SoFi Gameday Experience... (Rant)

[Tano]

That hasn't happened either though. Preseason games looked like maybe 50-70% capacity? I could be wrong they didn't show many crowd shots. I don't envy people going to Sunday Night Football week 1 game. That is going to be a cluuuuuuuusterfuck I imagine.

Now I'm imagining going to a Monday or Thursday night game when rush hour traffic is involved at some point too. I'm not an LA guy so I'm just talking out my ass maybe but everything I hear about LA traffic and now this first hand account makes me glad it won't be me no matter how awesome the actual game experience is. But I grew up in rural farm america so our biggest traffic jam was getting around a tractor going 25 mph on the highway so sitting in traffic for an hour plus would probably test my rage.

I grew up in LA and you have to know the side streets to get anywhere.

The one where I forget who went to the Raider Ram practice and spent 3 hours getting to Irvine

Nope I would have got off the freeway and use side streets the entire way

One time I was going 5 feet then stop for a minute 5 feet then stop for a minute on the 5 - finally was able to get off the freeway before I hit Costa Mesa

Took a side street all the way to Rancho Marguerita in about 45 minutes using side streets

Still took me 30 minutes just to get off the freeway lol

 

[LARams_1963]

UPDATE......

Like I mentioned I sent my letter to my Rams rep. He just called me back to address the issues. He was really personable and seemed to really care about our constructive comments. First off he was shocked to hear about the overflow situation and the pink lot being "Full". Before I even said a word he told me he was going to refund the $90 cost of that pass. I also asked him why they chose to put the tailgating lot as far away as they did. He stated that the rows in that lot are larger to accommodate canopies and tailgating gear. I can attest to that seeing the size of the rows in the overflow lot, they were much narrower. He said that Pink lot section provided the largest footprint for the larger rows and the most vehicles. As far as the walking distance he said he's going to the stadium in the next couple days and was going to make the walk from the pink lot to our section to get a feel for where we're coming from. They are also trying to work with the Police/CHP about the flow outside the stadium and alluded to the fact that the flow is not working as it should. So HOPEFULLY that will get resolved before the Bears game.

Concessions - He said part of the issue was as we expected. They're short staffed. He said they actually borrowed some of the concession folks from the Angels. He also said they are getting a lot of negative feedback about the food quality and he's seen the pictures on social media. So hopefully it will be fixed. Beer, again he's going to look around our section and find the closest place to get what we're looking for.

He asked for any other issues and I mentioned that in our quadrant of the Infinity board we never see any game stats. That was something at the Coliseum I was always looking at. We can kind of see it on the board all the way down at the other end zone but it would be nice to occasionally see it on our end. He said he was sure to bring it up at the next meeting they had.

Overall I was really pleased that He/The Rams made the effort the day after my email to address our concerns.

 

[Psycho_X]

UPDATE......

Like I mentioned I sent my letter to my Rams rep. He just called me back to address the issues. He was really personable and seemed to really care about our constructive comments. First off he was shocked to hear about the overflow situation and the pink lot being "Full". Before I even said a word he told me he was going to refund the $90 cost of that pass. I also asked him why they chose to put the tailgating lot as far away as they did. He stated that the rows in that lot are larger to accommodate canopies and tailgating gear. I can attest to that seeing the size of the rows in the overflow lot, they were much narrower. He said that Pink lot section provided the largest footprint for the larger rows and the most vehicles. As far as the walking distance he said he's going to the stadium in the next couple days and was going to make the walk from the pink lot to our section to get a feel for where we're coming from. They are also trying to work with the Police/CHP about the flow outside the stadium and alluded to the fact that the flow is not working as it should. So HOPEFULLY that will get resolved before the Bears game.

Concessions - He said part of the issue was as we expected. They're short staffed. He said they actually borrowed some of the concession folks from the Angels. He also said they are getting a lot of negative feedback about the food quality and he's seen the pictures on social media. So hopefully it will be fixed. Beer, again he's going to look around our section and find the closest place to get what we're looking for.

He asked for any other issues and I mentioned that in our quadrant of the Infinity board we never see any game stats. That was something at the Coliseum I was always looking at. We can kind of see it on the board all the way down at the other end zone but it would be nice to occasionally see it on our end. He said he was sure to bring it up at the next meeting they had.

Overall I was really pleased that He/The Rams made the effort the day after my email to address our concerns.

Good to hear they are being proactive it sounds like. Customer Service is a lost art in this country so hopefully that's something they take to heart.

 

[Tano]

Good to hear they are being proactive it sounds like. Customer Service is a lost art in this country so hopefully that's something they take to heart.

What's customer service dammit - they can all go to h....

