tabenn 47 Report post Posted January 27, 2017 I thought New York was okay...Madison Square garden was great...but the expense and the travel not so much...but we stayed in Jersey to save on the room expense....Did not like Philly.. Going to STL this year--I have been told it is a great arena and great area, everything is very close... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gantry 1,872 Report post Posted January 27, 2017 I agree with the terrible location of Auburn Hills, but if they have a new central location I'm all for it. Bottom 3 NCAAs since attending all starting in 2000 were: 1) Albany - hi, we're in Delware Albany, haul to the venue, crazy post-911 security lines, ate Subway every day because no good restaurants 2) Auburn Hills - described pretty well already 3) KC - downtown area was a ghost town, that bridge of death you had to walk over to get to the venue, that or sit in unbearable traffic because said bridge was a choke point That said I loved them all and where you end up staying drastically affects your overall enjoyment. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
STEW 0 Report post Posted January 27, 2017 I agree with the terrible location of Auburn Hills, but if they have a new central location I'm all for it. Bottom 3 NCAAs since attending all starting in 2000 were: 1) Albany - hi, we're in Delware Albany, haul to the venue, crazy post-911 security lines, ate Subway every day because no good restaurants 2) Auburn Hills - described pretty well already 3) KC - downtown area was a ghost town, that bridge of death you had to walk over to get to the venue, that or sit in unbearable traffic because said bridge was a choke point That said I loved them all and where you end up staying drastically affects your overall enjoyment. My least favorite by far was Des Moines. The arena was way to small and the bathroom issue was a real problem. If I remember correctly they ended up changing a good amount of the women's restrooms to men's restrooms on the final day because lines were so long. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IRTYTKY 67 Report post Posted January 28, 2017 My least favorite by far was Des Moines. The arena was way to small and the bathroom issue was a real problem. If I remember correctly they ended up changing a good amount of the women's restrooms to men's restrooms on the final day because lines were so long. You remember incorrectly because it wasnt that bad. Plenty of bars and restaurants close. Some womens bathrooms were switched to mens after the first session if not right away. I bet it was the cheapest bar and food bill of all the most recent hosts as well. We went to a bar south of the arena right off the main road and they were selling 6 packs of tall boys for $10. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Smedley 467 Report post Posted January 28, 2017 You remember incorrectly because it wasnt that bad. Plenty of bars and restaurants close. Some womens bathrooms were switched to mens after the first session if not right away. I bet it was the cheapest bar and food bill of all the most recent hosts as well. We went to a bar south of the arena right off the main road and they were selling 6 packs of tall boys for $10.How's the gay nightlife there? Maybe if they coordinated with the Mr. Iowa Leather competition there would be more positive reviews? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cangemi 228 Report post Posted January 28, 2017 Pittsburgh Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
legger 14 Report post Posted January 28, 2017 Indy or Chicago. 1 stp reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dtl38 79 Report post Posted January 28, 2017 Keep it in St Louis every year. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigApple 86 Report post Posted January 28, 2017 KC with the new Sprint Arena would be excellent. There must be 20 bars/restaurants across the street from the main entrance .interstate is just south of the arena. Tulsa has a new arena near downtown. John Smith is working on them bidding for the tournament 2 KCMO2 and levityrel reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LemonPie 1,368 Report post Posted January 28, 2017 Nashville Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gantry 1,872 Report post Posted January 28, 2017 I like the idea of Nashville. I've been surprised before and I'm posting 100% out of ignorance but Tulsa doesn't strike me as an overly exciting city nor one that would be fun to get to via air travel from a lot of places. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ilikecollegewrestling 0 Report post Posted January 28, 2017 I like the idea of a three-year rotation system. For instance: 2017: St. Louis 2018: Someplace it has been in past 20-25 years (Cleveland, in this case) 2019: New location 2020, 2023, 2026: St. Louis 2021, 2024, 2027: Return to someplace it has been in past 20-25 years (NYC, OKC, DM, Philly, Omaha, Detroit, KC, Albany, Minneapolis, etc.) 2022, 2025, 2028: New location Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tigerfan9311 223 Report post Posted January 28, 2017 Of course I'm a fan of STL every year, but I think Indy and Nashville would both be awesome. KC is much improved as well and would be great. Des Moines was cheap and doable. I'd like to see MPLS get a shot at it. Weather might suck, but nightlife is first rate and I hear drugs are plentiful and cheap. