TN VOLS fans coming to VT/GT game - NEED ADVICE

GTpdm

GTpdm

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buzz_wiser© said:
VORTEX, NOW THAT'S A DIFFERENT STORY!!
You should try a carnivorgasm or coronary bypass...
Man..that's some good stuff! !
Dang I'm sooo ready for kickoff! !

41 days 5 hrs and 40.mins away
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The Vortex is a really good choice. My experiences there:

(1) You will leave feeling like an anaconda that just swallowed a couple of wildebeest (and I mean that in a good way).

(2) Washing your hands after you finish you meal will not get all the juicy burger-goodness off you. You need to wash your whole face (don't forget behind the ears), and even that won't suffice. They really need a shower room for after-dinner cleaning up. (Or you could be a real wuss and eat your burger with a knife and fork.)

(3) The messy, stuffed-to-the-gills feeling you have when you leave is HIGHLY addictive.

(4). You will gain a couple pounds every time you (fondly) remember eating there.
 
GlennW

GlennW

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I agree with the Vortex as far as being a close casual dining choice (the Varsity is a "Classic Oldie - go pick up a hat and an FO on the way home after the game) for a great burger.

If you get to town early enough, or spend an extra day, try to get by the College Football Hall of Fame as it's only a few miles away. I'll guarantee you'll be like all the other College Football fans who really enjoy the experience.
 
ClydeBrick

ClydeBrick

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VOLStud50 said:
We want to experience the GT atmosphere and don't want to miss any must see traditions.
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IMO the "must see traditions" are just two, and are accomplished by getting to your seat 20 minutes before kick off: The marching band's pregame show and the Ramblin' Wreck leading the team onto the field.

As @buzz_wiser© said, I know the band oriented traditions as my daughter marched for a few years.:

Spirit Bands wander around campus starting at K-120
Band warm-up at the Campanile at K-80
Band playing Bud in front of the Library at K-65
Band marching down The Hill at K-40
Band playing in Callaway Plaza K-30

K-xxx are approximate times in minutes-to-kickoff

Soon as the band finishes in Calloway head to your seats.

The Vortex (new tradition) and The V (since 1928) not withstanding, IMO the ATL is not big on tradition. We tend to tear things down and build new stuff here. So everything "traditional" will be on campus

Since it is a Thursday night game the tailgating may be limited. But the ATL traffic will be in full force so get to campus by 4. If you got all day, go to the CFBHoF then head to campus. If you park near the CFBHoF it will be a long walk back in the dark after the game.


One sure-enough don't: Do. Not. Park. In. The. Centergy Deck. That thing was a nightmare to get out of the last time I parked there for a Thursday game.

Go Jackets!
 
BCJacket

BCJacket

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The Varsity is an integral part of the Tech gameday experience. I'd say go eat at the Vortex. But go by the Varsity to see it and order a Frosted Orange or a fried Peach pie. There's a ton of history there.

The Varsity is the best food in the world to those of us who grew up eating it before Tech, Falcons and Braves games. To me, a Varsity Chili dog tastes like being six years old with my Dad and Granddad going to a game. The food is the same as it was decades ago (for better or worse). To outsiders it tastes like the mid-range fast food it is.

You should have a blast. Bobby Dodd is a great place to watch a game. Every non-Tech fan I've taken to a game has been thoroughly entertained. As the Tulane fan next to me last year said: "you guys sure have a lot of songs".

Also, as Vols fans, you should be able to get behind "the good word" - "To Hell With Georgia".
 
elwoodgt

elwoodgt

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So yeah, you've heard about the Vortex. I'll also rec seeing the band play Bud at the library ~60 min before kickoff, then Yellow Jacket Alley, then being in your seats in time to see the Wreck drive onto the field. Get seats in the north or west stands to see the city skyline over the stadium during the game, especially as the sun goes down. It's the best part of seeing a night game at Bobby Dodd.

You may not know, Bobby Dodd is the oldest on-campus Div 1 stadium in America. (Ole Miss is older but off campus, Harvard is Div 2). Actually a ton of tradition, including vs Tennessee prior to '69 or so. Enjoy!
 
thwgjacket

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VOLStud50 said:
Hello Tech fans - I'm excited about our season opener in 2017, too bad it won't be at your home stadium - neutral site loses too much tradition.

Anyways, a group of us travel to see new stadiums each year and this year we are coming to GTech and then on to a FSU home game. I need your help on suggestions on where to eat, which bars are good, where to tailgate, where to find tickets at, where to stay, etc.

We want to experience the GT atmosphere and don't want to miss any must see traditions.

Thanks for any advice you can give us.
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Don't wear Orange, even if it's a UT shirt. We will assume you are a VT fan and may yell at you.
 
tech_wreck47

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VOLStud50 said:
Hello Tech fans - I'm excited about our season opener in 2017, too bad it won't be at your home stadium - neutral site loses too much tradition.

