Thank you for the tips everyone. My son's birthday trip to the Dome went off without a hitch, and we all had a blast. We arrived on the hill at around 10:30, and parked in the Crouse Hospital lot. Very good parking lot (was free)...close to restaurants and shops and about a quarter mile long walk to Gate M. Perfect opportunity to show my son some of the beautiful buildings on campus. He said "Daddy, look at all the castles" on the way up.
First, we headed over to Manny's to stock up on some much needed Cuse gear for the whole family. Spent nearly $250, but it was well worth every penny. Next, we arrived in perfect time to Faegans to get a table for three. It seems like if we had waited another 5 minutes to get there we wouldn't have been able to get a table. After some good burgers, some wings, and a pint of Brooklyn Lager (birthday soda with a cherry for my boy) we headed up to the dome at around 12:30.
We arrived before the crowds, and asked a man who was working the gate where we might be able to find Otto. The man informed us that Otto was on vacation, but after my wife explained that it was my son's 4th birthday and first Syracuse game, he asked up where we were sitting (more to come). We then headed down to field level to explore. Watched some of the people shooting free throws, purchase the obligatory foam hand, and then headed over to the court to watch warm-ups. This part was really fun for my son who actually recognized a few of he players by # including CJ Fair who was stroking 3 pointers from the baseline like 10 feet away from us. His little eyes were like saucers. The ushers were kind enough to allow us to take a family photo standing on the corner of the court.
After some more exploring, it was time to hit the bathrooms, stock up on concessions, and head to our seats. By this time there was approximately 25 minutes left until the tip. Perfect timing.
After the tip the crowd noise got really loud, so we gave my son his noise canceling head phones. A couple particular "vocal" but very nice and respectful guys behind us remarked that thy were his profanity canceling headphones. I got a laugh out of that. My son actually watched the entire game very intently. I expected him to get squirmy toward the end, but it never happened. He just seemed to be captivated by the sheer magnitude and emotion of the whole experience. He was screaming "stinky wildcats!!" and giving out high fives to everyone around us. It was truly a day, as a Father, that I will never forget.
So, with about 8 minutes left in the 2nd half, a gentleman from guest services came to our seats with a goodie bag for my son, and he apologized because Otto was "on vacation." In the bag was a team photo, a mini-helmet with Ernie Banks' number on the back, a t-shirt, and an assortment of little SU knick-nacks and toys. It was a very classy gesture, and I was very grateful and impressed.
With about 1:20 left on the clock, I threw the boy on my shoulders, and the three of us made our way out of the stadium and toward the parking lot. My son got a kick out of the tornado winds as we exited. A short walk to the lot, and we were on 690 heading West in about 15 minutes.
Overall, a surprisingly successful and amazing game for all of us. Thank you to everyone for the helpful (and comical) suggestions. I consider this experience to have been somewhat of an Orange baptismal for my little boy. I am certain that he will now bleed orange (just like his mommy and daddy) for the rest of his life.
GO CUSE!!
Touche, my friend.
