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I knew Wake came from the CFL, but down here we dont really know of any teams except the Argonauts just because Ricky Williams played for them when he got busted for drug use. The CFL isnt really on tv at all that I can ever find. All I knew was that Wake came from the CFL and he was a two season sack leader.

I am a software developer and I have a conference coming up in Redmond at teh Microsoft headquarters. My company is flipping the bill to get me to Redmond Washington (outside Seattle). Being from Florida, I may never be up that way again. I love NFL football and have been a Miami Dolphins season ticket holder for like 18 years. I thought it would be really great to see the CFL and I am going to be so close that I started doing some research on BC. So it's kind of out of coincidence that the Lions play that close to where I am going to be.

Funny thing is, I just remembered about Wake and looked up his Bio. I didnt know he was a Lion till about an hour ago.

It may be hard for me to be a real fan from so far away, but I am sure once I go to a game, I'll keep an eye on them and look for broadcasts on DirecTV. I really dont know what to expect when I go, but I am sure it will be a blast!

-Jeff

MiamiBCFan wrote:Tell you what, as we get closer to the date, I'll post here again and maybe some of us can meet up for a beer!

-Jeff

PRO-TIP: This being Vancouver, try not to look like you're having too much fun lest the cops force every liquor vendor in a 20 mile radius to close at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. If there's one thing that frightens the crap out of the powers-that-be around here, it's people drinking beer and having fun.

Lions4ever wrote:

MiamiBCFan wrote:Tell you what, as we get closer to the date, I'll post here again and maybe some of us can meet up for a beer!

-Jeff

PRO-TIP: This being Vancouver, try not to look like you're having too much fun lest the cops force every liquor vendor in a 20 mile radius to close at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.

If there's one thing that frightens the crap out of the powers-that-be around here, it's people drinking beer and having fun.

lol - the powers that be must be scared *poop*-less in Saskatchewan! We've decided this year to drink our beer instead of throw it.

MiamiBCFan wrote:It may be hard for me to be a real fan from so far away, but I am sure once I go to a game, I'll keep an eye on them and look for broadcasts on DirecTV. I really dont know what to expect when I go, but I am sure it will be a blast!

-Jeff

First, welcome! I'm sure you'll have a great time. A July night in Vancouver should be beautiful - if you sit on the east side of the stadium, you should have a gorgeous mountain view for a backdrop. As well, our 'new' QB (long story...) specializes in the kind of mad, scrambling, pass-happy football that makes the CFL unique. And we hate the Stampeders, so all in all it should be a good show.

If you want to know what to expect - think of it as going back in time to see a pro football game in the 1960's. A rustic outdoor stadium full of working class fans, a wide-open game, and players who actually paid less than the President.

Be sure to let the fans around you know you're visiting, too. We love to show off our game to Americans. I took in my first cricket match in England last year, and just by announcing I was a foreigner I suddenly had unlimited running commentary. (And, boy, if you think football fans can drink beer, you should see what happens at an eight-hour county match in the hot sun with cheap ale and cider on tap!)

A word of warning: as someone already pointed out, this is going to be a real change for local fans, moving from a 55,000 seat domed stadium to a temporary 27,500 seat outdoor facility. Hopefully the teething pains will be done by the time you get here. But the temporary stadium is a few miles east of the downtown core, so if you are staying downtown you may need to cab it out and back.

I am sure the lads here can suggest plenty of pubs and eateries for before and after the game. If you're doing the tourist trek around Gastown, I like http://irishheather.com/ and http://www.steamworks.com/. Enjoy!!!

MiamiBCFan wrote:WHAT?!? Where I'm from the closer you can get to the field and the players the better the seat is considered. I was wondering if either the slope of the seats maybe made you sit too low to see past the sideline to see the action? I want the best seats I can get, but I wated to hear from you fans about why sitting in the first few rows would be worse than say moving up a few rows and farther away from the center line (hah, I am learning, I almost said 50 yard line).

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some like to be close like you. Others don't. It's all personal preference. American hockey fans seem to think the best seats in the house are the ones right against the glass (like courtside basketball) while most Canadian fans would count them as being amongst the worst seats. I consider the best hockey seats to be between 8 and 14 rows off the ice to give the best combination of proximity to the action and ability to see plays developing. Friends in Edmonton are well up in the upper deck of Commonwealth and love the seats because of the bird's eye view of the play. Too high for me. I prefer lower deck seats but again high enough to see plays develop. My old BC Place seats were in Row DD of Section 43, about 30 rows off the field. 10 rows lower would've been ideal but I liked that I only had to turn and take 1 step to be heading out the tunnel to the concourse to reload. Definitely the worst football seats in Skydome are in the lowest 5 rows. All you can see is the backs of the players standing on the sidelines. I've been down that low in 2 of the 3 Grey Cups I've attended and hated them. I had to watch most of the game on the big screen. Yet I sat in Row 2 for Super Bowl XXVIII in Atlanta and the seat wasn't too bad. Would've been a helluva lot better had the Cowboys and their cheerleaders been on my side of the field instead of Buffalo.

I wonder what you can see with a really good set of binoculars from Mt Seymour??

Definitly something to think about. I sit in row 10 in the endzone right between the goal posts for the Dolphins. I have been trying to move down for years, but seats that low are hard to come by. I love the fact that you can see what the Defense sees or what the QB sees from the endzone perspective. The seats are pretty high off the field though so I can see pretty far down the field. I think this will be a really different experience! Don't get me wrong, if I didnt think I was gonna like it, I wouldnt pay $300 or so extra to go to this game.

