Matt_S Posted August 11, 2008 Share Posted August 11, 2008 There's been plenty of discussion of the contests, but as a local I want to hear some thoughts on the host cities and venues. For those who were in Bloomington, how did you like the stadium? How did you like the town? If you went somewhere before or after the contests, in Bloomington or Indy, I want to hear what you thought of my two hometowns. Give us your reviews. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneanddone06 Posted August 11, 2008 Share Posted August 11, 2008 I liked the stadium a lot. Great venue for a drum corps show. Lots of parking, great souvie setup and very steep seats. Getting to the show was tough, though. We were coming from the east through Indy and traffic was horrible. An approximately two hour drive took over three. Despite that, I would definitely come back if the show was in Bloomington again. I will probably also attend at Indy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btracht Posted August 11, 2008 Share Posted August 11, 2008 Downtown Indianapolis, with the addition of what is expected to be a very good stadium for drum corps, could be the ideal location for World Championships. We absolutely loved downtown Indianapolis. It is such an exciting, beautiful, clean downtown. There are so many nice hotels, great restaurants, City Centre Mall, and more! It will be so nice next year to be able to walk from the hotels to Lucus Oil Stadium. There even appear to be some watering holes in the spirit of Madison's Stadium Bar near the stadium! Did I mention the White Castle next to the stadium? Those flying in have the ability to shuttle from the airport to downtown and never need a rental car unless they want to leave downtown to catch some corps' rehearsals. Looking forward to having World Championships in Indy in 2009! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peel Paint Posted August 11, 2008 Share Posted August 11, 2008 As I said in this thread http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/forums/inde...howtopic=116866 that was mostly about the stadium, I loved the town of Bloomington as well as IU's stadium. I'd rather stay there long-term rather than Indy, as I have spent time in Indy's downtown area before, and it's okay but not as warm a vibe as Bloomington. I'm also very nervous about the acoustics in the new stadium. Maybe a year from now, I'll say, okay, my fears were groundless about the acoustics in Lucas Oil, but it seems unlikely to me that it will be nearly as good as IU's stadium for drum corps in terms of the sound. As for the town of Bloomington itself, great atmosphere. I loved that in spite of having at least two good-sized outdoor malls nearby with lots of category-killer chain stores, they still have a real downtown with lots of great family-run stores and restaurants. The restaurant recommendations you and others shared with me turned out great. We loved Esan Thai, Roots, and Laughing Planet and thought the food and prices were excellent, and we were there at off times and had great service as well. Fortunately, our Bloomington hotel had refrigerators, because the portions in all three restaurants were large and gave us some great after-show snacks. The Cereal Barn, by the way, is gone and is now a bookstore, so that turned out to be a bum steer from the Chamber of Commerce guide. I've been to more than half of DCI's championships, and of all of them, 2008's great shows and close competition particularly among the top four, the perfect weather, the terrific stadium, and the town of Bloomington made it my very favorite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeN Posted August 11, 2008 Share Posted August 11, 2008 The stadium location was kind of odd - it's more like in a neighborhood than anything else - but my fears were quickly allayed once entering. There's simply not a bad seat in there, and believe me, I tried out darned near all of them. Not to mention that the home side was able to be completely packed for Finals, and it created a raucous fan atmostphere that I think might be lacking in the sheer giantness of Lucas Oil. The town is nice - mid-size regular college town - kind of laid back. I think it was a lot of fun, there, and I'd be happy to go back if circumstances ever permit. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cainan Posted August 11, 2008 Share Posted August 11, 2008 Ever since doing Preview of Champions there back in the early 90's I always thought that IU would be a great Finals Venue. And I still say that now, Perfect sized stadium for Finals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Begines Posted August 11, 2008 Share Posted August 11, 2008 (edited) Goodbye Drum Corps Planet Edited August 16, 2008 by Begines Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peel Paint Posted August 11, 2008 Share Posted August 11, 2008 The stadium location was kind of odd - it's more like in a neighborhood than anything else... It's in a corner of the IU campus. Which is nice. Students can walk to the games. Some big state schools, now (University of Minnesota, anyone?), the campus and the football stadium are disconnected and students have to drive or take a bus to a game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_S Posted August 11, 2008 Author Share Posted August 11, 2008 Ever since doing Preview of Champions there back in the early 90's I always thought that IU would be a great Finals Venue. And I still say that now, Perfect sized stadium for Finals. I graduated IU class of 2005, so I was too young to catch drum corps there the first time around. Every time I drove by Memorial Stadium though, I always thought how great of a venue it would be to have a show - not even aware yet that there had been shows there in the past. Everyone I talked to at the show thought it was a great experience and venue, and I'm glad to hear that echoed here in this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_S Posted August 11, 2008 Author Share Posted August 11, 2008 Also, your Taco Bell is the slowest I have ever been to. Can't wait until next year when finals are in my town. With so many great restaurants and bars in Bloomington, what were you doing at Taco Bell?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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