Go West Old Man….
At its genesis, I did not intend for this site to be some type of travel log. Towards that measure, I purposely left out a trip that I took in the fall. However recent tragic events in the City of Angels has me thinking of my time there. I was prepared to be crowded, smogged, and surrounded by apathetic fan bases. On the contrary I greatly enjoyed my trip to the West Coast… so without further ado
Why??
So the Executive Editor decided it was time for my 14 year old co worker to learn the value of a hard days work as he began his first summer job. He can’t drive yet and burdened with my genetics, he really enjoys attending sporting events. When given a choice of what to do with his earnings, he wanted see Patrick Mahomes play.
If you go back to the very first article for this website. I nearly froze to death on my inaugural trip to the Lambeau Field. With the recent frostbites and partial amputations in mind. A trip to Arrowhead was thusly off the table. Then in case you were living in a cave. A certain celebrity has been following the Chiefs around for the past year. Consequently road tickets on the secondary market were astronomical.
Setting up a perfect and unique storm. You know who doesn’t care about seeing celebrities? The fine residents of Los Angeles California. Do you know what else they don’t really care about? The San Diego… um I mean the Los Angles Chargers. I’m not going to drop any numbers. For reasons obvious and less obvious. The cheapest (and best) tickets, airfare, and hotel rooms were all located in sunny LA. How many times in my life is that going to be the case? So I threw caution into the wind and headed west.
Getting There
A Saturday morning flight from Detroit was a breeze (literally, we’ll get that in a second) The plan was to get into our room. Get the lay of the land. Then take a train or Uber out to Anaheim, shell out $2 on the secondary market for the privilege of watching the moribund Los Angeles Angles finish off another substandard campaign.
Before this year brought wildfires, we had hurricanes. The captain of our plane explained it scientifically. I’ll keep it simple. The hurricanes created an unusually fast east to west jet stream and we got into LAX an hour earlier than expected. When you factor in the three hour time zone difference. We landed in less than an hour of real clock time. The trip to the hotel was surprisingly short. We now had a full Saturday in America’s second largest city.
We had enough time to virtually do whatever we wanted. I thought about Universal Studios, maybe a sightseeing bus tour. I could even try and squeeze in some Disneyland before the Angels game. Then I remembered two important things. One, I’m a hopeless degenerate of a sports fan
Secondly, we were still in BIG TEN COUNTRY!!!
Fight On…
It’s hard to remember, but at one time this year people thought USC might be a national championship contender. So we were off to the historic Big Ten rivalry that is the Trojans and Wisconsin Badgers. Nothing says the West Coast like Cheeseheads mixed with Kendrick Lamar.
This was not the main impetus of our trip. Just a surprisingly cheap add on. It turns out buying a ticket after kick off tends to drop prices. So I will keep the observations brief and succinct.
- The LA Memorial Coliseum is an old and timeless venue. The phrase “if these walls could talk” certainly applies here. I hope they don’t destroy too much of the character in renovations for the 2028 Olympics.
- My Lord do play that fight song a LOT! I grew up in Tennessee, so I know all about “Rocky Top”. But whatever that that song is (I don’t even want to look it up) They play it non stop. First downs, turnovers, when the guy on the horse lights a torch (not sure what that was about) It took the rest of day to get it out of my head.
SoFi…So Awesome
This trip definitely ran the architectural gamut. From the classic traditionalism of the Coliseum. To whatever you want to call the structure that is SoFi Stadium. I’m old enough to remember when the Houston Astrodome was called the “Eighth Wonder of the World”. I’m not a Cowboys fan, so I get slightly nauseated when people refer to the grandeur that is supposedly “Jerry’s World.” I’ve never been, but it looks like a giant silver unimaginative blob to me.
As a facility, SoFi Stadium is a spectacle. I don’t believe I really can use words to describe it (I’m going to try) The sentiment of the great American philosopher Frank Zappa applies here
“talking about music is like dancing about architecture”
In bizarre paradoxical way, that is what SoFi pulls off. Making its imaginative and creative design more “art” than industrial utility. I’m going to stop using stadium at this juncture. SoFi is more place than stadium. Yes it can seat up to 100,000 people. However you never feel cramped. The concourses are wide and benefit from the use of open air. You never had to wait for a bathroom. No concession food review this time around. However from a purely aesthetic point of view, from the sight lines, to the in-stadium entertainment, it was one of the best experiences I have had at a sporting event.
I’ll channel my inner Bob Villa (look it up kids) and take a run at describing the structure. These images gives you an idea of how natural light and air is utilized throughout.
