(05-27-2016 11:33 AM)KAjunRaider Wrote: (05-26-2016 09:26 PM)WKUYG Wrote: (05-26-2016 01:30 PM)Rojogrande Wrote: There is plenty more to do in Birmingham then going to a bar or restaurant. I was just using those for me since I go there to watch basketball, not for a family vacation. Like TOPSTRAIGHT said...you really only need 2 days off of work. It doesn't have to be a full fledged family vacation seeing as how it really isn't that expensive of a trip depending on what you do. There are museums, historic sights, parks, golf courses, etc. More stuff to do in Birmingham then we had in Hot Springs, AR with the Sun Belt. I think the smaller WKU fan base in Birmingham has more to do with the state of Topper basketball the last couple seasons then anything. Hell our home attendance was dropping off as well. And WKU still had a halfway decent contingent in Birmingham this past season. I expect that to grow this year.
I guess days off will depend on when you work. But you can't expect someone living in TX to take 2 days off and play on a Thursday afternoon...Western or the muts yes but not for most of this conference. But that is beside the point...
if you come for the tourney it's 5 days if you are coming just for your team it will depend. But the point was it's easier getting families to attend a event that is close to a beach or a destination city.
Even then we aren't talking about double or triple but there will be more. B'ham is great if you are a fan with in 4 hours driving time but as I pointed out in another thread. There's a reason the CUSA meetings are in Destain fla. and you can bet the farm those with a family brought the wife and kids. Hold those same meeting in B;ham and those same families stay home.
As to the person that say they paid $10 for a ticket...I'm not going to a conference tourney and standing on the street looking for tickets. Also there are ushers asking to see tickets and even with less than 1000 there trying to make fans move.
ATTALLABLAZE our tourney is a week to 10 days before Spring Break and you can get a decent {better than what I paid $125 for in B;ham) for $80 a night
Here you go a 3 BR condo right on the beach for $250 including taxes and fees ..3 nights March 8th-11th 2017 that's a Wed checking out Saturday
https://www.vrbo.com/460614
I'd steer clear of PCB that time of year. It was MT's Spring Break that week.
Head on over to 30a (Seaside, Grayton, Rosemary, Gulf Place, etc)
Years ago Seaside use to be our go to place when my wife and I wanted a 3-4 day quiet relaxing short vacation. But now it's built up to where it's hard even walking without people all around you bumping into you. Actually that whole area has changed (not for the better...in my opinion) from relaxing down to earth people to a lot of yuppies and pretenders. We know someone that lives there so we make a point of visiting them on most of our trips. So not everyone fits the "yuppies and pretenders" there are some really great people there also (as I'm sure you are) so I guess I was being a little judgemental. It's just changed so much in the last 15 years or so.
We try to spend at least 12 weeks on the Gulf or South Fla each year. So value is more important than if we were doing 3 weeks a year. And the area around Seaside has become really expensive. This time of year everything is in the $300+ a night range and that's without a view.
But at different times we are after different things. Sometimes in the winter months just a quick, quiet relaxing trip in between basketball games so we'll stay at Seaside. But most of the time it's fishing and the beach. On those trips I like PC Beach....
Honestly I would rather be around real families, real people, than you get at some of these places. When I say real I mean the family that might have to go in with a friend to be able to afford their 5-7 day stay. So they are not there trying to impress anyone....just out for a good time.
To me those are the people that makes a beach vacation fun. PC Beach is made up of a good mix of people. Great for people watching and not in the bad way some people view it. I like seeing people cut loose and having fun. Some of these other places you get a lot of pretenders. Not everyone...but a lot. When I say pretenders...I mean too uptight to cut loose and just have a great time and hell maybe even do something stupid and embarrassing. Not there trying to impress people they don't know and wont see again.
Seaside, Grayton, while really really nice places have became, along with Destin, to uppity, for my taste during the Spring & Summer. Give me the country (redneck) family with their guts hanging out, drinking their bud or bush and letting their kids be kids. They are taking a 2 to 3 day (some a week) break from their everyday worries and till they head back home they are going to have a great time and not worried about impressing anyone.
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TOurnament is in either El Paso or Brimingham
