Generic Off Season Thread

[French Rage]

But the outdoor activities in LP keep giving until I can no longer get myself out the front door.

Jeff, I'm glad to hear you take advantage of the outdoor activities in LP.  I'm interested in which ones you do?  Ski jumping with Adam?  Speed-skating on your skates with two-foot long blades on the LP oval?  Luge (single or two-man)?  Bobsledding (two-man or four-man)?  Snowboarding?  Skiing?  I keep hearing how wonderful all these winter activities are, but I'm curious as to which ones people here really do when they go to LP.

I'm no expert, but I think there may be some sarcasm in this post.

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

But the outdoor activities in LP keep giving until I can no longer get myself out the front door.

Jeff, I'm glad to hear you take advantage of the outdoor activities in LP.  I'm interested in which ones you do?  Ski jumping with Adam?  Speed-skating on your skates with two-foot long blades on the LP oval?  Luge (single or two-man)?  Bobsledding (two-man or four-man)?  Snowboarding?  Skiing?  I keep hearing how wonderful all these winter activities are, but I'm curious as to which ones people here really do when they go to LP.

I'm no expert, but I think there may be some sarcasm in this post.

Well, for the record, I have gone down the bobsled run (five man for what it's worth), but as Al hints, I'm long past my adrenalin junkie days.  Hell, it's been 17 years since my last bungee jump.

For me the outdoor activity is birdwatching and just being out in nature.  Lake Placid is firmly in the boreal zone, so the species there are less likely to be found where most of us live.  When the tournament was in LP before, I always took advantage of that opportunity to do a long birding session Saturday morning.

And for the record, Al, my post wasn't intended to try to sell you or anyone else on LP.  I was just expressing my feelings.

[Jim Hyla]

There are also revolutionary things called "books." :-}

Yeah, like you have to be in LP to that? It's a real reason to go there.::screwy::

[RichH]

There are also revolutionary things called "books." :-}

Yeah, like you have to be in LP to that? It's a real reason to go there.::screwy::

*throws up hands*

This is turning into a circular argument, (or an Abbott & Costello routine) at this point.

Lou: Why do we have to go to Lake Placid?
Bud: That's where the hockey tournament is.
Lou: Well, what am I going to do there between games to prevent myself from dying of boredom?
Bud: Lots of outdoor activities
Lou: Well, I don't like doing those.
Bud: You could read?
Lou: Psshhh. I could do that anywhere. Why do we have to go there to read?
Bud: We're not going there to read. We're going there because of the hockey tournament.
Lou: But what will I DO between games???

Disclaimer: I have an excessive amount of patience for a lot of things. People who get bored when they travel is not one of them. YMMV.  An anecdote I use involves some NYC guys from my freshman dorm floor. They complained endlessly about how there was "nothing to do" in podunk, little Ithaca, and that they all should have just gone to Columbia.  I tried to suggest restaurants, movies, & nightlife spots, and just got eyerolls.  After college, I visited a couple of them in NYC, and what did we do? Got dinner, saw a movie, and went to a bar.  My point isn't to say NYC (or other exciting destination) isn't anything special. Just that what people find they do most often in their day-to-day leisure time isn't that much different from place to place.

[Beeeej]

Disclaimer: I have an excessive amount of patience for a lot of things. People who get bored when they travel is not one of them. YMMV.  An anecdote I use involves some NYC guys from my freshman dorm floor. They complained endlessly about how there was "nothing to do" in podunk, little Ithaca, and that they all should have just gone to Columbia.  I tried to suggest restaurants, movies, & nightlife spots, and just got eyerolls.  After college, I visited a couple of them in NYC, and what did we do? Got dinner, saw a movie, and went to a bar.  My point isn't to say NYC (or other exciting destination) isn't anything special. Just that what people find they do most often in their day-to-day leisure time isn't that much different from place to place.

Well, sure, but at least in NYC your evening out was significantly more expensive.

[Al DeFlorio]

Rich, your Abbott and Costello routine is a good send-up, but Lou's second question should be:  Why does it have to be in such an out-of-the-way place?  That's the crux of the issue.

[munchkin]

I'm one of the younger ones, Class of '09, and I'm not thrilled with the LP choice. I would much rather Providence. Currently I live in Boston, but I'll be in DC starting April 2013, so getting to LP will be a pain. Providence, as many have stated, has an abundance of transit options. As for during the day - same thing we did in Detroit, find a restaurant for a late brunch, then beer pong in the room before the early game. It's the people that really matter for not being bored. and I agree with Al's statement:

Rich, your Abbott and Costello routine is a good send-up, but Lou's second question should be: Why does it have to be in such an out-of-the-way place? That's the crux of the issue.