 

[LA_Rams_#29]

UPDATE......

Like I mentioned I sent my letter to my Rams rep. He just called me back to address the issues. He was really personable and seemed to really care about our constructive comments. First off he was shocked to hear about the overflow situation and the pink lot being "Full". Before I even said a word he told me he was going to refund the $90 cost of that pass. I also asked him why they chose to put the tailgating lot as far away as they did. He stated that the rows in that lot are larger to accommodate canopies and tailgating gear. I can attest to that seeing the size of the rows in the overflow lot, they were much narrower. He said that Pink lot section provided the largest footprint for the larger rows and the most vehicles. As far as the walking distance he said he's going to the stadium in the next couple days and was going to make the walk from the pink lot to our section to get a feel for where we're coming from. They are also trying to work with the Police/CHP about the flow outside the stadium and alluded to the fact that the flow is not working as it should. So HOPEFULLY that will get resolved before the Bears game.

Concessions - He said part of the issue was as we expected. They're short staffed. He said they actually borrowed some of the concession folks from the Angels. He also said they are getting a lot of negative feedback about the food quality and he's seen the pictures on social media. So hopefully it will be fixed. Beer, again he's going to look around our section and find the closest place to get what we're looking for.

He asked for any other issues and I mentioned that in our quadrant of the Infinity board we never see any game stats. That was something at the Coliseum I was always looking at. We can kind of see it on the board all the way down at the other end zone but it would be nice to occasionally see it on our end. He said he was sure to bring it up at the next meeting they had.

Overall I was really pleased that He/The Rams made the effort the day after my email to address our concerns.

Their customer service has honestly been great ever since they moved back. I'm hopeful this will all work out.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Have any of you tried this free shuttle from the Hawthorne/Lennox Station :

Go Metro to Watch the Rams and Chargers at SoFi Stadium

Save time and money by connecting with Metro's free shuttle bus to SoFi Stadium.

www.transportation.ucla.edu

 

[Liberator]

UPDATE......

Like I mentioned I sent my letter to my Rams rep. He just called me back to address the issues. He was really personable and seemed to really care about our constructive comments. First off he was shocked to hear about the overflow situation and the pink lot being "Full". Before I even said a word he told me he was going to refund the $90 cost of that pass. I also asked him why they chose to put the tailgating lot as far away as they did. He stated that the rows in that lot are larger to accommodate canopies and tailgating gear. I can attest to that seeing the size of the rows in the overflow lot, they were much narrower. He said that Pink lot section provided the largest footprint for the larger rows and the most vehicles. As far as the walking distance he said he's going to the stadium in the next couple days and was going to make the walk from the pink lot to our section to get a feel for where we're coming from. They are also trying to work with the Police/CHP about the flow outside the stadium and alluded to the fact that the flow is not working as it should. So HOPEFULLY that will get resolved before the Bears game.

Concessions - He said part of the issue was as we expected. They're short staffed. He said they actually borrowed some of the concession folks from the Angels. He also said they are getting a lot of negative feedback about the food quality and he's seen the pictures on social media. So hopefully it will be fixed. Beer, again he's going to look around our section and find the closest place to get what we're looking for.

He asked for any other issues and I mentioned that in our quadrant of the Infinity board we never see any game stats. That was something at the Coliseum I was always looking at. We can kind of see it on the board all the way down at the other end zone but it would be nice to occasionally see it on our end. He said he was sure to bring it up at the next meeting they had.

Overall I was really pleased that He/The Rams made the effort the day after my email to address our concerns.

Sweet thanks for posting this. They better get the beer situation fixed before I come out for a visit!

 

[jjab360]

That sucks to hear. Ridiculous traffic and the only beer available being lemonade IPAs does sound like stereotypical LA though lol

 

[kurtfaulk]

.

so the rams went from one of the worst stadiums in the league to the best but the game day experience went from the best to the worst?

excuse my ignorance but i've only been to one game in the states and that was in st louis. stayed at a hotel near the baseball park, had a nice stroll to the rams game. i knew the stadium was ranked one of the worst in the league so i wasn't sure what to expect. walked in and was immediately struck by how clean the whole place looked no matter where you went. walking along the food concession areas there was a guy every 10m selling drinks. go up to one that isn't serving anyone, grab a beer, give him 10 bucks, see ya later. got to my seats, spotless and comfortable. some guy walks around selling refreshments. over here brother. give me a beer man, give him 10 bucks, see ya later. never waited for anything. i didn't buy food but my family seemed happy enough with the service.

the only place i had to wait in line was when i had to go take a piss. and it freaked me the fuck out. in australia they have wide urinal areas where you can pick a spot and do your business. but when i walked into the toilets at the rams game the lines were ten deep waiting behind maybe 7 individual urinals. what the fuck? do you know how hard it is to piss when you have 10 people waiting for you to do your business? i had to reassure my dick - c'mon boy, just dream that you're the only one here, don't think about all the men behind you staring straight at you, relax.

