Vacation / Travel

[wildnkrazykat]

I


If I were you I would head to the one at Dulles. The one in town doesn’t really do it justice. Then again traffic always sucks.

Ford’s theater tour was really good, exceptionally good in my opinion. The next on my list is the Spy Museum.

We got to see the play “Liberty Smith” at Fords. It was a neat experience.

 

[TDTennessee]

Gotcha. If you're really interested in going to an EPL match, my personal advice would be this. Wembley is pretty far out from the main part of London, and with Spurs still kind of wandering the desert waiting on their new ground to be completed, I'd be surprised if the stadium was even 3/4 full for that game. While that will make tickets pretty easy to come by, it also means it won't be particularly reflective of a true Premier League atmosphere.

To me, you'd be better off going to the Fulham game against Huddersfield that day. Tickets can still be had, but both teams are struggling this year and will come into the game desperately needing points. Also, Craven Cottage is what the locals would refer to as a "proper" old English ground, and is right on the river, so it's got a little bit of a UT parallel going for it. So, if I were you, I'd catch that game at 3:00, maybe eat walk back to Fisher's on Fulham High Street for some fish and chips (might want to call ahead and make a reservation because seating is pretty limited), and then across Putney Bridge and hop on your river cruise.

Unless of course you're actually a Spurs fan and really want to see them. In which case, just ignore everything I just suggested and go watch your team.

I am looking at tickets now, and the only ones available on the Fulham site are directly behind the goal. Any recommendations on an area to try and sit in the stadium. Looking around at stubhub and vivid, I just loathe paying their fees. Do they have scalpers like here in the US?

 

[bleedorange0037]

I am looking at tickets now, and the only ones available on the Fulham site are directly behind the goal. Any recommendations on an area to try and sit in the stadium. Looking around at stubhub and vivid, I just loathe paying their fees. Do they have scalpers like here in the US?

Directly behind the goal is a good spot. I pulled up the website, and the section that still has availability will likely be a mix of home and away fans, but for you as a neutral that shouldn’t really be a problem. I’d steer clear of StubHub or Vivid out of fear of getting scammed. Reselling tickets is almost completely illegal in the UK, so you definitely won’t see people outside the stadium selling them, and even the ticket brokers are super sketchy. I’d just grab some direct from Fulham if I were you.

 

[TDTennessee]

Directly behind the goal is a good spot. I pulled up the website, and the section that still has availability will likely be a mix of home and away fans, but for you as a neutral that shouldn’t really be a problem. I’d steer clear of StubHub or Vivid out of fear of getting scammed. Reselling tickets is almost completely illegal in the UK, so you definitely won’t see people outside the stadium selling them, and even the ticket brokers are super sketchy. I’d just grab some direct from Fulham if I were you.

Thank you

 

[DinkinFlicka]

Havana/Vedado, Cuba 12/16-12/21.

 

[DinkinFlicka]

.

 

[NorCalVol67]

Cuba has been on my bucket list for a long time.

 

[DinkinFlicka]

Cuba has been on my bucket list for a long time.

Let me know if you go. I can give you a short list of cigar shops/bars, restaurants, and transportation companies.

 

[NorCalVol67]

Let me know if you go. I can give you a short list of cigar shops/bars, restaurants, and transportation companies.

Thanks, will do. I am so close now there is no excuse. Really wanted to go when it was taboo.

 

[TDTennessee]

Directly behind the goal is a good spot. I pulled up the website, and the section that still has availability will likely be a mix of home and away fans, but for you as a neutral that shouldn’t really be a problem. I’d steer clear of StubHub or Vivid out of fear of getting scammed. Reselling tickets is almost completely illegal in the UK, so you definitely won’t see people outside the stadium selling them, and even the ticket brokers are super sketchy. I’d just grab some direct from Fulham if I were you.

We had a great time. Seats were good. Fulham won in extra time.

 

[bleedorange0037]

We had a great time. Seats were good. Fulham won in extra time.

Glad you had fun. Turns out I gave you great advice. I was on the other side of the ground, but looks like we had really similar views, but I was lucky to be on the end where Mitrović scored. Did you get to eat at Fisher’s?

 

[TDTennessee]

Glad you had fun. Turns out I gave you great advice. I was on the other side of the ground, but looks like we had really similar views, but I was lucky to be on the end where Mitrović scored. Did you get to eat at Fisher’s?
View attachment 186094

We didn’t unfortunately. We went to the Churchill’s war rooms that morning and got there just in time for the match. Then we had to leave and head to move hire rooms that night so we rushed back to get all our stuff. I’ll hit it up next time we’re there. We’ll be back.

