Who is going to St. Louis? Hotel info, etc.

[Da Coach]

Who is planning on making the trip to St. Louis this year for the MVC Tournament? What games are you planning on watching? And what hotel are you staying in?

Bradley has a new home for the MVC Tournament this year- the team is staying this year at the new Embassy Suites Hotel located at 610 North 7th St., just a block east of the Convention Center. Bradley had stayed at the Renaissance Grand Hotel for many years, just a couple blocks west of the Embassy Suites. The last couple years, their team hotel was the Hyatt (the old Adams Mark Hotel).

http://embassysuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/missouri/embassy-suites-by-hilton-st-louis-downtown-STLWAES/index.html

The Embassy Suites is a definite upgrade over the hotels Bradley has stayed at in the past with bigger, and nicer rooms (suites) for the players, staff, and other personnel. Plus they have a nice breakfast included. The neghatives are that it is even further away from the Scottrade Center than their previous hotels (about 1.1 miles), and if anyone likes to walk to the arena and back, at night it takes you through some of the less glamorous areas of St. Louis. Also, there is no self parking available at the hotel, only valet parking at $27 per night. That price may seem reasonable for parking at a downtown Chicago hotel, but it seems a bit high for St. Louis.

Anyway, this will be my 26th straight MVC Tournament in St. Louis. I've never missed one yet. Bradley has tremendous fans! For a 10th seeded team last year, Bradley had more fans at the Scottrade Center for the 2 games they played on Thursday & Friday than all but a couple other schools!

ArchMadness.com-

http://archmadness.com/

MVC Tournament Central site (scroll down for bracket, game times, TV coverage, etc.)-

http://www.mvc-sports.com/mbasketball/news/2015-16/8481/2016-mens-basketball-championship/#.Vs8gtfkrLIV

[mvcfan]

I still have 7 tickets for Thursday in the lower bowl. They're available if anyone is interested. Name a price and we can talk from there.

[Dub]

I am going for all 4 Friday games and coming back sat AM. I hope to see the Braves in action Friday!

[ghunt]

FYI, regarding driving instrictions, from a local: Do not take 64 and the Poplar Street Bridge across, but instead taken 70 and the Stan Musial Bridge. It is the better way to get downtown in a any case, but also they are closing a lane of 64 just before the Poplar and the Musial will drop you down closet to the hotel anyway. In fact, folks should try taking it during the baseball season, too.

On a side note two things I hope not to see this year:

1. The ushers acting like childish security Nazis. Last year they even yelled at little kids. The early rounds have thousands of open seats and for years, fans get up around and visit. But last year the ushers would have none of 9that. I spoke with management, and it was like talking to drunks or children. They were obsessed with thinking they were a security force and babbled about how even WSU brought their own security.

2. The dance squads making all kinds of raunchy moves during their half time routines. I am far from a prude, but twerking and similar moves don't represent a university well, especially at a family sporting event.

[Da Coach]

...
1. The ushers acting like childish security Nazis. Last year they even yelled at little kids. The early rounds have thousands of open seats and for years, fans get up around and visit. But last year the ushers would have none of 9that. I spoke with management, and it was like talking to drunks or children. They were obsessed with thinking they were a security force and babbled about how even WSU brought their own security.

This has been the case for many years. I have been to hundreds of arenas and stadiums in my life, and I've never seen gestapo-type ushers like they have at Kiel/Savvis/Scottrade Center. It's bad enough that they constantly patrol their areas to check tickets and evict fans who are sitting in empty seats but don't have those tickets. I've seen them keep track of those fans they kick out of their section, watch where they move to and then chase them down and evict them again and again like they're stalking them.