The Quest for 31

Where's Waldo Wanders the NBA & NHL

2011-01-21T14:53:00.003-05:00

Well, the NFL regular season has passed many of us by as we are now well into the NFL playoffs. For me and my Buffalo Bills, our attention turns to next year and the promise of an infusion of new blood to help resuscitate the franchise. It just feels like we’ve all been through this before. Another NFL offseason, ripe with possibility ... another step closer to rebuilding this talent-starved franchise. So when do we actually stop re-building and just start building? When do the pieces finally fall into some semblance of a finished product that starts to win games? The last time the Bills were in the playoffs was the Music City Miracle against the Titans in 1998 … here’s hoping that the front office finally gets something right …. but I digress.

Along with the completion of another NFL regular season comes the promise of a renewed focus on the NBA and NHL. Springboarding from my success as an NFL stadium traveler, I am continuing my professional sports journey around the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League. I even came up with some spiffy names to describe these new quests, the “Roundball RoadTrip” and the “Frozen Pond Pilgrimage”. Throughout my NFL travels I recorded my experiences in the form of a written review. Over the years, my website has evolved into more of an NFL City Travel Guide. It’s like the Frommer’s of NFL stadium travelers. My hope is to bring this same mentality to my NBA and NHL journey’s. For each city I travel to, I’ll write about what there is to see and do in each sports-crazed city and make recommendations as to how to experience each as a true local fan. I’d also like to open up content generation for my network of websites to other guest correspondents. Those of you that are experts in your particular area or those of you who have also traveled to different sports cities, send me something on your experiences. I’m really interested in getting your thoughts on what there is to see and do across the NFL, NBA , and NHL. So if you’re out there and you’re interested, send me a photo and four of five sentences on your experiences across North America. Until then … be sure to look for me wandering around your city.

Don't Be Scammed on Craigslist buying NFL Tickets

2010-10-28T06:34:00.012-05:00

I recently heard about the Pats fans that got scammed buying tickets for an NFL game on Craigslist. I feel for those folks, I really do, but you have to realize that in this day and age with the state that our economy is in, there are a lot of unscrupulous people out there that are looking for any angle to exploit in order to make a quick buck. There’s no real way to police this type of thing, and it’s really easy to produce fake gameday tickets of high quality. All it takes is a decent scanner and a copy of Adobe PhotoShop and anybody can recreate a realistic looking, gameday ticket.

One of my business ventures is actually creating football themed (or any sport for that matter) wedding invitations that look like gameday tickets. We take a photo of the happy couple and custom design a wedding invitation that looks and feels exactly like a full color NFL, NBA, NHL, or MLB ticket. It’s printed on the same card stock and we even put in the perforation … believe me it’s not rocket science.

So when you try to save a buck by jumping on Craigslist or on E-bay and you get turned away at the door with counterfeit tickets, believe me I feel for you, but unfortunately that is exactly the type of risk you take when you go that route for cheap tickets. In the last four years, I’ve been to over sixty NFL games and I’m beginning to make my way through the NBA and the NHL. So I’ve purchased a lot of game tickets over the years, and I bought them in every way possible, through Ebay and Criagslist, through online ticket brokers and even from scalpers. I’ve seen and done it all, I guess you could say that I’m as close to a professional fan as you can get.

Anyway, over those four years I’ve developed a strong working relationship with several reputable online brokers. They're all well aware of who I am and what I’ve accomplished in working my way across the three major professional sports leagues and they’ve been very supportive of my Quest for 31, my Roundball Roadtrip, and my Frozen Pond Pilgrimage. So, if you’re looking to purchase tickets from reputable online brokers who stand behind their product, flip through my websites and go to the area where I’ve listed these brokers allowing you to compare their ticket prices. With just a few clicks you can look through several sources and compare ticket prices to make an informed decision.

Furthermore, if you ever have an issue with any tickets purchased from the brokers listed on my websites, contact me immediately and I can help. I’m in contact with these folks throughout the year and I’d be happy to go to bat for you if a problem arises. So if you’re in search of tickets for the NFL, NBA, and NHL, and you’re looking for a solid reputable source, I’ve already done all of the legwork. The process is fairly automated, just start by clicking through the links below. Good luck sports fans, I’m only and e-mail away (infoATnflfootballstadiumsDOTcom).

Cheap NFL Tickets from Questfor31.com
Cheap NBA Tickets from RoundballRoadTrip.com
Cheap NHL Tickets from FrozenPondPilgrimage.com

My Journey Continues

2010-10-19T18:56:00.009-05:00

It’s interesting … when I started this Quest, I did it because I was curious about the home team NFL experience in every city in the country. I wanted to wear a head of cheese, or spike arm guards. I wanted to spell out the word “Jets” and bark like a dog in the Dawg Pound. I wanted to Tomahawk Chop Chant, swirl a yellow towel overhead, sing “Hail to the Redskins”. I wanted to do all of these things, just to truly understand, if only for a day, what it would be like to be a fan of every pro football franchise in the nation. Now that I’ve completed my mission, visited every stadium in the country, tailgated with some of the NFL’s finest … I just can’t seem to give it up. I’ve met so many fantastic people in cities across the nation, traveling to over 60 games in the last four years, that I constantly have folks asking me when I’m planning on making a return appearance.

Seeing as how I feel compelled not to let anyone down, I guess we’ll just keep this train moving along. Well, we’re approaching Week Seven in the NFL and I’ve already been to five NFL games this season. I assembled the Ultimate Minnesota Vikings Fan Experience in Minneapolis, which included a stay in a Viking-themed bed and breakfast, sung the Chicago Bears Fight song with random fans outside Soldier Field, partied in the RV lot at Ralph Wilson Stadium beginning on Saturday morning in Buffalo, ate steamed crab and fresh Maryland crab cakes in Baltimore, and visited the New Meadowlands Stadium in New York … well New Jersey, so I'm up to date in seeing a game in every active NFL home stadium in the league. It’s been an incredible year and there’s more to come. Apart from my continuing journey on the Quest for 31, like LeBron, I’ve decided to take my talents to the NBA. I will be doing a 30 city, arena tour that will take me on a journey to see a game in every NBA Arena. I call it the RoundBall RoadTrip. Stay Tuned …

Planning a Sports Themed Wedding

2010-08-10T14:42:00.008-05:00

A sports themed wedding is absolutely the way to go as you look to plan your pending nuptuals. Whether your favorite sport is professional baseball, basketball, hockey or football, incorporating a sports theme into your special day is actually something that can be done rather elegantly. It will also be an affair that your guests will never forget. Now I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the traditional wedding, but by incorpating some elements of your favorite sport, it will help to loosen up your guests and make the night one they will never forget.

Crystal and I got married last July. We had a sports themed wedding and people still talk about it, whenever we visit. We designed wedding invitations that looked like a sporting event tickets and wedding programs that resembled a gameday program. In the last eight months, we've expanded these ideas into a thriving online business, providing custom designed sports themed wedding invitations, wedding programs and save the dates. We can also provide customized sporting equipment like foam balls, hocket pucks, and felt pennants. I believe in these economic times that an extravagant wedding is not necessarily where people want to sink their money. Guest lists are shrinking and instead of impressing guests, couples and their guests want to be part of something unique. That's exactly what a sports themed wedding can be. it can have all of the elegance of your traditional affair with the familiar influence of a favorite sport as a tribute to the bride and groom.

We can help you to accessorize your themed wedding. We have a talented array of graphics folks that assemble a series of proofs for you to choose from. Check out www.sportsthemedweddings.com for more details.

Taking an NFL Stadium Tour

2010-07-27T18:05:00.004-05:00

One of my lesser known hobbies that I take on over the course of the NFL offseason is taking NFL stadium tours. Few people realize it, but most NFL stadiums offer a guided stadium tour that is usually priced fairly reasonably ($5-$11 per person). I found out about the stadium tour before the 2007 NFL season on a trip to Minneapolis, Minnesota and I was hooked. Stadium tours generally cover the suite and luxury box levels, visting team locker room, the press box, and the field. In some cases stadium tour participants are allowed down on the field to see what things look like from the player perspective and in rare occasions into the home team's locker room (that's always very cool). If you're an ardent NFL fan, taking a stadium tour of your favorite team stadium should be high on your list of priorities. To date, I've been on 14 NFL stadium tours and 3 NBA arena tours. I expect that that puts me in a fairly select group of individuals. Last year, I even consulted on a couple of tours based on what I had already seen in other NFL cities. that was kinda cool.

Anyway, during a recent trip down south, I decided to set up a couple of tours. Driving down Interstate 75, I stopped in at Lucas Oil Stadium, the state of the art home of the Indianapolis Colts. I'm pleased to report that Lucas Oil Stadium has a very impressive stadium tour. The facility itself is immaculate. A red brick exterior with retractable roof and some great site lines allow the home of the Colts to effectively compliment some of the great tailgating that goes on outside the stadium. I did get a change to run the field at Lucas Oil Stadium and found my way into the Indianapolis Colts Locker room as well . For a full report, you can check out my Stadium Tour review.

While in Charlotte, North Carolina I setup an inpromptu tour of Bank of America Stadium, home to the Carolina Panthers. Stopping by on a Monday morning, some fine folks from the ticket office staff agreed to show me around the stadium. The tour began with a look at the field level, then into the Club 87 Suite and through the visitor team locker room. It's a solid tour.

Later that day I took a tour of Time Warner Cable Arena, home to the Michael Jordan-led Charlotte Bobcats. Time Warner Cable Arena was an equally impressive sports venue with an amazing array of suite level box seats and the first indoor tailgating area in the NBA. The Rock the Rooftop tailgating area comes complete with live band entertainment and tabletop seating areas for the adults, while kids will find xBox gaming stations and a practice court for shooting hoops.

I rounded out my southern roadtrip with another trip to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. I simply can't get enough of the Hall of Fame. I find myself visiting it at least once a year.

