Philadelphia logistics for nationals

[ping72]

I’m looking at logistics for NCAAs in Philadelphia. I did not attend in 2011 so I haven’t been there before. I have been to most tournies since then, and I’ve enjoyed every city so far with Detroit being the only one subpar.

I have never been to Philadelphia, and doing a bit of research preliminarily it doesn’t look like a great host city. So I’m hoping somebody with more knowledge than me can tell me why I’m wrong.

1) are there very many restaurants or bars within walking distance? I did not see much without having to walk 30 minutes.

2) are there better parking options than parking at the arena? All I saw was $35 per session sold from Ticketmaster. So with their fees and double session (especially if there isn’t food nearby) that would be $100 a day.

3) i’m also perfectly fine taking public transportation. But looking at their train/trolley it looks like it only goes straight north past the universities, but where there are not really any hotels. And most of those stops don’t have parking. And transport from the west isn’t really worth the hassle.

4) hotel area recommendations? Most cities have a cluster of expensive ones close to the arena, but Philadelphia appears to have that cluster a decent walk away. Yet they also seem to not have nearly as many suburb clusters that are a 20 or 30 minute drive from the arena like most cities do.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[82bordeaux]

I would (and am) staying in Center City Philly. There is a rail line that runs straight to Wells Fargo Arena (Broad Street Line) The arena is the last stop. So if you search Expedia and use City Hall as a waypoint, there are lots of Hotels within a 2 block walk to a rail stop. It is a straight line from City Hall to Wells Fargo underneath Broad St. As far as food/drink near the arena, the only real option is https://www.xfinitylive.com/ which is designed for the captive audience. I'm sure it will be mobbed between sessions. However, you can hop on the Broad St line and hit joints in Center City ot South St. Then hop back on for the next session. I'm pretty sure you can purchase day passes for the rail. It's been 35 years since I lived in Philly.
I would avoid the suburban hotels and the commute via car or train, especially car. Traffic and parking suck. It takes so much longer than staying in Center City and using one short train ride to the arena.

I will add that there are still many good hotels at an array of budgets still available. You can stay at the Ritz with @bnicolls for only $500/night.

 

[Random4598375]

I’m looking at logistics for NCAAs in Philadelphia. I did not attend in 2011 so I haven’t been there before. I have been to most tournies since then, and I’ve enjoyed every city so far with Detroit being the only one subpar.

I have never been to Philadelphia, and doing a bit of research preliminarily it doesn’t look like a great host city. So I’m hoping somebody with more knowledge than me can tell me why I’m wrong.

1) are there very many restaurants or bars within walking distance? I did not see much without having to walk 30 minutes.

2) are there better parking options than parking at the arena? All I saw was $35 per session sold from Ticketmaster. So with their fees and double session (especially if there isn’t food nearby) that would be $100 a day.

3) i’m also perfectly fine taking public transportation. But looking at their train/trolley it looks like it only goes straight north past the universities, but where there are not really any hotels. And most of those stops don’t have parking. And transport from the west isn’t really worth the hassle.

4) hotel area recommendations? Most cities have a cluster of expensive ones close to the arena, but Philadelphia appears to have that cluster a decent walk away. Yet they also seem to not have nearly as many suburb clusters that are a 20 or 30 minute drive from the arena like most cities do.

Thanks in advance for your help.

The arena is in an area of South Philly that is almost disconnected from the rest of the city in an industrial area (where there was enough space to build a whole stadium complex) between center city and the airport. There are restaurants in the stadium complex (XFinity Live, McFaddens, etc.), but not much else around there, and the Philly social life is much better in center city. As Bordeaux said, the best plan is to stay in center city and take the subway to the stadium. The rough area of town is in North Philly, so if you stay anywhere in center city or south Philly, there is no issue with the neighborhood or subway. Look for hotels south of Spring Garden St and between the rivers and you'll be fine (preferably close to Broad St because that's where the subway runs).

 

[ping72]

Thank you both.

 

[Inthecircle]

I’m looking at logistics for NCAAs in Philadelphia. I did not attend in 2011 so I haven’t been there before. I have been to most tournies since then, and I’ve enjoyed every city so far with Detroit being the only one subpar.

I have never been to Philadelphia, and doing a bit of research preliminarily it doesn’t look like a great host city. So I’m hoping somebody with more knowledge than me can tell me why I’m wrong.

1) are there very many restaurants or bars within walking distance? I did not see much without having to walk 30 minutes.

