1st time baseball hof trip question ?

hawaiian bam bam · #1 12-27-2015, 03:19 PM

thanks guys, i appreciate the advice. what airport would I fly into? i will go check to see how much airfare is. thanks

JollyElm · #2 12-27-2015, 03:32 PM

Just an obvious note of caution�I love Piazza, but definitely don't count on him making it. Knock on wood. I hope to heck he does, but he's seemingly embroiled in the the steroids imbroglio, so who knows.

doug.goodman · #3 12-27-2015, 03:39 PM

Just a comment, not meant to discourage you about your trip in any way, in fact I'm jealous of you going for the induction, but...

For the absolutely best visit to the museum itself, the best time to go is in the middle of winter (assuming they have a winter this year). When I took my dad back there a few years ago, we went in late January and pretty much had the place to ourselves. I think they sold 8 tickets the day we went.

And hotel rooms were easy to get.

One of these years I'll make it to the induction...

Doug

Kawika · #4 12-27-2015, 03:52 PM

There have been numerous threads about visiting Cooperstown on the board over the years. However the search function is a bit like typing with mittens in that it is hard to zero in on a topic. Here's a link from 2009 which might give you a few ideas about what there is to see and do in C'town. My wife and I visited in 2007 and stayed at the Otesaga. It was total magic. Mind you, we went in October when it was very quiet and we had the HoF virtually to ourselves. Induction Weekend will be a whole 'nother story. You'd be lucky to get within 100 yards of the Otesaga - that's where all the HOFers and big shots will be staying. We drove up from NYC via the Catskills to Cooperstown - a lovely trip, and returned to NYC via Albany and I-87 which was the opposite of lovely. My guess is that you could fly into Albany or perhaps Utica from one of the major airports but someone else would know better. BTW, I lived in Honolulu for twenty years - moved back to the mainland in 2011 - and didn't meet a vintage card collector the whole time. There were a couple of guys from the Hilo area that used to post here years ago but never crossed their paths. Which island are you on?

Hawaii Winter League game at Hans L'Orange Field in Waipahu mid-nineties

Tony2311 · #5 01-04-2016, 03:10 PM

You will have an awesome time. I took my son last year for our first HOF visit from Houston (Biggio).
Airfare: I travel quite a bit for business so we flew from Houston to Albany. Easy flight.
Hotel: We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Oneanta (~30 minutes away from HOF). Make reservations today if you are going to attend. I was a HH member, used points and our hotel was free.
My wife surprised me with a Presidents Circle HOF membership that has some key benefits including free entry into the HOF, HOF ceremonies, early entry, merchandise discounts, etc. It is somewhat costly ($500) however worth every penny - helps you avoid long lines at HOF and reserved seating at HOF ceremonies. We went to the HOF every morning Friday-Monday with almost no one in the HOF for ~1 hour.
- We would get up early, have breakfast at the hotel or drive into Cooperstown. Free parking on all the side streets if you get there early enough - you save $10-$25/per day for parking.
- Comfortable shoes, sun screen, pack a cooler with lunch, fruit, water and eat down by the lake.
- Go to the post office directly across from the HOF on Sunday AM to get all your pieces stamped (HOF postcards, magazines, balls, etc.)
- Doubleday Field, Cooperstown Diner, Schneider's Bakery - all a must. Many cool shops however most are pretty expensive for autos or memorabilia.
- One member on this board has a card show on Main St. during HOF weekend - we went a few times.
- I did not get any autographs since I have all the living HOF'ers. Very costly however you can go up to the players and have a discussion - very open. Let me know if you have any questions - Tony

Prince Hal · #6 01-04-2016, 03:45 PM

I live not far and go to Cooperstown often. You can fly into Syracuse or Albany, they are about the same distance. Honestly I would enjoy the induction ceremony from home and make a trip as others have suggested in the off season. The Hall only closes on Christmas and Thanksgiving I believe. The crowds are gone after school starts up and you can see the whole place at your leisure without getting mauled. The best place to stay hands down is the Otesaga. It's not cheap but first class and the views of the lake are spectacular The food is very good too. You can walk from there to the downtown. If you are a golfer they have a wonderful course (Leatherstocking) and the Ommegang brewery is fabulous. The fall is the best time as the weather is usually still very nice and the foliage is great too. Saratoga would be a recommended side trip and the thoroughbreds run late July and all of August. Worth a visit but you will have to stay in Albany since room in Saratoga then is as impossible as Cooperstown during induction. Good luck and enjoy!

hawaiian bam bam · #7 01-06-2016, 07:21 PM

thank you for your response, i appreciate it.

I just checked today and there are hotels still avail in cooperstown for $240 a night! i thought for sure they would all be booked up in cooperstown by now, but nope! unless the hotel just didnt update their website availability yet

RTK · #8 04-10-2016, 07:33 PM

Just got back from Cooperstown. What a great road trip. Drove from the northern Chicago Burbs through Cleveland, met Carlos Baerga while walking around Progressive Field. Spent a few hours at the Rock HoF...pretty cool too. Then to Niagra Falls near Buffalo, toured The Frank Lloyd Wright Darwin Martin House....awesome!

Being it's still the off season, hotels were easy and relatively cheap ( Holiday Inn Express). Stopped at Brewery Ommegang...a must for beer folks.

It was incredible being able to park anywhere we wanted in town...parked in the Double Day Field lot. We spent three days in town toured the Hall two days. I think two is a must, the hours are shorter this time of year, so we arrived at the Hall's opening. The third day I just popped into the gift shop and hit the stores in town. They had shorter hours too. Yaztremski's seemed to be the only one with any amount of pre war cards. I really wasn't card shopping or spending time comparing prices between stores. Frankly, I'm just not that knowledgeable to know what are good deals. I did find a store with a good selection of books and bought several. The HoF is wonderful, the workers are very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. The original portion of the building was shown to us and the steps from the first induction. The hall itself seemed smaller than I expected knowing they have so much many more artifacts in storage is kind of a bummer. I'd like to see it all. Early April is a couple months before the busy season starts. We had the place almost to ourselves but what fans we saw, fans of many teams, put a smile on my face,especially the Kids in jerseys. My wife, an emerging Cubs fan,enjoyed our days too. She read almost as much as I did at the displays. It snowing was the only bummer. I'd really enjoy going back, driving around the area more and hitting some of the vineyards. Induction weekend would be great but a totally different type of experiance I think.

I did mention they need some of Graig Kreindler's work in the small art room. I wish I could buy a few and donate them.

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