Rams Fans United - Los Angeles Rams Fan Discussion Forum

Granted it was first real game and preseason. Blah blah blah. But they had plenty of time to prep and they clearly didnt do anything to test/train/etc.

Biggest issue was food lines. INSANELY long. Like Disneyland July 4 weekend long. Worse than situation at Coli and I didnt think that was possible. Will never work if thats going to be the norm. I walked to every level of the stadium and the problem was everywhere.
Food stands didnt have menu items. Example, Olvera St says it has tacos. No tacos there and nobody working it knew why. Stands offering Tater Tots (fries) also didnt have that item.
Pizza was terrible. No flavor at all.
Concourse has bottlenecked areas throughout in the glass doors and at those bar/seating areas. Who puts doors (1 person wide btw) in a stadium concourse?! The place was maybe 20% full early on and the foot traffic stoppage was already a major problem.
Too many people using these SRO sections. Whats the point of having seats if they are just going to let anyone stand in the back of the sections regardless of what seat they have and where they sit. So I guess I should have just bought the cheapest seat possible and then just use the SRO sections. Created lots of crowding and limiting space for those trying to get to and from the section.
Bathrooms. Every bathroom I went in had water everywhere, was very slippery and every paper towel dispenser was empty.
I saw almost no ushers or stadium employees to help with any of what Ive just described. My first impression was bad and it seemed like the Rams simply didnt care.

This is going to be every venue this fall. I don’t know how things are at Dodger Stadium, but I’ve been to baseball games at Busch Stadium and Wrigley Field this summer and they’ve also been concession/food shortage/drink shortage disasters. And it’s only going to get worse as the NHL and NBA arenas reopen in October.

Citi Field staffed by rival Phillies vendors amid worker shortage
https://nypost.com/2021/07/18/citi-fiel ... -shortage/

My take:

- Arrival via train. It took a couple year I feel for the Coliseum staff and fans to get it figured out there. My expectations were low. I left 2.5 hours before game time. Train was much lighter than back at the Coliseum. Shifted trains at Rosa Park station and it was actually pretty fun hanging out with all the fans and watching the people driving on the freeway honk and wave. Once on the green/C line some of us were chatting and worried what would happen with the shuttles. Was pleasantly surprised that when we arrived, there were several Metro people and signs guiding us where to go. Lots of police as well. Overheard one of them talking to another "Yeah games are normally quiet... unless its the Raiders". Hahaha. Shuttle was ready and I walked right on and it took off quick to the Stadium. So far so good. Shuttle was fine but once close to the stadium it did hit traffic. At the end it sook 20 minutes from getting on the shuttle to walking off. I suppose it would be longer if it were closer to game time. $1.75 well spent.
Considering this was the first game and it should only get better = Train in is Thumbs up!

- Seats. My seats are SO much better now that they replaced the wire rail with glass. See before and after pictures. Love the cup holders. About the same size and space around as Coliseum. Think they are the same brand of seats. Nothing special.
Thumbs up!

- Concessions. I got there 55 minutes before kickoff and there was almost Zero lines at any area. Many were closed and I guessed it was because it maybe wasn't going to be very full? I walked the entire 400 level to get an idea what is being sold. I didnt buy any food but there was quite a bit of varity that looked good. I LOVE that most of the bars and food stands are within watching distance of the game of screen so you dont lose the action. At halftime and once the game as going, lines got crazy. I bought a beer at the start and that was it.
Jury is still out on this one but I think they are having issues getting the staff to have all the concessions open. That and it will take time to figure this out. For game one, I am not too concerned.

Stadium - Stunning. Beautiful. Loved just walking around. SO much more space than the Coliseum. One cool thing is they have standing bar rail around each level. I really like that. It was quite popular so I think many people from the 500 level walk down and just hang out there. I think it is really cool. First come first serve. Was fun watching all the walked around from my seat. I really like this design. Keeps everyone in view.
Thumbs up!

