For those traveling to Penn State

by The VD Special on Sep 3, 2008 4:08 PM PDT

Thanks to Tailgate Shogun from blackshoediaries.com (PSU's blog) to those of you traveling to Penn State, here's some tailgating, liquor tips, etc. It sounds like Pennsylvania has even worse liquor laws than we do!

"May god have mercy on the souls of those folks staying in Pittsburgh!

Kidding, it can be a fun town, although you’ll be getting there pretty late on Saturday night after the game.

As far as things to do, just drive towards the stadium and park wherever. Tailgaters at PSU are a friendly bunch, and would certainly welcome some out of town guests. If you’re downtown in the morning, there’s a lot of shopping on College & Beaver avenues, as well as about 25 bars. Most any can be the home of a great time.

Something to note: Pennsylvania’s liquor laws are ridiculously ass-backward. If you’re planning on bringing beer/liquor/wine to the tailgate, you can’t just buy it in the grocery store or gas station like every other state in the union. Cases of beer need to come from distributors (there are three or four in and around town), although you can get 12 or 6 packs at a couple of “bottle shops” right downtown. Wine & liquor need to come from “State Stores”, which can be found on the outskirts of town. If this sounds like a big pain in the ass – congrats, you’re right! Ask someone at your hotel for help."

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Oregon State visitor's guide to Penn State

Hi all,
PSU alum and HUGE Nittany Lion fan posting for those of you coming to Penn State this weekend. I also posted on BSD if anyone has wandered over there. Hope this helps!

So if you are coming to Penn State from Oregon State, let me be the first to say welcome to Happy Valley! Here are some recommendations of things to do before and after the game around town to have a true Penn State experience.
Your best bet is to get a map of campus and the surrounding area when you get into town. State College is a pretty small town with 2 main streets that run parallel to each other, College Ave is the main street, and Beaver Ave is behind it. Both of these streets are immediately south of campus. The majority of your time in State College (aside from tailgating and being at the game) will be spent here.

Souvenirs, Apparel, etc: I recommend the following –
McLanahan’s (note: the have a 1/2 off sidewalk sale Sundays after the game – good stuff)
Family Clothesline
SBS (Studen Book Store)
These are all within 2 blocks of each other on College Ave

Some of my favorite bars and their signature drink (in no particular order):
Cafe 210 West – $2 Long Island Iced Teas and outdoor seating
The Saloon – Monkey Boy pitchers (I like bong water and tidy bowl!)
The Phyrst – Any beer, but you HAVE to go for Saturday night table wars. Lots of fun!
Gingerbread Man – Again, beer. But their food is good, especially the wedges.
All of these bars are either on College Ave or Beaver Ave

Things you MUST do to get the true PSU experience:
Grilled stickies at Ye Old College Diner (even better at 2am when wasted!) – College Ave
Ice cream at the Berkley Creamery – the biggest and best ice cream cone you will ever have for under $3! (FYI this is on campus and close to the stadium)
Breakfast at the Waffle Shop (very long line Sunday morning) – College Ave
$1 pizza slices when your drunk – anywhere on Beaver Ave
$1 cheesesteak special at Penn State sub shop when you’re drunk – even if you don’t eat here, you have to go in and check out the wall of pictures – Beaver Ave
Visit the lion shrine and Old Main (eh, whatever) – on campus

Also good to know:
Beer distributors bookend the campus on the East and West ends (College Ave)
Wal-Mart bookends the campus on the North (Atherton St) and East ends (College Ave)
Grocery Stores (Giant) bookends the campus on the North (Atherton St) and East ends (College Ave)
Liquor stores bookend the campus on the North and South ends on Atherton Street
Also, if you don’t have a car or are too drunk to drive, Taxis run around the clock and are very inexpensive. The main taxi #s are (814) 231-Taxi and (814) 353-6001.

Hopefully this is helpful and you guys can check out some of this stuff while you’re visiting. And if you don’t know where something is or can’t find it, just ask. We are a friendly group…there’s a reason why they call this Happy Valley.
If there was one thing I would say you absolutely have to do, it would be the grilled stickies at the Diner. Even Todd Blackledge ate here when he did his "Taste of the Town" piece last year for the PSU vs ND game.

I bleed Blue and White.

by Horse N Buggy on Sep 4, 2008 7:37 AM PDT 1 recs