One member of Ajax USA wrote to tell me that Giants Stadium has "a huge parking lot tailor-made (would that be Lawrence Tailor?) for Tailgating." Sounds good!

I think a collection is a good idea, but the very simplest thing would be to just do a BYO* party for the first game. Then, if we want to, we can take up a collection on Friday for Sunday's fare.

Here's the complete deal!

(Many thanks to Haig of the Empire Soccer Club - ESC - for the bulk of this information...)

Where is the tailgate party?

Ajax USA will congregate in parking area 16A, which is also where the Empire Supporters Club (fans of the Metrostars) tailgates. This is adjacent to the southeastern corner of the stadium, near C Gate. (See map, below.) Look for a large red "AJAX USA" banner.

If you want to park close to the party, I suggest you get there at least two hours, probably more like three hours, before kick-off (e.g. 4:30pm). Typically, the parking lot is always open, so you can arrive as early as you like. The ESC tends to arrive three hours or more before kickoff, "before the attendants who collect the $10 parking fees are on duty."

Where should I park?

As close to 16A as possible. The numbers refer to the lot number, and each lot is subdivided further by letters. 9, 11, 12, and 14 will probably be reserved. 1 is really for the horse racing track, and 20-24 are located across an access road, next to the basketball stadium. You can walk from there, but it is impractical. Anywhere else is probably okay. The furthest lots are 10 minutes' walk from the stadium.

What should I bring?

The tailgate is BYO-everything, so please bring whatever you need, including food, drink, utensils and barbeque facilities. (I personally am going with cold sandwiches and beer, so I can concentrate on having fun.) BBQ's are allowed in the parking lot, as are open containers of alcohol (bring I.D. if you're of age, and running-shoes if you're not).

Can I leave and come back? There is no pedestrian or automotive re-entry to the parking lot, and are there no stores nearby. In fact, the Meadowlands is built miles from the nearest town, and leaving requires paying another parking fee. Make sure you have enough supplies to last through the entire party before you arrive.

-- Jim (jim@arsdigita.com), July 13, 1999

Answers

I hope to arrive around 2pm tomorrow for the tailgating, as the kickoff for the game v. Panathinaikos (ah, the memories!) is 4pm. Again, area 16A near Gate C.

-- Jim (jim@arsdigita.com), July 24, 1999.

FYI: you can't leave the stadium and go back in. So don't plan on going back to your car at halftime or between games...

arrive early at the tailgate and drink all the beer you can hold! (the Giants Stadium bathrooms are clean and usable, so don't worry)

-- holly (binki@echonyc.com), July 23, 1999.

Oh- and you can't bring bottles, cans, coolers or flagpoles into the stadium. (honestly, though, I don't think they're going to strictly ban water bottles in this heat)

-- holly (binki@echonyc.com), July 23, 1999.