The NFL Offseason ... Ripe with Activity

2010-07-27T18:03:00.003-05:00

Wow, what a year. Last year I completed my Quest for 31 with a trip down to New Orleans and the Louisiana Superdome for my regular season finale on Bourbon Street. It was supposed to be my last game of the year, but as the Super Bowl drew near, I received an offer I couldn't refuse. The fine folks at TicketCity.com offered me a ticket to the greatest sporting event in the world ... Super Bowl XLIV. I accepted immediately. Being at the Super Bowl was an amazingly surreal experience. I remember sitting there watching the game in amazement as I knew I was one of the chosen few on hand to witness the crowning of a World Champion in the greatest sport on earth in person. It doesn't get much better than that.

Fast-forwarding a few months, my offseason has been an extrmemly busy one, ripe with lots of new opportunities. Apart from trying to put some additional time into NFLFootballStadiums.com, my attention has been divided amoung several other website ventures. Upon completion of the Quest, everyone's first question always seems to be, "What will my next challenge be?". Well, I love the game of football and I thoroughly enjoy being a part of the tailgating culture that has evolved in each of these disparate cities across the nation. I just can't give that up (besides the Quest Machine is just getting broken in - I put 37,000 miles on it last year), so going forward I'm still planning on attending some NFL games, just not 17. For an encore on my travel exploits, I'd like to begin working my way through the NBA and the NHL. Back in May I started NBABasketballArenas.com to chronicle the exploits of my "RoundBall RoadTrip". So look for me in your NBA arena.

Fantasy Football season is once again upon us, so I've turned to my annual pursuit of steering perfect strangers toward their first fantasy football championships. Working with Jermain Baker, another astute mind and multi-year veteran of fantasy sports, we are taking our talents (thank you, LeBron) to FantasyFootballManifesto.com. There you'll find a series of articles outlining proven strategies for fantasy success, but the heart of what we're offering is a cheat sheet subscription. The cheat sheet on FantasyFootballManifesto is regularly updated and sent directly to your inbox each time there is player movement, injuries, or standout performances that affect player rankings. Think about it, would you rather use a fantasy football magazine that was printed back in June or would you rather have a dynamically updated cheat sheet based on recent developments in the NFL.

We can be your war room staff.

Super Bowl Pregame Planning for Miami

2010-01-30T13:14:00.007-05:00

Super Bowl XLIV in Miami is rapidly approaching, and I'm doing my best to stay on top of all the developments in South Florida relating to the gameday weekend activities. I've secured my Super Bowl Ticket through TicketCity.com, reserved a room overlooking Miami Beach, got the flights and rental car taken care of, I even bought the Official Super Bowl XLIV jersey (ridiculous, I know). This is the biggest weekend of the NFL Calendar year and I want to make sure I am a part all peripheral party destinations, within reason. So the NFL Experience has been canceled, the Playboy Party has been canceled, Super Gate III with Jay the Tailgate Guy has been canceled ... all of which make for a nebulous mass of misinformation as to what to do down there. To top it all off, NFL regulations strictly prohibit any gameday tailgating on the grounds and surrounding area at Sun Life Stadium. They even have an ordinance against loitering in the parking lot in gameday. So how does one sift through the vast amounts of web data touting the best of the best pregame celebratory bashes? Well, I've decided to post a page on my website describing the who, what, and where of pregame celebrations.

Each year the Super Bowl site is mobbed by fans of the Super Bowl participants, or in this case New Orleans Saints fans and Indianapolis Colts fans. So where are they all planning to gather? Who's coordinating Colts or Saints pregame tailgating? Well, that's what I aim to figure out. I've been in contact with fan tailgating organizations in Indy and NOLA and restaurants and bars down in Miami to figure out where the best Super Bowl Parties are at. If you're interested in figuring out what to do down in Miami over Super Bowl Weekend, check out my Guide to Miami Super Bowl Tailgating on Questfor31.com.

If you have information for me to post on my site either fill in the Comment Frm at the bottom of the page, or send me an e-mail. I'll post addresses, directions, cover charges. Everything you need to know about the Super Bowl XLIV pregame festivities down in Miami. You might also check out the Super Bowl XLIV Visitor's Guide, that I've also posted on the site. It a great source for league sponsored activities.

TicketCity.com Sends me to Super Bowl XLIV!

2010-01-19T20:34:00.009-05:00

I recently received an incredible offer from "the fine folks at TicketCity". After promoting their online services over the last three years, writing stadium reviews for inclusion on their website, and sending them video from my many adventures around the league, they've actually offered to provide me with a ticket to Super Bowl XLIV in Miami! A ticket to the elusive NFL Championship game ... it's like the Quester's Holy Grail. I mean actually getting your hands on a ticket to the big dance is unheard of, unless you're one of the privileged few that can afford such a luxury. I'll tell you this much, that sucker is going to get bronzed, encased in a titanium ticket holder, and frozen in carbonite! I can't believe I'm finally going to the Super Bowl!

In the early Nineties during the Buffalo Bills reign of terror over the American Football Conference, I dreamed of going to the Super Bowl, but as it became more and more of a commercial entity, the likelihood of my actually attending a grew less and less feasible. In recent years, I grew more and more comfortable with the fact that attending football's greatest game is something that would probably never happen. For TicketCity to come forward and offer me a chance to be a part of an NFL Championship game is a great honor that I do not take lightly. It's certainly a most fitting way to close out the 2009 Season of Questing for 31. Words cannot express how greatful I am for this opportunity. I've just setup a page on my site to provide details to this year's Super Bowl Tailgating in Miami, click HERE for more information.

Completing the Quest ... but what's Next?

2010-01-19T19:51:00.004-05:00

Wow! It's been a while since I had time to add to this blog and lots of things have been going on with my Quest for 31 over the past several weeks. I ended the season in December, two days after Christmas, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. Donning a Marques Colston jersey with shoulder pads and spiked-studded arm guards, I reconfigured my JokeRaider costume from Oakland to include metallic gold facepaint, thereby transforming me into the Who Dat JOker. The lime green hair garnered lots of attention and I was able to capitalize on some local media as well while in town. The Times-Picayune in New Orleans and Star Tribune in Minneapolis did features on my Quest and three of the local affiliates down in New Orleans sent camera crews to interview me as I completed my four year journey. It was nice to finally be recognized for this passion of mine that's taken me all around the country in search of thirty-two unique home team experiences. The journey's end is bitter sweet.

I'm constantly asked what my next step or my next challenge will be. With pause, I respond that I think I'll attack the NHL and NBA Arenas next. Maybe, try to see a home game in each of those pro sports venues and write about my experiences as a fan of NBA Basketball and NHL Hockey. It will be at a much less aggressive pace, but it would be incredible to continue to follow in the mighty footsteps of Peter Farrell and Andrew Kulyk who are the ultimate questers, having traveled to every major sports venue in the nation. I'd also like to continue Questing for 31. As new stadiums are built, I gotta be there. As old friends around the league continue to send invitations, I'll be there. There's only one Commissioner of Tailgating and he is an exceptional mentor that's seen and done things I can't hope to achieve, but perhaps I can continue to hold the torch of Questing high, and in my own way, work to contribute to the sense of unity that is NFL tailgating.

Ralph Wilson Stadium - Fowling comes to Buffalo

2009-11-10T22:13:00.004-05:00

This year, for our annual family weekend retreat, I decided it was time to introduce a few new wrinkles to our tailgate agenda. Along with our first attempt at cooking up the ever popular beer can chicken, as the self-appointed commissioner of fowling, I decided I needed to bring the game Western New York. So gathering up the traditional cast of characters, we met at my parents house on Saturday morning, loaded into the rented RV, and were on our way to the parking lot at Ralph Wilson Stadium by noon. Arriving on Saturday has it's perks including getting a jump on gameday preparations and libations, but unfortunately due to the weather, we were restricted to staying in the RV for most of the afternoon. Scattered showers and cold temperatures kept us from our traditional Saturday tailgate activities, but with plenty of movies, meal prep, and willing participants in the lost art of conversation, there was still plenty to do (if that were to fail us, we still had plenty of beer).

Sunday morning came quickly and the weather had turned in our favor. With sunny skies, and warmer temperatures, we setup the fowling lanes allowing for exhibition tournament play throughout the day. surprisingly enough the game was incredibly popular. several strangers approached us during each fowling frame asking if they could try the game as well and before we knew it the fowling lanes were full and we were enjoying our ice cold beverages of choice from the sidelines. All in all a very successful introduction.

Later in the morning, I needed to stop in on Kenny "Pinto Ron" Johnson, the guy that cooks all of his meals on his 1983 Ford Pinto. When it comes to creative tailgating, Kenny blazes the trail for all others to follow. Using household items and tools in uncommon food preparatory practices has become his trademark. Old ironing boards serve as tables and cutting boards, a garden rake to cook hamburgers, the file cabinet pizza oven, even an old hub cap to cook sausage in. these are Kenny implements of mass destruction. The ketchup opening ceremony is one that's not to be missed. At 11:30 Kenny emerges through the crowd with a naked hamburger. when he asks for some ketchup, he's sprayed from head to toe by condiment snipers perched on the roof of his truck. so that's Buffalo, if you're a Questor, be sure to make this one of your first stops.

Stadium #4 - Bank of America Stadium

2009-11-10T22:10:00.002-05:00

Week 7 took me to Bank of America Stadium to revisit stadium 4 onthe Quest for 31. My best friend, Jermain, has lived in the Charlotte area for years and my brother, Erik, recently moved his family out that way, so we may make Charlotte and annual stop on the Quest. Along with the family connections, the other attractive aspect of a return trip to Bank of America Stadium is the tailgating. With Lots scattered throughout the city, sometimes it can be difficult to zero in on the tailgating hotspots, but there are several areas that are worth hitting. I always like to stop in on Coach Dan Ortel and folks at PantherFanz.net. They consistently provide, great food, local beer, and they're always entertaining. With characters like Joe the Cedar Street Seeer, Patrick, Mad Mike, James, and Barbecue Pit boss Clay workin' the spits, visitors will appreciate the southern hospitality. But Premiere tailgating in Charlotte doesn't just stop there, Hall of Famers, Pantherman and Catman host a great tailgate along with the Tailgate Resuce Crew who have an awesome custom Tailgate Cruiser. Outfitted with dual beer taps, a rockin' paint job and a fire-rescuse pole inside their vehicle, the Tailgate Rescue Crew is in a very enviable as one of the top spots for Panther fans to take in the pregame libations.

