It's a jungle down there!
Parking lots stretch for blocks along the Ohio River between Paul Brown Stadium and the Great American Ball Park. Still, when it came to finding a spot to park our 38 foot motorhome, our options were limited, at best.
Luckily, some Bengals fans on the message boards had tipped us off to the lot at Longworth Hall. Their spots, unlike the ones around the stadium, were not reserved. AND, they would allow oversized vehicles.
The downside -- the lot is located more than 1/4 mile away (without a view of the stadium) and they were charging $200 to park an RV!
Still, the lot was already filling up with some awesome fan mobiles, and word was there would be some great tailgating happening for sure, so we bucked up -- and up, and up, and up! -- and paid the most we ever have (having refused the $400 in Minnesota and opted for a straight parking spot at a gas station!)
We were glad we did. The fans in Longworth were great, and many had put some extra effort into dressing for the Halloween weekend game. We had a lot of fun walking the lot and seeing what they had come up with!
But what we were really looking for was some good chili. We'd been hearing for weeks about Cincinnati-style chili, served over spaghetti noodles, and we were looking forward to trying some ourselves.
Jay even cooked up a batch of his own chili to share with our neighbors, just to see how it stacked up.
We were thrilled to find plenty of pots simmering away, and more than a few entered in the Taste-off, but not-a-one was served "Cincinnati-Style".
When we asked, most folks wrinkled their noses and said, "Yeah, I don't really like it that way."
There was a whole lot more than just chili, though, on the grills at Longworth. We found goetta, grilled sausages, some tasty looking "surf and turf" burgers, muffuletta, pulled pork and fried fish.
The Taste-off drew a variety of entries from some excellent "blacktop chefs" and a good crowd to cheer them on. Michelle Camp took 2nd place for her Potato Soup, and Tom Payne took 3rd for his Chili. Ed Richardson and his brother were recognized for their menu which included Rib Tips, Collard Greens, Mac and Cheese and Flank Steak. Greg Capannari wowed the judges with his creative Wasabi Cheesesteaks. And Mike Renfro won for the perfect drink for a cold autumn tailgate: Homemade Apple Pie!
So in spite of a few minor parking issues, it turned out to be a great tailgate, and we were glad to have found our home in the Longworth lot (even with the Atlanta fans!)
We met some fantastic people, ate some awesome food, and had fun with some crazy fans. And isn't that what tailgating is all about?
After that, we went for walk along the river and found boats tied-up all along the Allegheny, with fans "tailgating" on the docks!
And on our way back to the campground, we drove across the bridges over the rivers sparkling with city lights, and through the downtown streets filled with fans walking to their favorite sports bars to celebrate a Steeler's victory!
Who Dey Spirit!
Every week we're visited by vendors selling hats, beads, scarfs, and whatever other "unlicensed" fanwear they can carry through the lots. But this week we were charmed by the unique homemade items Sandy from Bengalswear.com had for sale in the lots. Sandy sews fuzzy pants and makes fleece boas to earn extra money "for vacations". But her stroke of genius is the Terrible Tail, a spin off the Steelers' Terrible Towel that is a striped tiger tail attached to a handle so fans can wave it wildly overhead. All through the lot, fans could be seen with them tucked into the back of their pants. So of course, we had to have one!
Other fans in the Longworth Hall lot expressed their creative side, too, with Who Dey jack o' lanterns!
See more pictures from the Cleveland tailgate in our Scrapbook OntheBlacktop.com!
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