Help me plan my trip to Denver.....

[broncofan]

OK folks, here it is...

My girlfriend (a converted Bronco fan) and I are planning on going to Denver in late October/early November to see a game. I have never been to a game and I'm really excited about going to Denver next season for that reason as well as to check out the town. Basically, I was hoping you guys could help plan my trip so I can make the most of it as possible. Here are the types of things I'd like to know...

- When/where is the best time/place to aquire tickets to a game? Should I get them through the team site or ticketmaster? When do they generally go on sale?

- Where is the best place to get a room for a few days? I'm looking for a nice hotel with a relatively central location to the stadium, good dining, bars, etc. Doesn't have to be 5 star...just nice.

...all I'm looking for is all the preliminary steps so I can begin researching the trip, price it out and to make sure I'm prepared when tickets go on sale (as I'm sure they are in high demand). I'll find out all the other information as to where is the place to be the night before a game and which lot to be hanging out in for the tailgate pregame.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[PaintballCLE]

The Denver Tech center is a nice place to stay..... thats where we stayed when we went. Its cheap...... we got a 5 start hotel on hotwire for under 50 bucks and the neighborhood is nice..(they even have ferrari dealers over there) and it was less than a 10 min drive to the stadium. If you wanna stay downtown........stay in the lodo area.....thats where everyone is at at night and its pretty cool. Tons of bars, clubs that kinda thing. Whatever you do DON"T stay by the airport.... its far away from downtown, busy, and really loud.

As for the tickets........you can get them right when they go on sale......but i don't reccomend it.......i assume that since you are going to denver for the game (with your gf) and you want to impress you don't want nose bleed tickets........thats what your going to get by getting them when they go on sale because all the good ones are gone to season tickets.

I would reccomend giving A. Lewis tickets a call. They are a local company in denver and have the best prices on seats. I went to the MNF game against the ravens in 06, and we had front row, lower level, on the 45 yard line for $250. It may sound expensive but when you consider how much face value is.... they can't be beat.

Just my opinion........ I have been there about 6 or 7 times in the past year and thats what i would reccommend.

[Sassy]

We've stayed at the Red Lion for the last couple of years...the one next to Invesco. The RL has a nice bar with good food and a great view of Invesco and Denver...Nice walking distance and you can take their shuttle for free downtown. If you need to a taxi is around $8. (The shuttle only runs until ten or so) Very convienient. No parking or driving to the stadium. A ride downtown is free...good restaurants downtown including the Cheesecake Factory and ESPN Zone is down there... DIA is about 25 miles from there. So, we always take the Blue Shuttle from and to the airport.

As for tickets...we wait until the season ticket holders get theirs...usually July. We've gone through Alewis...although she's getting more expensive every year. I think we paid about double last year...but it was also the Raider game. We like to sit lower level though...so you probably could do it cheaper.

[broncofan]

Originally Posted by I bleed orange and blue

The Denver Tech center is a nice place to stay..... thats where we stayed when we went. Its cheap...... we got a 5 start hotel on hotwire for under 50 bucks and the neighborhood is nice..(they even have ferrari dealers over there) and it was less than a 10 min drive to the stadium. If you wanna stay downtown........stay in the lodo area.....thats where everyone is at at night and its pretty cool. Tons of bars, clubs that kinda thing. Whatever you do DON"T stay by the airport.... its far away from downtown, busy, and really loud.

As for the tickets........you can get them right when they go on sale......but i don't reccomend it.......i assume that since you are going to denver for the game (with your gf) and you want to impress you don't want nose bleed tickets........thats what your going to get by getting them when they go on sale because all the good ones are gone to season tickets.

I would reccomend giving A. Lewis tickets a call. They are a local company in denver and have the best prices on seats. I went to the MNF game against the ravens in 06, and we had front row, lower level, on the 45 yard line for $250. It may sound expensive but when you consider how much face value is.... they can't be beat.

Just my opinion........ I have been there about 6 or 7 times in the past year and thats what i would reccommend.

Wow...great stuff. Thanks.

I am obviously on some type of budget, but my intent by planning so soon is to be ready financially so the budget won't limit the experience. When would be the best time to call A. Lewis tickets? After tickets go on sale to the general public? Is it right to assume the demand for divisional opponent tickets is higher?

Is there public transportation from the Denver Tech Center to downtown?

Keep it coming guys. Thanks again.

[Sassy]

Candy (@ Alewis) probably won't be getting tickets in until almost the end of July...at least that was the way it was last year.

[PaintballCLE]

yeah i think i got mine in september from her........ if there is a specific location /price you want just call and tell her.....she will keep your name and call you when she gets something matching your request. In july when she got her tickets, she didnt have any that i wanted ( i really wanted to sit front row) but when she got some in she called me right away.......very good service!!!!

