Despite the myriad shortcomings of the organization as a whole, I'll certainly enjoy attending.
Whichever, but let us know in this thread where the new one is if that is the decision so we can bookmark it.BTW - Should we use this thread or start another for the meet-up plans? \
I'm assuming we're going to have a meet-up or two or more. Right?
I signed up to be notified when lodging deals are available via the NRA's package deal. There is not yet a way to book accommodations through the NRAAM web site.
However, just out of curiosity I went onto visithouston.com and found a huge disparity of prices within walking distance of the convention center. I'll probably drive in every day so it's not such a big deal to me but for people who need a hotel, be advised that you can pay $632/night to stay at the Four Seasons which is 4 blocks away. 3 blocks further away is the Athens Hotel for $49/night.
The official hotel will almost certainly be The Hilton Americas which is across the street and connected by an above-ground walkway to the Convention Center. According to their website, they have ZERO vacancies for the dates of the NRA Annual Meeting. I'm guessing that the NRA has reserved a giant block of rooms that will become available exclusively through the NRAAM website at a later date.
There is a Marriot Marquis also across the street from the Convention Center. It has rooms currently available starting at $230/night. If the place is set up like last time, it'll be much less convenient than the Hilton but it's still the second closest hotel.
Obviously, the numbers on this map will change pretty much every day. But as of today, for Sep 2 through Sep 6, the room rates in the area look like this. Note that the Convention Center is that big blank space on Avenida de las Americas between Discovery Green and the freeway (59/69).
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The location is determined by the size of the local airport and the availability of rooms and food. That means the choice is Dallas or Houston.Who wants to go to Houston? Put it in the middle of the state not that (pardon my language) s***hole.
If all you want to do is see everything on the floor of the main exhibit hall that interests you, you can plan in advance, go at (almost) a dead run all day, and get it done in a day.Having never been to one before don't know if it'll be one day or two.
I’ll be there. If there’s a get together- I’m in for that as well.If all you want to do is see everything on the floor of the main exhibit hall that interests you, you can plan in advance, go at (almost) a dead run all day, and get it done in a day.
If you want to wander a bit and have time to breathe, it's definitely a two-day affair. If you want to do all that and maybe attend a seminar or dinner or two, then you'll need all three days.
You actually need four or five days but, unless you're taking part in some of the Thursday stuff for insiders, three days is all you get.
This is why I'm talking so soon about accommodations. To actually get everything out of the annual meeting, you need to be on site from opening till closing every day. There's way too much to do and see to actually fit it into the limited time allowed so commuting in an hour a day and finding (and paying for!) parking really robs you of precious time.