My Buffalo Bills happened to be in town this weekend, so dressed in my Quest for 31 jersey, and flanked by legions of Bills fans, we watched a very mediocre performance that ended in a rare Bills win. For that I am truly grateful.

Fowling, the Football-Bowling Tailgate Game

2009-10-23T11:20:00.004-05:00

Looking for a new tailgate game idea for your next parking lot party? How about the tailgate game of Fowling. This combination football-bowling tailgate game is a great way to bring the competitive nature of the gridiron to an asphalt playing surface near you. Played on a set of fowling lanes which support ten regulation-sized bowling pins that are configured in the standard 10-pin triangular arrangement, competitors from a distance of forty-eight feet launch an NFL football at their opponent's bowling pins in an attempt to knock ‘em down. First team to knock down all the pins wins the frame. Fowling matches are a race to three frames or a best three out of five frame series.

It’s sheer genius! You build a set of fowling lanes from 2x4’s and some plywood, go to your local bowling alley and ask to buy their bad pins (the ones that are cracked at the base after years of collisions), bring a football with you to the lot, and you have everything you need to set up a Fowling Tournament.

I couldn’t help myself, I built a set of Quest for 31 Fowling Lanes, acquired the necessary bowling pins, and will be loading up the Hummer H31 with these implements of mass destruction for a tournament in Buffalo on November 1. We will be playing in the RV lot during my family’s annual weekend retreat at The Ralph. Fowling is a great time, and it will easily supplant your propensity bean bag tossing the first time you chuck the football at those pins. If you’re interested in trying it out, just go to http://www.fowling.org/, they have all the rules and regulations, plans for building the fowling lanes, and everything to get you started.

Tailgating in the Motor City

2009-10-23T11:17:00.003-05:00

Detroit Rock City is the spot for Halloween Tailgating, as once again I found myself compelled to plan my Quest for 31 road schedule around the Halloween tailgate of Kevin Nowak and DetroitTailgate.com. As always, Kevin and the boyz throw a kick-ass tailgate party especially when the Black Sabbath Tribute band, Banned from E.A.R.T.H. is in town to rock out Ozzfest in Detroit. It’s really incredible if you think about it. They setup a full stage right in the middle of the lot and Stonecage and his crew evoke the dark lord himself through a tribute performance that is like you’re watching the golden age of rock played out in the Motor City.

Our day began early in the morning as we vied for pole position next to the DetroitTailgate setup in the eastern market parking area of Lot 1. A little Keggs and Eggs to kick off the morning while Banned form E.A.R.T.H. setup for their first set, and soon the parking lot was humming with some vintage Sabbath.

Although the team continues it’s decade-long rebuild process, the Detroit Lions fans remain unfazed and faithful. Tailgating is certainly alive and well in the eastern market. Lions fans put meat to flame utilizing the prime fresh cuts thy purchase from eastern market butcher shops as they guzzle their preferred cold beverage of choice. Eventually the Ford Family will field an organization worthy of this diehard group of fans, but until that day, the Lions faithful will continue to keep the flame of vintage Silverdome Tailgating burning bright.

My Trip to Jerry World

2009-10-14T18:37:00.003-05:00

After spending the night in Houston, we got up early and raced 300 miles northward to Arlington, Texas, home of the largest stadium in the National Football League, Cowboys Stadium. Much has been made of the $1.15 billion dollar Texas Temple, and rightly so. The Palace in Dallas, built by the most recognizable owner in the NFL, for one of most celebrated fan bases in the country, had to be larger than life to measure up to all the preseaon hype. I'm excited to report that it deserves all the accolades it's been getting. Jerry Jones set out to built the biggest and baddest stadium the league has ever seen to offer his fans an experience unlike anything they might have sitting in their living rooms. With its massive HD scoreboard (the largest in the NFL), $30.00 party passes, and signature hole in the roof, "to allow God to watch His team", Cowboys Stadium is every bit the spectacle and tribute to the Dallas Cowboys organization that Jerry Jones had envisioned when construction began. I actually entered the stadium an hour and half before gametime just to make sure I had enough time to take it all in. My advice, if you get the oppotunity to take in a Cowboys home game, by all means DO IT!

Back to Houston - Best BBQ in the Land!

2009-10-14T18:29:00.004-05:00

On Friday after work, I picked up Jeffrey "The Shirt" Ross and we hit the road for what would be a 24 hour road trip down to Houston in my new Quest Machine, rightly dubbed the H31. the drive was fairly uneventful (which is a good thing), and before we knew it we were in Houston basking in 90-degree weather. Our weekend mission: To hit up Reliant Stadium for a Houston Texans game on Sunday and then drive up to Dallas for the Cowboys matchup on Monday Night Football in the brand new Cowboys Stadium.

Reliant Stadium is a great place to watch a football game. the facilty is brand new, built in 2002, and features all of the amenities of the modern pro football temples that make each gameday a much more palatable experience in the heat of the southern states. With a natural grass field, retractable roof and impressive climate control, the 72-degree weather inside was far more preferable to the 90-degree blistering heat we tailgated in all day.

Tailgating in Houston is also some of the finest you'll find in the National Football League. That southern hospitality of the Texas sports fan really shines through as you make you way through the lot on gameday. I had several offers for beer and food, and tasted plenty of both. The Texas barbecue culture of the fans in Houston really places them amongst the best tailgating venues in the league. With every from of meat imaginable and a variety of dry rubs, homemade marinades, and family recipe sauces, the blacktop culinary arts are alive and well in southern Texas.

J! E! T! S! JETS! JETS! JETS!

2009-10-14T18:21:00.005-05:00

I kicked off the 2009 regular season edition of the Quest for 31 at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey for the New York Jets home opener. I had never been to New York City before, so attempting to decode the bus and train scheduling in order to make it out to the stadium in time for the game proved a unique challenge. As it turns out, although a new rail line has been built which is intended to shuttle football fans to the stadium from the city, this new line begins running at 10:30am. I couldn't beleive they would actually start running football fans to the stadium at 10:30 in the morning. How do they expect anyone to get in a fair amount of tailgating before game time? Trying to park in the lot is not even an option as onsite parking is severely restricted due to the construction of their brand new football stadium opening in 2010. I ended up taking a bus which worked out extremely well and got us into the lot at 8:00am primed and ready for a full day of NYC tailgating.

Linking up with Frank Conway from Jets Tailgate lot 5A and Joe Maino from TailgateJoe.com I was able to absorb the full New York Jets tailgating experience. These seasoned vets guided us through the subtle nuances the full New York Jets home team experience and there was some incredible tailgaitng to take part in at the Meadowlands. The Jets opened up the season with an impressive win over the Newengland Patriots and the New York Jets chant, led by Fireman Ed earned him a gameball for his efforts. Awesome day! Great tailgating! Be sure to check out our video on YouTube.

It Has Begun ...

2009-09-02T20:41:00.004-05:00

So in an effort to keep you all up to date on Operation: Shameless Marketing, I felt it my duty to report some new found links back to the site. I was recently contact by Buffalo TV sports personality, John Murphy. Hopefully something comes of that and apparently I made it onto http://www.thebiglead.com/, a great sports blog that found it in their heart of hearts to throw some link love my way ... which I greatly appreciate. You can check it out here. It's quick and to the point, but what do i care, I'm drownin' out here suffering from very little media attention, so thanks much for the link.

I also noticed that my boy Nicholas from Pittsburgh Sports and Mini Ponies (http://www.psamp.com/ or PEE-samp for you laypeoples) posted a great little news brief on the Quest. I was actually vey impressed with the link. For those of you that have yet to check out Nicholas's stuff, whether you're a fan of the Steelers or not, it's a good read (the mini ponies and surprisingly very cool as well). Steeler fans seem happy to welcome newcomers onboard their already crowded band wagon (I actually received an invitation myself that I will have to politely decline ... until I go back to Heinz Field, that is). Lord knows they've had lots to celebrate in the last few months, so God bless 'em. I'm still holding out hope that the recent return to the no-huddle offense in Buffalo will usher in a new golden age in Western New York Football (hey one can dream ... it's the curse of the ever-optimistic Bills fan inside me). Anyway, check out the Quest link here and Nicholas, thanks much for posting it. I'll keep readin'.

One final, very impressive link I found was located on a Guy Fieri fan blog called http://www.guyfieri.blogspot.com/. Apparently they somehow located my recent review from the Bills preseason game where I was on the set of Guy Fieri's new television pilot called "Tailgate Warriors". I was quoted and linked to, as a source of platinum blonde, spikey hair-ed information. I also noticed there was great photo of the judges table at the end of the show that has my "Quest for 31" flag waving in the background. That was a unique thrill. Guy was really cool by the way, very professional, and I can't wait to see his show when it airs on the Food Network. Anyway, the post can be found here.

Blog, Tweet, Post, Link ....

2009-09-01T19:53:00.007-05:00

Well, August is over and NFL regular season football is just around the corner. I love this time of year ... so full of promise ... so ripe with opportunity. Each team sits at an even 0-0 record and at this point we're all contenders for the next Super Bowl (in theory).

Anyway, in an effort to capitalize on the lull of "real" NFL activity that is the NFL preseason, I've decided to reach out and see if there's any interest in my Quest for 31 among the mainstream media or any media for that matter. I stand a mere five facilities away from achieving my goal of attending a game in all 31 Stadiums in the National Football League and only seven NFL pro venues separate me from attending a game in all 31 "currently active" NFL stadiums. So in an effort to hit the currently active, I felt it ws my duty to toss in another visit to the monstrosity that is Cowboys Stadium (poor me) and then Lucas Oil Stadium as well (since my last visit to Indianapolis was at the RCA Dome). By the end of the 2009 season, just four years into my journey, it will be complete.

I've spent the last several weeks writing to anyone who might help push my personal crusade into the national spotlight(new media, sports writers, Regis Philbin); and I'm sorry to report that I've had very few takers. It's like you're fishing. The line's out there, the bobber's floating on the surface of the lake, but nothing wants to pull it under. So you wait patiently for something to percolate to the surface.

