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calling all London goers


Se ky bengal

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a buddy and I will be in London from the 27th to the first.  part of the time we'll be with AB, part of the time not.  Said buddy knows London very well, so if anyone wants to have a pint or twelve, shoot me a message.

@AmishBengalFan, here are my free tips: 

  • Eat on a UK schedule -- consider skipping dinner on the plane and do not eat breakfast on Indiana Time. 
  • Try to sleep at least a little bit on the plane. 
  • Take a nap on the first afternoon (not more than an hour). 
  • Stay up as late as you can on the first night. 

Jetlag solved.

 

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I'll do that.  But for my kid, I'll drug him up and insist he sleep on the flight over.  If I can convince his body that it's really 10am when we arrive at LCY, a lot of the battle will be won.

And as I'm too lazy to go back a page or two to see if I'm reposting this or not, the Bengals UK fan site on Facebook is here: Bengals UK

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If you've been to a game at the Mercedez-Benz SuperZ DuperZ Bowlz in New Orleans-z, the Wembley "tailgate" thing appears to be very much like the big "Victory Square" pregame plaza area they have set up for Saints fans.

Which, by the way, was excellent.

So while there may not be any traditional tailgating around Wembley, there is still lots of opportunity to drink beers, eat brats, and rub elbows with lots and lots of fans.  (And it kinda makes sense, since most folks attending will be using the excellent public transport system and won't be bringing their own car to park and tailgate at.)

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Sadly (or maybe not so much), we are missing this experience because the Cubs are in the World Series.

You will have an absolute blast.

The crowd at Wembley is awesome.

Get there early as the pregame alcohol shuts down outside an hour prior.

Enjoy the Carlsberg (a recently signed new customer:lol:)

Who Dey!

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More info from Bengals UK about pre-game festivities and planning:

img_17391.jpg

LINKY: http://bengalsuk.wordpress.com/2016/10/25/bengals-in-london-what-to-do-where-to-do-it-and-who-to-do-it-with/

whodeyuk-header.jpg

 

We’re almost there. The game is so close we can almost smell Vontaze Burfict from here; we can almost hear Andy Dalton’s Coldplay CDs through his headphones as he steps onto the plane; and we can certainly visualise AJ Green as he juggles his baggage through airport security. The Bengals are ON THEIR WAY! We’ve been asked by a lot by fans on both sides of the pond if Bengals UK will be doing anything or meeting up. The answer is yes, we are: we want to meet as many fans from the US as possible, as well as all those Bengals fans in the UK and from Europe who will be coming up, down, across or over for the game. This weekend is not just about seeing our Bengals for the first time on this fair isle – this weekend is about making new friends, and celebrating the team we love with other supporters. Read on for what’s happening.

THURSDAY 27th OCTOBER:

The NFL House is open for business. We heard that Anthony Munoz and the Ben Gals (sounds like a 60s garage band) were making an appearance here tonight, but this seems to have been taken down from both the OST and the NFL House websites. Best to check in with NFL UK for up to the minute details. But there is stuff going on here, and it’s in a good part of town, close to Covent Garden and Leicester Square and the theatre district.

So what is NFL House? Lawd knows… it’s certainly something new this year. You can find all the details, and location, here.

Unless there’s anything amazeballs going on here, we probably won’t be going.

FRIDAY 28TH OCTOBER:

There’s always the Bengals official pub, which is handily situated slap-bang in the middle of town, just off the historic Trafalgar Square. All the details on The Admiralty are here.

We’ll be here tonight, along with the Cincinnati Enquirer team. We’re promised good banter and perhaps, just perhaps, some sort interaction with social media. The Enquirer team – Paul Dehner Jr and Jim Owczarski – provides so much amazing content for Bengals fans overseas, it’ll be great to go and say thank you and say hello.

Look out for us from about 7pm.

SATURDAY 29TH OCTOBER:

A BIG day.

Things kick off at NFL House with the Fan Rally, and we’re promised… well, “Come and be part of the unmissable atmosphere at the ultimate Redskins and Bengals Fan Rally! We’ve got current player appearances from both the Washington Redskins and the Cincinnati Bengals, along with NFL Legends and the fantastic Ben-Gals cheerleaders.” It all kicks off at 11am and finishes up at 3pm.

In the evening we’ll be going to The Admiralty again to, hopefully, meet with loads of other Bengals fans to drink, sing songs and ask ourselves if this is actually happening. The Bengals are in London. Repeat. The Bengals are in London. The Bengals are in London…

SUNDAY 30TH OCTOBER:

GAMEDAY
GAMEDAY
GAMEDAY
GAMEDAY


For those who want to meet in a pub near the stadium, we (kind of) recommend The Green Man (which is behind Wembley Stadium if you’re coming from Wembley Park tube station end). It’s very popular with NFL fans, so be warned: it gets extremely busy. Like REALLY busy. If you want to find out more about the pub, click here.

As for Bengals UK, we’re going to be meeting up at midday (remember, there’s a clock change that comes into effect on Sunday… daylight savings or whatever you call it in the US) outside the Wembley Library for a mass team photo and mass Who Dey! chant. Yes, we’ll be filming it, so make sure you be part of it. We’ll also be singing some exclusive Bengals soccer-style chants the excellent @trequartbeasta has written for us.

