San Jose, California will host 2018 U.S. Nationals (Dec. 29, 2017 - Jan. 7, 2018)

For the sake of nabbing some info from insiders:

There's a reasonably decent chance I will be living in Los Angeles during Nationals, but I don't know how my finances/time commitments will look. Therefore, I am not about to commit to any ticket purchases for Nationals right now, but I am curious to know what sort of "one month in advance" or even "two weeks in advance" options exist, especially if tickets are sold out for the events I'm most interested in (senior men, women, ice dance, maybe short programs and definitely long programs). Do people just come into a thread like this and ask if anyone has an extra ticket? Is there any other way to score a ticket right before the event? Also, what might be the best last-minute transportation option from LA-San Jose (I am not a Californian and am not familiar with all possibilities)?

Many thanks for any input :).
 
@Plusdinfo It really depends where you will be living in LA. Flights from Burbank/LAX to the Bay Area run as low as $49 each way if you book 2 weeks in advance. There's also a couple Amtrack lines that run from LA to the Bay Area, although they take a lot longer (9 hours as opposed to a 45 minute to 1 hour flight). If you're going to San Jose, I'd highly recommend you fly. While Amtrack will get you close, the airport is very close to Downtown, the SAP center, and the hotels. I believe there's also shuttles you can take from the airport, although I don't know if lite rail goes to the airport yet. You'll want to get hotel rooms early, because business travelers and events are always going on in SJ and all the major hotels are by the convention center and theaters (not to mention SJ State). I like the Fairmont most by far, but I know others who like the Hyatt down there. The Fairmont is huge, so it's usually the official hotel for major events. I'd imagine that will make it hard to get a room in.

As for cost, most hotels there offer discounts for events, AAA, or hotel rewards membership, so you'll want to check that out. Food-wise, it's right near SJSU, so food and booze can be found very cheap, cutting down on costs in that regard.

I'm also curious about tickets closer to the event time. Based on when my boards date is and if I get an internship/job, I may or may not be able to go, but I won't likely know until a few months out.

P.S. Will there be an FSU dinner or something going on?

ETA: I forgot another thing about flights - they're incredibly painless. The routes are run about once an hour on each end, so they're barely half full most of the time. I usually have a row to myself or with only one other person, making for a comfortable flight.
 
@Coco Yes! Definitely! The Coast Starlight is really pretty, though I haven't been the whole way on it. Someday I will. Taking the route through the central valley is incredibly boring, but faster.
 
@Coco, and @Plusdinfo, I live in So. California and although it has been many, many years since I took the Coast Starlight, I remember it being very scenic and fun. However, at one point there was construction or repairs going on on the tracks and we had to get off and actually ride buses around that area, then get back on the train an hour or so down the tracks, but I presume that was a rare occurrence, (and just my luck). And yes, it takes a long time. I have also driven from LA to San Jose and it took me around 6+ hours, with stops only for gas and bathroom breaks. That's another way to see the coast. But flying is definitely the cheaper way to go.
 
At the top of this forum you'll find a pinned thread titled Tickets for Sale or Wanted". That's where people most often post about having extra tickets available, though sometimes such messages appear in event-specific threads like this. Potential buyers also use the "Tickets for Sale or Wanted" thread to tell others what they're looking for.

Once you're in San Jose, you can ask the folks sitting around you whether they have an extra ticket for sale. There are still folks out there who don't come to FSU, as hard as that is to believe, and they may not know of a good way to sell tickets they do not need.

Historically, the ladies free skate has been likeliest to sell out, but even then there are usually a few people looking to sell extras because someone in their group bailed on the trip at the last minute, etc.
 
Southwest flies from LAX or Burbank to San Jose. That's what I'll be doing, most likely--or I'll drive, it's only 5-6 hours. Southwest often has sales for $49 each way. :)
 
Why don't you try couchsurfing.com for something cheap. Or, stay farther away from rink and maybe take the bus, VTA or CalTrain there.
I do like those hotels nearby the SAP Center, they're nice. I do know of one cheap hotel kind of in downtown San Jose, but it's kinda sleazy. Don't ask me why I know about it. This is a family friendly forum.
Vash01 said:
Sounds great! I may even be able to attend.

