Building A Chief Fan Of The Future: Part 2 – The Road Trip & Pre-Game

Building A Chief Fan Of The Future:

Part 2 – The Road Trip & Pre Game

Here’s installment II of the Building A Chief Fan Of The Future series. The second part is getting to the game and participating in the tailgating experience at Arrowhead. For the kids, getting there is half the fun, as they enjoy the travel experience too.  

There is a little lead-time to kick this off since plane tickets are involved. We book the trip about 2-3 months out. After that, it is pretty much enjoy-the-televised-games until it is time to pack up and head to the airport. This year my brother and 3-year-old nephew are joining us for their first father/son trip to Arrowhead.  If all goes well, this could become an annual event for us.

Flight & Hotel Selection

Step one seems fairly straightforward, but there is a bit more work than one might think. Although we know we need to get from our home to Kansas City, we have 5 airports within 3 hours to consider, if we want to really rate shop. I travel on Delta for work, so I like to stick with them for the perquisites. Once I grind through all the departure airport options/times/costs, we book it.

Next is the hotel, again it may seem straightforward, but there are hotel amenities to consider for the kids. They seem to like the hotels with pools, snack shops, free breakfast, etc. This is some more family time running down the hotel options. My preferred brand is the Hilton chain, so there are plenty of options. After about an hour or amenity/availability/rate/location discussion, we book the hotel.

We also book a car, but that is made simple with National. We can worry about the model when we pick it up.

Road Trip:

Trains, Planes, & Automobiles

At this point, we are a mere 2 days from game time. With all our gear packed up we head to the airport to kick off the weekend.

Along the way, the boys like to enjoy the Delta Sky Club whenever possible and enjoy the snacks and sodas on the plane. The trip back is usually one filled with ZZZZzzzz’s so they take advantage on the way out.

Once we arrive in Kansas City, we head to the National Car Rental location and get to pick our car. This is important to get the right vehicle for tailgating. We usually look for some sort of S.U.V. but are willing to consider the right mini-van. Seating, side door opening angle, and cargo area access are important for the right setup. Plusses would be any vehicles that have power ports in the vehicle so we can watch pregame TV on iPads.

Around Town

Once we are settled into town, we line up the Saturday activities.  There are many options for Saturday, with the only real requirement being that we pick-up the appropriate supplies for the tailgate and visit the Pro Shops at Arrowhead and Kauffman.  In the past, we’ve done the following: an Arrowhead Tour, visiting the Plaza during the holidays, Legoland Discovery Center, Cruise the Old Neighborhood/School, BBQ restaurants, Worlds of Fun, K.C. Zoo, and many more. We haven’t hit them all yet, but we’re working on it.

Of the list, I would say the BBQ restaurants and The Plaza are pretty important to get the cultural bond to KC. The other attractions are fun and great time fillers, depending on the age of the kids.

Once we stock up on some more K.C. gear at the Pro Shops, eating some great food, and soaking in some local culture, it is time keep the line moving and stock up on tailgate items. Off to Hy-Vee for the food and Dick’s Sporting Goods for the Tailgate In A Box (TIAB) and any other items we may need.

We keep the food menu pretty simple… with the kids and travel involved. Basic menu of hot dogs, sauerkraut, chili, condiments, chips, drinks, and maybe a breakfast item or two with the early start on Sunday. Beyond the TIAB, we may need to pick up some cheap folding chairs, umbrellas, drink koozies, etc. Once all that is loaded into the rental it is back to the hotel for evening activity and sleep.

Depending on the hotel, it may be time for swimming or a walk around the local area.  When staying at The Plaza, we have enjoyed walking around shopping, the red fountains, and the lights. Otherwise, we watch some TV and get to bed (although it is a lot like the night before Christmas).

Pre-Game

Tailgate

We get up early and load up the car with the food and whatever else we need for the day and head on over to Arrowhead. For a noon game, we want to be in line for parking shortly before 9 AM.  This is critical for a couple of reasons. First is that we want maximum tailgating time.  Second is we want to get a great parking spot as close as possible (although the tailgating is fabulous all throughout the parking lot).

Nose into the parking spot so you can open the back of the vehicle for easy access. Once parked we get setup (check the website if you are a first timer, they do have some rules on parking and setups).

T-3 Hours

For the first hour or so, we set up the tailgate, turn on the iPad for pregame coverage (VPN is a must for this, don’t want to be blacked out on NFL Sunday Ticket), meet the neighbors, and soak in the morning while enjoying some coffee/donuts (reminds me to buy extra this year as my brother is a NY State Trooper, he can probably eat a full dozen being a professional and all).

T-2 Hours

Fire up the grill. Once we get the grill going, we prep the food and open the chips. In the past, we have had some nice neighbors that have offered up some of their more intricate fare. KC fans are great like this, especially when they find out you are from out of town. Once the grill is ready we start cooking the food and enjoy the smells of the area.  

T-1 Hour

About this point, we are done eating and begin packing up the food/grill/etc. We like to start heading to the stadium to enter shortly after the gates open. Along the way, it is fun to see some of the awesome (and crazy) setups the local fans have. There are a number of properly decorated mini-busses, tents, and even a hearse. There is lots of pre-game fun in the parking lot. For those wearing the colors of the other team, you can definitely expect some good-natured ribbing.

Once we enter the stadium, we usually take the long way around to our seats and see the Chiefs Hall of Honor, identify the concessions we may want, check out any of the Ford Fan Experience, sometimes you can run across the Wolf, and checkout the warm-ups with views from some of the other seating areas.

About 15-20 minutes before the scheduled kickoff we head to our seats and get settled in. We wouldn’t want to miss the player introductions and the National Anthem. Almost game time.

And there’s The Rub.