Inside the trip to Syracuse

The Carrier Dome will be hosting its first ACC game Saturday

by Nikki Hood - Staff Writer - Tue Oct 01 22:00:25 GMT-04:00 2013

Clemson will make its first of many trips to Syracuse, New York this weekend, and there are sure to be many fans following the Tigers to Upstate New York.

While many fans have traveled to the likes of Boston College, Florida State, and Maryland, there probably aren’t many that have made the trip to Syracuse just for fun, so we decided to reach out to a Syracuse native for tips and advice.

Daniel DiMarco, a long-time Syracuse season ticket holder and resident, gave his insight on places to eat, things to do, and the ins and outs of attending a football game at the Carrier Dome.

The first question that always gets asked when traveling to a new place, “Where are the best places to eat?” DiMarco said that Clemson fans must try Dinosaur BBQ and Pastabillities.

“Syracuse has a lot of great restaurants. Two must stops are Dinosaur BBQ and Pastabilities,” DiMarco said. “These restaurants have won national awards and have been on shows such as Man vs. Food; Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and Good Morning America. Dinosaur BBQ and Pastabilities are two that most often come to mind and neither disappoints. Dinosaur was rated the #1 BBQ restaurant in the country in 2011 and it's sure to leave the Clemson fans overly satisfied. Secondly, we have Pastabilities, an Italian restaurant in the Armory Square region of Syracuse that is known for their hot tomato oil and homemade bread and pasta. I would also recommend checking out the restaurants at our mall, Destiny USA, which has some top notch restaurants and is a great location for out of town visitors.”

If you get into Syracuse Thursday or Friday and want to experience nightlife in the downtown area, make sure you head over to Armory Square and Tipperary Hill.

“Armory Square and Tipperary Hill are two great locations in downtown Syracuse that visitors to our city should check out,” DiMarco said. “Armory Square is a collection of bars and restaurants (where Pastabilities is located) that is where the night life in Syracuse happens. Tipperary Hill is an Irish Community about 1 mile from Armory that has some of the oldest and best Irish bars in America. A must stop is Coleman's Irish Pub on either Friday or Saturday night for a pint of Guinness.“

If you are like me and enjoy exploring other college campuses, DiMarco said to make sure you check out Marshall Street and Hendricks Chapel.

“Some on campus highlights are Marshall Street and Hendricks Chapel. Marshall Street is a great place to walk through before a game,” he said “I recommend a slice of pizza from Varsity and a beer from either Faegans or Chuck's. Hendricks Chapel is a nice tourist stop as well, for those fans who like to keep it more together before games.”

Now for the important stuff…tailgating and the game.

DiMarco said that there aren’t really any tailgating restrictions, but it will be a little different than what Clemson fans are accustomed to because the parking lots are spread all over campus.

“Tailgating in Syracuse is probably a lot different in comparison to what goes on in the South,” he said. “Our lots are scattered throughout campus and each lot has it's own cast of characters. No real rules, you can grille, play music and have any types of open containers.”

And, Clemson fans, make sure you pace yourself throughout the day because the Carrier Dome does sell beer.