I wouldn't even get a room in NYC. I'd get one around the Allentown PA area for 2 nights.

(04-11-2010 09:57 PM)animus Wrote:  I wouldn't even get a room in NYC. I'd get one around the Allentown PA area for 2 nights.

I'd just take NJ Transit into Penn Station and take the A/C train to either Columbus Circle or 125th Street and switch to the B/D train.

As for booking rooms I'd look in Bergen, Essex or Hudson Counties at hotels. You'll be plenty close and I can't imagine its all that much more than all the way out in Allentown. Basically you wanna stay near I-80, the Garden State Parkway, the NJ Turnpike/I-95, US 1/US 9, NJ 4, NJ 3, NJ 21, NJ 17, US 46*, I-280 or I-78 in terms of roads and/or a NJ Transit commuter rail station or a major bus station. I wouldn't stay in Hoboken or downtown Jersey City as nearly the same sort of sticker shock would ensue. If its on US 46 and in the following towns don't do it its a 90% chance of being a "roach motel": Elmwood Park, South Hackensack, Little Ferry, Teterboro, Lodi, Saddle Brook, Ridgefield Park
NJ 3 is probably the best corridor to stay on as you can easily and quickly drive from Secaucus or East Rutherford hotels to Secaucus Junction and pay the $5 to park and ride the train into Penn Station. Also might be able to get bus service from some of them directly into the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

If you've never been to Manhattan its actually very easy to navigate north of 14th Street since its a near perfect grid with the only real exceptions being Central Park blocking the cross-streets and Broadway cutting diagonally across Manhattan from 79th Street to about 14th Street (Union Square.) Despite the rumors, sensationalism and older films/TV the subway system is very safe, fairly clean and very efficient and has been so for at least the last 15 years. Also, Harlem and Washington Heights aren't unsafe open drug markets anymore, they're gentrifying much like the rest of Manhattan, Brooklyn and to lesser extents much of Queens and parts of the Bronx.

As for New Year's Eve in Times Square, skip it its horrible. My priorities would be to check out Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Terminal and the Art Museums. Perhaps after that the real touristy stuff, over half of which I've never done having lived here my entire 25 years. If you're traveling with young adults or music types check out the Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn and one of the various bars with live music. Trash Bar is one I can recommend from personal experience.

(04-11-2010 09:32 PM)CardHouse Wrote:  

(04-11-2010 05:43 PM)Wilkie01 Wrote:   I do not consider a cold minor bowl in New York city a prime time or desirable destinion for most football fans. I think it will be hard sell to get Louisville fans to travel there.

One sell is New Year's eve at Times Square, something most Card fans probably never have done. I've never done it either and would certainly consider it if UofL made that bowl.

No doubt Time Square/NYC on New Year's Eve is a blast...but the problem is....most of the best hotels are booked MONTHS in advance...and obviously well before bowl selection is done on the first weekend in Dec (for many bowls).

While a room for New Year's Eve could be had a few weeks prior....it will be like someone trying to get a nice room in Louisville...just a few weeks prior to the Derby...(i.e. cost you an arm and a leg if you really, really, REALLY want it).

(04-12-2010 07:35 AM)KnightLight Wrote:  

(04-11-2010 09:32 PM)CardHouse Wrote:  

(04-11-2010 05:43 PM)Wilkie01 Wrote:   I do not consider a cold minor bowl in New York city a prime time or desirable destinion for most football fans. I think it will be hard sell to get Louisville fans to travel there.

One sell is New Year's eve at Times Square, something most Card fans probably never have done. I've never done it either and would certainly consider it if UofL made that bowl.

No doubt Time Square/NYC on New Year's Eve is a blast...but the problem is....most of the best hotels are booked MONTHS in advance...and obviously well before bowl selection is done on the first weekend in Dec (for many bowls).

While a room for New Year's Eve could be had a few weeks prior....it will be like someone trying to get a nice room in Louisville...just a few weeks prior to the Derby...(i.e. cost you an arm and a leg if you really, really, REALLY want it).

Also have a feeling that the bowl will be steering people towards specific hotels.

For anyone going to the Yankee bowl.

The absolute best place to stay is actually anywhere along the Metro north line to NYC.

