Vanagon EuroVan
Previous messageNext messagePrevious in topicNext in topicPrevious by same authorNext by same authorPrevious page (February 2009, week 1)Back to main VANAGON pageJoin or leave VANAGON (or change settings)ReplyPost a new messageSearchProportional fontNon-proportional font
Date:         Fri, 6 Feb 2009 11:56:23 -0900
Reply-To:     Mark Tuovinen <mst@AK.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Mark Tuovinen <mst@AK.NET>
Subject:      Re: Everyone Move To Hershey PA! Economy is Booming NVC
In-Reply-To:  <c4e7c5f90902061121t2a4f294fy647c9128cf578a0d@mail.gmail.com>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

It is just basic economics but that does not make it any easier to swallow. The same thing happens here seasonally, if you want a hotel room today I can find plenty and get a decent rate, come summer they are scarce and expensive. Try booking a rental car in Hawaii during Christmas vacation versus off-season. Supply and demand rules.

If it is any consolation when the wife and I want to see a concert of that caliber it usually involves flying 1500 miles to Seattle or further just to get there. With one recent exception, Elton John last May, top performers do not bother with Alaska. The market it too small and the expense to get here too great. When Elton John came it was just him and a piano, no band. He played two concerts in Anchorage and one in Fairbanks, each one sold out in less than an hour. The one we saw there was a standing ovation after each song because Alaskans are starved for his level on entertainer.

I decided a few years ago that the performers we want to see are not coming to Alaska, and/or may not be touring or even around much longer. If we wanted to see them it was up to us to go to where they were. Thanks to air miles, creatively combining trips, and being in a decent place financially, in the past few years we have been able to see Paul McCartney, Elton John twice( we saw him in Seattle too), Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, and Jimmy Buffet. Even using air miles it is not always cheap but by combining different elements it makes it easier to swallow. For example, in 2006 we were planning to visit friends in Toronto as we had been unable to attend their wedding. While looking online I discovered that Eric Clapton was going to be playing there and bought tickets. At the same time I found that Elton John was going to perform in Seattle two days prior to Claptons concert. Since it was along the way and we have a place to stay there I bought tickets for that too. It was not cheap but both concerts were fabulous, and there happened to be a marathon in Toronto the morning of the Toronto concert so I got to run that too. On one trip we got to visit friends in two cities, see two concerts, and run a marathon. Not a cheap trip but by staying with friends and using air miles we were able mitigate the costs quite a bit.

Go and enjoy the concert, bite the bullet on a hotel or look for a bed and breakfast, check Craigslist, VRBO.com, etc for alternative lodging choices.

Mark in AK

> On Fri, Feb 6, 2009 at 10:24 AM, J Stewart > <fonman4277@comcast.net> wrote: > > Just need to vent a little here. Got tickets to see Bruce Springsteen at the Hershey Stadium May 15th. Wife is not fond of the camping thing so I start checking hotels. Hampton Inn, $239.00/night. Days Inn $207.00.night. Quality Inn a whopping $349.00/night. I told the clerk at Quality Inn she must be joking. She said "No, the famous singer Bruce Springsteen is in town". >


Back to: Top of message | Previous page | Main VANAGON page

Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!


Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com


The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.

Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.