[adamw]

Rich, your Abbott and Costello routine is a good send-up, but Lou's second question should be:  Why does it have to be in such an out-of-the-way place?  That's the crux of the issue.

Because it's a great place that's worth it.  Again, your mileage may vary.

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

Oh and just for total disclosure, between the time I go birdwatching and the start of the early game on Saturday, I either watch the NCAA basketball tournament or curling on Canadian TV (or take a nap).

[jtn27]

Rich, your Abbott and Costello routine is a good send-up, but Lou's second question should be:  Why does it have to be in such an out-of-the-way place?  That's the crux of the issue.

They tried having in a relatively easy to get to place: Atlantic City. Most people hated it (for the record, I didn't think it was as bad as everyone made it out to be). I've come to the conclusion that no matter where the tournament is, a sizable amount of people will be unhappy. Every location is out of the way for someone and one person's fun activity bores someone else.

[Josh '99]

Disclaimer: I have an excessive amount of patience for a lot of things. People who get bored when they travel is not one of them. YMMV.  An anecdote I use involves some NYC guys from my freshman dorm floor. They complained endlessly about how there was "nothing to do" in podunk, little Ithaca, and that they all should have just gone to Columbia.  I tried to suggest restaurants, movies, & nightlife spots, and just got eyerolls.  After college, I visited a couple of them in NYC, and what did we do? Got dinner, saw a movie, and went to a bar.  My point isn't to say NYC (or other exciting destination) isn't anything special. Just that what people find they do most often in their day-to-day leisure time isn't that much different from place to place.

So what you're saying is, whether it's Lake Placid, Albany, Atlantic City, Providence, Boston, or anywhere else, we're just going to go drink?

I can live with that.  ::drunk::

[RichH]

Rich, your Abbott and Costello routine is a good send-up, but Lou's second question should be:  Why does it have to be in such an out-of-the-way place?  That's the crux of the issue.

I was attempting to dismiss the "there's nothing to do" complaint, which I don't think is a valid one. The remoteness/accessibility concern is a different point altogether, and has more merit for discussion.

[Jim Hyla]

Rich, your Abbott and Costello routine is a good send-up, but Lou's second question should be:  Why does it have to be in such an out-of-the-way place?  That's the crux of the issue.

Because it's a great place that's worth it.  Again, your mileage may vary.

Come on Adam, that's the best you can do?

And Adam, I'm still waiting to hear about any change in hotel policies. Any news?

Rich, you missed, or purposely turned around my point. You can read everywhere, so that's not a reason to hold it in LP, end of point.
edit: I had typed this before your recent post, but didn't post it quickly, so I retract my "purposely" point.

Personally, I'd like to have tried Providence, and see how many fans we might get. I think there might be a few from Boston that would have come down. We draw well in Allston, so who knows? But from the article in the Providence Journal it doesn't look like that was ever possible.

The ECAC was looking for a monetary guarantee that Providence was unwilling to offer, said Jim Bennett, the director of economic development for the City of Providence and the chairman of the board of the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority, which oversees the Dunk.

So money was a factor. Not surprising, but not the only factor, as Ken Schott reports that Albany had the best package. Too bad they didn't have that 3 years ago, as it was said that money was a reason for jumping to AC.

[adamw]

Come on Adam, that's the best you can do?

C'mon Jim ... you've been reading this thread all along, and read my stuff, you know everything I think.  I expect more from you than someone like, oh, say, Al.  You know full well I was giving Al the short answer.  Clearly, as we've been saying, if you feel like being miserable about Lake Placid, to each their own.  Some people love it and find plenty to do.  Otherwise, at this point, making remarks like that is just trolling.

re: hotels ... whatever I know was in the recent articles.

[ugarte]

Rich, your Abbott and Costello routine is a good send-up, but Lou's second question should be:  Why does it have to be in such an out-of-the-way place?  That's the crux of the issue.

Because it's a great place that's worth it.  Again, your mileage may vary.

Come on Adam, that's the best you can do?

Why does he have to do better, three pages into this discussion? It's fine that people disagree about this. I find the entire argument TODAY ridiculous because the decision has already been made. Stop grousing and read a Rough Guide book if you think you'll be bored during the day. If you aren't going to go at all because it is too far away - like me - stop making it about your* own inability to entertain yourself while waiting for the game.

* I don't mean you specifically, Jim, this just happens to be the post where I've finally had enough of the back-and-forth without any value added. "YMMV" is a perfect way to sum up the argument and would have been a good button on the whole thing.