Opening time for the lots on Aug 28th?

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Is the time different for the Flats lot, I'm thinking of parking and tailgating there due to the State Fair issue.
 

Once again the U creates mass confusion. Last year they marketed 2 pm in their mailings; and lots opened at 12 noon.

Rule is 7 am or 6 hours before kickoff which ever is later. Why they keep jacking around this Thursday set up is beyond me.

We have been planning on 12:00 Noon arrival -- will have to get a confirmation.
 



Have to love how what will probably be our lone 6 or 7pm start during with Summer weather only allows us with 4 hours of tailgating time and removing one of our biggest day of game lots that allows tailgating. :mad:
 

NNerland said:
Once again the U creates mass confusion. Last year they marketed 2 pm in their mailings; and lots opened at 12 noon.

Rule is 7 am or 6 hours before kickoff which ever is later. Why they keep jacking around this Thursday set up is beyond me.

We have been planning on 12:00 Noon arrival -- will have to get a confirmation.
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Please post any updates you get. Would deal with a 2pm start time, but would love the 11am (normal policy) or even Noon start time, if possible. (although 11am will require an earlier tee time to start the day)
 


NNerland said:
Once again the U creates mass confusion. Last year they marketed 2 pm in their mailings; and lots opened at 12 noon.

Rule is 7 am or 6 hours before kickoff which ever is later. Why they keep jacking around this Thursday set up is beyond me.

We have been planning on 12:00 Noon arrival -- will have to get a confirmation.
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Not sure what lot that was, I was in line at Lot 37 and they did not open until the posted time. They wouldn't even let us wait in line for a while because it was "too soon". I remember a bunch of us sitting there thinking it was super lame when the lot was almost completely empty.

School is out that week, so not sure why they have to be lame about this. It will be interesting, also, to see how his new system works--or doesn't work--in the lots this year. Most of the early groups in 37 take the interior spots next to the dead zones, so it will be quite a different feel this year. probably not for the better, but at least we get to grill and drink beer before a gopher game.

What happens if they open at noon and none of us get there the first hour because the times were posted wrong? are they going to make us park where they want us to? I am starting to remember the few things I hate about how the U runs the gameday experience for everyone as I type here. Dangit.
 



Season ticket guide online and the one I got with my tickets says 2pm but my parking passes for that game say the lot will open at 3pm.

Just called and Ski-U-Mah will open at 2pm.
 

So as far as we know, 2pm is the definitive answer on this? I'm confused as to why the standard 6 hours before game time wouldn't apply and have the lots opening at 12:00pm. The State Fair shouldn't be an issue since the lots are closed for shuttles that day and from what I'm told the U is still on break as well. Anyone get a straight answer from the Ticket Office or Athletics?
 

I've also heard that 2pm is the time the tailgating lots open. However, my parking ramp ticket for the opener says the ramp (4th street) doesn't open until 3.

Did anyone else see that or has this already been called out as a mistake? I would seriously hope that I will be able to park in the ramp and walk over to my usual tailgate spot at the same time those lots open...
 

Gopherlovin said:
I've also heard that 2pm is the time the tailgating lots open. However, my parking ramp ticket for the opener says the ramp (4th street) doesn't open until 3.

Did anyone else see that or has this already been called out as a mistake? I would seriously hope that I will be able to park in the ramp and walk over to my usual tailgate spot at the same time those lots open...
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I struggle to keep my composure when discussing this subject, but last year I spent a lot of time trying to pin this down.
I have no hope the U has improved anything. The best was calling the parking office last year and having the lady ask me when the game was.
Norwood has gone on record as not being interested in increasing the amount of tailgate time, the u is not interested in making the game day experience better and certainly not interested in making the game day longer.
 



Yeah, us damn U employees who are on campus 260 days a year, insisting on screwing up your precious tailgating for those of you who are there 7 days a year.
 

Ole said:
I struggle to keep my composure when discussing this subject, but last year I spent a lot of time trying to pin this down.
I have no hope the U has improved anything. The best was calling the parking office last year and having the lady ask me when the game was.
Norwood has gone on record as not being interested in increasing the amount of tailgate time, the u is not interested in making the game day experience better and certainly not interested in making the game day longer.
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Completely disagree with you on this topic. Also, I don't think it is fair in the least to blame Teague for the fact you spoke on the phone with an obvious twit in the Parking and Transportation Services department. A person and department that is operated completely separate from him and the Athletic Department. Maybe take a step back and a few breaths.
 

supadupafly said:
Completely disagree with you on this topic. Also, I don't think it is fair in the least fair to blame Teague for the fact you spoke on the phone with an obvious twit in the Parking and Transportation Services department. A person and department that is operated completely separate from him and the Athletic Department. Maybe take a step back and a few breaths.
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Yeah I know I get fired up about this, but a few points:

Teague was on KFAN last year basically admitting they didn't want people tailgating earlier than that. He could have been covering for the U's overall position, but still.

