Set the VCR, stay in bed.

That's the tip from county and demolition officials who say thousands of spectators cannot be accommodated when Cinergy Field is imploded at 8 a.m. Dec. 29.

At least be on the right side of the river before the dawn breaks. At 2 a.m., police will close the Roebling Suspension and the Taylor Southgate bridges and by 4 a.m. both Third and Second streets will be closed along the river.

All four Tristate TV stations will broadcast the event live and that may be the best way to see the stadium reduced by a series of blasts to a 45-foot-high pile of concrete and steel beams.

If you insist on going downtown to watch, your best bet is an invitation to a private office building, reservations at a river restaurant or a VIP ticket courtesy of the O'Rourke Wrecking Co.

Without those options, the public can gather in Cincinnati along the north side of Third Street from Broadway to Race. Officials warn that if a breeze kicks up, they will back up the crowd toward Fourth Street and there's no guarantee of a clear line of sight.

In Kentucky, the best public view will be from Covington's riverfront, east of the Roebling, or in Newport along the mouth of the Licking River.

There will be limited space for the public on the Paul Brown Stadium Plaza but to snag a spot there, plan to arrive by 6 a.m.

Other times to note:

6 a.m. - Final check of wiring and connections of the explosives; final sweep of stadium by police and demolition officials.

6 a.m. - North-south streets from Third to Fourth streets in Cincinnati close.

7:30 a.m. - Playing of the National Anthem launches implosion program on the plaza of Paul Brown Stadium.

8 a.m. - Final perimeter check followed by a 20-second siren.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6.....

- The Cincinnati Enquirer