FirstEnergy Stadium

I was there for a Sunday soccer game of USA vs Japan. I was greatly disappointed in the expensive and greasy food choices there and for a stadium to not allow anyone to bring in water and sell it on the inside for $ 4.25 a bottle is robbery. The place had advertisements all over for coppertone sunscreen but sold none of it in their team shops even though is was over 80 degrees and scorching hot. And skip the fried donughts. It is $ 6 of grease!

I go to the Browns game once every few years to remind myself as to why I never go. Agonizing parking, pricey food service that is frequently out of essentials in an ill kept dining area, loud drunken crowds (I’m guessing that they showed up drunk since I cannot imagine someone liquid enough to get drunk at the game), and the product on the field, ugh.
Yes I got the tickets for free, so I’d imagine if I paid the list price ($ 270 a seat) I would probably talk myself into loving the place (or I’d have the worst case of buyer’s remorse ever, one of the two).

I have been in many many football stadiums and this one isn’t much better or worse than any of them… Therefore, 3 stars!
LIKES: food selection is «different”– I won’t say better or worse but they had cheese steaks, burgers, dogs, nachos, pretzels, hot chocolate, beer, etc. They also had better/​more entertaining games on the Jumbotron than other stadiums I have frequented. Also, the staff is very helpful in directing you should you need directions/​assistance!
DISLIKES: the bathrooms are terrible. Sometimes this is unavoidable but there is no way there should be a line at every point during the game. You will be exposed to the elements. I am used to being in dome style arenas or those with an open/​closed roof. Fans love it but I’d prefer to be inside any day. There is no such thing as layers. BRING A BLANKET!!!

I went to this stadium for a Steeler’s game and was pretty disappointed. The bathrooms were cramped and there wasn’t much to be offered in ways of food.
Being from Pittsburgh, I understand the open air arena decision. While I froze during the game (which of course the Steelers won), I think it is all part of the experience of watching two teams battle it out under extreme weather conditions!
I will say that people were excessively rude as well. I’m all about a rivalry, but where is your sportsmanship people?! Even some of the staff were talking trash in an over the top way. If you don’t like my team and tell me about it, cool, I get it. But leave it at that.

I came to visit here on a road game. What do I think of this stadium? Well, these days, modern stadiums are, well… modern stadiums. They all seem to follow a specific mold. Minus stars for parking (or lack thereof), traffic patterns inside and out of the stadium (took a long time for traffic to clear out), and everything else was meh. On the plus side, the stadium AND the city of Cleveland was (and is) a surprisingly CLEAN place. It seems the Clevelanders take pride in the appearance of the city — and it shows. And the fans — for a perpetually losing football club — are admirably loyal and dedicated to their team. It’s easy to be a fan of a winning team — takes mettle to come and cheer for a losing team, time and again. With that said, they could have been a bit more respectful of visitors — but I get it.

Why 3 stars? Because it’s a middle of the road facility.
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It’s the kind of stadium that you leave without a strong opinion either way. It’s not a bad place to watch a game, but it’s also not going to wow you. They recently upgraded the video board, which was desperately needed, but much like everything that the Browns do, left me scratching my head. They are shaped very similarly to the state of Tennessee, which happens to be where the new owner hails from. Weird coincidence? Everything the Browns do is weird.
The concourses are rather unremarkable, though I know that they have done some more updates over the past offseason. Some of the seats have faded from a bright orange to a dull color over the years.
My least favorite part of the design of the stadium is the odd asymmetry in the upper bowls. Some of the upper end zone connects to the upper sideline seating, and some does not. Why? Who knows.
Maybe if this stadium didn’t house so much losing football over the years, I’d feel more positive sentiment toward it, but even after the updates, I find it to just be passable.

No. Just. No.
Stars being given for staff that were pleasant, from bar tenders to wrist band people.
Also with a location on the water and next to the Rock Hall I can see this being part of a great day or weekend.
THREE aisles for tens of thousands of people to get off the floor and out of the seats is NOT SAFE. If there was a fire, lightning, any kind of emergency there would be injuries. I did not feel safe in a stadium for the first time of any stadium I’ve been in.
Why are some of the bathrooms locked down? With lines 25 people deep at open bathrooms. FAMILIES go to events. The family bathroom should be OPEN.
For an event that was not a sell out, its an issue that we were inching along body to body on the concourse, if not completely stopped while waiting for other pockets of people to move. Again, not safe. Alleviate the congestion for a better, safer experience!
Drinks expensive, lines for food long enough they weren’t worth waiting in.
Come here if you LOVE the entertainment being provided but know it’s a bare bones operation not designed for your comfort or safety. This is a prior generation stadium, and is therefore lacking amenities and comforts available in large scale operations built in the past decade or two.

