I am an Evanston resident, and I enjoy having the stadium in my neighborhood. It can be loud, and crazy on game days (not to mention a traffic nightmare!), but Evanston/Northwestern take good care of residents and visitors, so the stadium is clean and well-kept, and activities are well-supervised and relatively orderly. There is no big bar scene in the immediate area, so that keeps some of the potential problems at bay, and due to the fact that the stadium itself rests in an upscale bedroom community, a family element is much in evidence, which adds to the overall feeling of safety and comfort when attending an event, particularly in the evening. Games are a lot of fun, and you get a big-college feel in a more intimate and personal setting. Fun for the whole family.
My husband and I have season tickets to NW football; I am not a big football fan, but it is a great way to spend a crisp, fall afternoon. When was the last time you went to a Big Ten Football Game? There are always tickets available so you can drive to Evanston spur of the moment. It's fun to cheer the home team on and then go out for a pizza or a walk on the lakefront.
We recently went out to Chicago to watch the Nebraska-Northwestern game. We're trying to visit one big 10 stadium every year, and this one was decent. It wasn't the biggest or nicest field, but it was fun. I'm sure the amount of Nebraska fans that were there, or the fact that Nebraska won didn't hurt either
Visited two falls ago for Gopher Game oct 2013 and was not impressed. Concessions were weak. Parking non existent. No tailgate atmosphere. Fan base apathetic. The field looked nice and the long, natural grass caters to the home team. Stadium needs video boards, sound system and amenties to compete in BIG.
Just saw my first Northwestern game at Ryan Field and it was a great experience. The home crowd was so into the game.
Although it has fewer than 10,000 students, the Big Ten's only private university has been fielding some competitive football teams in the last few years. As season ticket holders since the late '70's we have seen positive changes in the last fifteen years. Now the stands are usually full!College football games "feel different" than going to a professional football game.Fun for the entire family.
Pluses: easy to get to from Chicago, friendly fans, enough women's bathrooms, new video boardMinuses: Its outdated, hard metal benches, old facilities, unintelligible PA system, TV tower blocking the new video board, little shade. Bottom line: Wouldn't come here except our team was playing Northwestern
This is by far the worst, most outdated and depressing stadium in the league. Insufficient restroom facilities and concessions, and just inefficient design. Only stadium in the league with "port a potties".
We enjoyed watching the game but there is scaffolding at the end of the field (for photographers) that covers up half of the scoreboard.
Bleacher seating, very little shady areas to escape the onslaught of summer sun and metal support beams that are rusting out makes Ryan itself a disappointing place that doesn't reflect the Northwestern image of a world-class university. I am told the basketball arena is even worse. Hey NU, if you are claiming that sports help create a healthy atmosphere among students, alums and anyone interested in your fine academic institution, you need to have facilities that match.