Well, I've recently had my first signs of life on Operation: Shameless Marketing, as I did receive a lifeline or two from some very prestigious sources in the last couple days and I wanted to extend my special thanks to those who support me as I Quest for 31. To my man Keither, my fellow half-Asian blogger, and the brains behind http://www.bagofnothing.com/, a very heady blog that continuously keeps me entertained with his musing on the day to day, I say thanks for the post. And to the PackerRanter himself, Mr. Robert Greenfield, an extra special thanks for his "Man on a Mission" post over at http://www.packerranter.com/. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come. We'll see. In the meantime, I will continue to prepare for my journey which will begin at Giants Stadium on September 20, 2009.

Questmobile, Meet the Quest Machine!

2009-08-05T21:43:00.010-05:00

So as the Questmobile was laid to rest (a very sad day as I bid farewell to an old friend), I made preparations to get myself another vehicle ... something worthy of one that Quests for 31. My 1997 Ford Explorer actually qualified for the full amount on the "cash for clunkers" credit (a very generous $4500), which is way more than I would ever get for trade-in value. The issue here was that only a new car purchase (I think they should stipulate only a new American car purchase) could qualify for the governement discount. The new car you choose also has to get better gas milage than the old. If I wanted a truck (and I did) this meant that I was looking at the new crossover line of vehicles ... the Chevy Equinox, Saturn View, Ford Edge or Ford Escape. They were nice, but they just weren't me. I test drove a couple, but I really didn't like them all that much. As far as cars go, I've always been a used car buyer. I buy my cars outright and therefore have never had to worry about a car payment. For my next car, I wanted something a little nicer, something that I would be able to keep around for about ten years and get the most out of it. These crossovers that the auto companies are putting on the roads these days, just didn't fit the bill.

I finally decided to take a hard look at the Hummer H3 or H31 as I like to call it. Stangely enough the Hummer gets similar gas mileage to the Ford Explorer that took me around the country to the tune of 243,857 miles. The ride is comfortable, it can be loaded up with all the amenities, and it looks bad-ass! The perfect successor to the Questmobile and rightly dubbed the "Quest Machine" but yours truly. I decided I needed to put on my big boy pants and man-up to buy exactly what I wanted ... a Black H3 with leather, chrome package, and a sunroof. But it was going to have to be a used vehicle ... I guess the big boy pants got a little tight when I looked at what this bad boy was going to cost brand new.

Anyway, my search took me to Jim Reihl's Friendly Automotive Group and salesman Rob Randall. I explaned to Rob what I was looking for and within 24 hours, he had located a Hummer H3 with the exact specifications I was wanted and within my budget. It was a thing of beauty. The ideal Quest Machine to take me on the last leg of my four year journey. I really have to say that Rob went above and beyond to make sure I was happy with my purchase. The truck was fully detailed and any missing or defective parts were replaced. I even got a new set of chrome wheels because the original wheels were chipping. If you're looking for a used truck, be sure to look up Rob Randall at Jim Riehl's in Clinton Township, MI he will definitely hook you up.

To Euthanize or not to Euthanize, that is the question

2009-08-05T21:11:00.004-05:00

So after a $1200.00 repair bill, I decided that the trip down to Charlotte, NC for my bachelor party would be the perfect lithmus test to see if the repair took. After shelling out a cool G to have the rear axle rebuilt by a place called Ring & Pinion in Mt. Clemens, MI, I took the truck for a test drive and found that the original problem I took it in for (a strange clunk coming from the rear of the vehicle) was still there. I returned to the shop, they gave me the run around, but we settled on having the transfer case rebuilt for an additonal $200.00. I'm not sure about Ring & Pinion, but I don't think I'll be taking another one of my vehicles there. After they rebuilt the transfer case, I pulled it out of the lot and everything appeared OK. No mysteriouos clunk to be heard ... which brings us to the 13-hour Charlotte road trip. Fours hours into the trip, my AC quit ... it was 90-degrees. Midway through the trip the clunk began to return. I was pretty damned furious.

I drove that stupid thing around Charlotte for a week in the blistering heat with no air and the back end clunking around like the rear axle would break off at any minute. It was miserable, but I made up my mind that this would unfortunately be the last road trip for the Questmobile. IF it would make it back to Detroit, it would be unceremoniously replaced as soon as I could find something else. I feel like I wasted a lot of money trying to keep my beloved companion road worthy for the last leg of our journey, but once the air quit, that was the last straw. The Questmobile actually did make it all the way back to Michigan, so I had one last road trip with an old friend, but now I seek a successor.

It Lives ... For Now

2009-06-18T11:49:00.002-05:00

They say writing is therapudic ... I guess it might be. Generally when the tribulations of life stike, its good to have a sounding board, and what better board than the one that can't respond. I should write more often in the Quest blog, but too many other things find a way to consume my time. Like this ...

I continue to have issues with the Quest mobile, now in its 241,000th mile, there's all types of really severe issues that continue to creep up. We spent the winter tearing into the engine and replacing parts as we worked our way out of a timing chain issue ... and I'm talking blisteringly cold winter ... out in the driveway chasing nuts and bolts and the wind blows them away. It was miserable experience, but it's done. Now it appears the latest issue with the Quest-mobile is the rear axle. This one we've decided not to tackle on our own, which bears its own financial burdens in the form of a $1000 repair bill. I keep telling myself that it's just this issue or that issue that separates me from full functionality. The Quest-mobile is like an old dog, it's like part of the family, it's been with me throughout my Quest for 31 journey, racking up mega-miles as I criss-crossed the country visiting stadium after stadium. It's been dependable, its been a part of the journey, it's been a vehicle I really enjoy driving. The question is, just like the dilema that Timmy faced when looking at old yeller, when exactly is it really time to shoot the bastard in the head? I guess for now, I'll continue to follow my mantra and figure that this is the last major repair and then it will be good to go for a while. We'll see...

The 2009 NFL Schedule Released

2009-04-16T08:56:00.003-05:00

The 2009 NFL Schedule was released on Tuesday and I couldn't be more excited about the prospects of this year's installment of the Quest for 31. As many of you know, the challenge for this year is to attack and conquer the remaining five stadiums I have yet to see an NFL football game in, which I'm calling "The Final Five". So as I scanned through the 2009 NFL schedule I paid close attention to the availablility of home games in Denver, New Orleans, Baltimore, Washington, and New York to see how best to fit in visits to these staiums along with some favorite venues I'd like to revisit in 09. I also tend to look for those combo weekends allowing the more motivated questor to see multiple games in a single NFL weekend. I like to look for the Sunday/Monday combination weekends, where home games are located geograhically near each other, allowing you to hit each one but still have time enough time in each city to really enjoy gameday tailgating and night life provided therein.

For this year, I wanted to specifically target a combo weekend in Washington and Baltimore (both being Final Five Cities) and a Minnesota/Green Bay combination trip (becasue they're kick -ass tailgating towns). As it turns out there are several combo weekends scattered throughout the 2009 season that would make sense for the vested, single season Questor including a week fifteen Baltimore/Washington combo. I like the Houston/Dallas combo too. Dallas has that great new stadium and Houston has the best barbecue in the league bar-none. This combo actually appears on the NFL Schedule twice in 2009 on weeks three and eleven. I'm also a big fan of the Bay Area Combo. Historic Candlestick Park won't be around forever and a short jaunt across the Bay Bridge takes you into Raider territory. Weeks ten and fourteen afford a couple of opportuinities to make the bay area shift and see games in each west coast venue. Rounding out the 2009 NFl Schedule, there's a Pittsburgh/Cleveland combo weekend week one, Jacksonville/Miami week two , and Green Bay/Chicago week sixteen that are all worth checking out. I really enjoy this time of the year. If you're looking to plan out your NFL season, you might check out some of the tools I've created on my website that help me structure my multi-stadium tour for the year. I've posted a great week to week 2009 NFL Schedule that broken down by each week and by NFL team. I've also included an excellent city to city mileage chart that shows the distance and time to each NFL city from any other NFL city (I use that one a lot), and feel free to write to me about your own Quest for 31.

The Quest Mobile on Life Support

2009-02-18T15:20:00.004-05:00

After nearly 237,000 miles, countless road trips all over the country, and 20 stadium adventures, my Quest Mobile may have taken it's final road trip. The dependable 1997 Ford Explorer that I bought in 2004 with 84,000 miles on it is really starting to give me some problems. What began as a fuel pump replacement, grew to include the replacement of engine sensors, and then the discovery of a broken timing chain tensioner. We had to remove all the accessories off the front of the engine and open the front cover to replace the timing chain tensioner. While we were at it, in an attempt to be proactive, I replaced the water pump, some hoses and the serpentine belt, expecting that they might be the next thing to go and knowing full well that it won't ever be any easier than right now to replace them. We've been working for two weeks tracking down problems and discovering new ones all in an attempt to resuscitate my fallen companion. With the tensioner replaced and the vehicle buttoned up again, now the issue is that the damned thing won't idle without stalling. So I'm working through the process of trying to eliminate potential causes of this latest issue. The biggest problem is that I'm having a tough time trying to find the time to work on the vehicle. Holding down my 9-5 and trying to make arrangements to get to and from work has been a major challenge. Thank God for family. Jim, you really helped me out here.