I was at the bills game and at the start of the 4^th quarter one of the event crew forced my wife and I to leave the stadium because my shirt, which is one of the more popular ones in Cleveland, said «Meet Dick. Dick is a steelers fan. Don’t be a Dick.» I also wore this same shirt to the first preseason game with no issues, and got many compliments on it from fans at both games. As you can see if you are more literate than the woman that ejected us is that it is using the word dick as the proper name that some people go by. After she escorted us out of the stadium she continued to follow us and harass us outside of the stadium. I forgot to get her name, but I pulled my phone out once I realized that she wasn’t going to stop harassing us, even though we’re were not in the stadium any longer. I’ll be posting the video online with the details of what happened along with photos of me in the shirt. I used to be a die hard Browns fan, but now cause the nfl profit shares I’m strictly a college football fan, and I will go out of my way to not financial support the nfl or its advertisers.

My brother and I went to a Cleveland Browns game in the winter, and it was below –30 degrees and we were sitting outside, and we were freezing our ears and butts off so we were like nope we are not going outside anymore. I am not going to any more games in the winter.

I miss Municipal but Cleveland Browns Stadium is still a great place to watch a game. I’ve sat in all three levels and have always had a good view. There are a lot of food options (pricey though) and if you happen to visit every 12yrs or so, the Browns are actually fun to watch. I’ve literally only seen one home win since 1999 (I live in Seattle) but I’ve seen Bottlegate, the Rudd helmet toss and more. At least the Browns find ways to lose in entertaining fashion when I’m back home. I really hope the team gets it’s 80’s groove back one day and turns this place into the football palace it should be. Security is a lot tighter here than it was at Muni and the fans are a lot more tame (partly because of security, partly because of the quality of the product on the field) but all in all, it’s a great place to visit.

FirstEnergy Stadium is getting a little tired, but it will perk right up later, and at that point will change its name to SecondWind Stadium. Eventually, when the Cavs and Indians are winning lots of Championships but the Browns are still not, it will become the ThirdWheel Stadium.
First-​Hand Experience: Info on my personal visit to this stadium — I’ve seen a few Browns games here which were amazing, although I want to return to see a game in the Dawg Pound! I’ve also seen Boca Juniors face Celtic here (it was supposed to be AC Milan). It was a 0 – 0 draw but it was a good game. The stadium is absolutely wonderful, welcoming, not threatening at all. And it’s right next to the lake. Perfect position by downtown. Beautiful.
Now that I’ve been to every NFL stadium (current and former) and seen all 32 teams play live in the flesh, time to review them on Unilocal!I love stadia! I’ve been to every cool sports arena in the UK & North America, it’s an obsession I have with travel & sport. I’ve roamed America as a musician for years. In that time, I’ve seen sports games at (or toured when empty, or both) almost every major stadium in US/​Canada. Many pictures taken which I’ll upload eventually. On future travels, I’ll new pix, and add more stadiums! Watch this space!
***back to regular review***
This has to be one of the most perfectly located stadiums in America. It’s right in the heart of downtown Cleveland, and yet right on the very banks of Lake Erie. It’s spectacular. When you drive on Route 5 and find yourself twisting and turning along the lakeshore, right past the stadium, it’s one of the best sights for hundreds of miles in any direction.
I’ve only seen one thing here… which was the Celtic vs Boca Juniors soccer game. I had tickets for AC Milan v Celtic but the Italians canceled (apparently they heard there is a lot more Polish Sausage than Italian Sausage in Cleveland). It was a really great stadium… it’s a bit windy, but then that just allows maligned sports stars to eventually become windicated.
The main reason it gets 5 stars is the location. It’s also a modern and spectacular stadium, it’s large, it’s loud (like my p****), and it’s got a location that every other city envies… right on the beautiful shores of the lake in gorgeous, idyllic, tropical Cleveland, OH.
Cleveland is one of the best food cities in USA by the way. See below.
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As for good food to eat in Cleveland, the list is endless…
Crulers from Biagio’s Donuts
Baked Potato Pizza Deep Dish from Angelo’s
Ropa Vieja Arepa from Barrocco Grill
Tacos from La Plaza Supermarket at 13 609 Lakewood Heights
Pupusa and Tamale from Pupuseria La Bendicion
Jerky from the butchers in West Side Market
Lemon and Sugar crêpe from there too
Pierogies from Sokolowski’s
Polish Boy from SETI’s truck
Fried Chicken from Hot Sauce Williams
Sammy Kay sandwich from Corky And Lennys
Razzle Dazzle drink from Sweet Moses
And that’s just off the top of my head. Get eating, Ohio!
Oh, if you’re in Akron area, try some Barberton Fried Chicken from Belgrade Gardens along with the Paprikash Dumplings…
And of course a Galley Boy and a shake from Swensons! And a Florida drink!
Also check out the chocolate shakes from Hartville Kitchen, and also their main meals are amazing. And their Rhubarb Pie.
And try a Lee’s Fried Chicken too, there’s a few of them around.

