Ryan Field — Attraction in Evanston Township

This is the worst stadium in the Big 10 and I've been to them all. 1st the good. The field looks beautiful from the stands and on TV. What they have done to the field since my 1st visit in the 90s is a huge upgrade. Now that said the concession areas and under the stands are far to small and congested besides the food being lousy. But it is a college football game so bad hotdogs and flat pop are par for the course. Most seats have great views of the field however if you sit on the pressbox side at the end of the horse shoe the view stinks and there is no view of the replay screen. I have no idea who thought it would be a good idea to waste money on a replay screen that is not viewable from everywhere. The announcer is the worst in the big 10 (move him when you move those chains), the constant blasting of music and the meager wildcat growl (see Penn State for better though insufferable example) are annoying at best and a bad attempt to compensate for lack of croud noise and game day atmosphere. That is not NU's fault but more the fault of the students and fan base. Hopefully the updates to this stadium are coming. Coach Fitz has done a great job and his program and the big 10 are deserving of a big 10...

$$ This is the home of the Northwestern Wildcats football. It's a relatively nice venue to watch football except very little shade or cover, so keep that in mind when attending. It's recommended to take Metra or CTA trains and walk the few blocks since parking is primarily by season pass holders only. Campus lots are opened for free parking and most all within a mile so walking works and believe there are shuttle busses as well. Entering the venue is best from the south off Central. Entering from north off Isabella is a problem because everything is blocked off to pedestrian traffic in lieu of VIP preferred parking to the northeast of the stadium and you'll end up walking through the neighborhood to the east or all the way around to the west. Otherwise, local university groups tailgate in lot southeast of the stadium and there's always something happening in Wildcat Alley (astroturfed practice field) just north of southeast lot. Google Maps satellite view...

The game and community was great and fun. The place itself, though was no so great. Not easy to find parking at all. They do not serve alcohol. We had 7 people in a row and tickets were over $1k (for all of us combined), so over $150/person even when the stadium was half empty... Sound system is terrible (super loud and screeching one second and then super quiet the next). The music and wildcat noise are played excessively. The lights are super bright/in your eyes. Bathroom sinks weren't working except 1, with no soap or way to dry your hands since the towels were gone. Parking... Even when you park a half mile away, parking still costs $40. We had to park on some random backstreet next to the railroad tracks and still...