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Spring Training Planning and Meetup Thread


chitownsportsfan
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With February only 2 weeks away why not start dreaming about the crack of the bat and smell of hot dogs under the warm Arizona sun?!

 

I'll be in town from March 2-6 and will be looking to hit up at least a couple games that weekend at Camelback. Sox spring schedule is here.

 

Please put any travel tips you have as well in this thread. Just some general tips:

 

1) Everything is pretty centralized and easy to get to in the Valley. Camelback is a bit "out there" by Phoenix standards (about a 20-30 minute drive depending on what part you're around) but there are shuttle services and rental cars are usually only about $20-30 a day.

 

2) Weather in late Feb/Early March is usually low 50s at night and mid 70s during the day. By the later stages of spring training day time highs are usually around 80 and the lows in the mid 50s. If you're looking for more of "tropical feel" go later in March, but if you're coming from Chicago you're in for a treat whenever you go.

 

3) Hotwire.com is my go to for great deals on Phoenix hotels. the "Mystery Hotels" by region are especially good because everything is so connected it really don't matter if you stay (for example) in Scottsdale or Tempe, just go where the best deal is is my advice. Even 2 and 3 star hotels in Phoenix usually have an out door pool.

 

4) Budget for food. I've found that the eats around Phoenix are about as good as it gets, especially if you like Mexican fusion and steakhouses, and who doesn't love that? In general drinks at bars are $5-8, pretty reasonable, and most high end dining comes in at around 20-$50 a head, which is quite a bit lower than Chicago or where I'm at in Seattle.

 

5) At most parks they just charge general admission and you can either walk up and buy tickets or purchase them online and print them out. At Camelback when I went two years ago both games weren't exactly packed and you had plenty of space to move around. I'm guessing if Chicago plays the Cubs it will be packed so maybe get to that one a bit early. If you go early that's usually when the players are signing. Have a good pen and plenty of memorabilia ready. I got an Abreu signed ball when I went took some persistence but he signed. Helps to have a kid or two on your arm!

 

Hope to see some of you there!

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Since I have family in AZ, I go every year in March. My grandpa is a Cub fan, so we go to the Cubs @ Sox game and 1 or 2 others. It's never sold out unless the Cubs are there, or perhaps the Dodgers as well.

 

One tip for me is try to get tickets in a shaded portion of the stadium. You will be so happy you did because that sun can get HOT, even in March.

 

One of my usual deals was to kind of overbuy tickets for the Cubs @ Sox game, and resell on Stubhub since it always sells out. This year, however, the ticket brokers must have gone nuts because every single ticket to that game was sold out before individual game tickets even went on sale. They had to buy 3 game packages to get tickets to the Cubs. I don't blame them; demand should be higher than ever this year. They'll make some money. I'm just bummed out that I won't be making a few extra bucks this year. :(

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I'm not going this year after going the last two years. Going to Austin instead.

 

Camelback is great but it is pretty far away from the phoenix/tempe/scottsdale area. I think our cab was over an hour (traffic didnt help).

 

Last year we went to a sox road game in an effort to see more of the stadiums and we'll probably continue that if we go back in the future.

 

The angels stadium is probably in the best spot location wise but they are all within driving distance.

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QUOTE (joejoedairy @ Jan 17, 2017 -> 11:20 AM)
I'm not going this year after going the last two years. Going to Austin instead.

 

Camelback is great but it is pretty far away from the phoenix/tempe/scottsdale area. I think our cab was over an hour (traffic didnt help).

 

Last year we went to a sox road game in an effort to see more of the stadiums and we'll probably continue that if we go back in the future.

 

The angels stadium is probably in the best spot location wise but they are all within driving distance.

 

SXSW? I went back in '09. Great time, not sure I'd go back now though from what I here it's not what it was, too many tech bros, not about the music and party anymore so much. Seems similar to Burning Man or Coachella once a festival gets too big it loses some of what made it unique.

 

Austin in March is great as is the gulf coast. We drove from Houston to Galveston, stayed two nights on the beach in San Padre (the actual national seashore not the party beach) and then drove to Austin for SXSW.

