty safe area, but for your average visitor, especially one with a daughter, I could see the concern if you drive by that area.
If that area can continue to develop more towards the river and SouthSide, maybe a stadium towards the river and South Side could make some more sense and have more of an on-campus feel.
The more work Pitt and the city can do to help re-develop and clean-up the appearance of the South/West Oakland area, the better. I honestly think that area's appearance is one of the biggest downfalls to landing students. Living there for a few years, I realize it's a pretty safe area, but for your average visitor, especially one with a daughter, I could see the concern if you drive by that area.
If that area can continue to develop more towards the river and SouthSide, maybe a stadium towards the river and South Side could make some more sense and have more of an on-campus feel.
How stupid are humans? I mean if you KNOW you are going to be stuck in wretched traffic after the Pitt game, cant you just go eat at an Oakland restaurant? Humans have to eat.
Heck, since humans are so dumb, perhaps Pitt could market the whole "get something to eat after the game" concept and have a commercial on Panthervision which says if you get something to eat after the game, there is no traffic.
And lets be real, sitting in traffic with smartphones is not like it was pre-smartphone. When I'm in gridlock, I often watch TV. So, if you refuse to grab a bite in Oakland after the game and want to sit in traffic, just turn on the watchESPN app and watch football while you wait......or text.....or go on facebook (assuming traffic is at a standstill). Traffic isnt as frustrating as it once was.
As I've said a million times, parking and traffic are not in the Top 50 reasons as to why there wont be a stadium. Friends of mine have told me horror stories about getting out of Ohio State, Penn State, VT. Traffic is part of it.
We can play in a crappy NFL stadium or have a crown jewel to call our own and our only sacrifice is going to Fuel and Fuddle after the game. The horror!
It's taken me an hour and a half to get out of the oc lot. I absolutely believe it.
F&F is more punishment than sacrifice. But Popeyes?? Do you get coupons for that junk from StubHub?? Hint:
No decent places to eat in Oakland...at least that I've heard about. We generally get something elsewhere before weeknight games. Hit Happy Hour at the Gandy Dancer Or McCormick's. Hanging around Oakland for Sunday dinner is for college kids, the homeless and pigeons.
agree with this SMF.. Heard games in Knoxville are ridiculous.. Never understood the traffic argument either.. It's like Pittsburghers need to get home so quickly.. What's at home that is so great and if it's so great, then why leave in the first place.. I think of games as more than the game, make it an event.. I look at people who need to get in and get out as weird, again, if you want to go home to your couch that bad, just stay home..
Think it's the age demographic of Pittsburghers and this complaint. Old people need easy access to games, have to have 3 major arteries within a 1/4 mile of the venue, need their tailgate spots designated, need to know the exact time they'll be home and any discourse from this wrecks their whole day.. Younger people cant be this uptight.
It can take an hour to exit the OH garage.....then fight your way down to Fifth, west to the Blvd.
guy like you needs to stay home.. seriously, you probably have a complaint about everything. Just stay at home, watch it on your tve pittguy80, less things can go wrong that way.. Please don't take this as an insult or be being dismissive. I just think if crowds and traffic bother you so much, why put yourself in that position. Home has cold beer, your own bathroom, no lines in the bathroom, and best of all, no traffic..
I don't know. If my main bathroom is being used, it might take me 20 second to get to the other one. Argh. Not worth watching games at my house when dealing with that kind of bs.
If it's just about the game and nothing else, watching it on an HDTV kills watching it live IMO.. I always dvr the game when I go because you miss so much when you are there. People that go for just the game, it just doesn't make sense in this day and age of TV coverage..
LOL, but the consol is too cold for the old heads.. I seriously have read that complaint on here.. you cant win with the "down in front" crowd in this city.. They want it their way and nothing else is an option..
I parked in the OC Lot for 1 bball game. It took forever to get out. Lesson learned. Never parked there again. I try to avoid garages at all cost.
I've got a great idea, let's tear down the Peterson Center and build a stadium there?
Or better yet, let's buy the VA Hospital and tear it down and build a stadium? We aren't taking care of our vets anyway...
Or let's claim eminent domain and take over Carlow College? We can blow it up and build there...
Sheesh!
Or better yet, let's buy the VA Hospital and tear it down and build a stadium? We aren't taking care of our vets anyway...
Or let's claim eminent domain and take over Carlow College? We can blow it up and build there...
Sheesh!
Yep. Anyone that thinks it is easy to get out of Oakland after a 10k basketball game is delusional. I can get out quickly if I park in the neighborhood down towards soldiers and sailors, but I doubt that if their was a football stadium they will allow parking there.
Any surface lot or garage, it takes over an hour to get out of and would be 5 times worse with 5 times the people there.
Because I don't want to sit in a parking garage for two hours after a game??? If it is a noon game, I get there at 8 or 9, game runs till 330, and I don't get out of the garage/Oakland till 6, I'm going to be pissed.
If you enjoy sitting in a parking garage for 2 hours, more power to you...I think it is the absolute worst.
Ok, so you are admitting it is an issue? You do realize there is very little surface parking in Oakland? I can almost always find street parking for games now, but there is very little chance I'd find it for a game with 40-50k. That would mean most likely a garage.
