Best way to Autzen? On webbed feet.Byline: BEST OF ... by The Register-Guard On half a dozen Saturdays every autumn, all paths lead to the Big Cereal Bowl next to the Willamette River Willamette River River, northwestern Oregon, U.S. It flows north for 300 mi (485 km) into the Columbia River near Portland. Oregon's most populous cities are in its valley. The Fremont Bridge, a steel arch with a main span of 1,225 ft (373 m), crosses the river at Portland. in Eugene. Some people call it Autzen Stadium. On Game Day, the stadium, the airplane hangar next door and the gravel parking lots surrounding it become one, big, raucous green and yellow party for a few hours. We here at Team Best of ... decided to tackle one of the main questions confronting ticket-holders - aside from how best to smuggle smug·gle v. smug·gled, smug·gling, smug·gles v.tr. 1. To import or export without paying lawful customs charges or duties. 2. To bring in or take out illicitly or by stealth. in our favorite beverages: the best way to get to the game. Lots of people drive. That's fine, if you don't mind sitting in your car for a few hours before and after the game, breathing exhaust, burning up the ozone and parking somewhere in outer Springfield. Tens of thousands of people have a better idea: They take the bus. LTD's Duck Express transported about 48,000 fans last year. It's cheap - $10 for a season pass or $3 for a single roundtrip - quick, and easy, with park-and-rides scattered around town (see www.ltd.org for details) and buses leaving every five to 15 minutes. The camaraderie is great and there are no parking worries. We like to park downriver down·riv·er adv. & adj. Toward or near the mouth of a river; in the direction of the current: swam downriver; a downriver canoe race. Adv. 1. at Valley River Center Valley River Center is a shopping mall located in Eugene, Oregon. As the largest shopping center south of Portland and north of San Francisco, this mall comprises over 130 local and national stores and restaurants. so we can run into the Duck Shop and stock up on those obnoxious duck calls and some lightning yellow underwear. But in the end, riding the bus is, well, riding the bus. Team Best of ... prefers to control its own destiny. Which is why we sometimes like biking to the game. Biking to the game is so Eugene. It's fast, fun and you get your exercise, which is important considering the caloric caloric /ca·lo·ric/ (kah-lor´ik) pertaining to heat or to calories. ca·lor·ic adj. 1. Of or relating to calories. 2. Of or relating to heat. excesses ahead. You can even take advantage of valet bicycle parking at the stadium. But as much as we like pedaling to the game, we actually prefer a more leisurely pace. Which is why Team Best of ... chooses to get to the game the old-fashioned way: on our own two feet. Granted, walking to the game may not be the fastest way to get there, but who's in a hurry on a Saturday morning? We like to amble amble a slower, non-racing version of pace gait in horses. broken amble has many characteristics of the amble but there are four beats to the gait with each foot contacting the ground independently. Called also single-foot. , stroll, saunter, enjoying the sights and smells of Game Day. We love perambulating per·am·bu·late v. per·am·bu·lat·ed, per·am·bu·lat·ing, per·am·bu·lates v.tr. 1. To walk through. 2. To inspect (an area) on foot. v.intr. along the Willamette River bike paths, watching the fall colors turn each successive Saturday. As we get closer to the stadium, we enjoy heckling - in a good-natured way, of course - rival fans who have no idea what fowl hell awaits them. Granted, we may get rained on now and again, but this is Oregon, after all, and it rolls right off our Gore-Tex-protected backs. One of our favorite places to park and walk is the free EWEB EWEB Eugene Water and Electric Board (Oregon) parking lot under the viaduct viaduct (vī`ədŭkt') [Lat.,=road conveyor], type of bridge for carrying a highway or railroad over a valley, over low ground, or over a road. at Fourth Avenue and High Street. We make sure to get there early to get a spot. Another hot tip is McMenamin's North Bank, where we can park for free and get something to eat before the game. It's important to fuel up before a big hike, after all. Get your quack on at the Best of ... archive: www.registerguard .com/bestof. BEST WAY TO GET TO AUTZEN ON GAME DAY Put on your walking shoes CAPTION(S): Walking to the game can be half the fun; just join the throngs who walk to the stadium over the nearby footbridges. |
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