Hop Sing wrote:3 quick questions to decide whatΓÇÖs best- Where are you staying? How much walking are you able to do? Are there any special places/ restaurants/ etc where you have reservations or that you plan to visit (ie are you staying in town or plan on hitting the area or the outskirts of town?).
State College is a typical northeastern college town. ItΓÇÖs very walkable. The main road through town is College Ave. On 1 side is the campus. On the opposite is the town. All the main shops etc are on this street. Parking can be a pain at times so walking is best.
Campus is large but very walkable. There are Cata loop shuttles that circle campus (blue, white, and red loops). Maps are easy to find online. ItΓÇÖs free and circles College ave into campus (the route is altered on gameday as some roads are 1 way etc those days). Personally, I walk everywhere. My dad has some issues with limited stamina so IΓÇÖll take the loop if heΓÇÖs there too.
My gut feeling is that walking and Uber are likely best but I donΓÇÖt know UberΓÇÖs timing. This weekend will be very busy with the game and graduation both going on (so call for any restaurant reservations and reserve Uber rides days in advance if possible too. ItΓÇÖs just a crazy busy weekend).
I'm staying at the Best Western which shows to be around 4.5 miles from Beaver Stadium. I'm good with walking, but maps is saying that would be a 1 hr and 23 min walk, so I don't think that is a good option. Any resturant I have checked for reservations has been booked, so I will probably try to find one where I can eat at the bar.[/quote]
The Best Western on Premier Dr is too far to walk.
For getting to the game, consider taking the Benner Pike Walmart shuttle which I believe stops at the Best Western. This prevents you from having to find parking and dealing with roads that become 1 way before and after the game. Link below. Best to call and confirm. $20 round trip and drops you off at the Bryce Jordan Center just across the street from the stadium. The return shuttle ends 1.5 hrs after the game is over so if you want to explore town/College Ave after the game, you will need to Uber back to the hotel.
https://www.fullingtontours.com/psu-football-shuttles/The BJC will have some places for food around there as well as bathrooms and a place to escape the cold for a while if you want. You can certainly head into the tailgating lots that surround the stadium. Wear your SMU gear and joke around with people. TheyΓÇÖll offer you free food and drinks. Other than the occasional drunk student who can be obnoxious at times, youΓÇÖll be treated well by Penn Staters who will want to talk shop and hear about SMU. Honestly, donΓÇÖt be afraid to walk around and strike up conversation. State College isnΓÇÖt New York.
As for the rest of the time in town, it all depends on your preference. A car is convenient to come and go as you please but parking in town can be a pain at times (no problem parking at the hotel). ItΓÇÖs a small town that suddenly has a large influx of people on these weekends. On the other hand, Uber removes the hassle of driving and parking in unfamiliar territory. The only issue is I donΓÇÖt know how backed up Uber might be (if at all) given the busy weekend with graduation and the game. Honestly, State College is so small and most people walk everywhere so Uber may not be too busy. ItΓÇÖs really just your preference.
The hotel isnΓÇÖt too far from the airport either and can help get a taxi service if you have an early flight out of town on Sunday (or reserve an Uber time for that day- link below).
State College Uber-
https://www.uber.com/us/en/r/cities/tax ... ege-pa-us/
