This year will be my first visit to the NCM for the bash this April. For those that have an opinion, if I am forced to limit my stay, what days would be the best (you define best) for me to be there?


Also...


Is there a preferred place to stay? If not local, then perhaps something within a reasonable drive?

 

I would suggest going for the first days (as many as possible).


At this point, getting a place to stay may be difficult.

 

Thanks Steven...


If rooms are scarce or non-existent, would you have any suggestions?


If we are forced to find lodging out of town, any suggestions?

 

I've only been once myself. Last year, I roomed with Jagamajagaran, so I'm not sure what is available. But reserving a room now would be recommended! I would just ask some of the hotels/motels what they suggest.

 

I'll echo what Steven suggested. Try to do the first couple days if you can. Sign up for one of the day trips -they are a lot of fun.

The Museum is in the process of updating its website software so registration is not even open yet, but keep watching the Events tab and register early.

Go ahead and book your room now as well. They will start filling up quickly. Going rate is $159 to $200 per night. I just booked ours at the Courtyard by Marriott on Wilkinson Trace. We stayed there last year and it was a good spot - right across the street from the convention center where the closing banquet is held. It is two exits south from the Museum exit, but easy 10 minute drive. All the restaurants are on that same exit.

You will also want to watch this forum for the announcement as to when/where we will have the Forum dinner. We had a great time last year getting to know other Forum members. It was Thursday night last year.

Hope to see you there!

BJ

 

The Super 8 between the museum and the plant should still have some rooms. My room was very quiet. Extra old towels available for cleaning your car. Excellent breakfast. Not the usual served at most Super 8's. This one has biscuits w/sausage gravy, Scrambled eggs, waffles ............ more. (burp) ......... 'cuse me ......... I get there Wed afternoon, leave out Friday and take the long way back to TX.

 

This one will be my 19th (Birthday) Bash. It started as a celebration of the first birthday of the C5 in March of 1998. It changes a little bit every year but currently if you can do only one day that day would be Friday. In recent years Saturday has become pretty much a duplicate of Friday. Well attended though. If you have more time do Thursday too and work in a driving tour or plant tour or both.

Unfortunately the initial agenda/schedule that is released almost always changes in the ensuing months, sometimes right up until the day of. This sometimes leads to scheduling conflicts between seminars, driving tours, and plant yours. Regardless, it's the best event of the year for true Corvette junkies!

 

Thanks BJ...


Since she will/does control the purse strings, I just sent my wife an email asking if we belong to any programs that include Marriott.

SUPER 8? Heck, back when I would do my cross-country motorcycle trips, SUPER 8 was high on my list of places to rest my weary head. They were usually clean (no "local" creatures hiding in the bedding, and I do NOT mean bed bugs, just bugs of a different variety ), and the price was reasonable.


Thanks.

Thank you for the suggestions...

Because of a couple-a PM's and other public posts, yours included, I just sent an email to my boss telling him I will be out that Thursday and Friday ; and I would probably leave a little early on Wednesday so I can drive there from NJ.


On a tangentially related subject...

This reminds me of Wing Ding; a yearly gathering of Gold Wing motorcycle riders.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, correct my immediately previous post, the one about leaving early to drive to BG for the NCM Bash. :frown: I just checked Google and it's about 800 miles from NJ to BG. Seems I need more than an afternoon into evening drive; I thought BG was just on the other side of WV.


So, it seems I'll need a day to make the drive. Up at 03:00 and on the road by 03:30. That may/should get me into BG by dinner...

 

I was very pleasantly surprised at the level of quality. Both in appearance and as mentioned breakfast. It was on a level with what one expects from Choice or LQ units. I did my R8C this past Dec and it's very conveniently located with several resturants near by. The cafe at the museum opens early for breakfast and serves food through out the day.

 

Using Trivago, I found two Super 8's; one north and one south. One for $55 and the other for $91.


The Courtyard, mentioned by BJ, is going for $155...

 

110 Willamette ln, BG, 42101 270-781-4900

My room with seniors discount is $99. per night btw

Wed/Thur nights =$188. Lots less than the others. I can live w/o the fancy logo'd towels for a couple of days. lol

 

Thanks...!!! :thumbsup:


That's the Super 8 North.


There was room remaining (King suite, yada, yada, yada), so I reserved it for Wednesday through Saturday. Since I booked it on their web site, the cancellation policy allows me to cancel up to the day before; I think. Going through Trivago I would incur a $60.00 cancellation fee.


That's about what I'm paying; 98.10 (AAA); I forgot to check the Government rate.

I gotta keep JR's needs in mind. As I've told her over the years, her idea of "roughing it" was Black & White television.

 

I never use an outside booking source just for that exact reason.
I keep the apps for the major hotel chains on my phone in a folder marked travel.

 

What are dates? I guess I'm way behind the power curve. Anyone need a room mate? I will be going stag. Wife isn't in to the car scene.

I googled it and came up with Apr 28-30. Is this correct?

I hope so. Just booked a room at the Microtel for Thursday - Sat night

Still researching other options but wanted to secure a room.

 

I just have one word of advice on where NOT to stay, I stayed at the Home-Town Suites last year for the Anniversary deal. It was awful. (see the Hotels.com review I wrote at the time below) BTW, I had prepaid for this room.

"This is an extended stay hotel, and not in good way. Unfortunately when we arrived, the clerk claimed our reservation was not available because they had changed their computer system. She repeatedly told me (not in an apologetic manner) that the systems had changed and she could not get it. I finally said that I did not care to hear about their internal problems. At this point she said I will get you a room. So the room was mostly OK, but it was equipped with a refrigerator which at random times made a loud noise that sounded like a vacuum cleaner. This lasted 10-20 minutes. The neighborhood was OK except for the people staying in this hotel that frequently hung out in the parking lot at night and looked a little seedy. At times we wanted to get into the hotel quickly at night because of the people hanging around outside. One day housekeeping came in to change out the towels and left the front door on our room opened. It was that way when we came back that afternoon. We had initially decided to stay over an extra night, but after all of this we went ahead and checked out as scheduled. There are plenty of good hotels in Bowling Green, this is not one of them."

 

I stayed at that Super 8 once. Found bed bugs.
I wouldn't recommend staying there.

 

On a tangentially related subject...

This reminds me of Wing Ding; a yearly gathering of Gold Wing motorcycle riders. [/QUOTE]

Have you ever done Americade on your "Wing?"

 

How long ago ? That can happen at any motel by the way.

I'd be weary of staying at any extended stay hotel just for that exact reason.

 

Yes, the Bash runs from 4/28-4/30. Registration for events is not available yet since they are doing some computer updates.

 

While I do not keep an app on my phone for the various chains, after booking a stay at a Hampton Inn one year and not being awarded "credit/points" for the stay because we used Trivago, I/we now always book through the chain directly, or in some cases, the actual location.


In some booking instances, I need to kinda beat up the person taking the reservation because they want to charge more for the room than, say, Trivago or its ilk. I point out that I can get the room for less through a travel website, but I would rather they, the hotel, keep the fees. So far I have had only one instance where the chain/hotel would not match or beat what the travel website offered.


Crazy, I know...


No, I am sorry to say I never did. On many an occasion I wanted to do it, but something always seemed to interfere. And once I started "consulting", in a prior life, even Wing Ding fell to the wayside. (No workey, no money... )

That all said, things are much different now and after I get my new, new to me or really new..., Covette later this year, I will get another Wing and head on back to Wing Ding and attend Americade for the first time.

That will be cool, now that I think about it. I can/will bookend Summer 2017 with huge motorcycle rallys. Start off summer with Americade and then end summer at Wing Ding.