2010.10.01 Football Again

'Tis the season! Football I mean. So,off we go to a UNC - East Carolina game. We usually eat when we get there (at places really close to the stadium) but this time, we decided to make sandwiches to eat in the car and go out after the game. A little change never hurt anyone, I reckon. And I was excited to be going on my first Chapel Hill excursion of the season. Upon our arrival, Don has a great place to park at the Global Center deck. We used to be able to tailgate there but no more since they replaced a parking lot with the deck. Anyway, we went down a level since we were arriving later than most others and almost impaled my car on an overhead pipe that missed the top of the car by one inch, if that. We were appalled when we got out and saw what we had nearly done. Then Don bumped his head on the thing anyway and we decided to move the car even though no damage had yet been done.

With all our Football NCAA woes, who knew what would happen as far as scoring goes - but I love Chapel Hill no matter what and won't turn down a chance to go there. The game was at 3:30 and we didn't leave Charlotte until 12:20 or so - got there in the nick of time to see the kickoff. (I was a little bummed that I didn't hear "Hark the Sound" before the game.) Lots of East Carolina fans in the stadium. Way more purple than I believe is normally so. L. H. seats were filled with 3 EC fans and one UNC fan but they were quite subdued, even when EC was ahead at times.

Kenan Fieldhouse is gone and there is massive construction on that side of the field. The huge screen where we could see the scores and replays has been replaced by what looks to me like a smaller screen which is buried inside scaffolding and was impossible for me to see from our seats. Oh, well, maybe that will be cured by next year. Seems to me, we are losing a lot of our character by demolishing the old familiar and getting all these new, BIG, slick things. I understand there will be new ways of allotting where season ticket holders will be sitting. I don't know when that will happen but if our seats wind up in hot sun, I am so going to watch on tv from home - or maybe on some big tvs at the Carolina Inn would be even better!!!

Anyway, the score at halftime was 14 all. At least we were keeping up, I thought. Then the second half started and we pulled ahead slowly. Finally, I relaxed a little when the score got to 35 - 17. Don wished for one more TD so we would be at 42. I guess all humans want just a little more, right. I laughed at him - But he got his wish. Before the game ended, we got one more TD and point after making the final score, 42-17.

Since we hadn't done our normal before-the-game meal, we decided to walk across campus (which we very rarely do and which I LOVE to do), visiting the Old Well and Silent Sam along the way. (That man NEVER shoots his gun, come to think of it.) Then we went down Franklin Street and visited the Shrunken Head where the owner tried to sell us a jacket that cost $134 (beautiful but...) Don bought a shower curtain and got me a couple of magnets I liked that were pink UNC's. Then we decided to try the Carolina Coffee House (only restaurant remaining that I remember from umpteen years ago). We had to wait about 20 minutes to be seated as we were not the only ones with that idea. I spent the 20 minutes talking to some East Carolina fans who were waiting to eat before driving home to Raleigh. Pretty nice folks and I enjoyed their company. I even joked with one of them about swiping rolls at the old Porthole restaurant that is now closed. When we were seated, we got a blackened chicken that was very very good. Then we walked to the car, going down Columbia Street and had our ears assaulted with Fraternity House "music" blasting next door to the Carolina Inn. The Carolina Inn had two HUGE flatscreens broadcasting a game from a side porch and had seats set up outside for viewers to sit. I imagine they broadcast the UNC games there - an alternative to attendance at the live game maybe??? Along the way, we saw Top of the Hill Restaurant (maybe bar) and what used to be the Intimate Book Store (now Tarheel Book Store). We looked down the alley where Rathskeller used to be - nothing happening there at all and took pictures outside Johnny T-Shirt which had closed for the day.

All in all, I had a great day and Don did too.