Getting around Belmont weekend
 

Few questions ...

1. Are tickets for Friday the 6th reserved or business as usual?
2. Any trains from LaGuardia to the track?
3. Cab from LaGuardia to track... $25? $50? $100? ...
4. Belmont day train from Penn Station... Easy to get on any train or will there be wait time?

thanks.

Go early and relax hopefully it will be a nice day.

No problemo getting to Belmont on race day. Hop on the LIRR and it takes you directly to the track. Now, you might want to hit up the early train this year, but my suggestion would still be to use the LIRR as opposed to a taxi or driving yourself.

1. Business as usual

2. No, but there are buses I guess to Woodside. However, there are two trains from Woodside with the first just after noon. Google LIRR and follow the directions for the Belmont schedule.....

3. Preferable, but obviously more expensive. It could run you as much as $50 but probably not more.

4. Easy and lots of trains. Getting back will be a clusterphuck. If you know how to walk to Queens Villiage I recommend this.

What time do you get in to LaGuardia? In theory, you could take a bus back to Manhattan, about 10 bucks, and take the railroad from Penn Station. Will save you a few bucks but may not be worth the trouble.

Made this trip for the Smarty Jones Belmont. From Laguardia to Penn Station about a $25.00 cab ride. You can get the LIRR at PS that takes you directly to Belmont. After the race was slow getting the train back, it took at least 90 minutes to get a train, hopefully they would be better prepared for a large crowd this year. A member of my group had to take a later flight and was charged a flat fee for the ride from Laguardia to Belmont. The cost was somewhere between $50-75. It should be very easy to get there and back with a rough estimate of $50-75 either way. IF YOU TAKE THE LIRR BE SURE YOU BY A ROUND TRIP TICKET WHEN YOU LEAVFE THE CITY, THAT LINE LOOKED TO BE A MESS ALSO.

I might be a little rusty at this, but i went to the belmont from 2001-2004 and general admission was like $2, is there any reason why scalpers are selling GA tickets for $120 a piece, or is this just typical NY inflation?

can someone please confirm that GA is like $2-$5 please?

thanks

-bt-

Do NOT fall for those HUCKSTERS. General Admission is $5 or $10 this year.

There isn't NY inflation for Belmont Park, just criminals trying to rip people off.

It was $5-7 in 2004. It will definatly be less than $10. and walk ups are no problem.

Trying to charge $50 on ebay right now :)

That is just sick

What a great country.

Cab fares have gone up significantly since then.

Good Point BTW, the flat rate from Laquardia to Belmont probably has increased significantly too.

Screw that.

I learned how to maneuver from my experience during the Smarty Jones Belmont.

What NOT to do:

1) at all cost, unless you get there early in the morning, DO NOT go into any of the parking lots ----- you'll get stuck for hours, waiting for douchebags ahead of you to filter out

DO:

On the south side of Hempstead Tpke, in ELMONT, there's a TON of street parking. Just park there and walk to the gate. This is ridiculously easy. Moreover, anyone going west, can just jump on Elmont avenue on the way back and beat all that Cross Island congestion by the track. Which is probably the best way to get to the track as well, as there's going to be a ton of congestion by the exits for the parking lots.

Don't attempt this on the QUEENS side, as the LEECH Bloomberg (got to blame him for everything) has made it so that you can't street park during racing hours.

Save time, save money, STICK IT TO (collect your money but provided no services) BLOOMBERG. It's all good.

Absolutely fantastic advice for anyone driving ... and to clarify for those from out of town, Elmont side is anything on the Belmont side of the Cross Island Parkway. If you see the KFC you've gone far enough to park on the street.

This is why chix dig you..Girls this is a lot of man come and get it

Most valuable information in this thread.

I'll either be doing that or taking the Q2 to the F or J train.

Scavs may be available

I take the F Train to 179th St and then the N6 a lot of days. It takes a about an hour and 15 minutes from the Upper West Side door to door.

I wouldn't do it Belmont day however. But, it's the most convenient way to go to and from Belmont if you need to get there before the train gets in. Frankly, it's no slower than the LIRR anyway.