2) are there better parking options than parking at the arena? All I saw was $35 per session sold from Ticketmaster. So with their fees and double session (especially if there isn’t food nearby) that would be $100 a day.

3) i’m also perfectly fine taking public transportation. But looking at their train/trolley it looks like it only goes straight north past the universities, but where there are not really any hotels. And most of those stops don’t have parking. And transport from the west isn’t really worth the hassle.

4) hotel area recommendations? Most cities have a cluster of expensive ones close to the arena, but Philadelphia appears to have that cluster a decent walk away. Yet they also seem to not have nearly as many suburb clusters that are a 20 or 30 minute drive from the arena like most cities do.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Our group enjoyed Philly in 2011. The Wells Fargo Center was a bit of a shit hole it was dirty and run down, hopefully they’ve made upgrades.
Bordeaux is spot on with taking the train to the event. Try and find a hotel on Broad St. or close to it for easy train access. It’s still about a two block jaunt across the parking lots to WF Center when the train drops you.
Philly of course is famous for their hot beef and there are many old restaurants and Deli’s between the arena and Center City.
There is also a lot of history in and around Center City.
If the weather is nice, it’s a huge plus because you can walk around and explore between sessions.

 

[acuhawk]

Hopefully they do better than Pittsburgh because Pittsburgh was by far the worse over the last 10 years for arena Access for the athletes. Cleveland was really bad for access for the fans. Kansas City was probably the best all around I wouldn't mind it alternating with St Louis every year.

 

[ping72]

Hopefully they do better than Pittsburgh because Pittsburgh was by far the worse over the last 10 years for arena Access for the athletes. Cleveland was really bad for access for the fans. Kansas City was probably the best all around I wouldn't mind it alternating with St Louis every year.

I liked Cleveland. It was actually relatively cheap to park right next to the arena, and there was a ton of things to do and places to eat within a short walking distance. The thing that sucked about Cleveland was the scalpers.

 

[manatree]

Philly of course is famous for their hot beef and there are many old restaurants and Deli’s between the arena and Center City.

Are you talking about a Philly strip club or are you thinking that Philly is the Second City?

 

[acuhawk]

I liked Cleveland. It was actually relatively cheap to park right next to the arena, and there was a ton of things to do and places to eat within a short walking distance. The thing that sucked about Cleveland was the scalpers.

The scalping was bad, and the time it took to get in the arena was awful in my opinion.

 

[bnicolls]

I would (and am) staying in Center City Philly. There is a rail line that runs straight to Wells Fargo Arena (Broad Street Line) The arena is the last stop. So if you search Expedia and use City Hall as a waypoint, there are lots of Hotels within a 2 block walk to a rail stop. It is a straight line from City Hall to Wells Fargo underneath Broad St. As far as food/drink near the arena, the only real option is https://www.xfinitylive.com/ which is designed for the captive audience. I'm sure it will be mobbed between sessions. However, you can hop on the Broad St line and hit joints in Center City ot South St. Then hop back on for the next session. I'm pretty sure you can purchase day passes for the rail. It's been 35 years since I lived in Philly.
I would avoid the suburban hotels and the commute via car or train, especially car. Traffic and parking suck. It takes so much longer than staying in Center City and using one short train ride to the arena.

I will add that there are still many good hotels at an array of budgets still available. You can stay at the Ritz with @bnicolls for only $500/night.

I called a Philly pal and the guy who arranged my lunch with Darth Ira in 2018. He said almost the same thing!!

I'm planning on coming in a day or two early to see the historic sites, as I have never been there. I too may go up to Lehigh to check their facility out. Santora and Rey are the best, well next to Tom and Terry.

 

[mcpat]

I lived in the Philly suburbs and worked in the city for a number of years. I got a hotel in Media, which is a nice suburb with downtown bars and restaurants and a short drive or Uber from the arena. I went this route because I considered it safer and far cheaper. I also know the commute well and know it’s typically fine traffic-wise. My Hampton Inn&Suites room is only $478 for three nights total (taxes and fees included).

 

[manatree]

If you've never been to Philly, I always recommend the Italian Market Neighborhood. There are still a lot of family owned bakeries, markets, butchers, sandwich shops, etc. My favorite is George's Sandwich Shop. A very small, but delicious hole in the wall. Every Iowa fan should get the T-N-T sandwich. Stewed Tongue & Tripe and it is fantastic.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/georges-sandwich-shop-philadelphia