Crowd - If it was not a sell out it was pretty dang close. For a pre season game against the Chargers, I think Stan must be happy. Was certainly Rams House with 90% rams Jerseys. Of course not very loud. Hard to get excited for 3rd stringers.
Thumbs up!

Train Leaving - I almost always stay to the last snap. Did this time as well But we walked to the closest way out and could watch from the standing bar. Once the last snap, we headed out. We went back to the drop off location. I could tell there was a lot of thought into this. An entire parking lot is dedicated to busses and shuttles. Lots of lines and numbers and what not. The staff was not great yet as there was a lot of yelling and confusion. They will sort that out. Will take time. At any rate, we waited in line for about 10 minutes and got on a shuttle. Was another 20 to get the train station. Hardly anyone at the station so pretty simple.
Last night was thumbs up but a little worried about the shuttles getting out BUT I hope will only get better.

A lot easier to hate than to like and I am surprised how many people are already complaining. I would like to know if any of these people were are the first games at the Coliseum in 2016 as this is night and day.

Not a good report @WaddyWasWideOpen ..
.. Let's hope for the best and things tighten up some.
I remember one of the first games back at the Coliseum, hot day and they were out of water by halftime.
You'd think all these smart dudes could figure it out ahead of time. But I do have confidence they will. Covid crap not withstanding.

Wow, what a difference that glass rail makes @Mr. Sparkle!! You're stoked..

Hacksaw wrote:Not a good report @WaddyWasWideOpen .. Let's hope for the best and things tighten up some.
I remember one of the first games back at the Coliseum, hot day and they were out of water by halftime.
You'd think all these smart dudes could figure it out ahead of time. But I do have confidence they will. Covid crap not withstanding.

Will prolly just take some time. Yeah, I think that was the first pre-season game v the Cowboys in 2016 where they ran out of water. Then it got better.

I’m happy to read that the shuttle and train works pretty well. I think I will stay by the airport as am only there to go to the game.

RedAlice wrote:Will prolly just take some time. Yeah, I think that was the first pre-season game v the Cowboys in 2016 where they ran out of water. Then it got better.

I’m happy to read that the shuttle and train works pretty well. I think I will stay by the airport as am only there to go to the game.

I sense a trend. The rams are lousy at going into a new stadium where the 1st preseason game is understocked...

I'm looking forward to coming up on the train again.

Another thought: a lot of people were parking at Lennox station for free and then taking the shuttles to the stadium. I am sure they will put a stop to this. Not that many spots but it was obvious it was happening.
My guess is they will make special lanes at times for the shuttles as well. At least around the stadium. I could see the long line when I was leaving and wouldn’t want to be in it.
Once the Crenshaw lines opens I assume that will help too. Shouldn’t be too much longer?

The plexiglass is infinitely better, also not sure i understand the appeal of a fried hotdog but i've never had one either.

I was surprised by how full the stadium was and how many Chargers fans there were. They got pretty loud on big plays, not insubstantial at all. The concourses were open and nice where i was (400 level) and bathroom was not a problem either time i went including right after the game was over.

But yeah, not every food stand was open, not sure if that's a Covid thing, preseason thing, or something else. Considering how it went for me, it being the first game ever with fans and a nearly full house, i'd say it bodes pretty well going forward...

man, talk about night and day, that glass looks fantastic!

re food and staff shortages - if l.a. is anything like the sf bay area then both sitches are real nightmares with no end in sight.... trying to get workers right now is nothing short of laughable, i can't get a dishwasher to reply to an ad offering $50k a year... most of my purveyors can't fill their warehouse and truck driver / delivery openings and, as a result, are cutting deliveries substantially including flat-out telling a lot of customers that they just can't take care of them now.

my 22-year-old daughter just finished college - in 2019 she worked a handful of catering gigs which apparently qualified her for covid unemployment windfalls in 2020, she's had more than $28,000 deposited into her account from fed and state, it's fuckin' insanity.

my daughter has always been a go-getter and immediately found a job when she graduated, she wants to build her "nest egg", but most of her friends, who also got tens of thousands dropped into their accounts, are simply enjoying life and have no plans to work in the near future.