 

Gotta make a spring trip somewhere almost every year or I go stir crazy up North. The nice thing about Phoenix is it feels so nice and open and warm coming from Seattle where everything is gloomy that time of year.

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QUOTE (raBBit @ Jan 18, 2017 -> 09:03 AM)
I'll be there March 22th-27 if memory serves. One of the best weekends of the year every year. Can't recommend it enough. Although, at this point, flights are probably ridiculous. They get really expensive far ahead of time.

 

We will see you there. Me and Jas will be there from 23-26.

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QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Jan 17, 2017 -> 12:36 PM)
SXSW? I went back in '09. Great time, not sure I'd go back now though from what I here it's not what it was, too many tech bros, not about the music and party anymore so much. Seems similar to Burning Man or Coachella once a festival gets too big it loses some of what made it unique.

 

Austin in March is great as is the gulf coast. We drove from Houston to Galveston, stayed two nights on the beach in San Padre (the actual national seashore not the party beach) and then drove to Austin for SXSW.

 

Gotta make a spring trip somewhere almost every year or I go stir crazy up North. The nice thing about Phoenix is it feels so nice and open and warm coming from Seattle where everything is gloomy that time of year.

 

Not going to be there for SXSW actually.

 

Just have heard good things about Austin and have wanted to go for a while.

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QUOTE (joejoedairy @ Jan 18, 2017 -> 12:54 PM)
Not going to be there for SXSW actually.

 

Just have heard good things about Austin and have wanted to go for a while.

 

austin is a lot of fun you'll enjoy it. Iron Works BBQ downtown is pretty solid. Check out the bat caves on the river at night if you can, seeing them all fly out is pretty intense.

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QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Jan 18, 2017 -> 02:11 PM)
glad to see so many posters headed down there. I can't wait.

 

My wife and I have been going for over 10 years now, especially since both of our parents moved out to the Phoenix area.

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  • 2 weeks later...
QUOTE (Knuckles @ Jan 31, 2017 -> 01:17 AM)
Will be there Feb 28 to March 2.

 

I will probably dedicate one full day to exploring the sights around the canyon. Hope to catch one home game, and the game @ Giants.

 

I like that the area offers a little bit of everything. Plenty of great eating, clubs if you're into that, recreation, just relaxing, just a nice area. I've been to spring training in FL as well, albeit only in college for baseball training, and IMO as an adult I'd prefer Phoenix area over Ft. Myers 10/10. Beaches in Ft Myers sure but the overall experience of the Valley is better.

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I'm a teacher and my schedule isn't exactly conducive to a longer trip to Arizona for ST--our spring break is the last week when it seems kind of pointless to go out with the regular season just around the corner.

 

I'm not thinking this year, but maybe in the future...do you think a three-day weekend trip would be worth it? Say my wife and I fly out Thursday evening and fly back on Sunday. (or Friday to Monday) She's a Cubs fan so we'd go to at least a game for each. Any pronounced advantages to seeing the Sox at Glendale as opposed to another park?

Edited by 3GamesToLove
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QUOTE (3GamesToLove @ Feb 2, 2017 -> 08:01 AM)
I'm a teacher and my schedule isn't exactly conducive to a longer trip to Arizona for ST--our spring break is the last week when it seems kind of pointless to go out with the regular season just around the corner.

 

I'm not thinking this year, but maybe in the future...do you think a three-day weekend trip would be worth it? Say my wife and I fly out Thursday evening and fly back on Sunday. (or Friday to Monday) She's a Cubs fan so we'd go to at least a game for each. Any pronounced advantages to seeing the Sox at Glendale as opposed to another park?

 

Both times I've gone its been just for a long weekend. Its enough time.

 

Glendale is pretty far west from scottsdale/phoenix/tempe (20-30 miles depending where you stay). the cubs stadium is in mesa which is much closer.

 

If you have a car, its obviously not that big of a deal to get there and if you've never been to camelback you should check it out.

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