The fact that parking for gamedays isn't covered by the atheltic dept is part of the problem, and a striking example of the problems the U has with interdepartment politics.

I think we all expect that if the athletic dept was in charge of the lots on gamedays things would be better. Do we know if the money from parking goes to the athletic dept yet?

I did end up parking down by the U at 8 am last year, lot 37 was almost empty when we arrived and almost empty when we started tailgating at 3.
This is not an issue of giving U employees places to park, it's an issue of the parking dept not wanting to deal with the logistics until they absolutely have to.
The overall tone is negative on gameday festivities IMO, and it's a major reason the U has problems separating itself from the other sports around town. They are continuing to try to be NFL lite, when their best niche is to expand campuswide gameday celebrations and traditions to create a gameday atmosphere from 280 to the west bank.

/rant
 

Ole said:
Yeah I know I get fired up about this, but a few points:

Teague was on KFAN last year basically admitting they didn't want people tailgating earlier than that. He could have been covering for the U's overall position, but still.

The fact that parking for gamedays isn't covered by the atheltic dept is part of the problem, and a striking example of the problems the U has with interdepartment politics.

I think we all expect that if the athletic dept was in charge of the lots on gamedays things would be better. Do we know if the money from parking goes to the athletic dept yet?

I did end up parking down by the U at 8 am last year, lot 37 was almost empty when we arrived and almost empty when we started tailgating at 3.
This is not an issue of giving U employees places to park, it's an issue of the parking dept not wanting to deal with the logistics until they absolutely have to.
The overall tone is negative on gameday festivities IMO, and it's a major reason the U has problems separating itself from the other sports around town. They are continuing to try to be NFL lite, when their best niche is to expand campuswide gameday celebrations and traditions to create a gameday atmosphere from 280 to the west bank.

/rant
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This more focused and targeted rant I can get on board with. For the most part.

I will let someone else who fancies themselves smarter than the rest (i.e. dpodoll, GWarrior, station19, Iceland, etc.) try and answer your specific questions. :p
 

Ole said:
when their best niche is to expand campuswide gameday celebrations and traditions to create a gameday atmosphere from 280 to the west bank. /rant
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We'll said. A lot of people here say just win and the fans will come. While that's true, if you accept it, you must also accept just lose and the same fans will bolt.

It would be nice if we built up the core a little bit. Game day is one way to do it. Open private and city lots for tailgating. As DPO said, it's only seven games a year!!
 

No long waits to get into and especially out of Oak street ramp this year for us. Taking light rail from MOA.
 

badgergopher said:
We'll said. A lot of people here say just win and the fans will come. While that's true, if you accept it, you must also accept just lose and the same fans will bolt.

It would be nice if we built up the core a little bit. Game day is one way to do it. Open private and city lots for tailgating. As DPO said, it's only seven games a year!!
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This is in a city run by Democrats and pathetic liberal Greens where virtually everything the populace does MUST be regulated in some way, shape, or form by the all knowing, all powerful government?! Yes, including parking and tailgating. Remember government and some overpriced government study always know best in the end. ;)

So good luck with this. Said another way, the U of M has nothing to do with something like whether or not private and city owned lots can be opened up for tailgating purposes. Speak to the politicians (i.e. real "winners" like Cam Gordon....smh) if you want something like that to happen.
 

This is pretty disappointing. We have had well-documented attendance problems, and the hardcore tailgaters are a group of people who seem committed and consistent about buying season tickets whether the Gophs are up or down (and before anyone jumps down my throat, I certainly don't mean to say that people who don't tailgate aren't equally committed to the team). Also, last year, after annoying everyone with the late tailgate lot opening time, my friend's lot didn't even open at the later time they announced because there was no one there.
 

g1976b said:
So as far as we know, 2pm is the definitive answer on this? I'm confused as to why the standard 6 hours before game time wouldn't apply and have the lots opening at 12:00pm. The State Fair shouldn't be an issue since the lots are closed for shuttles that day and from what I'm told the U is still on break as well. Anyone get a straight answer from the Ticket Office or Athletics?
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In answer to your questions, yes, the lots open at 2:00pm, not 3:00pm. This is the same policy as they implemented (eventually) last year. The reason that the parking passes all say 3:00pm is that last year they initially announced 3:00pm as the opening time and printed that on the passes. After many complaints, they agreed to push it back to 2:00pm. This year they went with 2:00pm from the outset, but no one in the athletic department thought to update the language on the passes so they have the same start time as last year. The fan guide says 2:00pm. (Wonder if they will get that fixed by next fall?)

As alluded to above, the stated reason for not allowing earlier tailgating is that the lots are used for student and employee parking and they aren’t willing to displace those people, many of whom may have contracts that entitle them to park in the lot, any earlier than 2:00pm. The University could obviously handle this in many different ways, including putting in their parking contracts that the lots close at an earlier time (or even close them for the entire day) but they seem unwilling to do that so far.
 