ETA: I just realized that the hotel prices will be out of the roof and I won't be able to afford hotel room plus the ticket prices. Only a miracle will help me attend.
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A
 
I love that arena. The clubhouse is great too.
I just love San Jose in general. Good food all over town. Average salary is over $100k a year. Housing is expensive. Home to many world class skaters. Go to Nationals, then shop at Valley Fair and Santana Row. You might get a Ferragamo purse on sale.

A.H.Black said:
I HATE that arena. Drafty, seats are hard on the knees, stairs are very steep and get harder and harder as the week goes on, and the arena amenities are not fan friendly. California always charges massive prices for tickets too.
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Doggygirl said:
Well, I wasn't going to, but then I did. :D

I booked at the Hyatt Place directly through their web site. With AAA discount, the rate was $126 per night rather than the 199 per night indicated on the event web site. Standard cancellation policy of 24 hours.

I guess the Helsinki excitement got to me!!! Look forward to seeing old friends and new in San Jose!
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I'm seriously thinking about going now too so thanks very much for the heads up about booking directly on the Hyatt Place website with an AAA discount. Very nice savings by doing so.

Will make my final decision later this spring about whether to go or not. One big help is that my Skate Canada '17 trip is all paid for and Southwest airlines flies to San Jose.
 
Plusdinfo said:
For the sake of nabbing some info from insiders:

There's a reasonably decent chance I will be living in Los Angeles during Nationals, but I don't know how my finances/time commitments will look. Therefore, I am not about to commit to any ticket purchases for Nationals right now, but I am curious to know what sort of "one month in advance" or even "two weeks in advance" options exist, especially if tickets are sold out for the events I'm most interested in (senior men, women, ice dance, maybe short programs and definitely long programs). Do people just come into a thread like this and ask if anyone has an extra ticket? Is there any other way to score a ticket right before the event? Also, what might be the best last-minute transportation option from LA-San Jose (I am not a Californian and am not familiar with all possibilities)?

Many thanks for any input :).
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We have a Tickets for Sale/Wanted thread right here at FSU. IME, plans change all the time due to work/life getting in the way. I'd guess that you will be able to find tix fairly easily.
 
Jayar said:
San Jose is having great luck with big events of this ilk. The US Ladies Gymnastics Olympic Trials were there, and tickets were impossible to get. I fully expect the same for this competition.
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I was there for both. San Jose is an affluent community and they can gouge the locals because they can afford those prices.

I remember a young family (the father/husband was hunky too) at the venue trying to bribe event goers to sell their tickets to them for the gymnastics event. They were so desperate they were willing to pay over $1000 for tickets. No luck for them. There weren't any scalpers either.

I know this story because I talked to them for a half hour. I would have sold them tickets, but I was an event volunteer.
 
For budgeting purposes, remember that the San Jose schedule has full-week attendees heading out there between Christmas and New Year's Day. Preliminary checking of airfares suggests that--depending on the exact arrival date--we may be paying a considerable premium because of holiday air traffic. Southwest fares aren't available yet, but from my origin the traditional carriers are charging about $100 to $200 more than we'd pay if Nationals were one week later. Some Southern Californians may find the balance tipped toward driving.

I was considering using frequent-flyer miles, but that isn't going to work for me. Those who attend only part of Nationals week may be able to snag a saver ticket on United. From the Washington DC area there are saver seats available in coach on Dec 31, Jan 1, Jan 2 or Jan 4.
 
I'm saving up all my Southwest miles in hopes that I can use them to cover the Jan. 1 flight. Crossing fingers it won't be as high as what United and Alaska Airlines are charging (400-600 for one way :eek:)
 
If it was me, I'd consider driving. I drive from the San Jose area down to LA and San Diego all the time. It's about a 6 hour drive from LA.

As for tickets, because you have to buy them so far in advance, there are *always* people ditching tickets at the last minute when they realize they can't make it after all. I've been able to pick up some really nice tickets that way including 2nd row seats to Nationals.
 
Just idly checking one way flight prices from my city to San Jose on Alaska Airlines (my only other choice at my airport is United, and they were higher), I found they were as follows on the following dates: 12/27 $211, 12/28 $236, 12/29 $208, 12/30 $208, 12/31 $263, 1/1 $248, and 1/2 $207. Sometimes arriving a day earlier or a day later can make a considerable difference in the flight costs.
 
tylersf said:
I was there for both. San Jose is an affluent community and they can gouge the locals because they can afford those prices.

