[Albion] First trip to the AmEx

hans kraay fan club said:

I thought she was Sophie?

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hans kraay fan club said:

I thought she was Sophie?

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oneillco said:

Hello Big Sky Albion, there's been plenty of good advice already about getting to the stadium early, etc. but I would emphasise that if I were you I would stay the night in Brighton after the game. It's great that you are getting to see the Albion, but Brighton is a unique city and it would be a shame to come all this way and not see it. There will be a huge choice of hotels available on a Monday night but I would go for one of the boutique seafront ones like The Artist In Residence or Hotel Pelirocco. Getting-up the next morning I would recommend a stroll along the seafront, a trip up the i360, and a visit to the Royal Pavilion (it's fantastic). Then a stroll through the Lanes and into the North Laine area for lunch, and then a train back to London in the afternoon.

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jaghebby said:

Hello Big Sky Albion - there is an alternative you could catch the train down to Lewes. Some very nice pubs often frequented by Albion fans pre-match and its only a 7 minute train ride to Falmer. It's probably the less busy option as well!

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Bigtomfu said:

[MENTION=35917]Big Sky Albion[/MENTION] as someone who has commuted from London to watch the Albion since we moved to the Amex I can whole heartedly concur that the above route (ph: ROOT not ROWT [emoji1303]) is by far the least hassle for night games as you don't get involved in the Brighton station bun fight.

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Bigtomfu said:

[MENTION=35917]Big Sky Albion[/MENTION] as someone who has commuted from London to watch the Albion since we moved to the Amex I can whole heartedly concur that the above route (ph: ROOT not ROWT [emoji1303]) is by far the least hassle for night games as you don't get involved in the Brighton station bun fight.

You need the Eastbourne and Ore service from Victoria which leaves at 17 and 47 minutes past the hour and should alight in Lewes from the 5th carriage from the front to find yourself by the platform exit.

If you have time then exit the station, turn right up the hill and you'll come to the fabulous Lansdown pub on the corner after about a two minute walk. You know you're in the right pub if there's a tree in front of you as soon as you walk through the door.

Here you will find fellow Albion fans aplenty to drink and chat to. They also have a free jukebox.

I would recommend then catching the train one stop to Falmer just before 6.30 as that's when the trains start filling up with people coming after work from the East and you'll find you have plenty of time on arrival at the stadium to mooch around the shop, maybe pop into Dick's for a quick one and then reach your seat in plenty of time.

The other essential advice is that when buying your ticket make sure you only buy a return from Victoria to Hayward's Heath as your match ticket includes free train travel to and from the game as far as this.

On your return after the match I would advise going to Brighton and then catching a Victoria service back to London rather than going back via Lewes.

A word of a warning, the last relatively fast service leaves at 22.55 and takes 54 minutes versus the last train leaving at 23.07 and goes via Mordor/Middle Earth and everywhere in between and arrives finally at 00.47 into Victoria.

*BEAR THIS IN MIND WHEN STOOD AT THE BAR IN THE NORTHSTAND AND YOURE JUDGING WHETHER YOU HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO MAKE IT IF YOU STAY FOR JUST ONE MORE....*

Failing that if you can then definitely stay down for the night and enjoy all that Brighton has to offer!

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The Large One said:

At the very least, you owe it to yourself to visit the tiny alley between East Street and Little East Street - now called 'Quadrophenia Alley'.

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Big Sky Albion said:

Thanks all for the warm welcome and excellent advice, particularly regarding transit. Looks like I've got plenty of good options for food drink and atmosphere before and during the festivities. I can't play up front but I can certainly offer full-throated direction to those who do. I like the idea of spending the night but I don't know how that would go over with the rest of the family whom I am abandoning in London for this little adventure. Somehow Harry Potter World or whatever it's called will have to survive without me.

As for Montana, yes we do have a Wendy's in town and ordinarily you might expect plenty of snow, but we're not quite there yet. You've probably seen that much of this country is in danger of drowning lately but it's a different story up here--no rain since mid-July and the entire state is on fire. A week of overcast dreary skies frankly sounds fantastic just now.

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Nigella's Cream Pie said:

Is there a threshold time though in case the OP comes down very early to catch Royal Pavilion, pier, etc.?

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Big Sky Albion said:

Greetings from Montana, U.S.A. The first English game I ever watched was Brighton/ManU in the '83 F.A. Cup final when a new cable sports channel over here was looking everywhere for programming, and I've followed the club ever since. Can't claim to be a super die-hard supporter (die-with-a-modest-struggle supporter?) but I've always looked for the scores and followed the ups and downs, the longtime stadium struggles and the recent near misses and especially this long-awaited promotion.

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wardy wonder land said:

Definatly tell the club your back story - you might get into the program

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