SEPTA may have been on strike, but that didn't stop legions of fans from getting to the Eagles' 100th matchup with the Cowboys yesterday.

It did make it a little more challenging for some of them, though.

By 8 p.m., 20 minutes before game time, police and parking attendants already were turning away drivers trying to squeeze into one of the lots. Fans walked, caught cabs, carpooled and even biked to get to the game.

"We would have taken SEPTA instead of having to take another car," said Charlie Hamilton, 25, who was tailgating with eight others before the game started.

It took longer and cost more for Chelsea Griffis, 21, a student at Thomas Jefferson University, to get to the game.

If the SEPTA union workers weren't on strike, "we would drink and then take SEPTA," Griffis said. Instead, they had to wait until they got to the game before drinking. The price of the whole adventure was higher too.

"Parking is $30 - are you kidding me? And all the lots are full!" she said.

The game was the first that Laura Deprophetas, 21, had been to this season.

"We had to drive and pay for parking," she said, "instead of spending $3 [on SEPTA tokens]."

It also took longer to get to the stadium, she said.

"We left at 4:45 [p.m]. We didn't park until 6 - and we live in Center City."

Mallory Neubert, a fellow fan, agreed. "Coming down took so much longer. We had to coordinate, find friends with access to a car - and in the city, no one drives."

And like others, "I thought they would settle [the strike Saturday] night," she said.

Cousins Chris and Jeremy White, 27 and 24, respectively, walked to the stadium from their house on 11th Street near Bainbridge.

"I thought everything would be taken care of" on Saturday, Chris said, speaking of the strike negotiations.

They spent 40 minutes walking to the stadium.

"See that sweat?" asked White, pointing at his forehead, as he neared the stadium about 8 p.m.

Matt Martinez, 19, made the haul to the stadium from Lindenwold, N.J.

"I usually come in and take the train," he said. But when he got to City Hall, "we had to pay 30 bucks for a cab to come pick us up. And we're students. It's hard to dish out money just for that."

Despite the hassle, numerous fans said they'd rather be at the game than anywhere else.

"It's Eagles versus Dallas," Martinez said. "It's the hundredth game - you gotta come. There's no way I'm missing anything. No way at all."