I remember a young family (the father/husband was hunky too) at the venue trying to bribe event goers to sell their tickets to them for the gymnastics event. They were so desperate they were willing to pay over $1000 for tickets. No luck for them. There weren't any scalpers either.

I know this story because I talked to them for a half hour. I would have sold them tickets, but I was an event volunteer.
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I think you may be comparing apples to oranges. When I talked with San Jose people in Kansas City they admitted that sales were NOT going the way they wanted. I mentioned that I couldn't do All Event due to the dates and they said "yeah the dates are really hurting us, sales are much slower than last time". And then there's gymnastics with Simone Biles vs. figure skating with ...... yeah there's your first problem LOL! Everyone in America knows Biles. Plus LOTS AND LOTS of little girls do gymnastics. Lots more then do skating. (When I worked in California I think ALL the little girls of my coworkers were doing gymnastics, I know none of them skated)

While I hope San Jose does well I am not sure it's going to do as well as some other events.
 
Plusdinfo said:
Do people just come into a thread like this and ask if anyone has an extra ticket? Is there any other way to score a ticket right before the event? Also, what might be the best last-minute transportation option from LA-San Jose (I am not a Californian and am not familiar with all possibilities)?

Many thanks for any input :).
Click to expand...

If budget is a concern, check out MegaBus. They pick up at several places in LA area and drop off at Didiron station, across the street from the arena. I have taken MegaBus many times and am always pleased with price and service
 
Lutzcy said:
If budget is a concern, check out MegaBus. They pick up at several places in LA area and drop off at Didiron station, across the street from the arena. I have taken MegaBus many times and am always pleased with price and service
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Thanks for sharing the information and your experiences.
 
I know it's all speculation at this point, but do you think they'll offer a weekend-only package? I would be able to do Friday-Sunday only.

I'm also wondering what time the Free Dance would be over on Sunday, I'm guessing no later than 3:00 PST to accommodate East Coast TV (I don't really want to book a flight without tickets, but I want to redeem my miles before it gets even more expensive!)

Lastly, can anyone recommend the best way to get from the arena area to the San Francisco airport? Thank you!
 
ross_hy said:
I know it's all speculation at this point, but do you think they'll offer a weekend-only package? I would be able to do Friday-Sunday only.

I'm also wondering what time the Free Dance would be over on Sunday, I'm guessing no later than 3:00 PST to accommodate East Coast TV (I don't really want to book a flight without tickets, but I want to redeem my miles before it gets even more expensive!)

Lastly, can anyone recommend the best way to get from the arena area to the San Francisco airport? Thank you!
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The schedule on the website says the FD will end no later than 3pm PST.

http://skatesanjose2018.com/
 
I don't know why I got another call from SAP today about the exhibition being moved. They already tried to sell me those tickets months ago...
 
For what it's worth, I was there for Stars on Ice a few weeks ago and the Whole Foods Market (hint hint: the ubiquitous salad / hot food bar which at least beats arena food) that has been long promised for the area has finally opened, a quick 5 minute walk to the west underneath the railroad tracks.

There is a large semi-covered seating area as well as a 2nd floor balcony, so it should be able to accommodate modest crowds.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/sanjose
 
ross_hy said:
I know it's all speculation at this point, but do you think they'll offer a weekend-only package? I would be able to do Friday-Sunday only.

I'm also wondering what time the Free Dance would be over on Sunday, I'm guessing no later than 3:00 PST to accommodate East Coast TV (I don't really want to book a flight without tickets, but I want to redeem my miles before it gets even more expensive!)

Lastly, can anyone recommend the best way to get from the arena area to the San Francisco airport? Thank you!
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You can take Cal train to Milbrae and then transfer to Bart to get to SFO airport. Use google maps.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/SAP...24a536895!2m2!1d-122.3895014!2d37.6155067!3e3
 
ross_hy said:
I know it's all speculation at this point, but do you think they'll offer a weekend-only package? I would be able to do Friday-Sunday only.
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I had emailed Matt last week and this is what he told me:
Thank you for your interest in the 2018 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. We do not have any information on single session tickets at this time. If I had to guess they would go on sale about a month or two before the event, but will be subject to availability. It looks like we might be releasing a weekend pack around August, but I don’t see them being much cheaper than the all-session packages.
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There are plenty of restaurants in the area including Chipotle, Past Pomodoro, 5 Guys Burgers, and about 30 different locally owned specialty restaurants. Food will NOT be a problem if you are willing to walk 15 minutes.
 
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