2nd Degree Gopher said:
In answer to your questions, yes, the lots open at 2:00pm, not 3:00pm. This is the same policy as they implemented (eventually) last year. The reason that the parking passes all say 3:00pm is that last year they initially announced 3:00pm as the opening time and printed that on the passes. After many complaints, they agreed to push it back to 2:00pm. This year they went with 2:00pm from the outset, but no one in the athletic department thought to update the language on the passes so they have the same start time as last year. The fan guide says 2:00pm. (Wonder if they will get that fixed by next fall?)

As alluded to above, the stated reason for not allowing earlier tailgating is that the lots are used for student and employee parking and they aren’t willing to displace those people, many of whom may have contracts that entitle them to park in the lot, any earlier than 2:00pm. The University could obviously handle this in many different ways, including putting in their parking contracts that the lots close at an earlier time (or even close them for the entire day) but they seem unwilling to do that so far.
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The only issue I have is that the Ski U Mah lot sat empty for the entire day. I drove by in the morning, empty, got in line to get in and the lot was still empty. There is absolutely no reason the lot couldn't have been opened at 8 a.m., I realize that might not be the case for every lot. But the argument that the lots are needed for students/employees doesn't hold as much water as the U makes it seem.
 

Lot 37 had maybe 50 cars at 8 AM last year, less than that later
 

Ole said:
Lot 37 had maybe 50 cars at 8 AM last year, less than that later
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This is a point that can't be understated. I have some sympathy for dpod suggesting it would be unfair to displace employees who are there for 260 days for tailgaters who are there for 7 days a year (though I would be curious at how the yearly contract for an employee compares cost-wise to the yearly cost of a tailgating spot, especially if we divide it into a per day basis to see who is paying more for parking that Thursday). However, regardless of your thoughts on whether employees or tailgaters should get priority, can't we all agree that it is absurd for the U to not let people tailgate when they have paid for the spot and the spot is actually unoccupied? I certainly don't think enough people would be there between 12-2 that it would flood the lot, and the people that are there that early are people who are excited enough about Gopher football that it is worth it to keep them happy.
 

Tim Riggins said:
The only issue I have is that the Ski U Mah lot sat empty for the entire day. I drove by in the morning, empty, got in line to get in and the lot was still empty. There is absolutely no reason the lot couldn't have been opened at 8 a.m., I realize that might not be the case for every lot. But the argument that the lots are needed for students/employees doesn't hold as much water as the U makes it seem.
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I get the concern over having spaces in the same lot sold twice–once to the regular parkers and once to the tailgaters–and concern over how to balance the interests, but as you and others have noted, the lots aren’t anywhere near capacity at that time of year. How about they set up some cones and direct the daily parkers to a portion of the lot and let the tailgaters have the rest at noon? That would allow them to monitor their two constituencies and make sure that daily parkers are accommodated (and don’t overstay their welcome). Tell the football game parkers that the lots will open at noon, but only on a space available basis until 2:00pm. If you get there at 1:30 and the lot is full, you may have to wait until some of the daily folks leave, but that would accommodate the hardcores who want their six hours of tailgating without inconveniencing the daily folks anymore than the current system.
 

2nd Degree Gopher said:
I get the concern over having spaces in the same lot sold twice–once to the regular parkers and once to the tailgaters–and concern over how to balance the interests, but as you and others have noted, the lots aren’t anywhere near capacity at that time of year. How about they set up some cones and direct the daily parkers to a portion of the lot and let the tailgaters have the rest at noon? That would allow them to monitor their two constituencies and make sure that daily parkers are accommodated (and don’t overstay their welcome). Tell the football game parkers that the lots will open at noon, but only on a space available basis until 2:00pm. If you get there at 1:30 and the lot is full, you may have to wait until some of the daily folks leave, but that would accommodate the hardcores who want their six hours of tailgating without inconveniencing the daily folks anymore than the current system.
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Great idea. That way there isn't a professor/student/etc dealing with the tailgaters because those people will have their own part of the lot. We still get to have fun, they still get to work! Seems perfect to me! :clap:
 

As I mentioned, I'll be on campus by 11, depending on what my crew is up with, I might try to swing by some of the lots and take pictures to see if they really are full with no room for tailgaters.
 

Or they could coax a few of the UofM parking attendants to stop studying for a bit and become valet parkers. As employees leave, the attendants can move cars into a smaller and smaller area which opens up more space for tailgaters.

Then again, I'm sure that the local bars are more than happy to take in the tailgating overflow.
 

bleedsmaroonandgold said:
As I mentioned, I'll be on campus by 11, depending on what my crew is up with, I might try to swing by some of the lots and take pictures to see if they really are full with no room for tailgaters.
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Dollars to donuts says not full, since school is out until the 2nd.

http://onestop.umn.edu/calendars/index.html

That's really the confusing part about this whole thing. It's only two hours, but the reasoning behind it is shaky at the least. Still pumped to watch some football, though.
 

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