I think the Q2 will be just as easy as the LIRR from QV, plus I walk along the Q2 route to get to QV anyway, so I can let a bus or two go.

By the way, for anyone interested, the Queens Village walk is easy. It's about a mile. You walk down Hempstead towards the Cross Island, walk over the Cross Island, and you take a right at the first big intersection ( I can't remember the street but it's about a half mile from Belmont and it's obviously a " big " intersection ). You will see the railroad overpass about a quarter mile ahead and the station is on that street.....opposite side of the overpass to get back to NY. I think the trains leave around 31 minutes after the hour.

Probably is.

The F Train/N6 connection works because, first of all, I know it, and secondly because I avoid the Jamaica Station area and the traffic the bus deals with there. It takes 10-15 minutes on the bus from 179th to Belmont.

Springfield Blvd

And the "super-secret" Belmont Day avoid-the-crowds-on-the-LIRR:

Walk ALL the way around the track to the backstretch and the once-a-year overflow parking, then follow Belmont Park Rd to Spruce Ave, and you'll end up at Bellerose Station which will have empty trains all day :)

About the same distance walk as Queens Village.

I was there for the 2004 Belmont, and of all the Triple Crown races I've gone to with my own vehicle, it was by far the easiest in terms of traffic to leave after the race. The key is to park out in the hinterland where one has to take a bus to get to the track.

You know, I'd rather just get there early, spend the $10 to get in the track, then scope out a spot by the rail very early and not give it up with your life. That's way easier than paying the heft sums you'll have to pay on eBay to watch the race.

Hypothetically if i was looking for a hotel near belmont what area should i be looking in?
Not a big fan of the city so i’m basically looking for a place to park and take a cab to the track, and i noticed a BB that claims its 1 mile from belmont at a reasonable price.

Thanks for all your help

-bt-

I'm staying at JFK, Hilton, supposedly 7 miles from Belmont.
Plan on cabbing it to Belmont. Is there an easier way. I have a ride back to the hotel friday.
What about on Saturday, are there cabs available when it's over?

Was planning on just wandering with general admission, any other suggestions?

Thanks all for the responses. We get in Fri mid-morning. We'll go into the city and take it from there.

.......... i hear ya on #4, was unreal getting back to the city for the 04 running :eek:

we parked in one of those lots last time and won't do it again....... Friday was fine Saturday wasn't as it's one big funnel. Gen Admission is way to go. See you's in the paddock. Not sure if this year's Belmont can beat last year's but we'll see and I can't wait.

By the way, love the Bel logo this year using Rag's silks.

I'm pretty sure it'll beat last year's.

Not if Tale of Ekati wins

1. He won't.
2. Even if he did, it'd be a hell of a time. The '04 Belmont still the most dramatic sporting event I've ever been to, even though Birdstone won.

I'm going to go with 1989 Princeton-Georgetown, but 2004 Belmont is pretty close.

1. He won't.
2. Even if he did, it'd be a hell of a time. The '04 Belmont still the most dramatic sporting event I've ever been to, even though Birdstone won.[/QUOTE]

Even though my heart sank into my groin area, I agree 100%.

With the final football game at the Vet (Phi/TB) coming in second. Both events ending in typical Philly fashion.

Yes. Most of my family was in attendance. I think Elmont is still recovering from us.

was it dramatic because he lost? i think it may have been one of the most anticlimactic events ever, with sj getting caught late the way he did, but i'm not sure i'd agree it was one of the most dramatic...

now the gtown-princeton game was both exciting and anticlimactic, therefore very dramatic, but i was not at that game.

the most exciting sporting event i've actually been at, taking all factors into consideration (how big of a fan i am of the horse/team, if i own the horse, if i bet on the horse/team, etc...) was probably the nyj/miami monday night game in 2000, when the jets scored 30 points in the 4th quarter to tie the dolphins and won it in overtime...now i say it was the most dramatic/exciting because even though i am a new yorker, i am a cowboys fan...but this game was something i will never, ever forget, and i had no real interest other than being there...