The only officially authorized IW 2013 travel thread

[GRANITECHIEF]

Hyatt was booked and no box seats were left for saturday as of last weekend. Tournament popularity definitely not decreasing.

Got a room at Esmeralda which has 2 courts. Rafa should be back.

[sureshs]

Is that on the "main" street where all the nearby hotels are?

[GRANITECHIEF]

Yep, on Hwy 111, same entrance road at the Hyatt.

[BigGame]

4.5 player staying in Palm Springs from Thursday 3/7 to Tuesday 3/12, happy to meetup and hit around with anyone else who will be in town.

Also, check Palm Springs craiglist for vacation rentals, I was able to book a guesthouse with a kitchen for a really nice rate.

[sureshs]

That coincides with my 3/7 to 3/11

[raven5288]

Going to San Diego with my girlfriend for spring break, and she bought us day and night session tickets on the main court on Wednesday (men's 16, women's Quarters) This is going to be my first big tournament and I couldn't be more excited We'll be driving from SD that morning and coming back that after the night session, what time should we be leaving?

[tvu]

Depends on where in SD you are staying. SD is a big county - and it can take you almost an hour from downtown to the outskirt/edge of SD county.
To be safe - Leave at 8am - gives you enough time to get there - find parking, check out different booths before match start.

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by raven5288

Going to San Diego with my girlfriend for spring break, and she bought us day and night session tickets on the main court on Wednesday (men's 16, women's Quarters) This is going to be my first big tournament and I couldn't be more excited We'll be driving from SD that morning and coming back that after the night session, what time should we be leaving?

I will be back in SD by then (11th). Let me know if you want to hit.

[atatu]

Well I blew it on the Embassy Suites, they're booked so I went ahead and booked at The Doral Desert Princess....if I want to hit at Ruth Hardy, how early should I get there ?

[champ1979]

Thinking of going to Indian Wells this time. Obviously interested in seeing the top 4 players, but mainly Federer, and would like to see the players practice as well.

1. Would Saturday - Monday offer me the best chances to watch a Federer match and see some top players up close while they're practicing?

2. Don't want to be sitting all the way on top, but of course I can't afford the courtside tickets. Any suggestions on what kind of tickets to get? If I have saturday, sunday and monday at Indian wells, could you please recommend on the spread of tickets I should get for the 3 days, morning and evening sessions?

Thanks!

[sureshs]

I got the cheap Loge seats

[sureshs]

Tickets arrived today!

[RT2709]

Hi all,

I'm going to Indian Wells to watch the tennis tournament from Friday, 8 March to Sunday, 10 March for both day and evening session matches.

I will be staying in Palm Spring (South Palm Canyon Drive), how easy is it to use public transport to travel each day between Palm Spring and Indian Wells?

I will have a hired car (I'm from UK), yet if catching buses is easy I will probably catch the bus to go to IW in the morning and get a taxi back to Palm Spring in the evening. How much would taxi cost each way?

Any advice would be welcome.

Many thanks!

RT : -)

[hpaiste]

I'll be staying in Palm Desert for the entirety of the tournament (March 4th-March 17th) and am definitely looking to play as many times as possible. I'm a 5.0 and would be willing to meet anywhere within reason near the tennis gardens. If you'd be interested, my email is hpaiste at aol dot com. Thank you all, hope to see you out there! Have a great trip.

Henry

[GRANITECHIEF]

^^Look forward to meeting you, maybe set something up for 3/10 or 3/11 early. Email to follow.

[atatu]

Can anyone answer my question about how early I need to get to Ruth Hardy to get a court ? Also, any plans for a TW meetup ?

[GRANITECHIEF]

Wow Ruth Hardy is pretty far from IWTG. My guess would be 9am.

How about a TW meetup Monday 3/11 8am at Civic Center Park (6 courts)? Who is in?

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by GRANITECHIEF

Wow Ruth Hardy is pretty far from IWTG. My guess would be 9am.

How about a TW meetup Monday 3/11 8am at Civic Center Park (6 courts)? Who is in?

That is going to be tough. I leave the 11th morning. check out time is noon - so possibly could play, then come back and change, and leave.

Anybody available 7th afternoon till the 10th?

[sureshs]

Hope you all are getting emails with info like this:

Come Enjoy On and Off–Court Entertainment at the
BNP Paribas Open

Salute to Heroes presented by City of Indian Wells,
Bryan Bros Band, Bulova presents Tennis Talk, Player Autograph Signings, and Much More!

The Tennis Garden Village rocks on Champions Night, Thursday, March 7 with the #1 doubles team in the world, Mike and Bob Bryan, take the stage as the Bryan Bros. Band featuring former American Idol star, Michael Johns on vocals, Jim Bogios, Counting Crows drummer and singer, songwriter George Holdcroft on sax perform from 5–7pm. Tickets start as low as $13 for this night only and all single tickets benefit The Champions Volunteer Foundation! Click here for evening entertainment schedule.

Salute to Heroes presented by the City of Indian Wells – Wed. 3/6–Fri. 3/8 – Come tour a World War II mobile exhibit with an authentic maintained collection of original World War II memorabilia. Inside are displays featuring U.S. General George S. Patton and more. Uniforms, weapons, American propaganda, and technological equipment of the time. The exhibit also includes a restored 1941 Bantam Jeep.
Friday, March 8 a special ceremony recognizing veterans, military personnel, police and firemen following first evening session match. All veterans and current military, police and fire personnel receive (2) complimentary tickets for the evening session. Show proper ID at the south gate box office.

Bulova presents “Tennis Talk” – Wednesday, March 6 – Friday, March 15 at 12:30pm, Tennis Garden Village Stage – Join our renowned guest host Wayne Bryan or Bud Collins and their special guests throughout the week for lively tennis talk about player and matches. Answer the question of the day to win a Bulova watch.

Tennis Demo Court and Tennis Warehouse Player Autograph Signings – Visit the Tennis Warehouse store to try out the latest HEAD Racquets and more on the Demo court and participate in special promotions. Look for daily listings of Player Autograph signing times.*

Corona Beach House and Corona Plaza – Wednesday, March 6 – Sunday, March 17 – Corona Extra invites you to visit the Corona Beach House for event long fan attractions. Snap a free picture with your friends at the Corona Photo Kiosk and tell everyone you "Found Your Beach" when you send it as a digital postcard or upload to Facebook! Visit the Corona Plaza for a place to kick back, relax in Adirondack chairs and enjoy the matches on the big screen! Giveaways and activities are limited to those 21+.

BNP Paribas Tennis Ball Recycle Booth – Saturday, March 9 – Sunday, March 10 & Saturday, March 16 – Sunday, March 17, 10:00am – 2:00pm. Bring your old, used tennis balls and receive (1) FREE can of new tennis balls! BNP Paribas has partnered with reBounces to keep tennis balls in play and out of the landfills, while growing the game.

[GRANITECHIEF]

BNP Paribas Tennis Ball Recycle Booth – Saturday, March 9 – Sunday, March 10 & Saturday, March 16

Its great switching some old dead bald balls for nice shiny new ones on the weekend.

I might have to get there early for this:

Corona Day – Friday, March 8

Corona Hostesses, 1:00pm-5:00pm – Stop by the Corona Beach House to meet the Corona Hostesses, enjoy fun games, cool giveaways. Relax responsibly.
Beer with Brad, 3:00pm Corona Plaza Bar – Celebrate Corona Day and join us at the Corona Beach House to meet tennis legend and ESPN Commentator, Brad Gilbert. Get Brad’s insights on this week’s matches and find out who he thinks will battle it out in the finals this year
Giveaways and activities are limited to those 21+.