Only approx 500 of the 1,500 tickets alloted to NIU by MN have been sold to Huskie fans.
Compare that to opening games on the road @ NU, UM and OSU .
One problem confronting some fans is the RNC has booked most available hotel rooms in Minneapolis for the same weekend of the convention.
Minnesota isn't exactly a hotbed of college football and this matchup has far less attraction than Michigan or Ohio State. Plus it seems to me NIU has done piss poor job in touting this matchup to our fan base and in putting together an attractive travel package. The only thing I have heard about is the insane there and back in one-day bus trip. The Twin Cities is a big metropolitan area with lots of hotel rooms. You can take quick hop across the river into Wisconsin and find lots of hotels, so I don't buy this argument about the Republican National Convention gobbling up all available beds.
Strikes me as an example of how we already miss Jim Phillips. His office would have been promoting this game a lot more than what has happened so far. I'm starting to really take issue with our new invisible athletic director.
Have you attempted to book a respectable hotel room in MNpls area ?
Let me know how it goes. Are rates reasonable?
I do agree re: the Mn matchup being a less marque opener as a factor.
What has NIU done to promote tix sales for MN game to others than HASF members or alums which likely represents the bulk of the 500 already sold I would suspect?\
( I will have 2 -not three - attending as I first had planned )
How far from the HumpDome is the RNC ? Do I smell traffic headaches for fans?
NIU Fans need to represent in support of a wounded team entering a new era.
How many times might we expect to read post game headlines using "NIU & Road Kill" in the same sentence ?
I have traveled to the Twin Cities on business before. Trust me there are hotel rooms up the wazoo in every price range imagineable. I doubt very seriously the ability to find a hotel room is preventing any NIU fan from traveling for this game.
Has the ole wazoo ever been to a city hosting a national convention?
I have and it takes over many centrally located rooms many months in advance even in places like NYC where I attended as a delegate.
The media entourage alone is mind boggling.
I just came back from hotel.com and did not find much available in Mn.
My quests often came back sorry, choose another date. Try it yourself.
{Fortunately for me and no so for my relatives who are putting up with me, I need not worry - unless they toss out my sorry arse after Friday nite}
Wonder where the NIU team is staying: Best Western and Westin are aprox 6 blocks from Dome.
Many fans attending away games also seek to make it a mini vacation taking in the sights.
Bunking miles from downtown in Plymouth & WI is not convenient - especially with gas prices and traffic headaches expected.
Travel up Saturday morning, attend the game, hit a hotel 30 minutes down the road on the route back to Illinois. Or hop the river and stay at a plethora of options on the Wisconsin side that are 30 minute tops drive from the Metrodome.
NIU fans aren't going to this game for lots of reasons, but hotel availability ain't one of them.
Nigel Incubator-Jones Wrote:Minnesota isn't exactly a hotbed of college football and this matchup has far less attraction than Michigan or Ohio State. Plus it seems to me NIU has done piss poor job in touting this matchup to our fan base and in putting together an attractive travel package. The only thing I have heard about is the insane there and back in one-day bus trip. The Twin Cities is a big metropolitan area with lots of hotel rooms. You can take quick hop across the river into Wisconsin and find lots of hotels, so I don't buy this argument about the Republican National Convention gobbling up all available beds.
Strikes me as an example of how we already miss Jim Phillips. His office would have been promoting this game a lot more than what has happened so far. I'm starting to really take issue with our new invisible athletic director.
That is part of the problem with Phillips though, he is visibile for his own benefit. AD'S are not necessarily supposed to have tons and tons of camera time.
if you spend 6 hrs to and fro to MIN and between $140-160.00 in gas you wanna see sights with your family other than the dome and your room one nite.
Nigel Incubator-Jones Wrote:Minnesota isn't exactly a hotbed of college football and this matchup has far less attraction than Michigan or Ohio State. Plus it seems to me NIU has done piss poor job in touting this matchup to our fan base and in putting together an attractive travel package. The only thing I have heard about is the insane there and back in one-day bus trip. The Twin Cities is a big metropolitan area with lots of hotel rooms. You can take quick hop across the river into Wisconsin and find lots of hotels, so I don't buy this argument about the Republican National Convention gobbling up all available beds.
Strikes me as an example of how we already miss Jim Phillips. His office would have been promoting this game a lot more than what has happened so far. I'm starting to really take issue with our new invisible athletic director.
Rochester is basically on the way too, lots of reasonably priced hotels there too especially on the weekends...
You guys might want to take a look at Bloomington, from there it is about a 20 minute drive to the dome and you can check out the mall of america or water park of america.
As of a few weeks ago i was able to get into Holiday Inn Metrodome, really not a problem.
btowngopher Wrote:You guys might want to take a look at Bloomington, from there it is about a 20 minute drive to the dome and you can check out the mall of america or water park of america.
I'll be staying there. Rooms in the downtown area are booked or going for $500 a night, but the burbs have plenty.
my suspicion is that since minnesota was at the bottom of the big ten last year, niu fans are not that excited about the matchup. hard core fans like the ones on these boards are excited because we have a reasonable chance to win this game, but i agree - its not the opening weekend marquee matchup weve had the last 3 years with michigan/osu/iowa. personally, i am glad to have a team that we have a shot at, instead of a team that is up on us 28-0 in the first quarter.
Try 'burbs just to the west like Plymouth, Golden Valley or Maple Grove. All are 15 minutes or less to DT and the opposite direction as the RNC. Also, try Bloomington, Mall of America area and consider taking light rail to the game!
philhelm Wrote:my suspicion is that since minnesota was at the bottom of the big ten last year, niu fans are not that excited about the matchup. hard core fans like the ones on these boards are excited because we have a reasonable chance to win this game, but i agree - its not the opening weekend marquee matchup weve had the last 3 years with michigan/osu/iowa. personally, i am glad to have a team that we have a shot at, instead of a team that is up on us 28-0 in the first quarter.
I completely agree with you. Although we may not win, we certainly do have a chance. That has not been the case the past few opening games. My wife and I am really looking forward to this trip. It will be nice to watch a game for a change where we don't have to be concerned about the weather.
Maddagz doesn't know this yet, but we will be camping outside his hotel room door. Please don't tell him, though. Just let him figure out for himself where those noises and smells are coming from.
