US Nationals 2014 - Jersey City, New Jersey - August 1-3, 2014

[kcl]

Well I'd rather it not be in Vegas, but clearly I can't do much about it, and Mcaren is very cheap to fly to as well. I'm not going to try and suggest other locations because I can't do anything to help organize.. So yeah, I think it's better to have it in Vegas than not at all.

 

[Cool Frog]

Are there any reasons why we couldn't use one of the older venues that nationals was held at?

 

[Vincents]

Are there any reasons why we couldn't use one of the older venues that nationals was held at?

Mainly space and previous experiences. Try getting 波波 to go to Underground Atlanta.

The Exploratorium did just move locations.

Berkeley has a team ready to host, but no venue - our student union + our main ballroom is being retrofitted and modernized.

 

[Tyson]

Mainly space and previous experiences. Try getting 波波 to go to Underground Atlanta.

The Exploratorium did just move locations.

Berkeley has a team ready to host, but no venue - our student union + our main ballroom is being retrofitted and modernized.

And also, venues in the past may not be able to accommodate the growth in cubing. I don't imagine that we could run a 300 person competition at the place we held Nats 2009. I think even MIT's hall might not be ideal.

 

[Bob]

Mainly space and previous experiences. Try getting 波波 to go to Underground Atlanta.

The Exploratorium did just move locations.

Berkeley has a team ready to host, but no venue - our student union + our main ballroom is being retrofitted and modernized.

Yeah no way in hell.

 

[ianography]

Yeah let's not do Georgia

k?

k

 

[Tyson]

Yeah let's not do Georgia

k?

k

There's a new Exploratorium... they moved sites. I've been meaning to check them out. There was something really cool about US 2006 where we were held in an indoor museum, so there was non-cubing foot traffic.

-Tyson

 

[AustinReed]

There's a new Exploratorium... they moved sites. I've been meaning to check them out. There was something really cool about US 2006 where we were held in an indoor museum, so there was non-cubing foot traffic.

-Tyson

My only concern would be that the spectators would cause serious foot-traffic problems kind of like this year. Granted, with as many people that there were this year, it was kind of inevitable. However, if there's any way the venue can be a bit "roomy", it would be preferable by most.

EDIT: I should mention that I've never been to any Exploratorium, so I have no idea what the room dimensions are like. I'm just going off of a general problem/concern.

 

[AvGalen]

Is Vegas the only great place in the USA?

I would prefer a different place for the simple (selfish) reason that "been there, done that". Of course the opinion of a non-US-citizen will not count, but I always hear great things about New Orleans (just never from cubers)

 

[shelley]

There's a new Exploratorium... they moved sites. I've been meaning to check them out. There was something really cool about US 2006 where we were held in an indoor museum, so there was non-cubing foot traffic.

-Tyson

I've been there; it feels very different, mostly because they don't have that huge open area in the middle anymore. The layout is more long and narrow now. It might still be able to handle a 2006 crowd, but not sure about a 2014 crowd + all the additional foot traffic.

 

[antoineccantin]

Liberty Science Center. They have a Rubik's Cube exhibition, it would be perfect!

 

[Anthony]

Liberty Science Center. They have a Rubik's Cube exhibition, it would be perfect!

You brought that up already and it was addressed.

I've heard from multiple people that there are rumors of it being in New Jersey?

PS: I'd absolutely love that.

Some of the organizers were planning to hold it at the Liberty Science Centre (and even got started working on it), but apparently some other organizers don't want it there.

 

[Vincents]

There are many great places in the United States. Most of them are too expensive. Few of them are in a location with a strong base of cubers, with experienced/competent organizers ready to do groundwork. E.g. with the LSC, the nearest hotel is over a mile away. That means that you're probably going to have to shuttle your staff back and forth - many won't have cars because most of them are flying in from out of state. The nearest hotels are at least $150 a night. That means you're looking at something like $7-10k (ballpark numbers; I haven't sat down and researched this) on hotels alone.

In addition: are there spaces for side events? We had triple digit competitors for FMC this year. Halve that, and we're still looking at ~100 FMC competitors. Can we stick them somewhere? What about places to eat? We can't just look at a McDonald's across the street and call that lunch/dinner for 4 straight days. Entertainment options? Is there a large side-room for people to hang out in at night? Does the LSC close early? If so, no unofficial competition at night; sorry, guys.

This is the sort of thought process you should be going through as you suggest a venue. It's not just about a large room; there are many logistical considerations that can torpedo a proposal before it gets remotely off the ground.

