Song Fight Live 2014 travel/lodging thread

All about the next annual live event. Are you coming?. Discuss travel & lodging. Recruit band members, discuss equipment, setlists, etc.
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Song Fight Live 2014 travel/lodging thread

Post by fluffy »

Here folks can organize room-sharing and so forth.

I will be arriving the evening of 8/12 and leaving the afternoon of 8/19. I've already booked a room at a bed & breakfast about half a mile away from the venue which seems pretty nice and gets good reviews on Yelp, although it doesn't look like they have any two-bed rooms.
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Re: Song Fight Live 2014 travel/lodging thread

Post by Caravan Ray »

I have found a few places nearby (15-20 min walk) that will sleep 6 or so.

Is anyone interested in getting a communal house?

eg:
http://www.homeaway.com.au/holiday-rental/p350892vb

(I searched for Thur to Sunday nights - not sure exactly what I will be staying yet - but if people want to do less nights, and pay accordingly - it will still probably be cheaper for me than getting a single hotel room)


JB - How does that sort of thing look? What area should I be looking in. I have been looking for walking distance to venue. Are their any other good places to stay that are an easy train ride to venue? Where do you live? Should we stay near you? Do you have beer in your fridge? Where do you leave your key?
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Re: Song Fight Live 2014 travel/lodging thread

Post by jb »

I dunno about communal houses, but the Green/Blue line goes very close to the venue. There is a Green/Yellow line at L'enfant Plaza station, and a Holiday Inn super close to that. This particular Holiday Inn is also walking distance to the National Mall, American Indian Museum, Air & Space Museum, etc. etc.

On the Green/Yellow line is, also, Chinatown, which has lots of things to eat, a movie theater, a bowling alley, lots of shopping, and two of my favorite museums: The National Portrait Gallery and the Museum of American Art (they are housed in the same building)-- not to mention the Spy museum and the Crime & Punishment museum (those two are not free).

(And if you need to hit Target or BestBuy, the Columbia Heights station on green/yellow is right at the DC USA shopping center.)

I suggest flying in to DCA (Reagan International) if at all possible. It's very close to the city, and the Yellow line goes right to it (and therefore almost directly to/from that Holiday Inn).

When I just checked, the rates for 8/14-8/17 were about $126/night US.

I made a Pinterest board with some lodging ideas on it (including the Holiday Inn and a page that just lists cheap hotels near the metro). There are several Air BnB options that will house several people. Split the rent, folks, it's economical! (And you'll be in a fun part of town most likely.)

http://www.pinterest.com/a1phab3t/dc-lodging-ideas/

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SF Live 2014 venue with nearby metro stations marked
SF Live 2014 venue with nearby metro stations marked
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Re: Song Fight Live 2014 travel/lodging thread

Post by fluffy »

Ooh, I hadn't even thought about using mass transit to get around, beyond going between the airport and lodging. I am a dumb.

IAD to downtown DC isn't too bad either, though. There's a bus (5A) that looks like it takes an hour or so, and in my case it was a lot easier to get an amenable flight time to IAD; to get to DCA from SEA on any of my airlines of choice would have meant either getting to the airport at 6 AM or arriving after midnight. Cost was about the same either way. YMMV of course.

[Edit] I also considered BWI but it was way more expensive. But that might not be the case with your airline(s) of choice. It's certainly a reasonable thing to consider.
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Re: Song Fight Live 2014 travel/lodging thread

Post by jb »

The 5A does take about an hour to get to L'Enfant Plaza station (which you'll recall is right by the Holiday Inn). I've ridden it before and it's... a bus. :)

It costs $6.

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Re: Song Fight Live 2014 travel/lodging thread

Post by jb »

If you're flying in, DCA is the most convenient airport. However, if you can't find an acceptable DCA flight, before you suffer with IAD (Dulles), consider BWI (Baltimore).

It's a $15 and 30 minute Amtrak ride from BWI directly to DC's Union Station, which is a metro hub. (And a shopping mall, but that's neither here nor there.)

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Re: Song Fight Live 2014 travel/lodging thread

Post by fluffy »

Oh yeah, if you don't care too much about specific location, hotwire.com is good for getting a decent deal on a hotel. I'm finding rooms in the $95/night range that way. (Not that I'm going to change my lodging or anything since I'm very happy with what I ended up with, but it's a good resource that people might not know about.)

Also hotwire's business model is based on finding excess capacity so if you take a risk and wait until the last minute you might get an even better deal.

