I was at Ryan Field last Friday, and I thought I would share my experience with others. Aside from the outcome of game, it was a very pleasant evening. The weather was overcast, but except for a few minor sprinkles in the second half, it was dry and comfortable. The temperature was about 72 for most of the game.
We parked in the street, a little west of Green Bay road, and walked to the stadium. Our seats are on the east side of the stadium.
They set up a fenced-off area around our corner of the stadium (the south east corner). You had to pass through a metal detector and have your ticket scanned in order to enter this area, but once in, you had direct access to the stadium gates and your seats without any further security or having to show your ticket again. I do not know if this arrangement applies to other parts of the stadium.
This effectively creates a large outdoor concourse where you can hang out before the game and during halftime. They had stations set up for purchasing food and beverages, with some high-top tables scattered about. Having this outdoor area available was very helpful. Mrs. Astro and I were masked up for the game, but during half time, we found a quiet place on the grass where we could de-mask and take a break from the crowds.
By the way, I do not know if they were serving beer in this area, I probably should have investigated further. Even if they did, I suspect it may only be pre-game.
Inside the stadium, it was not that much different than years past, except that all the food vendors are cashless (although their tip jars still accept real dollars). Officially, masks are optional in the outdoor parts of the stadium, but required in the restrooms. I saw many without masks, even in the restrooms. Also, I noticed fewer children in the stadium than in past years, but I was not sure if that was due to the pandemic or just because of the late kickoff time.
I understand that people have different opinions on masks and vaccination. Personally, I would have preferred that they require vaccination for all in attendance, as was done for Lollapalooza and Milwaukee’s Summerfest. Since Northwestern requires all students for the 2020-2021 school year to be vaccinated, it seems odd that they do not require it for fans at their football games. Currently, Illinois is averaging 4000 new cases a day, and this is the worst surge since last October.
We had masks on for the game, and the fans directly in front of us and behind us did too, and I was grateful for that. I am so accustomed to wearing a mask now, that keeping it on for a few hours is not a problem, although it does make it a lot harder to cheer.
Overall, we had an enjoyable evening (again, except for the outcome of the game), and it was great to see a football game in person again. The 8:00 PM kickoff did seem a bit strange. It was completely dark at kickoff, and when we walked back to the car, it was around 11:30 PM.
We parked in the street, a little west of Green Bay road, and walked to the stadium. Our seats are on the east side of the stadium.
They set up a fenced-off area around our corner of the stadium (the south east corner). You had to pass through a metal detector and have your ticket scanned in order to enter this area, but once in, you had direct access to the stadium gates and your seats without any further security or having to show your ticket again. I do not know if this arrangement applies to other parts of the stadium.
This effectively creates a large outdoor concourse where you can hang out before the game and during halftime. They had stations set up for purchasing food and beverages, with some high-top tables scattered about. Having this outdoor area available was very helpful. Mrs. Astro and I were masked up for the game, but during half time, we found a quiet place on the grass where we could de-mask and take a break from the crowds.
By the way, I do not know if they were serving beer in this area, I probably should have investigated further. Even if they did, I suspect it may only be pre-game.
Inside the stadium, it was not that much different than years past, except that all the food vendors are cashless (although their tip jars still accept real dollars). Officially, masks are optional in the outdoor parts of the stadium, but required in the restrooms. I saw many without masks, even in the restrooms. Also, I noticed fewer children in the stadium than in past years, but I was not sure if that was due to the pandemic or just because of the late kickoff time.
I understand that people have different opinions on masks and vaccination. Personally, I would have preferred that they require vaccination for all in attendance, as was done for Lollapalooza and Milwaukee’s Summerfest. Since Northwestern requires all students for the 2020-2021 school year to be vaccinated, it seems odd that they do not require it for fans at their football games. Currently, Illinois is averaging 4000 new cases a day, and this is the worst surge since last October.
We had masks on for the game, and the fans directly in front of us and behind us did too, and I was grateful for that. I am so accustomed to wearing a mask now, that keeping it on for a few hours is not a problem, although it does make it a lot harder to cheer.
Overall, we had an enjoyable evening (again, except for the outcome of the game), and it was great to see a football game in person again. The 8:00 PM kickoff did seem a bit strange. It was completely dark at kickoff, and when we walked back to the car, it was around 11:30 PM.