So that’s MIDDAY, OUTSIDE WEMBLEY LIBRARY. Here are the details in visual form:

screen-shot-2016-10-25-at-09-11-45.png

Outside Wembley Library

screen-shot-2016-10-25-at-09-12-57.png

In Map Form

screen-shot-2016-10-25-at-09-12-08.png

 

So, that’s MIDDAY at the meeting point for a MASS WHODEY CHANT/TEAM PHOTO. Be there!

(Note: England switches from Summer Time to Standard Time on Sunday Gameday morning.... the US switches the following weekend.  So fans coming from the US need to set their clocks ahead 5 hours, then back 1 hour, then back 6 hours, then ahead 1 hour... or something like that)

Now, what to do after the game?

There’s a party going on at the excellent Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes. Here are the details:

cvmd2zmwiaaa1dk.jpg

 

This looks/sounds cool, but our recommendation? Go to The Hippodrome casino in Leicester Square and watch the rest of the NFL games on the big cinema screen. It’s an awesome way to watch football, and a real laugh.

For details, click here.


MONDAY 31ST OCTOBER:

Sore heads all round after toasting a magnificent Bengals victory in London. Celebrate with a Full English.

breakfast_dreamstime_33602528_joegough.j

 

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This just in.  NFL UK  (http://www.nfluk.com) has just released information about NFL House.  Looks like a series of fan-interactive activities at a specific venue, including chances to rub elbows with former players, play games, compete in contests... blah blah blah.   It's NOT general admission, you have to register to enter a drawing to get an invitation to attend.

This is something new and exclusive to this week's run-up to the Bengals game.
 

Quote

 

NFL House | October 27-29

  • New in 2016 is NFL House which will run for 3 days in late October at Victoria House in Holborn during the final game of the International Series and will be home to a number of exciting fan events and a pop-up shop where fans can buy merchandise. NFL House features an impressive display of all 50 Super Bowl Rings as well as the Vince Lombardi Trophy and interactive experiences from NFL partners and much more! NFL House is exclusive to Fan Mobile Pass members - REGISTER now to enjoy all the fun and excitement!

List of Activities: http://www.nfluk.com/news/internationalseries/article-1/New-Fan-Experience-NFL-HOUSE-Launches-In-October/40c96075-49a4-46b0-8ae6-b9021299250f

 

I just signed up and was immediately sent QR codes for my kid and me to enter any of the daily activities if we get an invitation.  Don't know if we'll go, but I went ahead and signed up for everything.  We might make the Saturday Fan Rally.

Game17Tailgate-600.jpg

(Note, North is DOWN in this map... flip it over to compare it to the maps/photos posted earlier this morning.   The Bengals_UK fans meet-up is at purple "ATM" corner in this map.)

 

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I'm taking a bagful of Bengals trinkets with me.  I figure, if the kid and I are on the Tube and we spot a Brit Bengal Fan we can give them a little something from the US that they might not be able to get in the UK, or that might be just too damn expensive to import.  Here's the rundown:

412IINfMMDL._SL1000_.jpgLanyards (x2)

51aNjURUZpL.jpgBracelets (x3)

71bkL6dg8OL._SL1500_.jpgWrist Bands (x3 black, x3 orange)

71GhumkH-wL._SL1500_.jpgCarabiner Lanyard Keychain (x4)

71CLgmZ6-4L._SL1500_.jpg   Multi-Tool Keychain [bottle opener, scissors, knife, nail file and screw driver] (x1)

61CmvBm41hL._SL1500_.jpgChain Necklace (x2)

41WYyueWEoL.jpg   Money Clip (x4)

414SsV8toKL.jpgSpinner Keychain (gold, not silver) (x4)

 

None of these were more than $5, most were in the $2-4 range.  It's a very little thing that I can do to hopefully make someone's day a little brighter.  And who knows, it might turn into a free pint of beer.  :)

 

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We made it out of Indy without a hiccup.  Our tiny little Embraer 170 got us to JFK 30 minutes ahead of schedule.

FB_IMG_1477497534017.jpg

 

2nd stop, JFK.

After wandering through the Terminal 8 maze (we *never* found the promised hunk of cheese, BTW), we caught the mis-named "SkyTrain" to the International Terminal.

We found the BA Club World London City check-in desk.  No waiting at all.  Boarding pass in hand we whisked thru security and headed to the BA Terraces Lounge.  They serve dinner from 4:30 onward, but Winter was starving so we grabbed some Clown Food for her.

 

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I signed up at the Spa for a pre-flight shower and massage for after dinner. 

A few more photos from inside the  Lounge:

Pub...

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Fountain...

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Open bar...

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Wine, Champagne, etc...

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Fruit, wasabi peas, and a million M&Ms...

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We've eaten and dranken well.  My diet hates me.  We just got served a full hot dinner...

FB_IMG_1477520509423.jpg

 

Its 7pm, time to go get that hot shower.  Then shave and get to the Spa for my 8pm massage.  Board at 9:30, or did I already say that?

Sigh.  If only all air travel was as nice as this. :)

 

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