.

 

[CGI_Ram]

.

so the rams went from one of the worst stadiums in the league to the best but the game day experience went from the best to the worst?

excuse my ignorance but i've only been to one game in the states and that was in st louis. stayed at a hotel near the baseball park, had a nice stroll to the rams game. i knew the stadium was ranked one of the worst in the league so i wasn't sure what to expect. walked in and was immediately struck by how clean the whole place looked no matter where you went. walking along the food concession areas there was a guy every 10m selling drinks. go up to one that isn't serving anyone, grab a beer, give him 10 bucks, see ya later. got to my seats, spotless and comfortable. some guy walks around selling refreshments. over here brother. give me a beer man, give him 10 bucks, see ya later. never waited for anything. i didn't buy food but my family seemed happy enough with the service.

the only place i had to wait in line was when i had to go take a piss. and it freaked me the fuck out. in australia they have wide urinal areas where you can pick a spot and do your business. but when i walked into the toilets at the rams game the lines were ten deep waiting behind maybe 7 individual urinals. what the fuck? do you know how hard it is to piss when you have 10 people waiting for you to do your business? i had to reassure my dick - c'mon boy, just dream that you're the only one here, don't think about all the men behind you staring straight at you, relax.

.

Several ROD members met in Detroit one year… we had the same experience there.

The area around the stadium was great and the Stadium was clean and easy to deal with on game day. Bars, food… all great.

 

[TexasRam]

I wanted to take a few days to reflect on what we've experienced the last 2 weeks. I will preface my rant by saying I HOPE these are just growing pains and will be rectified in the future. Unfortunately for us because of our retirement move to our new Florida home coming in December we only have 4 or so games left.

Where to start? Well, last week against the Chargers gameday experience was not fun. We arrived 45 mins after the lots opened (Lots are open 4 hours prior to kickoff compared to 5 hours at the Coliseum). It took us 45 mins to get from Crenshaw/Century into the pink lot. Against the Raiders it took 2 hr and 25 mins. The longest I have EVER waited to get into a lot by FAR. Mind you, these are preseason games with smaller crowds (Probably) than reg. season games. At the coliseum if you arrived 45-1hr after they opened you pretty much drove right in.

The Pink Lot. We have season tickets and Pink lot season passes. The powers that be decided in their infinite stupidity to place the ONLY tailgating lot farthest from the stadium, and more specifically the farthest from our section, 301 on the NE side (Home side) of the stadium. First game against the Bolts. They let peeps park where they wanted in the lot, leaving lots of empty spots. Second week against the Raiders by the time we got done with our 2.5 hr wait the Pink lot was FULL!! How the fuck is a lot you have a pass for full? So, they threw us in an over flow lot up the hill making our long ass walk even longer. Again... Preseason game not sold out. They did say we could tailgate there, but it was smaller and no one put up a canopy because cars were constantly driving down our lane. We barely had room for our 2 chairs as cars went by. So, we arrive just shy of 4 hours before kickoff and were able to tailgate for 25 mins before the 30 minute walk to our gate.

The Walk. Look, I get that we're older than a lot of folks, and the walk may not bother others. That being said after this week my wife informed me that she was done with that walk because of back stiffness. The walk is probably very close to a mile each way and we are 58/60.

The concessions. We have yet to order food because quite frankly when I look around at what folks have it isn't very good looking. While I understand that concession and menu items are taking a hit due to Covid and lack of employees you would think the item they ARE serving would be top notch for the most sophisticated venue on the planet. Beer's and wine. My wife went to 2 stands and stood in lines that advertised Wine. Both times when she got to the front they told her they didn't serve wine there. When she asked why the sign said they did the response was basically a shrug of the shoulders from the concessionaires.

Trying to get a canned beer is extremely difficult in our area. I'm talking Modelo, Corona, Pacifico. These were super abundant and easy to get at the Coliseum. Last game I couldn't find any and the guy who walks around vending Modelo's was nowhere to be found. So the only canned beer I could find was some IPA's, which I'm not a huge fan of, and the one I got was a cross between beer and lemonade.