Stay in some hotel in Stamford, CT and take the train (runs every half hour/hour depending on time and day) down to Yankee stadium is actually faster and easier than going there from most places in Manhattan. A lot cheaper too. Plus the main stop in Manhattan for the Metronorth is smack in the center of NYC (Grand Central).

Also do not go to little Italy for Italian food, its nothing but a tourist trap. Best place for Italian food in Brooklyn.

(04-12-2010 08:16 AM)ccbfan Wrote:  Also do not go to little Italy for Italian food, its nothing but a tourist trap. Best place for Italian food in Brooklyn.

I'll agree with you on this for the most part but I have a couple of exceptions. Angelo's of Mulberry Street is a Sicilian-style place and is excellent but not cheap. Lombardi's for all its hype being the original pizzeria and such lives up to the hype. I recommend the Six Points Cream Ale as a pairing with pizza for any beer drinkers out there. Ferrara's bakery on Grand Street also lives up to the hype for pastries, desserts and cakes while also having excellent gelato for the States. Umberto's is a tourist trap now a days and the rest of these places generally are as well. There's one other place that isn't but its name escapes me at the moment.

Another great option is Arthur Avenue in the Bronx for Italian food. Some great restaurants, delis and bakeries over there. For seafood lovers check out some of the restaurants on City Island in the Bronx although its one of the few places in the city I recommend driving to. Sammy's is excellent as is Portofino.

(04-11-2010 08:37 PM)uvaeer Wrote:  

(04-11-2010 08:36 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  WVU may be south of the Mason-Dixon line. But I don't think 7 miles qualifies us as a southern school, cuse. You need to brush up on your geography...

Also, no matter how many fans Pitt, or any other BEast school brings to a game in NYC, WVU fans coming to New York would dwarf any contingent...

I would think Rutgers would bring more fans to the game, though no one would stay in a hotel. WVU could equal Uconn though.

Try getting a reservation at Amos Zeroue's restaurant when the Mountaineers are in NYC. Zeroue's is ground zero for WVU fans...

I don't understand how this game makes financial sense for the conference. You are bringing a travel party of not less than 120 that the school/conference will pay for. Minimum of four nights not having seen the contract, possibly as many as six nights. Even with pre-arranged discounts, I'd bet on the hotel cost being roughly double the cost of say the Liberty Bowl with meals running 25% to 50% greater even catered.

I see your point, but really all the BE bowls after the first 2 or 3 don't make any financial sense and have limits on increasing it. I guess the focus is more about location and/or opponent for the BE ancillary bowls.

(04-14-2010 01:26 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  I don't understand how this game makes financial sense for the conference. You are bringing a travel party of not less than 120 that the school/conference will pay for. Minimum of four nights not having seen the contract, possibly as many as six nights. Even with pre-arranged discounts, I'd bet on the hotel cost being roughly double the cost of say the Liberty Bowl with meals running 25% to 50% greater even catered.

I'm sure the payout is enough to break even, which is all that matters.

(04-14-2010 03:37 PM)uvaeer Wrote:  

(04-14-2010 01:26 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  I don't understand how this game makes financial sense for the conference. You are bringing a travel party of not less than 120 that the school/conference will pay for. Minimum of four nights not having seen the contract, possibly as many as six nights. Even with pre-arranged discounts, I'd bet on the hotel cost being roughly double the cost of say the Liberty Bowl with meals running 25% to 50% greater even catered.

I'm sure the payout is enough to break even, which is all that matters.

For most of the conference, there's minimal travel for the team and fanbase. NYC has 3 major airports allowing for easy direct flight access for those teams that need to travel any distance. There's plenty of hotels, lots to do, and the payout is better than the International Bowl's was. What's not to like about it? A trip to NYC beats the hell out of a trip to Birmingham...

http://www.tennessean.com/article/201004...4/SPORTS06

This article seems to confirm that there will be a quadrupleheader of bowl games on 12/30 on ESPN

??? at 11:30am (?)
Pinstripe Bowl (Big 12 vs. Big East) 3pm (?)
Music City Bowl (SEC vs. ACC) 6:30pm
Holiday Bowl (PAC-10 vs. Big 12) 10pm

Wow, how far has the Holiday Bowl fallen, though this isn't going to be the 1st west coast bowl that will have a later start. The Kraft Fights Hunger Bowl, formerly the Emerald Bowl, will be a 6pm start time on the west coast on January 9th.