Stadium #26 - University of Phoenix Stadium

2009-02-18T15:19:00.004-05:00

Stadium #25 - Soldier Field

2009-02-18T15:19:00.003-05:00

Stadium #24 - LP Field

2009-02-18T15:19:00.001-05:00

DET vs. CAR - Bank of America Stadium

2009-02-18T15:18:00.003-05:00

Stadium #23 - Dolphin Stadium

2009-02-18T15:18:00.001-05:00

WAS vs. DET - Ford Field

2009-02-18T15:17:00.000-05:00

Trippin' on the Quest

2008-12-09T15:41:00.006-05:00

As Thanksgiving approached, I knew that my boy Adam Goldstein, from Adamsfootballtrip.com, would be in town to celebrate this great American holiday in true Detroit style ... at Ford Field watching the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day. As you know, Adam is also working to attend a game in each stadium in the NFL, but being from the UK and here on a temporary visa, he's got to get them all in this year. Unfortunately, on this holiday, Adam was stuck watching the Lions lose on their home field and in front of millions of people in an awfully one-sided beat down. Back at home in my comfortable chair, I too was suffering through this year's incarnation of the Detroit Lions. Watching these guys really makes one nostalgic for the Lions teams of old. The ones that featured the truly powerful and dynamic Barry Sanders, the ultimate prototypical NFL running back, combining raw power with precision cuts, jukes, and the timely pireuette leaving even the most competant of defenders in his dust. Those were some good Thanksgivings for Lions fans, offering something we could actually be thankful for. Anyway with Adam in town, I invited him to hang out with the fam for his first Thanksgiving dinner (as in the UK, obviously Thanksgiving is not celebrated). We had the turkey, stuffing, candied yams, potatoes, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce, and after dinner, Adam and I traded war stories from our time on the road Questing and Tripping to different NFL venues. We rounded out the weekend with a trip to Buffalo Wild Wings and Weck, a reasonable facsimilie of the real thing. Next time I'm back at home, I gotta get Adam to the Anchor Bar in Buffalo for the Original Buffalo Chicken Wing.

SD vs BUF - Ralph Wilson Stadium

2008-12-09T15:40:00.002-05:00

Attending a football game at Ralph Wilson Stadium as part of our annual Buffalo Bills Weekend Tailgating Retreat is easily the highlight of my NFL Season. As many of you know, each year the men in my family choose a Bills game to attend and we pull out all the stops. We rent an RV, get a keg of Canada's finest Ale, and head to the parking lot on Saturday afternoon to begin the festivities that comprise the Buffalo Bills tailgating extravaganza. Now that most of us have moved away from the Buffalo area, it serves as an excellent opportunity to catch up, drink a few beers, and watch some great NFL Football. This year was a little different. Even though I'm typically the delusional optimist when it comes to the Buffalo Bills, this year I actually had something to be optimistic about. The Bills were in first place in the AFC. They have seemingly found their quarterback of the future, and were finally, after ten years of false hope, showing signs of actually being competitive in the National Football League. This is indeed an excieting time for Bills fans.

As always our tailgate was fantastic. Sunday's meal was a rotisserie roasted turkey dinner with all the trimmings, but I had heard stories about a maverick die hard Bills tailgater that cooks his food on the hood of his Ford Pinto using garden implements and makes pizza pies in a file cabinet. Known as Pinto Ron, Kenny Johnson has a continuous streak of consecutive Bills gamees attended that dates back to the 1970's. this guy was unbelievable and his tailgate is something you have to attend to fully appreciate. There's made to order omeletes cooked on a garden spade, chiecken wings deep fryed in an old army helmet, burgers flam broiled on a lawn rake, and the coup de gras a ketchup opening ceremony that sees Kenny himself covered from head to toe in ketchup by condiment bottle snipers blasting him from the roof of his truck. It's bedlam! It's pandemoniom! It's the type of thing you'd only see in Buffalo, New York. The Bills won by the way ... 34 -14 over the visiting Sand Diego Chargers.

Stadium #22 - HHH Metrodome

2008-12-09T15:39:00.006-05:00

I had seen these guys on the the internet. A die hard group of Minnesota Vikings tailgaters that constructed for themselves the ultimate tailgating Vehicle. They called it the Battle Wagon and this truck is more than impressive. It features an awesome custom paint job, wood paneled walls, an astroturf floor, and a set of horns on the hood that would make Boss Hog envious, but the most fascinating feature of all was the custom, propane powered fireplace that keeps the fellas from BattleWagon.net warm and cozy though those harsh winter Sundays in Minneapolis. Tailgating with these guys was incredible. They are, without a doubt, the epicenter of fandom in the Twin Cities. Just hanging out by the Battle Wagon brought by former Vikings players, famous fans, and debauchery, plenty of drunken inebriated debauchery. Now that's what I like to see in a group of fellas that know how to celebrate on an NFL sunday.

Vikings fans are great. They have a kick ass fight song (Skol Vikings)and firmly believe that true tailgating rightly revolves around the the consumption of beer. When I foolishly asked if a grill might be available to fire up my brats, it was quickly explained to me that as far as Vikings fans are concerned food just gets in the way of the great buzz they've been working on all morning. Apparently when it comes to NFL tailgating, Vikings fan come to drink. Food is simply a distraction from the main event, so I attempted to follow the local custom but eventually succumed to my craving for sundried tomato and basil chicken brats. The ball game at the Metrodome ended up being a snooze fest between the visiting Detorit Lions and hometown vikings. Scoring was low, but Vikings fans know how to use that dome effectively when opposing offenses are on the field and although it was a low scoring affair, I managed to have a great time and the Vikings managed to walk away with a win. It may not have been pretty, but good teams find ways to win the games they're supposed to. Hopefully for the fans in Minnesota, that's what thye have.

Stadium #21 - Reliant Stadium

2008-12-09T15:39:00.003-05:00

Stadium #20 - Texas Stadium

2008-12-09T15:33:00.003-05:00

Texas Stadium, the longtime home of the Dallas Cowboys (America's Team), was definitly on my list of Stadiums to visit this year before its monstrous replacement opens up next season in Arlington. With it's widely renowned trademark hole in the roof allowing "God to watch His team", Texas Stadium is an imposing facility that every stadium trekker has to see in person. I actually took a tour of Texas Stadium that allowed you to get down on the field and was able to stand on the star at the fifty yard line and look through the hole in the roof. pretty exciting stuff for your average kid froim Buffalo, NY. Anyway, Crystal and I drove down to the State of Texas during the hurricane Ike disater and barely made it out of Houston, but once we entered the friendly confines of Dallas, TX the disater that was Ike was like a distant memory. Texans are great tailgaters and excellent hosts. we hooked up with several tailgating groups that were eager to offer food and beer to these wary travelers fom the north. when we headed into the game, Texas Stadium was all that I hoped it would be. The atmosphere was incredibly electric as the division rival Philadelphia Eagles we in town to take on the Cowboys in a old fashioned shootout. Donovan McNabb and Tony Romo were locked and loaded in what became a 41 - 37 offensive explosion that the Cowboys prevailed in. How 'bout them cowboys!

Stadium #19 McAfee Colisuem

2008-12-02T19:25:00.004-05:00

Let is be known to all that attempt to enter the hallowed halls of Raider Nation, that visiting fans are not welcome within the confines of McAfee Coliseum. That, my friends, is the distinctly clear message that was fairly evident when I visited McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, CA. The Denver Broncos were in town for the home opener on Monday Night Football, and I never heard so many expletive laden, verbal javelins tossed at visiting fans as I did in Oakland. If you plan to wear your team's colors, and it's not silver and black on your back, expect to hear about it from every fan you encounter. The residents of Raider Nation will certainly not physically assualt you (unless provoked), but the barrage of four letter insults will come from every corner, all day long. On the other hand, as a fly on the wall dressed in home team apparel, the show that plays out on gameday is more than entertaining. Raider Nation is a passionate group, but a fair one. They know how to party, they're great tailgaters, and they are showmen who create a circus-like atmosphere at each and every game. The parking lot outside McAfee Colisuem is alive with the energy of an Ozzfest celebration, complete with costumed fans, fantastic grilled foods, and even midget or two riding scooter kegs. I attended my first game at McAfee Coliseum, week one of the 2008 NFL season. Dressed as the "Jokeraider", I watched as the visiting Denver Broncos dominated the Raiders in a 41-14 rout. Two home games, two home losses ... hopefully we're not starting a trend here.

Stadium #18 CandleStick Park

2008-12-02T19:06:00.003-05:00

Candlestick Park in San Francisco, CA served as Stadium #18 to open the NFL season with another year of Questing for 31. Myself and my Frat Brother Marion flew out to the Bay area to ring in the new season in style with a doubleheader NFL weekend tackling Candlestick Park on Sunday and McAfee Colisuem on Monday Night Football. Our day began at 8:30 in the morning as Marion and I arived in the parking lot ready for some football. I had hooked up a tailgate with the fine folks from 49ersWebzone.com a 49ers fan forum that I frequently post in. Bay area residnets come out in droves early in the morning on gameday to kickof all types of tailgating activities. We saw meat and seafood put to fire with lots of excellent microbrews. Several posh Bay Area residents even showed up with wine and cheese to accentuate their afternoon of tailgating.

The San Francisco 49ers were taking on the Arizona Cardinals and I was pretty excited just to be in Candlestick Park. A big fan of the 49er dynasties of the 1980's, visiting Candlestick Park was like reliving the offensive explosion ushered in by Bill Walsh on the golden arm of my idol, Joe Montana. Unfortunately, fortune did not shine on the sideline of this 2008 incarnation of the San Francisco 49ers. The Mad Genius of Mike Martz made its debut as JT O'Sullivan ran Martz's offense. The Niners looked a little rusty as O'Sullivan spent most of the day running for his life. The Arizona Cardinals walked away with a dominant 23 - 13 win and the Niners fell to 0-1 on the year. The tailgating was fantastic, the fans were friendly ... all in all a great experience as Stadium #18 was completed.

Bills Fans - "worst behaved" says Wall Street Journal

2008-10-15T12:09:00.006-05:00

I've been saying this for years, and it didn't occur to me until after I started visiting other stadiums, but I would certainly have to agree with the contention of the Wall Street Journal, that Buffalo Bills fans are quite possibly the worst behaved fans in the NFL. As you know I've been traveling to NFL stadiums across the nation in an attempt to see a game in each one. So far I've been to 22 different NFL venues including the notoriously roudy; Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Oakland, Philadelphia, and New England. So if there's an individual that's uniquely qualified to make this assessment it's me. Well, based on my experience around the league, with the exception of the Oakland Raiders fans (who are excessively verbally abusive to any visiting fan - see my review), Buffalo Bills fans unfortunately deserve this moniker.

