2023 U.S. Nationals in San Jose

ice coverage

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FYI if you haven’t booked your hotel yet, I just booked the Signia by Hilton through the USFS hotel planner on the U.S. nationals website for five nights at $151.99 a night (standard room). It’s a fantastic rate for a five star hotel and I’m so glad to get it.

All the other close hotels are showing $300/$400 plus a night. I had to select the Insignia from the hotel list and this rate showed up, even though it didn’t show on the hotel list prices. The rate is refundable except for one night if I cancel three days before arrival. ...

Thanks for noticing and sharing the lower USFS hotelplanner rate for Signia. 👏
Especially when the USFS hotelplanner general listings page for Nats shows only a much higher rate for Signia.
Good to know for future USFS events too that it's worth clicking over to the specific pages for individual hotels! 🤓

... This is the old Fairmont Hotel that I stayed at for the previous Nationals twice. I really liked the hotel and location. It’s about a one mile walk to the SAP Center through the main downtown street in San Jose with lots of shops and restaurants. I always enjoy that walk when sitting in an arena all day.
... Also recall USFS ran a large bus shuttle from the hotel to the SAP center in 2018. ...

Agree that the Signia/Fairmont location is at a walkable distance from SAP. :)

And I do remember that the Fairmont was a shuttle stop in 2018.
For 2023, I have not heard -- at least not yet? -- about a spectator shuttle being offered?
(ETA: Meaning a spectator shuttle at all, regardless of any particular stops.)​

... For those staying in the Marriott/Westin/Hilton area near the convention center, there is a bakery/sandwich place across from the park, near what used to be the Fairmount, that was pretty good and reasonable in 2018. (Yes, according to Google Maps, it's still there.)

What is the bakery/sandwich place called? 🥪
 
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Debbie S

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I’m pretty sure The Fairmont was one of the official hotels at both 2012 and 2018 Nationals. I remember seeing Frank Carroll checking in at the front desk in 2012 as well as lots of skater sitings. Also recall USFS ran a large bus shuttle from the hotel to the SAP center in 2018.
Yes, that's what I meant - Fairmont was official hotel #2. In the years when they have 2 hotels, one is the headquarters where most of the activities (meetings, receptions) are and the second is necessary b/c the room block isn't large enough to accommodate everyone. I remember the shuttle stopped at the Fairmont.

Although this year, the HoF reception is at the Westin, so perhaps the Westin is the overflow hotel. Or maybe that's where they could find a space.

@ice coverage and anyone else interested, it's the Bijan Bakery: http://bijanbakery.com/
 

MacMadame

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I am pretty sure the Fairmont was the official hotel in 2012 and not the overflow hotel. It was a great hotel with yummy specialty martinis and a lot of grand hotel decor. I suspect it's not like that anymore. :(
 

TanithandBenFan

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I am pretty sure the Fairmont was the official hotel in 2012 and not the overflow hotel. It was a great hotel with yummy specialty martinis and a lot of grand hotel decor. I suspect it's not like that anymore. :(
The majority of the skaters were at the Marriott in 2012. I had lots of sightings!
 

carriecmu0503

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The majority of the skaters were at the Marriott in 2012. I had lots of sightings!
I had tons of sightings of them at the Fairmont in 2018. I was volunteering at the USFS information desk at that hotel. One of the skaters left her purse behind when she left to catch the bus to the rink. I had to chase her down. Lol.
 

ice coverage

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Hopefully people know what time the event they want to watch begins because Ticketmaster does not say if it’s pairs, dance etc 🥸

Update:
For single sessions, Ticketmaster now identifies the segment -- such as Jr. Rhythm Dance -- that corresponds to the date/time of the session. :)

FYI if you haven’t booked your hotel yet, I just booked the Signia by Hilton through the USFS hotel planner on the U.S. nationals website for five nights at $151.99 a night (standard room). It’s a fantastic rate for a five star hotel and I’m so glad to get it.

All the other close hotels are showing $300/$400 plus a night. I had to select the Insignia from the hotel list and this rate showed up, even though it didn’t show on the hotel list prices. The rate is refundable except for one night if I cancel three days before arrival. ...

Hilton San Jose (its individual page via USFS hotelplanner) now is showing similar rate (also partially refundable) to Signia/ex-Fairmont.
(Just making mention of another option. I'm not suggesting that Hilton San Jose would be preferable over Signia.)
 

Aceon6

Wrangling the duvet into the cover
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One quick thing about San Jose for those renting cars. The area is prone to dense fog this time of year. Do NOT venture out if there is a fog warning. If you get caught out, most major roads have rumble strips on the approaches to major intersections. If you feel the strip, slow down.
 

Debbie S

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Grid schedule has been updated. There is now a Sr Pairs practice on Tues evening at SAP and Sr Dance has been moved to the morning. (Which means I can't make it, I'll be in the air. :wuzrobbed)

It does look like there was a withdrawal in Sr Dance. Comparing start times to the earlier schedule, the RD and FD both start 7 minutes later. :(

They better let spectators into the practice rink.
 

