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A month after checking out the Eagles, I’ll be returning to Philadelphia one more time to complete all of the city’s stadiums on The List. The 9th and final facility within city limits comes at an understated place that many have forgotten about. For nearly 30 years (including the heart of the John Chaney era), the Temple Owls played at McGonigle Hall, a small arena that provided a decent home court advantage. While the Men’s basketball team moved next door in 1999 to the Liacouras Center, the women’s team remained. This is a trend that I love as it keeps old, beloved facilities alive. Also playing in McGonigle is the women’s volleyball team and this is a sport I’ve enjoyed in the past, having seen Penn State and Wisconsin. With 25 other volleyball teams on The List and playing in vacated facilities, I will be checking out this particular Owls team on Sunday as they have a 1 PM match against South Florida. While planning this arena visit, I also realized that it is the opening weekend for College Basketball. Sitting only 4 miles from Temple is the University of Pennsylvania and their treasure of an arena, The Palestra. Penn is playing Central Connecticut State at 4 PM and I don’t want to miss an opportunity to return to that sacred place, so I’ll be trying to get there, assuming volleyball goes quickly. To avoid driving thru the city and getting hit with double-digit parking prices at both places, I will nervously be utilizing PATCO and SEPTA, the latter of which is a transportation system that I do not like. But, I’ll take another shot at it as it seems like the best move to get to both places and save some money. Ironically, the Eagles are also home at 1 PM, so I’m sure I’ll see plenty of green on my travels through the city.
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Stadium and Arena Visits 