It's actually quite shocking. As a western New York native, I grew up in the blue collar, family friendly Buffalo area. Buffalonians are always the first to lend a helping hand and greet you with a smile. Bills tailgaters are a very welcoming breed, offering food, beer, and conversation to any stranger that stops by. It was my love of Buffalo Bills football that inspired my journey to understand the NFL fan experience across the nation, but unfortunately as soon as Bills fans enter the gates of "The Ralph", it's like a switch flips and this sleepy community that prides itself on small town values, turns into a pack of dregs and miscreants, causing all types of problems that are largely ignored by Ralph Wilson Stadium security.

The men in my family go back to Buffalo for one game a year. We sit in different areas of the stadium each time, we wear Buffalo Bills gear, and we're there to watch the game, but every year, someone in the crowd directly ruins our fan experience. And I'm talking about Bills fans who attack other Bills fans (that's unimaginable). We've had beer dumped on us, several times, and been harrassed by belligerant drunks who want to fight for no reason whatsoever. The way I figure it, if I'm encountering these types of problems each year, during the one game I attend at Ralph Wilson stadium, I can only imagine what goes on at the stadium each and every week. My sincere hope is that the decision makers at One Bills Drive take this situation to heart and make changes for the better. Believe me, I'm not one to oppose a drunken good time, in fact, it's my matra, but there has to be a little personal pride involved when the City of Buffalo is lumped in with the worst fans in the National Football League. When you can't take your kids to a Bills game because you're concerned they might be phyically injured by the actions of the uncontrollable, there exists a problem that needs to be addressed.

Chasing that Bastard Ike

2008-09-20T15:24:00.006-05:00

Okay, this weekend was supposed to be another fantastic doubleheader football weekend to rival last weekend's bay area blitzkrieg. Well that was all before Hurricane Ike flattened Galveston on it's way to Houston, inconveniencing the thousands of people caught in the storm's path of destruction through central Texas. The hurricane unfotuantely prompted the Houston Texans to move thier matchup with the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday to be postponed until Week 10 of the NFL regular Season, so unfortunately my doubleheader weekend would not materialize. At least I still had Philly at Dallas matchup in Texas Stadium on Monday Night!

Anyway, Crystal and I hopped into the Questmobile on Friday evening, heading toward what would become a national disater area by Sunday morning. The way I figured it, as long as we stayed east of the storm moving south, we could avoid Ike and its associated terrential rains. By the time we were in New Orleans, Ike would be well past Houston, allowing us to then move west toward Houston, theoretically missing Ike's wrath altogether. We planned to stay with my cousin in Houston on Saturday evening, then move north to Dallas on Sunday to be in town for Monday Night Football. In theory a fairly solid plan, however I neglected to rationalize some of the more ancillary concerns, like food, flooded exits, and the availability of gasoline once we entered the flood zone. So oblivious to these minor concerns we headed south, driving through the night to hit New Orleans for an early dinner on Saturday. After taking some pics at the Louisiana Superdome and grabbing an amazing meal at Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro on St. Charles Avenue, we hit the road bound for Houston. There were power outages all over the city, so I tried to book us a hotel room outside of Houston, which didn't work out at all. Filling up as much as possible on the way into the city, we reached my cousin's house at clsoe to 11:00pm with just over a 1/2 tank of gas. Downed power lines, tree limbs, and road signs were all over the city. Freeway exits were washed out and Walmart parking lots looked like massive lakes with stranded motor vehicles marooned at their centers. There were reports of looting and the typical natural disater surge in criminal activity, but for the most part, the citizens of Houston were just trying to beat the unbearable sweltering heat and recover from any water damage the hurricane may have caused. We were lucky to have made it and even luckier than my cousin actually had power.

The next morning I booked us a hotel in Dallas and we decided to try our luck heading north to find gas. It took a full two hours and most of our tank of gas to find a station that was open and willing to sell us gas. But once we filled up, the A/C came back on and we were well on our way to Dallas for Monday Night Football, appreciative of what we had and concerned for those that lost everything in the aftermath of the storm.

It's coming ...

2008-09-07T09:13:00.004-05:00

Perched on the eve of the 2008 NFL regular season, I am thrilled by the prospect of continuing my personal journey as I Quest for 31. Visiting seveteen stadiums in the last two years has only heightened my interest in the National Football League and its fanbase all around the country. My offseason was spent revamping the website to offer my users the most complete NFL gameday resource available on the world wide web. To that end, I offer an NFL ticket finder section to allow myself and others to find cheap NFL tickets, I've spent some time researching the best online betting sites and offer live NFL betting lines for your convenience, and I've added an NFL Schedule (broken down by team and by week) and an NFL City Road Mileage chart (broken down by hours and miles) that is second to none. If you're looking to attend an NFL football game at any time in the near future, my hope is that my website will facilitate your preparations for a premiere NFL experience.

This year I'm primed to attack the NFL schedule in style. I've setup two double-header NFL weekends for weeks one and two as I'll be traveling to the bay area for the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday and Oakland Raiders on Monday Night Football. Week two is the culmination of my State of Texas experience as I've made preparations to road trip down to Houston for a Texans game on Sunday and the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night. My goal is to hit nine stadiums this year, leaving "The Final Five" for next year to complete my Quest. Agressive but doable ... especially when several friends, who've had to turn down my first few trips of the year, have been working feverishly to join me on a Quest-run for another game instead. So please feel free to contact me with local hotspots and can't miss local flavors from your area, and if you see me in your city, "Buy me a Beer, damn it!"

Finally Recognized

2008-07-07T12:05:00.002-05:00

I’ve been at this for a solid two years now, search engine optimizing, adjusting the layout, modifying the template, working to the wee hours of the morn, trying to create an NFL resource that people might actually visit. All in the hope that some random stranger, at some point in time, might recognize me out on the street and point out that they’ve actually been to the website. Well, this weekend it finally happened. I was in the middle of a road trip back to my hometown of Buffalo, NY for a family function. We stopped in Ohio to refuel, when someone, out of the blue, shouted out, “So have you hit all 31 yet?”

Startled and confused, I turned around with a dumb look on my face, “huh?”

“Quest for 31, have you made it to all 31, yet?”.

“Uh … I’m at seventeen,” my eloquence and command of the nuances of the English language surely impressed him. I couldn’t help it. I was completely caught off guard. Who actually reads this dribble? Do people actually visit the site?

“Incidentally,” I shot back, “How did you know what the Quest for 31 is?”

“I’ve been to the site,” he matter of factly responded.

It was a relatively new experience for me. Someone that actually visited the website and retained enough information from a random Google search to recognize me as part of it? Most of the time people are asking me what the Quest for 31 is, but this was a new twist on the .com inquiry. Well, the whole experience made my weekend. I told that story about a hundred times to anyone that would listen and each time I told the story, the details were slightly exaggerated. By the end of the weekend, that one guy morphed into a group of ex-NFL cheerleaders in an RV, that recognized my chiseled good looks immediately. Struggling to contain their enthusiasm at the chance encounter, they coyly asked for picture with me to keep as a memento from their trip to the great state of Ohio. Reluctantly, I agreed, for fear that my new found fame might drastically change the comfortable anonymity with which I currently lead my life. (My granddad was never one to let historic fact or actual details get in the way of telling a great story … I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.)

So the moral of this little anecdote is if you see me out on the road, at a stadium, in your local grocery store, let me know.

Cleveland Browns Stadium - Buffalo at Cleveland

2007-12-21T10:10:00.001-05:00

The Blizzard Bowl of 2007 is a game that can only truly be appreciated by experiencing it first hand. I returned to Stadium #3, Cleveland Browns Stadium, to take part in what will surely be an instant classic, from the perspective of the weather we had to endure. Before the season began, it was decided that the Buffalo Bills vs. Cleveland Browns game would be our selection for the “Mann-cation” Buffalo Bills Road Trip of 2007. So the fellas from Buffalo met up with my fraternity brother Arnold and I at Cleveland Browns Stadium for a contest with playoff implications for both teams involved. A massive snow storm from the south was predicted to hit Cleveland right at gametime, ensuring that swirling winds and falling snow would create one of the most incredible atmosphere’s that I’ve ever been a part of. When we could actually see the field below, the players trudged through four inches of snow working against 43 mph winds in an defensive slug-fest. The Browns prevailed 8-0, as the Bills proved unworthy of the playoff expectations thrust upon them. Although a loss, the atmosphere provided by the storm made it a game I will never forget.

Ralph Wilson Stadium - Dolphins at Bills

2007-12-18T16:33:00.000-05:00

There’s nothing like attending a Buffalo Bills game at Ralph Wilson Stadium in December. When the snow falls and the temperature drops below freezing, Bills fans are in their glory. So to celebrate the spirit of the fan, for “Squish the Fish” week, my Dad scored tickets to the Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins football game on December 9, 2007. We started with a tailgating feast to rival any other, as we arrived in the parking lot at Ralph Wilson Stadium at 8:30am. Egg McSteiniger sandwiches were cooked up for breakfast accompanied my a fine micro-brew, but the main course was our slow roasted rotisserie turkey, that we prepared right in the parking lot. After 3 hours of slow roasting over hot coals, we accented our guest of honor with yams, cranberry sauce, and gravy, for an incredible pregame meal. The Bills even cooperated by posting a win, dropping the hapless Dolphins to 0-13.

Stadium #17 - The RCA Dome, Indianapolis Colts

2007-12-11T16:09:00.000-05:00

The RCA Dome in Indianapolis was to be stadium #17 on my Quest for 31. I was thrilled by the prospect of being on hand to witness the other juggernaut offense that’s been leaving NFL teams in their wake this year. So having seen Tom Brady and Company at Gillette Stadium earlier in the year, the opportunity to watch Peyton Manning and the defending champion Indianapolis Colts dissect another opponent, was too intriguing to pass up. For this adventure, my fraternity brother Clevon would accompany me on the 5 ½ hour drive to Indianapolis from Detroit. The Indianapolis Colts were set to lock horns with the Jacksonville Jaguars with the AFC South Division crown at stake and we were set for an afternoon of heavy tailgating, beer drinking, and football. The Jacksonville Jaguars attempted to use their power running combination of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew to slow the Indianapolis Colts offensive machine, but Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, and Joseph Addai proved too much for the Jags to handle. Indy finished off Jacksonville with a 28 – 25 win ensuring their hold on the division crown for at least another week.

