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| - I still call this place Gund Arena, not Quickens or The Q or whatever. That out of the way, this is a pretty good place to catch sporting events. I've been here for a few basketball and hockey games. My main complaint when seeing a hockey game is that when the Monsters score, this ear drum shattering fog horn goes off. You really can't beat the people watching (not sure why but the Monsters game on the 1st involved many people - especially kids - deciding it was best to remove their shirts. Waving said shirt around in the air was optional). But I'm not here to review the teams or the people who attend.
The arena itself is laid out in a fashion that is easy to navigate. Plenty of bathrooms, some of which aren't completely gross! Most of the food places have friendly and fast people working - I would say that the food selection is kind of lackluster, but hey, you're not here for the food (hopefully). There is a slight edge on the stadium food a hop, skip, and a jump away at Jacob's Field (errr... the Prog). I was even able to score some Loose Cannon and Dortmunder Gold, so I could keep my buzz going.
While I had no complaints about the seats, my two companions left with really stiff backs and knees (this led to people standing on each other's backs in my living room, so that helped keep my entertainment level going - I clearly don't ask for much). If you are prone to back issues, keep that in mind. One of my companions had a headache as we were leaving dinner (an immense amount of good options near by!) and I had no OTC assistance for him. There is a small first aid office in the arena though - they gave him some Tylenol and a small sip of water. I didn't know about the first aid office until this past weekend, so that's a bonus.
Now, if you're headed here for a concert, the acoustics are lacking. I'm not sure where else you're gonna catch an arena concert around here though, so your options are limited (gotta say that both CSU's and Akron University's James Rhodes Arena offer better acoustics, but slightly smaller venues).
Parking can also be a major headache - I usually opt for several blocks away for $6 or valet on East 4th (it was much higher than I recall - not sure if that was due to the game or if prices are higher now).
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