If you are in the San Diego area, or perhaps headed there this weekend for the game, you can meet up with hundreds (yes!) of fellow Patriots fans in a meetup organized by Barry Inciong.

All the details are available to anyone who join the Patriots Tailgate Yahoo Group

Here is some information passed along by Barry about the weekend’s events:

HOTEL

Many of us are staying at:

Courtyard San Diego Central, 8651 Spectrum Center Blvd, San Diego, California 92123

We sold out the block rate ($89/night) but they have graciously extended it if you call to book your room directly. Yolanda Bishop – 858-633-9003. This may not last long so do it quickly.

Every room has a small refrigerator so you can keep your tailgate food and drink chilled overnight and then just load up your cooler with ice before heading out in the morning. Parking and internet access are also free.

SATURDAY NIGHT PARTY

We’ll be having a private party at Players Sports Bar, 7061 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA 92111 on Saturday, 10/23 6pm – 8pm

Players is a popular Boston bar with plenty of Pats sports memorabilia and we’ll be in a private area with plenty of TVs. It’s located just 1.5 miles from the Courtyard Hotel in case you want to cab it. The Courtyard Hotel may run shuttles for us.

While we are hoping to have some special guests join us, we won’t know for sure until they actually show up. If you were with us in Seattle in 2008 or Denver in 2009 you probably have a good idea of who has been invited.

We’ll have a salad, pasta and pizza buffet (soft drinks also included, bar drinks are on your own). Because we need to guarantee a minimum, I am accepting payments until 10/20 as follows:
Adult (ages 13 & up) – $17
Children (5 – 12) – $9
Children under 5 – free
These prices include tax and tip.

Prices will be $3 higher at the door to encourage you to pay early.

Please send a check with an email address and full names of all attending (for door prizes) to:

Barry Inciong
23682 Calle Ganador
Mission Viejo, CA 92691

You can also paypal me at binciong@yahoo.com

TAILGATE PARTY

As we’ve done in past years, we’ll be tailgating right between G4 and H4 which can be reached through Gate 3 by going west to east on Friar’s Road.

Note that you do not need a prepaid parking pass to enter this area. Parking is $25 per vehicle. There is no additional charge for attending our tailgate party.

Rather than coordinating food and drink as a group, everyone should bring their own. However for the benefit of those who are from out of town or are coming in on the trolley, I will have water, beer and hot dogs available for $1 each with all profits going to charity (New England Patriots Charitable Foundation Kick Cancer Campaign and San Diego United Way).

If you plan on partaking in the food and drink I bring, please let me know. I just want to get an idea of how much to bring. Thanks

We’ll gather up for group pictures at 10:30am and noon (since some Pats fans will come and go) so make sure you are around for that.

Local Stores (distance from hotel)

Costco – 2345 Fenton Pkwy, San diego, CA (619) 358-4000 (3.2 miles)

Ralphs – 4239 Genesee Ave, San Diego, CA (858) 278-7772 (2.2 miles)

Albertsons – 7715 Balboa Ave, San Diego, CA (858) 576-7200 (1 mile)

Smart & Final – 5195 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA (858) 541-2090 (2.2 miles)

TICKETS

Our group tickets in Plaza 17 have been purchased and are sold out. I already have a wait list in case there are any cancellations.

My general advice regarding tickets is to wait until the week of the game when there are the most tickets available for sale though it doesn’t hurt to look early as you may be looking for a certain section (e.g. behind the Patriots bench) and good deals do pop up at anytime.

Here are the two websites I recommend checking out as they consolidate the tickets available through a bunch of ticket brokers.

TiqIQ (through Patriots Daily Tickets)

Fansnap

Another option is Ticketmaster. Additional seats are released periodically but especially during the week of the game.

Season ticketholders sell their tickets through the Ticket Exchange but unlike the Patriots Wait List, these tickets are typically sold at prices above face value.

You may recall that Qualcomm Stadium used to be known as Jack Murphy Stadium and was also used for baseball. That means that there is a lot of space between the football field sideline and the front row of the Field Level seats on the sideline. Because of that the first 10 rows of the Field section are deemed “obstructed view” because the players, coaches and staff on the sideline which actually block your view of the play on the field and the Chargers actually sell those tickets at a discounted price because of that. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t buy those seats, but you should at least be aware of that.

If anyone is going to San Diego but does not have tickets, some fans may be tailgating with us and then going to a nearby sports bar to watch the game. Maybe if someone has a generator, you’ll be able to stay in the parking lot to watch on TV.

CARAVAN ROUTE

Anyone interested can meet at the Courtyard Hotel parking lots at 8:30am and we will head out together at about 8:45am.

1. Head northwest on Spectrum Center Blvd toward Kearny Villa Rd 499 ft

2. Turn left at Kearny Villa Rd 0.4 mi

3. Take the 1st right onto Balboa Ave 0.2 mi

4. Slight right to merge onto CA-163 S toward Downtown 3.7 mi

5. Take exit 4 for Friars Rd 0.3 mi

6. Turn right at Friars Rd 2.5 mi

7. Turn right at Qualcomm Way/Gate 3

As you head down the hill to the parking booths, get into the left lane.

After paying for parking you will take a hard left turn (almost a U-turn) to go toward H4

We will set up at the mid-point between the G4 and H4 poles and on the other side of that lane away from the stadium.

Note that the only way to enter Gate 3 is to travel east on Friar’s Road. If you are going west, no left turn is allowed.

Note that we are not taking the I-15 as they sometimes direct all traffic in through the main gate which does not connect to our tailgate location.

Map of the Qualcomm parking lot and stadium

FAN CONDUCT

We know from experience that some Chargers fans can be pretty nasty. Let’s make sure we are not the ones to instigate any conflicts, use profanity or threaten violence under any circumstances. When we are together, the behavior of just one person can make the entire group a target so let’s avoid that.

Fans can report fan conduct issues from their cell phone or mobile device by texting “SECURITY” to 59629.

If anything gets really serious, don’t hesitate to use your phone to shoot video or pictures.

On the other hand, friendly banter among rival fans can be fun and is part of the experience, let’s just make sure we don’t cross the line.