Stadium #16 - Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, Jacksonville Jaguars

2007-12-03T14:27:00.001-05:00

An overcast, but warm Florida afternoon proved to be the perfect backdrop for my visit to stadium #16, Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in Jacksonville, FL. Crystal, Annabella, and I drove over from Tampa early on Sunday morning to rally our visiting Buffalo Bills to victory in a hostile environment. It’s a victory we’re still waiting for, as unfortunately the Jacksonville Jaguars dominated the JP Losman-led Bills providing a perfect segue once again to usher in the Trent Edwards Era. As for the pregame celebration, I had arranged for an impressive shrimp boil with some local Jaguars fans before and after the game. Hanging with the fans and stuffing myself full of shrimp was definitely the highlight of our weekend!

Stadium #15 - Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City Chiefs

2007-11-16T10:26:00.001-05:00

Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO was to become Stadium #15 on the Quest for 31. It was a fairly long 12 hour road trip to Kansas City from Detroit, so we selected the Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs game on Veterans Day Weekend, to allow ourselves the extra day to drive home. I had always heard about how loud Arrowhead Stadium was on Sundays and I distinctly remember how difficult it was for the Kelly-era Buffalo Bills to beat those Chiefs teams of the early nineties on Monday Night Football. So I knew going in that I would be among some real die hard football fans. Crystal and I had a great time tailgating before and after the game and interacting with the local fans, as we made the stadium parking lot tour. The game itself was a fairly completive division rivalry between the first place Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos, but Denver pulled away from the Chiefs in the third quarter and never looked back posting a 27 – 11 win over the hometown team. Not even my Tomahawk Chop chant was enough to inspire a thrilling forth quarter comeback.

Ralph Wilson Stadium - Cincinnati at Buffalo

2007-11-05T23:21:00.001-05:00

Ralph Wilson Stadium is like a home away from home for all Buffalo Bills fans, and especially during our annual Bills Football Weekend Retreat. The Steiniger men select a Buffalo Bills home game each year, and we all gather in Buffalo to rent an RV and camp out in the stadium parking lot in preparation for the game on Sunday. The weekend becomes a food and beer fest, as we bring out all the stops to make certain that no one in our crew goes hungry. This year we selected the Cincinnati Bengals vs. Buffalo Bills game on November 4 and we cooked up a fantastic feast. Our tailgating crew was able to partake of a seafood boil, slow-cooked roast beast on weck, and grill-seared tuna steaks. The Buffalo Bills rewarded our efforts with a win over a Cincinnati Bengals team that seems to be reeling in mediocrity. Marshawn Lynch had a career day as the Buffalo Bills defeated the Bengals 33 – 21.

Stadium #14 - Qwest Field, Seattle Seahawks

2007-10-31T13:26:00.000-05:00

On my way to Fairbanks, Alaska I arranged for an extended layover in Seattle as there happened to be a home game at the mighty Qwest Field. So after I landed in Seattle, it was straight to the rental counter and on my way to watch the Seattle Seahawks take on the St. Louis Rams. Qwest Field is every bit as impressive as advertised. A modern facility with a fantastic view of the Seattle Skyline and all the food (in variety and quantity) that any fan could ask for. Qwest Field stadium concessions are easily the best in the league. In addition to the standard dogs, brats, and burgers, fans can find Thai and Chinese food, bread bowls of clam chowder or chili, deep-fried fish and chip dinners, and the local favorite, garlic fries (guaranteed to keep loved ones at bay). Fans of the Seattle Seahawks rank among the loudest in the league and Qwest Field’s specifically designed acoustics aide in directing crowd noise as well. By the end of the day, with a plane to catch, I found my experience in Seattle at Qwest Field to be brief but enlightening.

Stadium #13 - Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego Chargers

2007-10-19T09:02:00.001-05:00

Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, CA became my 13th stadium on the Quest for 31 on October 14, 2007. The San Diego Chargers were hosting the Oakland Raiders for a huge interstate grudge match and I was on hand with Jason and Marty to watch it unfold. Fans began tailgating before the game at 7:30am PST, as pickup trucks bearing San Diego Charger and Oakland Raider badging clogged the streets around the stadium. The umbrella tents and barbecue grills were out in no time for a great parking lot tailgating experience … we went to IHOP. Raider Nation showed up in full force in support of their team, but Charger fans held their ground. It was interesting to see that although Charger fans did outnumber the Raiders fans in the stadium, that there was still an extremely strong contingent of fans dressed in silver and black … Raider Nation indeed. The day ended in a 28 – 14 win for the Chargers as LaDanian Tomlinson ran for all four of the San Diego Charger touchdowns.

Stadium #12 - Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis Rams

2007-10-15T16:48:00.000-05:00

The Quest for 31 resumes with Stadium #12, the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, MO. Known for the Gateway Arch, a thriving local blues community, and toasted ravioli, St Louis also proved to be an awesome football town. The St. Louis Rams are one of my favorite pro football organizations, so seeing the Greatest Show on Turf in person was indeed a thrill. Unfortunately, for this trip, the Greatest show was riddled with injuries. Notable outs were Marc Bulger, Issac Bruce, and Steven Jackson. With an injury report that read like a Pro Bowl roster, the Rams had to turn to their backups, so it was Gus Ferrotte and Brian Leonard that heeded the curtain call against the recently surging Arizona Cardinals, who were fresh off their thrilling victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Cardinals proved too much for the hometown Rams to handle as they posted a thrilling 34 – 31 victory in a shootout in the dome.

Stadium #9 - Georgia Dome, Atlanta Falcons

2007-10-10T14:14:00.000-05:00

Stadium #9 was to be the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. Myself and Jeremy as part of a three city, eleven day stadium tour, would round out our third game with the hometown Atlanta Falcons taking on the visiting Dallas Cowboys. The incomparable Mike Vick was in his prime and scandal free as he led the NFL’s most prolific ground attack against a surging Tony Romo led Dallas Cowboys offense. It was December 2006 and the weather was fantastic. The Falcons would lose the game, but not without some exceptional offensive maneuvering by the human highlight reel himself, Michael Vick.

Stadium #8 - Heinz Field, Pittsburgh Steelers

2007-10-05T14:43:00.000-05:00

Pittsburgh, PA and Heinz Field were to be the site of my eighth stadium visit on the Quest for 31. It was a bitter cold December eve as we left Detroit right after work on a Thursday, bound for Pittsburgh, PA. We arrived in Pittsburgh just in time for kickoff but ended up stick in gametime traffic. It appeared that everyone decided to wait until the last minute to Heinz Field. When we finally arrived, we got a parking spot, high-tailed it over to the stadium, and proceeded to purchase one of Myron Cope’s Official Pittsburgh Steelers Terrible Towels. With the Terrible Towel in one hand and fantastic Primanti Bros sandwich in the other, I was ready to cheer on the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 27 -7 win over the Cleveland Browns.

Stadium #11 - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia Eagles

2007-09-22T16:57:00.000-05:00

Getting into Stadium #11, Lincoln Financial Field proved to be a bit more challenging than my trip to Foxboro. I arrived in Philadelphia about thirty minutes before gametime. I was able to locate seats for the game through one of the local roadside ticket vendors - rather pricey, but convenient. The parking lots were already full and it appeared that Philadelphia Eagles fans were just parking on the streets that surround the stadium. Fearing Police action, but answering the call of necessity that loomed with the pending kickoff, I parked on the street and hoped for the best. As it turns out, my vehicle was left unticketed, but the Philadelphia Eagles were not as lucky. Under the guide of one Donovan McNabb, the Philadelphia Eagles lost 12 to 20 to the surprisingly surging Washington Redskins. McNabb did not look too impressive as he consistently misfired to open receivers and the offense struggled most of the night. Eagles fans were less than enthused but I had a fantastic time cheering on the Eagles even in a losing effort.

Stadium #10 - Gillette Stadium, New England Patriots

2007-09-22T16:39:00.000-05:00

On the east coast for a couple of days, I found out that there would be a Sunday night home game in Foxboro, MA and a Monday night home game in Philadelphia, PA. Intrigued by the prospect of a Revolutionary War era double header, I thought I had to make it to both games ... even though I showed up at each stadium without tickets for either contest. When I arrived at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, I found the party to already be in full swing as loyal Patriots fans had been tailgating since 11AM that morning in preparation for a Sunday evening 8:15pm kickoff. I was impressed by the array of full sized tents, full sized barbecue grills, and full sized flat screen TV's that were erected all over the parking lot. I ended up with tickets in Row 2 of section 130 as I met up with three of New England's finest - Clint, Tawd , and Cah-mine. These three fine gentlemen affably welcomed me to Gillette Stadium by providing one of the best seats in the house from which to watch the game. I had a front row seat to watch Tom Brady and the newly retooled Patriot offense carve up the hapless defensive front of the not-so super San Diego Chargers. One the heels of the Bill Belichick video camera scandal, the Patriots must have been out to send a message to the league because they embarrassed the Chargers 38-14 in a rout.

ESPN's Who's Now - What a Joke!

2007-07-18T15:07:00.000-05:00

ESPN’s “Who’s Now” feature has got to be the most ridiculous thing to come out of that network in recent memory ... and they’re are milking it for everything it’s worth, squeezing a full week’s programming out of the most asinine of debates. I can’t believe this actually passes for sports programming right now. They actually have a panel of ESPN anchors, celebrities, and sports “has beens” discussing the merits of what actually constitutes “nowness” for a bracketed plethora of current sports icons. Can they possibly evaluate an athlete on a characteristic that is more vague? It’s ludicrous! Who Cares! Do I really have an interest in what Keyshawn Johnson thinks makes Michael Phelps qualify for Mr. Popular in the category of Nowness? This is like having a contest to find out which color of paint dries fastest … and these guys are serious! I can’t wait for football season to begin so it can usher in a renewed dedication to relevant sports programming. The program director that came up with this brain-fart needs to have his head examined.