Or if you REALLY want to live on the seat of your pants there's always hoteltonight.com
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Re: Song Fight Live 2014 travel/lodging thread

Post by Caravan Ray »

Booked my flights last night.

Flying in on Wed evening and buggering off again on Monday afternoon - in and out of Ronnie Raygun Aeroport
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Re: Song Fight Live 2014 travel/lodging thread

Post by Caravan Ray »

How easy is it to get a pre-paid SIM card for an iPhone5 over there?

Do they have them in airport vending machines?
Or should I try to sort something before I go?

Is there any particular carrier that I should look for in DC?


Looks like I can get a T-Mobile SIM delivered to me in Aus with unlimited data and local calls/texts for 6 days for about AUD$60 (about USD$55). Does that sound reasonable? Or is it easier to buy one over there?
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Re: Song Fight Live 2014 travel/lodging thread

Post by roymond »

AirBnB has worked very well for past SFL events. A group of people can share and live in a nice house with coffee filters and stuff.

DC's mass transit makes NYC and SF look like gutters. And most cell companies have live coverage underground. It's crazy!!!

I avoid Dulles like the plague, even if DCA is now named after him, whose name can not be uttered.
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Re: Song Fight Live 2014 travel/lodging thread

Post by fluffy »

Caravan Ray wrote:How easy is it to get a pre-paid SIM card for an iPhone5 over there?
The state of SIM availability is pretty horrible here; Americans have been trained to accept contract-only carrier-locked phones so it's not even remotely like other parts of the world. Getting the pre-paid SIM in advance is probably your best bet.
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Re: Song Fight Live 2014 travel/lodging thread

Post by Caravan Ray »

Time to book accom. Jb. What are the cool areas. Where do the girls in black with loose morals hang out? I want to go to the Smithsonian museums. But I assume they are easy to get to. I want to stay where the action is. Direct me.
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Re: Song Fight Live 2014 travel/lodging thread

Post by jb »

Caravan Ray wrote:Time to book accom. Jb. What are the cool areas. Where do the girls in black with loose morals hang out? I want to go to the Smithsonian museums. But I assume they are easy to get to. I want to stay where the action is. Direct me.
http://adamsinn.com/

If you want more bustly and touristy, stay anywhere in Chinatown. It's also closer to the museums and whatnot.

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Re: Song Fight Live 2014 travel/lodging thread

Post by Lunkhead »

I don't see good options for me for flying to DCA or BWI. Looks like there's a several hundred dollar price difference in addition to worse flying times. Is IAD going to suck that bad?
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Re: Song Fight Live 2014 travel/lodging thread

Post by Lunkhead »

F it, I'm in! I'm going to IAD, I'll make it work somehow. ROCK!
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Re: Song Fight Live 2014 travel/lodging thread

Post by fluffy »

Yep, same issue from Seattle. I figure that the $60 taxi ride (or the annoyance of the $5 1-hour bus ride) more than offset having to get up at 3 AM or pay another $400 for the plane tickets.
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Re: Song Fight Live 2014 travel/lodging thread

Post by roymond »

To make IAD worth while you can visit the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center Aerospace Museum, which is awesome.
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Re: Song Fight Live 2014 travel/lodging thread

Post by Bjam »

Okay, I'm officially in. I fly into DCA at 11am on Friday, and I fly out Sunday at 6pm.

Wooooo. Still need to figure out a hotel, but I'll save that search for another day.
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Re: Song Fight Live 2014 travel/lodging thread

Post by fluffy »

WOO BJAM!!! and you're all grown up now! (unlike the rest of us immature misfits)
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Re: Song Fight Live 2014 travel/lodging thread

Post by Caravan Ray »

Bjam wrote:Okay, I'm officially in. I fly into DCA at 11am on Friday, and I fly out Sunday at 6pm.

Wooooo. Still need to figure out a hotel, but I'll save that search for another day.
Are you playing Bjam? Better go to the set sign-up page.
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Re: Song Fight Live 2014 travel/lodging thread

Post by Bjam »

Caravan Ray wrote:
Bjam wrote:Okay, I'm officially in. I fly into DCA at 11am on Friday, and I fly out Sunday at 6pm.

Wooooo. Still need to figure out a hotel, but I'll save that search for another day.
Are you playing Bjam? Better go to the set sign-up page.
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Re: Song Fight Live 2014 travel/lodging thread

Post by Caravan Ray »

I'm staying at the Holiday Inn JB suggested
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