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KCMO2 683 Report post Posted January 28, 2017 (edited) My obviously biased opinion is KC would be awesome. They did a good job in 2003 at Kemper Arena, unfortunately the location itself is a wasteland. The new Sprint Center is literally right off the interstate and is surrounded by the Power & Light entertainment district, tons of bars, restaurants, and cheap parking. It's also just down the street from Municipal Auditorium and the KC Convention Center, which would be excellent FanFest sites. The airport is also only about 15 min. away. Went to the Big 12's there last year, and everything was just about perfect. Edited January 29, 2017 by KCMO2 2 levityrel and fudge_tunnel reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jaroslav Hasek 2,067 Report post Posted January 28, 2017 (edited) You remember incorrectly because it wasnt that bad. Plenty of bars and restaurants close. Some womens bathrooms were switched to mens after the first session if not right away. I bet it was the cheapest bar and food bill of all the most recent hosts as well. We went to a bar south of the arena right off the main road and they were selling 6 packs of tall boys for $10. you remember not enjoying your time in Des Moines? INCORRECT, YOU LOVED DES MOINES AND YOU CAN'T WAIT TO GO BACK. Edited January 28, 2017 by Jaroslav Hasek Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jaroslav Hasek 2,067 Report post Posted January 28, 2017 hosting the event in the same location every year is a terrible idea. but even if they did do that, St Louis is no where close to the ideal location. rotate it around, Minneapolis, Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, NYC, DC, Raleigh, Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, LA and many others. Maybe even St Louis every 25 years or so. 2 LemonPie and vsnej reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LemonPie 1,368 Report post Posted January 28, 2017 hosting the event in the same location every year is a terrible idea. but even if they did do that, St Louis is no where close to the ideal location. rotate it around, Minneapolis, Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, NYC, DC, Raleigh, Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, LA and many others. Maybe even St Louis every 25 years or so. Well, Raleigh isn't happening any time soon.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KCMO2 683 Report post Posted January 28, 2017 (edited) hosting the event in the same location every year is a terrible idea. but even if they did do that, St Louis is no where close to the ideal location. rotate it around, Minneapolis, Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, NYC, DC, Raleigh, Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, LA and many others. Maybe even St Louis every 25 years or so. Dallas and Atlanta? Do those states even have a D1 program to host? And LA would be the worst. Edited January 28, 2017 by KCMO2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JasonBryant 2,119 Report post Posted January 28, 2017 Pretty sure the Atlanta bid has Chattanooga backing it (similar to how Rider backed the Albany bid). People were worried about NYC being "the worst" and they put on a helluva show. I don't think Los Angeles would be "the worst" -- Albany was my worst experience (02). And remember folks, a lot of this talk about host cities needs to have that host city bid on the event. The NCAA isn't going to simply drop a money-making championship into a place that didn't want it. I'd prefer to see new venues host it and new places. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jaroslav Hasek 2,067 Report post Posted January 28, 2017 Dallas and Atlanta? Do those states even have a D1 program to host? And LA would be the worst. Dallas and Atlanta are cities, not states. saw the UWW World Cup at the Forum and I enjoyed it very much. it's close to LAX, also beaches, warm weather, plenty of tourist attractions, hotels etc. I could think of some worse places to be. but that's just me. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jaroslav Hasek 2,067 Report post Posted January 28, 2017 But to be objective about it, the population center of gravity of American wrestling world is somewhere around Cleveland or Pittsburgh. Every 4 year cycle I would hold it once in each of those 2 cities and then rotate it around to other regions in alternating years. of course the cities and sponsors need to want to host and submit competitive bids, which is the best way to select locations right now, but absent that, if I had a magic wand, that is what I would do. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flying-Tiger 617 Report post Posted January 28, 2017 (edited) Been to NY, St. Louis and Philadelphia; thought New York was the best. Between the wrestling, bars and tourist attractions, every day we would leave early morning and not make it back to late evening. St. Patrick's day we almost didn't make it for Session II because we were too busy celebrating with a bunch of gals from Ireland. Really hope they go back there. Edited January 28, 2017 by Flying-Tiger 1 Frank_Rizzo reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gantry 1,872 Report post Posted January 28, 2017 Albany was my worst experience (02). #AnywhereButAlbanyAndMaybeTulsa Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RichB 227 Report post Posted January 28, 2017 I must assume there been no official announcement because NCAA is still considering taking the D1 championships to April, sometime after Basketball (and Hockey). Obviously a late April event would make northern tier sites (e.g. Boston, Albany, Buffalo, Detroit, Milwaukee, Twin cities) more palatable That being said, the restaurateurs of Oklahoma have proven they do not want the tournament. Never again in OKC, maybe give Tulsa one chance in another decade at the earliest. Des Moines was the opposite. Everyone in the state knew of the tourney, and were eager for it. Too bad the arena is 2000 too small. Omaha was a nice town, but the arena just felt cramp an UNO was a slap in the face of the sport. If folks in the Midwest like St Louis for a permanent site, it should be a permanent site only for odd years. It should be in the Eastern Time Zone every other year. Philly, NYC area, Cleveland Detroit, maybe Columbus, Buffalo, Boston, Charlotte(or Raleigh) – but certainly Pittsburgh and Washington DC. (Washington would be a lot like NYC. 3 major airports connected right by a great metro system whose hub is very near the arena) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lu_alum 924 Report post Posted January 28, 2017 Been to NY, St. Louis and Philadelphia; thought New York was the best. Between the wrestling, bars and tourist attractions, every day we would leave early morning and not make it back to late evening. St. Patrick's day we almost didn't make it for Session II because we were too busy celebrating with a bunch of gals from Ireland. Really hope they go back there.if you liked celebrating with the Irish girls, why would want to send them back? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites