USC Sports-cation

USC Women's Basketball at CSULB

When the weather gets cold, we start our sports-cations to California and Arizona laced with University of Southern California sporting events.

This time of year there's football and basketball. Within a 10-day period, we took in two football games, several basketball games, and a Lakers pro game.

We flew from Bellingham to Palm Springs on Allegiant. Avoiding rush hour, driving to Los Angeles is better than airplane transfers.

USC vs UCLA at the Rose Bowl

We drove straight to Long Beach State University. USC women were playing against my alma mater. It was fun to return to my college after twenty years. USC won, but I was rooting for both teams.

Wayne coordinates hotels to match sports venues, so we headed to the Pasadena Hilton to position ourselves for USC vs. UCLA football. We sat in "enemy" territory and had to listen to a lot of heckling, even though UCLA won.

USC Men's Basketball takes Cal State Fullerton

We had a late at the Pasadena Cheesecake Factory in honour of the Big Bang Theory we watch on our laptop at the cabin

Between games Wayne picked the Montebello Hilton Garden Inn for some serious sunbathing. Heading to the suburbs, he got a good deal.

Next was USC men's basketball at the Galen Center.  Wayne got us into the Raddison next door. This can be difficult on football weekends, but at off times it's a good choice.

Sunny downtown LA

We headed to the Downtown Sheraton. From here we could walk or ride the Metro Rail to our remaining events.  First was the Lakers basketball game at Staples Center. It was exciting to see the players in action, especially Kobe.

On Thanksgiving we walked to the LA Auto Show at the Convention Center. It was a good way to see all models in one place. Later, we enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner at the classic downtown Pantry Cafe.


Our last event was the USC vs. Notre Dame football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Metro Rail to Exposition Park was 35 cents each way for seniors, or $1.75 full fare. One great thing about a big city is inexpensive rapid transit.

The LA Coliseum

This game was more positive game with a win for our team. What a great end to a USC sports-cation.

Wayne does our travel plans and reservations. When game tickets go on sale, he purchases them directly from the schools. Our second choice is to use StubHub. 

You can develop your own sports-cations around your favourite college (or professional) sports teams. While Wayne is the USC sports nut in our family, I enjoy the trips and going to the games. Over the years, I've learned a lot about football, basketball, volleyball, baseball, and softball. Because we enjoy both men's and women's events, it broadens the opportunities within a short period of time.

Do you follow a favourite team?
Consider crafting a vacation around their sporting events. -- Margy