 

[Orangeslice13]

Just returned from St George Island.
Port st Joe, cape San blas, and Mexico Beach are just right up the coast. Those areas are devastated. And what makes it worse is the number of vacations that had been canceled for the Christmas season.
If you love the area like I do look around and find somewhere else to stay. Don’t cancel, the economy down there needs you now more than ever.

 

[Orangeslice13]

And the beaches, while battered, are still beautiful

 

[SDV]

Looks peaceful

 

[05_never_again]

Directly behind the goal is a good spot. I pulled up the website, and the section that still has availability will likely be a mix of home and away fans, but for you as a neutral that shouldn’t really be a problem. I’d steer clear of StubHub or Vivid out of fear of getting scammed. Reselling tickets is almost completely illegal in the UK, so you definitely won’t see people outside the stadium selling them, and even the ticket brokers are super sketchy. I’d just grab some direct from Fulham if I were you.

Really? You're not talking about just scalping on stadium grounds...you mean reselling them in any form? That's kind of crazy.

 

[bleedorange0037]

Really? You're not talking about just scalping on stadium grounds...you mean reselling them in any form? That's kind of crazy.

I’m not sure about reselling at/below face value. It’s just of the cultural differences between the US and England. I can tell you for certain that anyone who seeks to profit from reselling tickets is almost universally looked down on, and anyone who would or does pay more than face value is looked upon as an object of pity. Very different from the US.

 

[05_never_again]

I’m not sure about reselling at/below face value. It’s just of the cultural differences between the US and England. I can tell you for certain that anyone who seeks to profit from reselling tickets is almost universally looked down on, and anyone who would or does pay more than face value is looked upon as an object of pity. Very different from the US.

Very interesting - that's hilarious to me. I guess their cultural hangup is on ticket resellers while ours is gambling (but that appears to be changing).

Gambling is endemic to their sports culture, but can you imagine having NFL teams sponsored by a sportsbook or ads during the game showing live odds? A growing segment of our population wouldn't care, but the leagues would never allow it and there are still a bunch of fans who would have a problem with it. I love hearing about cultural differences like that as it relates to sports.

I've had discussions with Brits before who don't understand why Americans have such a problem with sports gambling. They'll point out stuff like nobody has a problem with betting on horse racing - in fact, it is central to the experience - but God forbid you place a bet on a football game because that means it could be rigged. They have a point. They also have no clue/concept of college sports.

 

[Go aeiou]

Very interesting - that's hilarious to me. I guess their cultural hangup is on ticket resellers while ours is gambling (but that appears to be changing).

Gambling is endemic to their sports culture, but can you imagine having NFL teams sponsored by a sportsbook or ads during the game showing live odds? A growing segment of our population wouldn't care, but the leagues would never allow it and there are still a bunch of fans who would have a problem with it. I love hearing about cultural differences like that as it relates to sports.

I've had discussions with Brits before who don't understand why Americans have such a problem with sports gambling. They'll point out stuff like nobody has a problem with betting on horse racing - in fact, it is central to the experience - but God forbid you place a bet on a football game because that means it could be rigged. They have a point. They also have no clue/concept of college sports.

Try to go to a good show at the Ryman or about any other venue. The tickets are made available online, and the decent seats are gone in 1-2 minutes. marked up by resellers. It sucks.
In England to go to a play you pick up your tickets in person. No reselling. The cost to see hamilton or The lion king is the same for everyone in any certain seating area. i.e. balcony, front row middle, etc.
My father loved and lived at the track and hung out with a lot of owners including Steinbrenner, He always told me the owners often knew who was going to win the race. Were they just more knowledgeable? I think so, but jockeys also throw races.

 

[05_never_again]

Try to go to a good show at the Ryman or about any other venue. The tickets are made available online, and the decent seats are gone in 1-2 minutes. marked up by resellers. It sucks.
In England to go to a play you pick up your tickets in person. No reselling. The cost to see hamilton or The lion king is the same for everyone in any certain seating area. i.e. balcony, front row middle, etc.
My father loved and lived at the track and hung out with a lot of owners including Steinbrenner, He always told me the owners often knew who was going to win the race. Were they just more knowledgeable? I think so, but jockeys also throw races.

The Ryman should increase their prices then. The scalpers are exploiting an inefficiency by just bringing the price to what the market will bear. If nobody, or just a few people, wanted to pay the higher price from the scalpers, prices would come down.