I attended a Browns game recently and had a pretty good experience at the stadium. The concessions were pretty pricy, but it was no different than any other stadium or arena anywhere else.
The seats were alright for the most part, but they really could’ve used a bit more spacing. The stranger next to me and I were basically always touching, and I’m not about that life. I will say that the rows were nicely spaced as opposed to some other places where it seems like it if your legs are even slightly longer than average, then your knees will be pressed against the row in front of you.
There was one really unpleasant thing though. There were a lot of spiders in our area. I’m not sure if that’s a normal occurrence, but it was quite annoying. Every time we got rid of a spider, another one popped up.

Finally… our team is winning and not only winning, but in FIRST PLACE atop the AFC North! Can you believe it?!
Hoyer the Destroyer is building upon a solid 3 starts from 2013 and leading the Brownies to victory! I’m a season ticket holder this year and I’ve loving every moment! Our seats in the lower bowl of the Dawg Pound are fantastic! The crowd has really been into it this year, so it’s crazy loud! Having a winning record may have something to do with this. ;)
The new stadium renovations bring some much needed modernization to FirstEnergy Stadium. The huge score boards are simply beautiful and absolutely night and day over the old crappy ‘90s style mini score boards that existed before this season. The new sound system is amazing and crystal clear!
My buddy got us field passes for the Tampa game this year and it was one awesome experience! We got to go into the stadium through the Media Entrance and went into one of the vistors locker rooms. They gave us a run down of what we would be doing and we had a dress rehearsal. We brought out a banner before the national anthem and unfolded it and then folded it back up afterwards. The crowd sounded so loud from the field! It was incredible!
I’ll most likely renew my season tickets for next year if we keep winning like this!
GO BROWNS! WOOF WOOF! :D

DAWG POUND IN THE HOUSE! GO BROWNS!
That being said this stadium needs to get their act together. I bought my husband FRONT ROW, LOWER LEVEL SEATS ON THE 40 YARD LINE for his birthday (I know, I am an awesome wife) so he could cheer on his team. While we were there, the ushers were constantly telling everyone to sit down. Really? And, not just us DAWG fans in the 1^st row, but everybody. They said people were complaining that they could not see.
Look, you cannot make everyone happy. Tell them if you want to see to stay at home and watch it on TV or stand up like everyone else. Who wants to sit down the whole game? What is the point of buying tickets? They even told the gentlemen behind us (who I believe were season ticket holders) that they would yank their tickets and they would not be allowed back into the stadium if they continued to stand up and call the ushers «fun police.»
Them constantly telling everyone to sit down really killed the mood. DEBBIE DOWNERS, NEGATIVE NANCYS & PATTY PRUDES… STAY AT HOME! We DONT WANT YOU AT THE DAWG POUND!!!

They’re making some great improvements here. They’ve added extra escalators and a few food stands throughout (there’s a B Spot here!). I also hear that the other food service-​company sponsored food stands are going to be slowly weeded out to make room for even more local restaurants.

My boyfriend is a major Cleveland Browns fan so even if we werent able to walk inside the staduim just being near it made him so happy. We are looking forward to going to a game in the near future.

I came to the stadium for the Browns vs Bengals game in 2012. It’s a lot different from Paul Brown stadium and the concessions are incredibly expensive. We came with season ticket holders so our seats were in a box and very nice. However, beware these are some of the MOST AGGRESSIVE fans around and they did not take kindly to Bengals fans…

Browns Browns Browns!
I came here for what might have been my first regular season NFL game. We arrived at the break of dawn, 9 o’clock, to the Lakefront Municipal Parking Lot to tailgate before the game. We spent these hours in the December freezing cold while we drank at and grilled.
We headed over to the stadium about an hour before game time. Note: If you need to use the restroom I recommend doing so at the tailgate lot in one of the port-​o-​potties before heading over. If not, you may be required to relieve yourself outside of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
I entered the stadium on the Southeast side. From here you are granted two options, one is an escalator to get to the 300 level and the other is to walk up the ramp. I saw the long line for the escalator so I decided I would just walk. Bad idea. I ended up walking for what felt like forever and when I «arrived» I was actually on the 400 level area. What the hey! Ok so I ventured back down to the 300 level. That was one heck of a workout. Our seats were in the Dawg Pound all the way at the top in row 44. It was stupid cold and the wind did not help being all the way at the top.
While at the game I got two hot chocolates and two beers for $ 23.

This stadium is definitely full of energy but I believe it is all a conspiracy! The section the «non-​Cleveland» fans were sitting in got snowed on. Yes, folks, snowed on. Not one other single section was victim to this but us! Then let’s talk about the nasty concession food. The twice dropped chicken fingers. ewww @ $ 8+ dollars a pop. I was pissed but stahvin.
That aside it’s a relatively nice stadium. The views all around were decent, MOST of the fans were sensible, and the bathrooms were clean. Good experience. I’ll just make sure I’m full ahead of time.

Vegetarian burger available outside section 511. But considering how slow the volunteer cashiers are, better get in line early.
And buy your booze before the start of the 4^th quarter when they cut you off. Watch people steal peanuts while they aren’t looking while u wait in line.