Anyways, a group of us travel to see new stadiums each year and this year we are coming to GTech and then on to a FSU home game. I need your help on suggestions on where to eat, which bars are good, where to tailgate, where to find tickets at, where to stay, etc.

We want to experience the GT atmosphere and don't want to miss any must see traditions.

Thanks for any advice you can give us.
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Try flip burger, they have some of the best burgers, fries, and milkshakes around. It's a really cool place to see everything is upside down.

image.jpg
 

Legal Jacket

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I don't know how old you are or what your cup of tea is, but there are a ton of restaurants and bars on the west side now, maybe 5-10 minutes north/northwest of campus. Otherwise your best bet is hanging around peachtree from North Avenue all the way up into buckhead. If you are in the younger (18-24) demographic, there are tons of bars on and off Peachtree in between Irby and E Andrews, and in Virginia Highlands (for after the show).

Starting at Marietta St and around 8th St, and moving north

bartaco is a great place to get tacos to share and beers; Bocado perhaps has the best burger in town. 5 seasons is solid, and there is a great beer store next door (HopCity).

The optimist is on 8th and is a little fancier, great oysters and seafood.

Miller Union on 10th is amazing, may be a little out of your price range, esp for dinner.

If you want sweets before or after the game, Sublime Doughnuts on 10th street is great.

Six Feet Under on 11th is a great place to drink, esp on the patio upstairs. La Fonda on the same street has good, cheap "pan latin" food (paella, quesadillas, etc.).

At Howell Mill and 14th is probably your best bets - West Egg for breakfast and Ormsby's for a fun bar with tons of games (darts, bocce, shuffleboard, pool, etc) inside. Cooks & Soldiers is great, but only open for dinner and not cheap. JCT Kitchen is another good restaurant. Taqueria Del Sol is popular, but there may be some long waits.

Nearby is Antico (best pizza in town) and Gios (great italian sandwiches and roti chicken) on Hemphill off 14th.

Other places that haven't been mentioned a little further up Marietta - Bone Garden (owned by the same people that own the varsity) is a bit further north on Ellsworth Industrial. It's like a hipster take on authentic mexican food. Pretty good BBQ place around the corner on Huff called Bone Lick BBQ.
 

InsideLB

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Should go without saying but don't get stuck in traffic/be late to the game and miss the Ramblin' Wreck lead the team onto the field. Also budweiser song at start of 3rd quarter is fun even if you don't drink.

Might want to check out lyrics of "I'm a Ramblin' Wreck from Ga Tech" and "Up with the White and Gold" online and/or print them out/bring them as they provide perspective of program's history. Also research tradition of the steam whistle.

Good game to go to as usually GT or VT wins coastal and are picked to finish 1-2 in the division. VT fans don't travel well as you'll see.
 
swampsting

swampsting

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Ok, Vols fan - and I was in the middle of a bunch of em at the Taxslayer Bowl in Jacksonville this year - yes, The Varsity is a must. The words icon and institution get thrown around far too much but that's what The V is. Just make sure you have a couple of Tums in your pocket.

Now, the Vortex is a great place and the burgers there are terrific. They are on a par (if not a little better) than Litton's in Knoxville. The atmosphere is a little different but the burgers are awesome.

If your wife is that open minded, go ahead and hit The Cheetah. Your game ticket stub can be used in lieu of paying the cover. Head to the E-Room (it's an extra $25 to get back there, unless you know how to get around that ... and I do) and you can hang out at a very cozy, relaxed bar with one of the best bartenders I've ever met (Mike is an awesome dude and an ace bartender). The view at The Cheetah is the second best in Atlanta at night. The best is the one from Historic Grant Field/Bobby Dodd Stadium. Nothing. Else. Like. It.
 
forensicbuzz

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The food at the Varsity is not very good, and definitely not something I would personally eat before a game. However, it is a Tech Tradition and if you're doing Tradition things, you should at least go get a F.O. (Frosted Orange).

The Varsity is the oldest drive-up restaurant in the US.
 
BLKJacket

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tech_wreck47 said:
Try flip burger, they have some of the best burgers, fries, and milkshakes around. It's a really cool place to see everything is upside down.

View attachment 970
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Wow I've been to Flip Burger a bunch and never realized that everything was upside down...


I concur with what most are saying about food & bars: Dont get the food at Varsity but stop in just to say you did. Vortex or Flip for burgers (Flip is smaller slider style burgers FYI), I HIGHLY recommend Sublime Doughnuts (got voted in top 15 doughnut shops in the nation). Midtown/Crescent Ave are good bar hopping options. Virginia Highlands isnt too bad of a bar scene either but a little farther from Tech. If you dont mind going out a little further (10-15 minutes) E. Andrews area in Buckhead or Edgewood aren't too bad either although those two are very different scenes.
 
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