Not sure what the alternative would be - if you ban reselling tickets like the UK has done, then unless you're one of the lucky few to get a ticket to a hot event within minutes then you have no (legal) shot at going to the event, and most of the tickets from resellers are fakes because law abiding people aren't reselling. The cultural difference @bleedorange0037 spoke about might allow that law to work better there; you're seen as pitiful if you want to pay more than face for a ticket and so most people just don't do it. In the US there is no cultural aversion to paying more than face value for a ticket - in fact, you just expect to do so if you want to go to a big event and you didn't buy the tickets from the venue/school/team.

 

[bleedorange0037]

In England to go to a play you pick up your tickets in person. No reselling. The cost to see hamilton or The lion king is the same for everyone in any certain seating area. i.e. balcony, front row middle, etc.

Or in the case of my Hamilton tickets, your ticket isn’t even issued in any tangible form. You show up at the ticket counter on the night of the show with a confirmation number and the card you used to buy the ticket, and they let you into the show. Reselling it would literally be impossible.

 

[bleedorange0037]

.Not sure what the alternative would be - if you ban reselling tickets like the UK has done, then unless you're one of the lucky few to get a ticket to a hot event within minutes then you have no (legal) shot at going to the event, and most of the tickets from resellers are fakes because law abiding people aren't reselling. The cultural difference @bleedorange0037 spoke about might allow that law to work better there; you're seen as pitiful if you want to pay more than face for a ticket and so most people just don't do it. In the US there is no cultural aversion to paying more than face value for a ticket - in fact, you just expect to do so if you want to go to a big event and you didn't buy the tickets from the venue/school/team.

You don’t have professional scalpers or bots buying up all the tickets to UK soccer matches though. All of the big clubs have some sort of membership scheme that requires a loyalty account number to purchase from them, and for any matches that are remotely in demand, each account number will be restricted to buying a single ticket. So, if you and a friend want to sit together, one person could probably make the purchase, but you would both need to be members and enter two unique account numbers when checking out.

 

[05_never_again]

You don’t have professional scalpers or bots buying up all the tickets to UK soccer matches though. All of the big clubs have some sort of membership scheme that requires a loyalty account number to purchase from them, and for any matches that are remotely in demand, each account number will be restricted to buying a single ticket. So, if you and a friend want to sit together, one person could probably make the purchase, but you would both need to be members and enter two unique account numbers when checking out.

But that's because reselling is banned though, right? They are essentially setting a ceiling on the price of tickets (i.e., nothing above face) and forcing you to buy them directly from the team. Even if an individual buys a ticket and it becomes their property, they are legally prohibited from selling their property, especially for a profit.

If you cannot legally resell tickets, I'm assuming no legitimate or "on the grid" resale/scalping companies exist. If you don't have an account number with the team, is there any legal way to purchase a ticket? There has to be a way to resell them...what if you bought tickets to a game but then something came up and you couldn't go?

 

[bleedorange0037]

If you don't have an account number with the team, is there any legal way to purchase a ticket? There has to be a way to resell them...what if you bought tickets to a game but then something came up and you couldn't go?

Most or all of the teams have some sort of ticket exchange, but you still need to pay for the club membership to even access that option. If you’re a season ticket holder and something comes up one week, you can put your ticket up on the exchange and a fellow member who might not be a season ticket holder or have had enough priority points to buy one once they put singles up for sale can purchase it from you at face value.

Some clubs will have tickets make it to general sale, but it’s never going to be for any big time opponents. Aside from that, if you want to see one of the Big 6, you’ll have to either buy a hospitality package (the equivalent of our club/luxury suites) or book through some sort of tour agency like William Hill who gets some tickets to pair with travel packages, which is effectively a backdoor way for them to mark up the tickets because they’re included as part of a package.

 

[05_never_again]

Most or all of the teams have some sort of ticket exchange, but you still need to pay for the club membership to even access that option. If you’re a season ticket holder and something comes up one week, you can put your ticket up on the exchange and a fellow member who might not be a season ticket holder or have had enough priority points to buy one once they put singles up for sale can purchase it from you at face value.

Some clubs will have tickets make it to general sale, but it’s never going to be for any big time opponents. Aside from that, if you want to see one of the Big 6, you’ll have to either buy a hospitality package (the equivalent of our club/luxury suites) or book through some sort of tour agency like William Hill who gets some tickets to pair with travel packages, which is effectively a backdoor way for them to mark up the tickets because they’re included as part of a package.

That sounds like such a closed off and frankly not as good of a "system" as ours. Once you buy the tickets, they are yours, and you should be able to sell them for whatever price someone is willing to pay.