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Tampa Frozen Four- Things to do, places to go, etc

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  • #31
    Re: Tampa Frozen Four- Things to do, places to go, etc

    http://www.tampabay.com/things-to-do...-music/2271949
    Go Pioneers!

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    • #32
      Re: Tampa Frozen Four- Things to do, places to go, etc

      Hoping to hear from others how their activities went, beyond the games themselves. For my part:

      1. Beach House We rented a beach house through VRBO, splitting the cost 5 ways. 4BR, plus a pull out couch option. Truth is we could have added a couple more people and not been crowded at all. Initial sticker shock gives way to the realization it's a good value when split enough times. Great way to stay within walking distance from the beach, without breaking the bank.

      2. Madeira Beach Less vibrant than Clearwater, but also considerably less crowded. Still a white sand beach. Crowd felt a little more local. Worked for us. Again, being able to walk to the beach was a priority.

      3. Jet Ski Some of us jet skied, working with a company out of John's Pass. Big thumbs up from the participants. These guys pretty much turned you loose on the machines. Those preferring a guided jet ski experience should do that out of Clearwater. For newbies that's the better way to go. Since we're after the fact, I won't bother posting the contact info. But I'm willing to dig that out if anyone has an interest.

      4. Champions Sports Bar Not a "memorable dining experience," but perfectly good food and very good service. Located in the Marriott Channelside, essentially next door to the Amalie. Thumbs up as a pre-game meal option. Get parked early; relax at Champions.

      5. USCHO Webcast Odd experience. It was nice to shake hands and get free lapel pins. But the conversation/program was inaudible to the in-house crowd at Champions. The broadcast was also set up in the waiting area, meaning it would have been impossible to eat and listen at the same time, even had an appropriate sound system been set up. We didn't go out of our way to catch the whole show, or anything like that. It did influence our choice of pre-game meal on Saturday, though that turned out fine, as per the above. So no harm done. But maybe a different approach is needed for next year. Perhaps a location inside United Center, on one of the concourses, with broadcast times scheduled closer to face-off.

      We knew going in that our stay in Tampa was all too short, and that we wished we somehow could have made it a longer trip. That was certainly the case.

      Question: Did anyone make it to Bern's Steakhouse? If yes, did it live up to its lofty reputation? Reservations were tough to come by; we didn't bother trying the walk-up approach. But if anyone got in, I'd be very interested in your experience.

      Other stories?

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      • #33
        Re: Tampa Frozen Four- Things to do, places to go, etc

        I overall had a great time in Tampa. The only thing that wasn't so good is that everything in the area of the arena closed at 5PM on Saturday. It left the awkward 3 hour gap with nothing to do except go to the NCAA experience and drink $14.00 cheap American beers. I'm ok with hanging out with college hockey fans and drinking but my girlfriend definitely got bored and my wallet definitely didn't like the $14.00 beers.
        Clarkson Golden Knights Men
        10 Time ECAC Regular Season Champs
        5 Time ECAC Tournament Champs
        21 NCAA Tournament Appearances

        Undefeated - 1956

        Clarkson Golden Knights Women
        ECAC Regular Season Champs - 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018
        ECAC Tournament Champs - 2017, 2018
        7 NCAA Tournament Appearances

        Frozen Four - 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018
        National Champions - 2014, 2017, 2018

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        • #34
          Re: Tampa Frozen Four- Things to do, places to go, etc

          I checked out Yeoman's Cask and Lion, about 4 blocks straight up from the rink on Saturday. British restaurant with a fantastic beer selection. That was open late into the night Saturday as well.

          FireKnight, I'm quite surprised that you found things closing down early Saturday. I wouldn't be as shocked about a Sunday, but seems weird that some of the bars in the channelside Plaza would have shut down that early.

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          • #35
            Re: Tampa Frozen Four- Things to do, places to go, etc

            Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who worked to make it another very successful FF. Glad to hear that the sports commission is seeking another one. I'd be good with an arrangement like Omaha has with college baseball. Can't beat it!
            Go Pioneers!