 

[Deleted member 19792]

We have that at George RBrown. Hotels are like 40 - 80 a night and it is a simple walk to the convention center

We can have around 5-9 rooms here. So side events yeah FNC yeah

 

[TheNextFeliks]

We can have around 5-9 rooms here. So side events yeah FNC yeah

Ooh. Texas! Houston.

Say, what time of year would Nats be?

 

[antoineccantin]

There are many great places in the United States. Most of them are too expensive. Few of them are in a location with a strong base of cubers, with experienced/competent organizers ready to do groundwork. E.g. with the LSC, the nearest hotel is over a mile away. That means that you're probably going to have to shuttle your staff back and forth - many won't have cars because most of them are flying in from out of state. The nearest hotels are at least $150 a night. That means you're looking at something like $7-10k (ballpark numbers; I haven't sat down and researched this) on hotels alone.

In addition: are there spaces for side events? We had triple digit competitors for FMC this year. Halve that, and we're still looking at ~100 FMC competitors. Can we stick them somewhere? What about places to eat? We can't just look at a McDonald's across the street and call that lunch/dinner for 4 straight days. Entertainment options? Is there a large side-room for people to hang out in at night? Does the LSC close early? If so, no unofficial competition at night; sorry, guys.

This is the sort of thought process you should be going through as you suggest a venue. It's not just about a large room; there are many logistical considerations that can torpedo a proposal before it gets remotely off the ground.

Thank you very much for being more specific about why NJ ain't gonna happen.

 

[AustinReed]

Say, what time of year would Nats be?

The same time it has always been.

Spoiler

July-August

 

[sa11297]

@ strakerak
but there is no organization team here. I have been to the recent Texas competitions and the only people that would help organize that live in Texas seem to be Shonathon Collins (I know he would help as much as he could because he is currently trying to have another Texas competiton), maybe me and a few other people. I'm not sure if Anthony Brooks can help because he attends college out of state. Either way, It doesn't seem like enough potential organizers to hold a competition of hundreds of people.

 

[Vincents]

I've been there; it feels very different, mostly because they don't have that huge open area in the middle anymore. The layout is more long and narrow now. It might still be able to handle a 2006 crowd, but not sure about a 2014 crowd + all the additional foot traffic.

I should be there tomorrow for their Nightlife-replica.

 

[Dene]

To those of you who don't like Las Vegas, I wonder exactly why? More specifically to those people, have you actually been to Las Vegas or are you just coming to your own assumptions about the place?

To be fair, I can understand where you people are coming from, because before I came here I was unhappy with the idea of Las Vegas, given the reputation, and I figured there wouldn't be anything here for me. But let's throw some stuff out there:

- I don't gamble
- I don't drink, smoke, or take drugs (100% straight edge my entire life)
- I am not a big fan of any sort of shopping (i.e. clothes or souvenirs)
- I have no interest in strip shows, strip clubs, strippers, hookers, or anything else of that sort
- I am not a "nightlife" kind of person; in fact 10:30 is a late night for me on a normal Friday or Saturday night, and I would usually only stay up that late for important footy matches

Given these things, it would be understandable to many people why Las Vegas did not appeal to me before I visited here.

However, what I have quickly found out since the competition ended and I actually got out of the hotel is that there is so much more to Vegas than strippers and gambling. I'm here until Friday evening, but I suspect that I still won't have time to see everything that there is to see, and do everything that there is to do. Here are just some examples of places to go and activities to do (many of them completely free):
- All of the malls (casinos/hotels) up and down The Strip, such as Mirage, The Venetian, Caesars Palace, New York New York, Paris Las Vegas etc. etc.
- Circus Circus Adventuredome
- The Stratosphere tower and the rides up the top
- The roller coaster at NYNY
- M&Ms world
- The awesome water feature shows in front of Bellagio
- The volcano (which I have yet to see, but I really want to get there)
- The Treasure Island show (out front on the pirate ships)
- Family friendly shows (for example, I went to see Cirque du Soleil, and I'm really annoyed I didn't look up Penn and Teller sooner, because they don't do shows on Thursday or Friday so I'm missing out ). There are plenty of other options for magic shows, and things as well, such as David Copperfield, whom I am hoping I will be able to see tomorrow night now I missed out on Penn and Teller
- Grand Canyon or Hoover Dam trips
- Buskers that pop up along The Strip

The list goes on and on. Las Vegas does have an "icky" side to it, but there is also so much to do for people who want to stick to more "family friendly" activities. In fact, I can't think of another city in the world which matches Las Vegas when comparing the numerousness, convenience, and availability of things-to-do.

tl;dr There is so much to do here in Las Vegas, and almost all of it is conveniently located on one street! What isn't to love about that? The only negative about this place is the insane heat.