So for now, my wife might be done and I might not be far behind her. While I know some folks might think we're nit picking, this experience was NOT what we were promised. Over the last 5 years we've heard how the gameday experience was gonna be fantabulous! A cut above the rest! Well.... for us this has fell EXTREMELY flat compared to the hype. Don't get us wrong... the venue is absolutely gorgeous! Oh! and on a side note, because we're moving I was gonna sell our SSL's to my old coworkers who sit with us. But as of right now the Rams aren't allowing SSL transfers.... WTAF!!!!!!! Our seats are 100% paid for. We've made our thoughts known via both weeks gameday surveys, and I'm gonna shoot a letter to my Rams rep and Kevin Demoff.

/Rant off

If you read my whole rant you are a bad ass! Or masochist.... :lol2:

Thanks for listening though and GO RAMS!!!!!!

Greg

You forgot the part about when you finally got to your seat without your beer and that massive dick nose logo at the 50 yard line was staring at you.

 

[MadGoat]

I'm headed to the Titans game as well, which is a night game. We're trying to figure out the best way to get back to our hotel at West Century and La Cienega, by the airport. Is West Century bad at night? It's about a two mile walk, which we could probably do in less than 30 minutes. If the ride-share situation is sorted out, we'd probably prefer that.

 

[Tano]

I'm headed to the Titans game as well, which is a night game. We're trying to figure out the best way to get back to our hotel at West Century and La Cienega, by the airport. Is West Century bad at night? It's about a two mile walk, which we could probably do in less than 30 minutes. If the ride-share situation is sorted out, we'd probably prefer that.

Depends if there are a crowd doing a similar walk with you.

Otherwise - yeah it's bad.

IIRC, you will see a lot of homeless and prostitutes on the street.

Someone please verify because it's been 20 years since I have been in that area.

 

[LARams_1963]

You forgot the part about when you finally got to your seat without your beer and that massive dick nose logo at the 50 yard line was staring at you.

Well, we're on the home side, which means the logo is upside down to us. So it's less noticeable

I'm headed to the Titans game as well, which is a night game. We're trying to figure out the best way to get back to our hotel at West Century and La Cienega, by the airport. Is West Century bad at night? It's about a two mile walk, which we could probably do in less than 30 minutes. If the ride-share situation is sorted out, we'd probably prefer that.

Yeah like @Tano mentions if your walking the whole way with a bunch of other fans it would be OK. If you're alone, no way would I do it.

 

[Psycho_X]

Well, we're on the home side, which means the logo is upside down to us. So it's less noticeable

I’m not sure having it fully erect is a better vantage point.

 

[Classic Rams]

I've seen those social media pics of the food. The hot dog was shriveled and the pizza looked like a 5-year old made it. Nasty. And for that price? No way.

Also, on the beer situation they really should've tried to replicate what people got at the coliseum since many are transitioning from there and would like more of the same.

Sounds like a lot of stuff was poorly researched.

 

[So Ram]

.

so the rams went from one of the worst stadiums in the league to the best but the game day experience went from the best to the worst?

excuse my ignorance but i've only been to one game in the states and that was in st louis. stayed at a hotel near the baseball park, had a nice stroll to the rams game. i knew the stadium was ranked one of the worst in the league so i wasn't sure what to expect. walked in and was immediately struck by how clean the whole place looked no matter where you went. walking along the food concession areas there was a guy every 10m selling drinks. go up to one that isn't serving anyone, grab a beer, give him 10 bucks, see ya later. got to my seats, spotless and comfortable. some guy walks around selling refreshments. over here brother. give me a beer man, give him 10 bucks, see ya later. never waited for anything. i didn't buy food but my family seemed happy enough with the service.

the only place i had to wait in line was when i had to go take a piss. and it freaked me the fuck out. in australia they have wide urinal areas where you can pick a spot and do your business. but when i walked into the toilets at the rams game the lines were ten deep waiting behind maybe 7 individual urinals. what the fuck? do you know how hard it is to piss when you have 10 people waiting for you to do your business? i had to reassure my dick - c'mon boy, just dream that you're the only one here, don't think about all the men behind you staring straight at you, relax.

.

Went to piss in a urinal at Oakland airport last night. There was a guy with his daughter on his shoulders looking down. Weird feeling.Had to make sure there was no way of checking anything out.

 

[So Ram]

So close but yet so faraway. Should have made it worked. Had a great weekend though. That was Saturday
30 minutes before game time

 

[CGI_Ram]

Depends if there are a crowd doing a similar walk with you. Otherwise - yeah it's bad.

IIRC, you will see a lot of homeless and prostitutes on the street.

Someone please verify because it's been 20 years since I have been in that area.

I can verify that for you Tano. I picked up a prostitute there a few weeks ago.

 

[Mackeyser]

I see the pics and have tremendous nostalgia for West LA... from Inglewood to Malibu, from Samo to the Miracle Mile.

But to live there again?

It'd take a miracle... well, several miracles... actually...