And forget the shuttle idea you have tossed out..there is no feasible way to shuttle 10-20k people to games from remote locations unless you are running 200 buses continuously.
It's comical reading the horror stories of Oakland traffic. It's usually from folks that have never left Pittsburgh. Oakland is a piece of cake for an Urban area. In many ways it's perfectly planned with one large Boulavard in and one large Boulavard Out.
Heinz is even easier.
I don't think traffic in Oakland is awful on a day to day basis. I do think though that after a basketball game it is horrendous.
So how is posting what actually happened make me sound like an idiot? I worked in Oakland for many years and know every back way out. Don't let someone's real experiences that don't agree with your agenda get it the way. BTW not all of us can hang at Peter's for hours before heading home.
And what really makes it convenient is that on Saturdays the whole University and all the hospitals close down so that there are literally none of those 50,000 people coming into the area, so it will be perfect for football games.
There is a certain fantasy about how great parking is at Heinz Field. I have a great spot but I will tell you that all my friends have been scattered over the years. We take turns meeting at different spots and the far away locations take a solid 12 - 15 minutes. Basically it's like walking to McKee Place, N Dithridge or Centre Avenue from the Cathedral of Learning.
Suck it up people.
Not from me. Just pointing out the fact that if you want to talk about 50,000 students/workers/others (or whatever the exact number is) who come to Oakland on an average weekday then you also ought to be intellectually honest enough to talk about the 25,000 students/workers/others (or whatever the exact number is) that come to Oakland on an average Saturday.
There are lots of parking spaces at the hospitals. Pretty much none of them will be available for Pitt game day parking with an Oakland stadium. This isn't like basketball where by the time the game comes most of the students/workers/others are gone from Oakland for the day. Most Saturday games would be played when most students/workers/others would still be around.
This is from an article back in 2012 -
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1443182-pitt-football-begin-plans-on-an-on-campus-stadium
Ever go to a Major Golf Tournament like the U.S. Open? There’s insufficient parking for 25,000 fans near a golf course. So, do what they do, and arrange for locations around Pittsburgh that have large parking areas such as shopping malls and high schools, and have buses transport fans to the game for a nominal fee.
That would pay for the buses and gas, and fans won't have to worry about driving in traffic to and from Oakland, trying to find limited parking. This cuts down on traffic congestion, gas usage and pollution. Buses from the North Hills can use the HOV lanes to get into the city, and head towards Oakland and then again on the return trip.
I’m not going to ride a bus! Auburn, Florida State, LSU, Michigan State, Missouri, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon and Penn State are just some of the universities that have shuttles that transport fans from distant locations to campus. It works for these universities. It works for golf tournaments. Deal with it.
Ever hear of public transportation? Improve it and extend the T to Oakland. It’s imperative and has been talked about and suggested for years. It’s time.
This would allow fans from the South Hills to get to Oakland by parking their car at the various T stops that provide parking spaces. Fans could also park downtown if they wanted and then take the T to Oakland and then hit the city’s restaurants and night spots following the game.
Droves of people use the T now to attend Steelers and Pirates games, and allowing easy and convenient access to the region’s finest hospitals and university centers would be a boon to the region.
Oh, but the tailgating experience won’t be the same. Well, fans can still tailgate in those distant parking lots if they want. At Notre Dame, tailgating takes place in the parking areas north of campus, and fans are shuttled to campus by bus. It works.
So they're gonna drop $300M+ (likely much more) on a stadium that will have no positive impact on attendance, then spend to bus over half the people into the stadium from various locales around Allegheny County?
Staying at Heinz Field and only busing students from one location suddenly looks much better.
Staying at Heinz Field and only busing students from one location suddenly looks much better.
It's not going to be torn down in the next 30-40 years with how much investment has gone into the area.
So I guess Barnes & Gallagher don't have to ask for that stadium feasibility study. I'm sure they'll be glad that's taken off the plate as a possibility.
They can send as much money to Nashville as they want (they do seem to enjoy it) but just like the men's hoop coach hire, it doesn't make it a good decision.
The "T" extension is a BILLION dollar fantasy. An article o B/R carries no water. No way Pgh will build an extension for FB reasons. The "t" should be extended, both to the east & north....but you won't see it with the current leadership. Besides, the HOV lane is a failure on 279. Goofy that public trans is so bad, here.
This is probably just as stupid but I always thought the best place was on the river before you get under the underpass connecting greenfield and hazel wood. They are developing it into something now. It's literally across from upmc practice facility.
Anyway likely dumb as shit but that riverside hasn't been anything for a long time
Anyway likely dumb as shit but that riverside hasn't been anything for a long time
Ah...yes they are. It doesn't make it easy but most of the people working in Oakland are leaving at the same time.
Kind of always thought of myself as a college kid on game days six times a year and it would not be beneath my social status to grab some wings and a beer at a college dive while traffic clears....
No argument from me. Be better to have a nice post-game tailgate, but you need open lots for that. That's a better option, esp. after wins.
We don't need your grumpy, old kind back on campus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