UFO Festival in Roswell

2007-07-18T14:49:00.000-05:00

The 2007 UFO Festival in Roswell, New Mexico was an excellent way to spend my vacation this summer. The city of Roswell was everything I expected it would be. Shops with alien themed merchandise lined Main Street, the local McDonald’s was shaped like a giant flying saucer, and even the street lights had little alien eyes painted on each one. We kicked off our first day with breakfast at the Cover-Up Café, a weather balloon tracking, 1940’s military themed, restaurant that was built in a converted Denny’s. The seats and walls were olive drab and the wait staff dressed in fatigues as guests watched giant flat screen monitors tracking imaginary weather balloons. The food was fair, the service was poor, but the atmosphere was interesting. As a fan of the Roswell television series, I expected a Crash Down Cafe and UFO Museum to round out my Roswell tour. A Crash Down Cafe, the Cover-Up is not, but there is indeed a UFO Museum on Main street. It ws not as elaborate as the one on the TV show, but it had its technical merits. World renowned UF-ologists, B-list celebrities, a costume contest, and a parade rounded out the week of convention activities. We spent the rest of our time indulging in conspiracy theories and Mojito’s that we carried around town in alien shaped bottles from Wal-Mart. Definitely a must on the list of any SciFi enthusiast.

Roadtrip to Roswell - 2007 UFO Festival

2007-07-02T18:35:00.000-05:00

I've always wanted to go to Roswell, NM. When I found out that they hold a UFO festival in the city of Roswell every year, I had to make the trip. A road trip would also be a great way to get some additional stadium visits in and the "Road Trip to Roswell" was born. My girlfriend Crystal was onboard for the week and half long journey and on June 29 at 11:00pm we were off. The plan was to visit NFL football stadiums in St. Louis, Phoenix, Houston, Dallas, and Kansas City as a sidebar to main event ... the UFO Festival commemorating the 60th anniversary of the UFO crash of 1947. But we were going to do it right! We arranged to have coordinated costumes, to sticker my Ford Explorer with "Alien Hunter" badging, and to take part in one of the finest gatherings of extra terrestrial minds in the continental US.

We started by driving through Indiana and Missouri ... stopped at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis and took the mandatory pictures at the arch. From there it was Oklahoma City and a quick stop through the National Monument commemorating the victims of the bombing in 1995. A long drive through the night got us to the Four Corners monument the next morning. The Four Corners monument is located where the states of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico come together at a single point. We then drove to the Grand Canyon to see one of the natural wonders of the world.

Stadium 7 - Lambeau Field - Green Bay, WI

2007-01-25T20:50:00.000-05:00

This was the crowning achievement of my Quest, my trip to the "Frozen Tundra", Title Town, Lambeau Field. Of all the stadiums in the league, this is the one I most wanted to attend a game in. Packer fans are most like Bills fans. They're warm, blue-collar, cold-weather fans who actually own their team. Easily the envy of any small market team. I thought that of all the stadiums in the league, Lambeau would be the most difficult to get a ticket for. That was until Day to the Day, Day, Day ... all Day, informed me that his cousin, Tory Humphrey was a player for the Green Bay Packers and could get us tickets ... player tickets, that would place us in row two of section 116, right behind the player bench. That was an amazing experience ... donning the foam rubber cheesehead and cheering on the venerable Brett Favre as he took on the New England Patriots in a rematch of their 1997 Super Bowl win, we had a blast. Check out my experience at Lambeau Field at, http://www.nflfootballstadiums.com/LambeauField.htm.

Stadium 6 - Paul Brown Stadium - Cincinnati, OH

2007-01-25T20:06:00.000-05:00

It was Monday night football at TJ's spot and myself, Day Day, and TJ got together to watch the game. I had spied a pair of tickets on E-bay that weren't getting many bids earlier in the evening. They were tickets for the Cincinnati Bengals game that Sunday, so when I got over to TJ's I bid on the tickets and won. Our Frat brother JC lives in Cincinnati and I hadn't seen him in a while so I thought it was a opportune time to pay him a visit. JC is a walking party ... all day, all night, all JC. That dude is a trip. I was looking to have a good time and the city of Cincinnati delivered. The Bengals game on Sunday was awesome! Paul Brown Stadium was filled with orange and black the the fans were in a frenzy as their hometeam Bengals took on the SanDiego "Super" Chargers. I'd purchased a Carsen Palmer jersey the night before and for some reason had the theme song to "WKRP" in my head. "WHO DEY!!!" Check out my experience at Paul Brown Stadium at http://www.nflfootballstadiums.com/PaulBrown.htm.

Stadium 5 - Bank of America Stadium - Charlotte, NC

2007-01-25T19:45:00.000-05:00

I have been visiting my friend Jermain in Charlotte, NC for years. Each spring I 'd take about a week and play golf down there, usually stopping at the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the way down. During all of those visits, Bank of America Stadium loomed in the background mocking me as it beckoned for me to see a game. This fairly new facility, built in 1996, was Stadium #5 in my Quest. Last Spring, when I was in Charlotte, we noticed the Dallas Cowboys were coming to town to face the Carolina Panthers on Halloween weekend. Jermain is a huge Cowboys fan and has never seen them live. I thought it was my duty as his best friend to make sure he got there. I bought a ticket on priceline,com to fly into Charlotte for the weekend well before we got game tickets because I was on my way to Germany. Tickets to see the Cowboys were harder to come by than we expected. In the end, E-bay was our salvation as we scored seats in section 543 the week of the game. The Cowboys were victorious as Tony Romo debuted on national TV. Check out my experience at http://www.nflfootballstadiums.com/BankofAmerica.htm.

Stadium 4 - Ford Field - Detroit, MI

2007-01-22T20:02:00.000-05:00

Ford Field in Detroit, MI is a state of the art indoor facility in the heart of downtown Detroit. Constructed in the Old Hudson's Warehouse area of the city, the Ford family has built an awesome domed structure with plenty of ambient light, fantastic concessions, and a practice facility all in one conglomerate structure. Adams St. and Beaubien St. were the original border streets of the Hudson's Warehouse. They are now enclosed within Ford Field to serve as concourses, housing concessions and souvenirs. Detroit is where I currently reside, and Ford Field does not disappoint as an NFL venue ... Stadium #4. For my first trip to Ford Field, I was accompanied by the fellas from Buffalo who braved driving bans throughout the city to watch our hometown Bills take on the Lions. The Bills lost, but your can check out my experience in Ford Field at, http://www.nflfootballstadiums.com/FordField.htm.

Stadium 3 - Cleveland Browns Stadium - Cleveland,OH

2007-01-15T20:01:00.000-05:00

Cleveland Browns Stadium was Stadium #3 on my quest. My frat brother Arnold and I attended the Detroit Lions vs. Cleveland Browns game on October 23, 2005. As a resident of Cleveland, Arnold had the hook up on some great seats in the lower bowl. The game, which was a matchup of two horrible teams, was not the most exciting of contests, but the atmosphere of Cleveland Browns stadium was well worth the trip. You can see pictures of my experience at http://www.nflfootballstadiums.com/ClevelandBrowns.htm

Stadium 2 - Raymond James Stadium - Tampa Bay, FL

2007-01-12T09:28:00.000-05:00

Raymond James Stadium is easily my favorite stadium. The weather is always fantastic, the faciliy is top notch, and having family in the area always makes a trip down there better. The pirate ship at Raymond James Stadium in probably the most attractive fan feature in the NFL. Looking from the stands, it almost looks as though the ship is sailing through an ocean of fans. The best thing about the stadium is how the pirate theme is carried throughout the facility ... there are pirates walking around the stadium, all the concessions stands are pirate themed, and the fans a phenomenal.

I visited Raymond James Stadium on December 10, 2006 and watched as the hapless Bucs were crushed by the incomparable Mike Vick and the visiting Atlanta Falcons, a summary of my experience can be found at http://www.nflfootballstadiums.com/RaymondJames.htm.

The day was still fantastic. We tailgated in the parking area, grilliing up some local stone crab claws and acorn squash along with some chili dogs (Hormel makes a great canned turkey chili that is 99% fat free). The stone crab claws prived to be a bit more challenging to open that I expected. Instead of cracking them open with a nutcracker ... I ended up swing that nut cracker in an attempt the smash the claws open.

Stadium 1 - Ralph Wilson Stadium - Buffalo, NY

2007-01-11T21:43:00.000-05:00

Ralph Wilson Stadium, "The Ralph", my home stadium and stadium #1 on my quest. I grew up watching the Buffalo Bills play ... watching the cannon arm of "machine gun" Kelly, the shiftyness of "the Thurmanator", the game speed of Andre Reed. I reveled in the success of the Super Bowl Years .... Project: Pasadena, Mission: Minneapolis, Assignment: Atlanta and in the abysmal state that the franchse is in now. But through it all I remain a Bills fan.

I watched the Buffalo Bills take on the Jacksonville Jaguars on November 26, 2006 and I watched my Bills overachieved to defeat what many considered a better Jacksonville team. On my website, I summarized my experience on my website. The weather for a game in November was fantastic. Blame global warming, but a mild winter in Buffalo ain't so bad.

Why the Quest for 31?

2007-01-11T21:27:00.000-05:00

Why not???? I am a huge fan of the National Football League. I have a room in my apartment, dubbed the "Football Room". It's filled with football memorabilia, jerseys, a large screen projection TV, and a set of goalposts (to kick the extra point of course). It is the premiere venue within which to view professional football contests. I've been playing fantasy football since 1995, back before the internet made it into the premiere workplace distraction that it has become today. I'm a big fan of the Buffalo Bills ... I think it all started in 1988. The Buffalo Bills were beginning to turn around an abysmal record of football ineptitude. Marquis names and legends were being created. Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, Bruce Smith, Darryl Talley, Shane Conlan, Cornelius Bennett, Kent Hull ... the names of my youth.

So why the Quest? I am fascinated by the thirty-two teams in the NFL and what it means to be a fan of each. Visiting each home stadium in which they play, meeting local fans, wearing foreign colors, eating local delicacies, tailgating in each area ... that's what football is all about. If you're interested in monitoring my journey feel free to check out my site at www.nflfootballstadiums.com.