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            • #36
              Re: Tampa Frozen Four- Things to do, places to go, etc

              A cool thing that I did that I didn't expect to be that cool: I toured the Victory ship on Saturday, and I was on board when the two Royal Caribbean ships set sail (at about 4 pm). We were perfectly placed to get an up close view of both departures. Admission to the ship cost $10.
              Northeastern Huskies Class of 1998 / BS Chemical Engineering
              Notre Dame Fighting Irish Class of 2011 / PhD Chemical Engineering

              But then again, isn't holding forth on an extreme opinion from a position of complete ignorance what these boards are all about? -- from a BigSoccer post by kerrunch

              Britney can't sing. At all. She sounds like a cross between a crackhead chipmunk that had more than a couple beers and a drowning cat. -- DHG on the MTV VMAs

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              • #37
                Re: Tampa Frozen Four- Things to do, places to go, etc

                Originally posted by MagnessMan View Post
                Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who worked to make it another very successful FF. Glad to hear that the sports commission is seeking another one. I'd be good with an arrangement like Omaha has with college baseball. Can't beat it!
                For those who give top priority to finding neutral sites, this idea would certainly accomplish that. And an annual beach vacation in connection with the FF is definitely an appealing thought.

                On the downside, a significant percentage of the FF fanbase attends only when the tournament is within driving distance. Make Tampa the permanent site, and you cut those fans out of the picture completely.

                Also, my experience over the years is that the variety of sites is actually a major selling point. As an NHL fan, I've enjoyed collecting visits to NHL venues. I believe I've attended the FF at 10 different NHL rinks.* Plus, in the typical year, FF travel has given fans an opportunity to attend games at MLB stadiums. If we went with a permanent site, those things would be missed.

                * The Frozen Four in NHL Rinks, 1990-Present:
                Detroit 1990
                Boston 1998, 2004, 2015
                Anaheim 1999
                St. Paul 2002, 2011
                St. Louis 2007
                Denver 2008
                Washington DC 2009
                Tampa Bay 2012, 2016
                Pittsburgh 2013
                Philadelphia 2014

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                • #38
                  Re: Tampa Frozen Four- Things to do, places to go, etc

                  Originally posted by magnessman View Post
                  i'd be good with an arrangement like omaha has with college baseball. Can't beat it!
                  yes
                  yes
                  yes
                  yes
                  Originally posted by Greg Ambrose on 3/7/2010
                  The fact that you BC fans revel in the superiority of your team in an admittedly weak league leads me to believe you will be more sorely disappointed when the end comes than we will.

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                  • #39
                    Re: Tampa Frozen Four- Things to do, places to go, etc

                    Originally posted by hockeyplayer1015 View Post
                    I checked out Yeoman's Cask and Lion, about 4 blocks straight up from the rink on Saturday. British restaurant with a fantastic beer selection. That was open late into the night Saturday as well.

                    FireKnight, I'm quite surprised that you found things closing down early Saturday. I wouldn't be as shocked about a Sunday, but seems weird that some of the bars in the channelside Plaza would have shut down that early.
                    The bars were open but the other entertainment venues were not. All of the points of interest that did not involve drinking closed at 5pm. I guess it's pretty typical but we found ourselves with a couple of hours to kill before the game and looked at the victory ship, aquarium, and history museum around 4pm but all of them were closing soon. We ended up walking up a few blocks for coffee (something else that is hard to find in this town) and then just chilling outside the arena.

                    An interesting note ... if you got into a parking spot before 12pm, you could get 24 hour parking for $3 in many of the lots. If you drove in at 12:15, the price went to $20.
                    Clarkson Golden Knights Men
                    10 Time ECAC Regular Season Champs
                    5 Time ECAC Tournament Champs
                    21 NCAA Tournament Appearances

                    Undefeated - 1956

                    Clarkson Golden Knights Women
                    ECAC Regular Season Champs - 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018
                    ECAC Tournament Champs - 2017, 2018
                    7 NCAA Tournament Appearances

                    Frozen Four - 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018
                    National Champions - 2014, 2017, 2018

                    Comment


                    • #40
                      Re: Tampa Frozen Four- Things to do, places to go, etc

                      Originally posted by Nick Papagiorgio View Post
                      yes
                      yes
                      yes
                      yes
                      just knew you are a daniel bryan fan
                      a legend and an out of work bum look a lot alike, daddy.

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