Going to my first SX races this year...

I am not current on downtown hotels, I would probably look on The landing in St. Louis. Otherwise, I would stay in Collinsville IL. just across the river. The old capitol building is interesting, just a short walk from the Arch. St. Louis has one of the best zoos in the country. Club seats are nice in the stadium, they cost a little more.

for must do's/ don'ts, it depends on what you like, your age, who you are going with (kids?). Only must do for any age is to check out the factory bikes in person up close as you can get.

reaserch if you are allowed to take a bag into the stadium. worst thing ever was me walking for a mile to get into the pit party only to hear over a loud speaker that no bags would be allowed in the dome.

a mile no big deal to me but i had my son with me, had to flag down a cab to run to the hotle and back. Wasted $30.

other than make up your mind on which autograph your gonna go after and be prepared to wait hours and hours to get it.
spent 3 hours waiting on bubba only to have him get up and walk when we were 5 people away.

Some teams hand out tickets for you to come back at a certain time. even those tickets are a pain in the ass to get.

Bring a empty Monster can and get in the "Pit Party" free (I don't drink that crap but the cans are everywhere). When you get in go quickly to your favorite riders semi and get a autograph coin/tag/card then head off to all your other favorite guys rigs and check out all the bitchen bikes. I have a 8yr old super fan who I've done this 10 times with, bring water/food it is a long day. Bring hats blankets etc, we do all the SoCal races and I've seen people freeze their buts off in the stadiums at night.

1). Bring an FM Walkman and tune into the broadcast that starts with practice and last through the night. Ask @DavePrater on twitter for the frequency. It allows you to listen while the bikes are drowning out the house speakers. This way you can hear the lap times being announced, and hear small details you would miss with all the noise etc. And you hear cool stuff like Irv calling Malcolm, "James Malcolm Stewart" & Lurch introducing "Jeremy Deegan" etc. Classic stuff.

2). Get there 1/2 hour before the gates open (that would be 12:00 I think).

3). Enjoy hours of practice and qualifying laps as the crowd "oooooohhs" and "aaaaahhhs" over who gets the top spot on the fastest lap scoring tower.

4). During track prep (in between practices) walk around the seating area and enjoy different views of the track .

5). Bring a cheap set of binoculars. Makes it easy to view incidents that happen across the field like if a rider goes down and they are tending to them etc.

6). At about 6pm take a walk around the stadium with your kids. Make it last like 45 min. aA the 6:45 mark take em all wee wee and drain yourself. Now no more liquids for the kids from here on out. That way you don't have to take anyone potty just as Lurch is screaming "GIT GIT GIT GIT GIT GIT READY!!!"

Hope you have a great time!!

St. Louis, check out the Mungenast Museum and the Triumph grill.

http://www.classicmotorcyclesllc.com/

http://www.triumphgrill.com/

Lots of cool bars in both cities right downtown.

We stay at Embassy for St. Louis. Free breakfast and right next door to the stadium. Close to the bars and you can walk to the arch and river front from there. I wouldn't stay anywhere you have to drive to the stadium. That's just me, I like to park and not move the car for 2 nights. I've been 12 times so we have our routine down pretty well. Place is full of people going to the races, so that adds to the fun.

I generally stay near the airport for both. But I'm more worried about convenience than nightlife.

Bring a gas bbq and make all your phone in the pits. Don't buy the garbage in stadium! Make sure it's a gas grill and not charcoal. Bring a long board or scooter to cruise the parking lot. Or maybe that's only a California thing. Is it cold there?

Homewood Suites downtown Indy. Great location, great rooms, and they include breakfast and dinner as part of your stay. Close to nightlife and not very far from the stadium (well within walking distance).


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ya skip the advice of guys who only hit the socal rounds... bringing a gas grill is the last thing you want for the STL or Indy....

300 level seating is what i prefer for the STL.... high enough to be able to see the entire track, but low enough that you can still see.... also has better seats, better service, and smaller lines at the restrooms....

something i didn't see mentioned... buy t-shirts Early.... the most popular sizes get sold out by 2-3 pm.....

about bringing a radio... i have brought a radio in the past with decent headphones and couldn't hear a dern thing... so i brought them once and never again.... even with over the ear headphones the bikes and stadium PA drowned out the sound during the actual racing....

last year the STL still allowed bags.... bags are good, i use a camera bag, which comes in handy for holding t-shirts, race programs etc later in the day...

for the STL, if you decide stay out in the burbs and drive in to the stadium, do Not park right next to the stadium... as people exit the race the human bodies block all traffic, you will be stuck forever... if you drive, park at least 3-4 blocks away...

If you decide to stay in the burbs... one person recommended Collinsville area which is decent and affordable.... if you stay on the MO side Westport is a good area (good bars there too, but a bit more expensive), as are hotel at the junction of the 270 loop (44/270 and 55/270)...

the best way to get autographs is at the sauget ballet after the race... no line, and the scenery is top notch....

when you get to the stadium do not sit in your "night seat"... the stadium will be pretty empty, sit in various different positions to view all the different sections of the track... get to your paid seat for the night show...

both races are domes... i wear as light of a coat as i can because anything more is just more that gets in the way all day/night.... the stadiums can get a bit chilly, like hoody temperatures, but I've never been there when it was so cold inside that I felt I needed a coat....

There is a mall a few blocks from the Homewood Suites and places to eat in the area.


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This thread is great for me as well.

Myself, the missus and another mate or two will be heading to Cali to watch Anaheim 3, can't wait!

What we could do with some help on though is accommodation. I was hoping to stay somewhere close-ish to the Anaheim area, within about 5 miles or so would be good. Does anyone have any recommendations for hotels? I don't want to spend a fortune, but don't want to stay in a shit hole either. Any areas to stay away from?

Thanks