As you get closer to the entrance you realize SoFi doesn’t really have a roof. It is more of canopy held up by columns. The opposite side of the facility is similar with an open air plaza and concourse in front of the YouTube Theater. It was Hispanic Heritage Day. The concourse was brimming with activity and added to the game day experience.
Getting around was easy due to liberal use of escalators and staircases. Getting to the top of the stadium was fairly easy. It’s a tired cliche, but I really can’t imagine there is bad seat in the house. We had good seats, but the responsible adult in me (he comes out occasionally) couldn’t help but think I could saved a little more money on this trip.
As you can see, the state of the art Halo scoreboard encompasses the stadium and was used in a way you would expect from a region whose economy revolves entertainment.
The Game
This isn’t Architectural Digest, this is a sports website. Thanks to Charger apathy we had an outstanding seat for bargain basement prices If you watched it, you know the game was frankly a bit of a bore. That being said, from the vantage point below, you could see and feel every hit and blow. More than making up for a substandard product.
Speaking of hearing every blow. Watching Rashee Rice go down for the year wasn’t exactly a highlight. Normally I loathe the “Gladiator” football comparisons. However watching Rice getting driven off the field right below me with a towel over face while the game was in progress was a bit sobering. The man’s knee might have been dislocated by Patrick Mahomes helmet. As he was getting carted off, fans were already on to the next play. Screaming for more aggression and violence. I enjoy football, but this was the first time I had experienced this phenomenon of American sports fandom so starkly.
I’ve been fortunate to see a lot of the greats play in my life. Some of them as high schoolers. Patrick Mahomes’ 53 yard touchdown pass to Xavier Worthy is going to go pretty high on the memorable list. It helped that it literally came right into my lap as our seats were in that end zone and in the right corner. The high arc on the throw, the rising anticipation, the payoff on the catch. That is a play I will not soon forget.
The Extras
Based on what I have been fed by the media and the corresponding price of my ticket. I was prepared to see a see a lot of red and a scant few Charger fans. However, with a boots on the ground perspective. LA does not loathe this team. Yes, there were a lot of Chiefs fans. Leading to this unpopular take.
I actually enjoyed the atmosphere. Blame on my itinerant upbringing, but I have never really cheered for one team. I don’t enjoy watching games at places like Cameron Indoor Stadium. Where the home fans are overwhelming and frankly obnoxious. SoFi was rocking the entire game. If the Chiefs did something good, half the place erupted. When the Chargers answered, the other half did. As previously stated, the game itself was rather uneventful. However in the stadium, it was never dull and the fans were always involved. Perhaps the NFL backed into another revenue stream. Finding some way to turn every game into a neutral site bowl game. I might be in the minority but I would sign up for that. It beats getting yelled at by drunk Packer fans any day of the week,
And finally….. I’m a sports fan of a certain age. My son gave me an odd look when I stopped dead in my tracks to gaze at a rare piece of late 20th century sports history that is still standing.
Children of the 80’s and 90’s don’t have a Wrigley Field or Yankee Stadium. This generation implodes the Palace of Auburn before it reaches its 30th birthday, For younger readers, above you stands the House that Magic and Kareem built. That is where BOTH Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan won their first NBA Championships. I don’t care how much Kia paid for the rights. That is the Fabulous Great Western Forum. We caught our Uber from there after the game. I would given a lot to sneak in and roam around those halls.
Conclusion
I could summarize the greatest hits. SoFi is a breathtaking and one of a kind facility. USC really loves that song etc. In more ways than one I will close with the people. I was fortunate enough to visit New York City in the summer as well. When people back home asked about LA. I said it was basically New York with scenery and palm trees.
A sometimes overwhelming mass people. Ethnically and economically diverse. Amidst the traffic you saw the mountains in the distance nearly at all times wherever you were at. The weather was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I’ve never had 80 degrees feel so pleasant.
It was definitely different and the West Coast has its own distinct vibe and culture. Once again these masses of people were simply…. people. Depending on the source, all people have the same basic needs. Love, food, and shelter. How we meet them and to what extent they are met are what makes us different, But at our core we are all the same.
For many of the people I interacted with, that last need has probably been shattered by the wildfires. I can’t watch the scenes of the last few weeks without thinking about many of them. The army of Uber drivers who transported us around the city. The police officer who accidentally and apologetically hit me with a traffic bollard as we were exiting the stadium.
So many people, so many stories. That is what I see when I watch the news. Every burned acre, home, or landmark has its own story. Those stories have been changed. However, that doesn’t mean they cannot have happy or uplifting endings. The City of Angels could use a few of them right now.