MacMadame

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They better let spectators into the practice rink.
It's a public facility with 4 ice surfaces (so other things will be going on). I'm not sure how they could keep us out, tbh. OTOH, I supposed they could have a guard at the entrance to keep people out of a particular ice surface. It seems unlikely they'd do that though.
 

AnnM

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Where is the practice rink? Sharks Ice? (which I had to Google because it's still Logitech in my mind)
 

Carolla5501

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Not sure why people think the Sharks ice practices are open to the public because the FAQ for all event tickets clearly indicates only the SAP practices are included in the all event tickets.

“An All-Session Ticket Package provides you an assigned seat to all junior and senior (Championship) level competitions and practice sessions at SAP Center at San Jose.”
 

Debbie S

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In 2012 and 2018, they did allow spectators, but the trend in recent years (Detroit, Nashville) is to close off practices at the practice rink. I hope they will allow spectators again, since there are almost no practices at SAP after Tuesday.

They couldn't ban spectators from the facility but could block off the doors to the rink and paper over any windows so no one can see in. Seems to me it's easier to just let spectators sit in the bleachers.
 

Karen-W

Checking Senior Bs for TES mins...
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With a 4-rink facility like Sharks Ice, aren't there other sessions going on there that aren't related to Nationals? Like local hockey teams, synchro teams and figure skating? If so, I can understand the rationale behind closing those practices from the ticket holders. I'm not sure, if I was the parent of a youngster who regularly used that facility, that I would be all that comfortable with a bunch of random strangers in town for Nationals, wandering around the facility. From a security POV, it seems like a huge hassle.
 

Debbie S

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Agree. They closed the entire first level of SCOB during Skate America exactly for that reason.
Right, but there wasn't any reason for spectators to be there, no practices or anything happening that fans would/should be interested in. Sharks Ice has 1 level, a main entrance, and on any given day, anyone could wander in. There weren't any issues that I'm aware of with spectators at practices (and in 2018, there were some events there). Some even skated on the rink's public sessions while they were there.

Unfortunately, rinks aren't any more secure than any other public facility. At my club's comp one year, some guy came in and started filming the skaters....at first, people thought he was a parent or knew the skaters he was filming but soon realized that he was filming multiple unrelated skaters so got rink staff to deal with it (escort the guy out). Fortunately, incidents like that are rare.
 

YukiNieve

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When are we supposed to get e-tickets? (and I am still hoping that they will come to have the sense of bag policy).
 

TanithandBenFan

Author of the Ice and Edge Series
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When are we supposed to get e-tickets? (and I am still hoping that they will come to have the sense of bag policy).
The tickets are in my account but I haven’t figured out how to get them in my Apple Wallet yet. I haven’t accessed the site from my phone yet, though. I saw the option to transfer them to then other people in my group.
 

Flip Jump

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Our tickets were ordered by a friend in order for us all to sit together. She transferred the tickets to us last week and then I was able to create an account and then transferred all the tickets to my apple wallet. It’s not the easiest process but is doable and takes about 20 minutes for all event tickets.
 

petro

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Yeah I've been able to log in and view the tickets under the Sharks Ticketmaster login and did eventually get them all into my Apple wallet, but it is indeed quite a painstaking process to do each session individually for each seat (bought two all event tickets). Sometimes certain sessions just wouldn't work and I'd go back later and try again and it would. So they're doable but you'd think there would be a better system at this point in time! Oh well :)
 

b-man

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With a 4-rink facility like Sharks Ice, aren't there other sessions going on there that aren't related to Nationals? Like local hockey teams, synchro teams and figure skating? If so, I can understand the rationale behind closing those practices from the ticket holders. I'm not sure, if I was the parent of a youngster who regularly used that facility, that I would be all that comfortable with a bunch of random strangers in town for Nationals, wandering around the facility. From a security POV, it seems like a huge hassle.
I was there in 2012 and 2018. One of the 4 rinks was open for public skating sessions, and I doubt any rink would give up that revenue. The public skating session was quite busy. I don;t think random strangers in town for nationals are more of a risk than random strangers who show up for open public sessions.
 

SidelineSkater

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I thought 2012 was a Hilton. We stayed there and there was a board to leave messages for skaters. I recall seeing Evan Bates and his parents at breakfast there on Gaia Sunday. Maybe he was just meeting them there? Or maybe we were at the Marriott?
 

Debbie S

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I thought 2012 was a Hilton. We stayed there and there was a board to leave messages for skaters. I recall seeing Evan Bates and his parents at breakfast there on Gaia Sunday. Maybe he was just meeting them there? Or maybe we were at the Marriott?
I stayed at the Hilton in 2012, too. There was a discount rate for spectators but it was not an 'official' hotel. But the Hilton was connected to the Marriott through the Convention Center so it's possible some skaters and families walked down to the Hilton to eat. Or maybe you were at the Marriott. :)
 

myhoneyhoney

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I forgot to sign up for volunteer shifts so all that’s left are locker room attendants or credentials checker. Darn. I guess I’m skipping this time.
 

YukiNieve

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Yeah I've been able to log in and view the tickets under the Sharks Ticketmaster login
So, Sharks Ticketmaster is different from the regular Ticketmaster, then?
Would you please tell me the website link?
 

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