The deal with me is I am gonna be at a conference from Mon-Fri. I am gonna drive a rental car up to BC after the thing is over Friday night. I'll get a hotel for Friday and Saturday, go to the game on Saturday, and fly home Sunday morning.

I paid for the game today over the phone, but I gotta wait to see where the seats are. The girl I spoke to said Season Ticket Holders have filled all the premium area seating except for the first 5 rows. The Gold seating is also almost gone as well. I gotta wait till June to find out where I'll be, but at least my reservation is in. SOOO much different than the NFL already. Here if individual games are not on sale yet, then you wait, period. Also, the first rows are the first to go. The elevation of the first row and the field not being curved solves the front row issues. Season tickets are not allowed to totally sell out the lower bowl so that fans who wanna just see a game can get a good seat (although there are not many of them).

I forgot to say before that I love (in a man-love sort of way) Cameron Wake. He has mad pass rush skills, and is a sack MACHINE, but he is having some issues adapting to our 3-4 defense down here. As you know in the 3-4 there is no real defensive end position. It turns into an outside linebacker. When they know its a running play and have him drop back off the line, he seems to hesitate and doesnt always make the right move. They dont use him as a starter because of that, but they say they are working with him because if he can correct his run stopping, he would be a complete player. It is really fun to watch him get after the QB though. He plays hard every down!

-Jeff

MiamiBCFan wrote:I sit in row 10 in the endzone right between the goal posts for the Dolphins. I have been trying to move down for years, but seats that low are hard to come by. I love the fact that you can see what the Defense sees or what the QB sees from the endzone perspective.

You're a man after my own heart. Sitting low in the end zone gives a players' perspective on the action and you're close enough to interact with members of both teams, especially at B.C. Place where the dressing room entrances are right under the end zone seats. I just hope most of the scoring takes place at my end of the field.

KnowItAll wrote:I wonder what you can see with a really good set of binoculars from Mt Seymour??

Anyone hoping for a free view of the action will be out of luck. The temporary seats seem to rise much higher than the original Empire Stadium. Even though the stadium is built in a natural depression and the field is in an excavation below street level, the grandstand rises higher than the nearby intersection of Cassiar and Hastings, which is on much higher ground. Once the roof is on the stands, it's unlikely anyone will be able to see the field, even from the top of the adjacent roller coaster to the west or a highrise on Capitol Hill to the east.

B.C.FAN wrote:

MiamiBCFan wrote:I sit in row 10 in the endzone right between the goal posts for the Dolphins. I have been trying to move down for years, but seats that low are hard to come by. I love the fact that you can see what the Defense sees or what the QB sees from the endzone perspective.

You're a man after my own heart. Sitting low in the end zone gives a players' perspective on the action and you're close enough to interact with members of both teams, especially at B.C. Place where the dressing room entrances are right under the end zone seats. I just hope most of the scoring takes place at my end of the field.

I wonder how endzone seats will work out at Empire. BC Place is a pretty good set up the way the backline is about 15' directly below the 1st row. I'd think 1st row endzone at Empire would a good 20' back from the backline and much lower, perhaps close to ground level.

One quick off topic question (moderators feel free to move this post). I am going to be in Vancouver for a Friday night (probably arrive around 3:00-5:00) and my friend and I will have that afternoon/night and Saturday before the game to act like tourists. Also, we have Saturday night for a little while after the game (our flight out Sunday is kind of early so not too late Saturday). What do you guys recommend we do in our free time up there? We have NO idea what to do other than see Printers hook up with Jackson!!

Thanks,

Jeff

MiamiBCFan wrote:One quick off topic question (moderators feel free to move this post). I am going to be in Vancouver for a Friday night (probably arrive around 3:00-5:00) and my friend and I will have that afternoon/night and Saturday before the game to act like tourists. Also, we have Saturday night for a little while after the game (our flight out Sunday is kind of early so not too late Saturday). What do you guys recommend we do in our free time up there? We have NO idea what to do other than see Printers hook up with Jackson!!

Thanks,

Jeff

Hi Jeff i live on the North Shore. Id be happy to be your tour guide for Saturday. You could take the Seabus over from downtown if you are staying downtown. Id pick you up at this end. Lots of free things to see. Lyn canyon suspension bridge, Cypress mountain, Cleveland dam, Seymour mountain to name a few. For spending their is the Grouse mountain chair lift, Capilano suspension bridge. A barbeque and beers. If this is your cup of tea for a Saturday Im your man. And then over to the game. The young guys on this forum could suggest Friday night stuff. Hope this helps. BB

Bring bail money if ur gonna hang with Bob on the North Shore

West Coast Blue Fan wrote:Bring bail money if ur gonna hang with Bob on the North Shore

Hey I resemble that remark. BB

MiamiBCFan wrote:One quick off topic question (moderators feel free to move this post). I am going to be in Vancouver for a Friday night (probably arrive around 3:00-5:00) and my friend and I will have that afternoon/night and Saturday before the game to act like tourists. Also, we have Saturday night for a little while after the game (our flight out Sunday is kind of early so not too late Saturday). What do you guys recommend we do in our free time up there? We have NO idea what to do other than see Printers hook up with Jackson!!

Thanks,

Jeff

What kind of scene are you interested in?

1) Restaurants, bars, nightclubs?
2) Sightseeing and natural wonders?
3) Art and culture?
4) Something else?