As for the transportation from the tech center.........it depends...... a cab ride was like 20 bucks each way. Some of the hotels have free shuttles downtown. And there is the subway that is about a 1/2 mile from the tech center that drops you off near the stadium. The hotels downtown arent very close to the stadium with the exception of the one sassy was talking about. I stayed there once, it wasn't bad. Right across from the stadium..... but expect to pay $$$ for a night on gameday.

Also if you are staying out in the tech center.....and go in october or early november...... there is a "corn maze" thats hosted by the botanical gardens ( even though its not at the botanical gardens) but its really cool to go at night with flashlights through a LONG corn field maze........deffinately worth the 5 bucks (even though i had to be dragged to go in the first place because it sounded stupid) I loved it.

[PaintballCLE]

PS.....make sure when you go in october the great american brew festival isn't going on.........if it is prices on hotels downtown are through the roof. So avoid that weekend if at all possible!

[Sassy]

From experience...stay closest to where you want to be...even if the hotel is more expensive, you save that and usually more on a taxi.

[broncofan]

Thanks Sassy. The Red Lion seems like a good location. I'll keep an eye on it as well as hotels around the tech center as the time gets closer.

I'm flexible as far as seat location. I just can't wait to be there and be part of the atmosphere both before and during the game. As long as the view is decent, I'll be happy.

[Meck77]

Originally Posted by I bleed orange and blue

I would reccomend giving A. Lewis tickets a call. .

I use to recommend them without question but I've heard mixed reviews last season.

If next season starts off poorly and the game you are attending is later in the season I would come to town with 20 bucks in your hand. That will be enough to get you in the stadium. If the team starts off strong I still wouldn't over pay for seats. Be patient.

I've ended up with lower level seats from the August sale every year since 2001. Not sure why you wouldn't recommend tix master. It's no guarantee you can get them when they go on sale but good tix can be purchased thru them. They just go quickly for the higher demand games.

[broncocalijohn]

If you need tickets, you can look under tailgate section and look under Tickets........ thread. As for hotels, Sassy knows about the Red Lion and is the closest to the stadium. If you are renting a car or room, always try out Priceline as I get rooms near the old stapelton airport for $35 to $45 a night. Downtown could be had for $75 ie. Adams Mark. Rental cars should be at Priceline.com also. Bars should be LoDo area and Sports Column is a great place to see all games especially Saturday morning to night. Check out Idaho Springs if you have enough time to walk around and shop. Also, gambling right up the hill from there.

I did make a thread on here (not sticky) on deals for hotels, cars and flights so either look there closer to the season and if you find a good deal, post it there.

[Los Broncos]

Try Frontier airlines, they have some nice deals here and there.

[27atwater]

How much is Red Lion nightly?

[Meck77]

Not sure 27. Sassy or STG could probably answer that one. Here is an idea I never considered while tailgating.

Tailgate in style!

http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals...nver-area#2332

There are tons of nightly condos/homes available that you guys could rent. Now that many people already know one another you could rent a big ass house for $200 night and split the cost up.

There are some real good deals on VRBO. I'd imagine most of the towns we'll be traveling to have similar options like Denver.

Just a different idea instead of the $125/night for a hotel that barely gets used anyway.

Or a nice big ass condo. 2,600 sq/ft penthouse. We could throw one helluva orangemane gathering here!

http://www.vrbo.com/139173

Lodo loft...1,600 sq/ft 250/night http://www.vrbo.com/152973

[Meck77]

Ok here's an example of a smaller condo deal. Sleeps 4. 150/night

Includes breakfast, pool, gym, home theater/club house etc.

http://www.vrbo.com/136148

[27atwater]

Thanx...BTW, is the raider game usually the most expensive ticket?

[Meck77]

I'd say it usually ranks as one of the first games to sell out when tix master releases tix. However they have sucked so bad that the raider fans barely even come anymore so demand is down.

With a recession looming in the wings, the Broncos coming off a rough season, Raiders continuing to suck balls I would bet you'll find lower bowl seats at face value with little effort and a quick jump on tix master or an eye on craigslist when the times comes.

[Blueflame]

Originally Posted by Meck77

Not sure 27. Sassy or STG could probably answer that one. Here is an idea I never considered while tailgating.

Tailgate in style!

http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals...nver-area#2332

There are tons of nightly condos/homes available that you guys could rent. Now that many people already know one another you could rent a big ass house for $200 night and split the cost up.

There are some real good deals on VRBO. I'd imagine most of the towns we'll be traveling to have similar options like Denver.

Just a different idea instead of the $125/night for a hotel that barely gets used anyway.

Or a nice big ass condo. 2,600 sq/ft penthouse. We could throw one helluva orangemane gathering here!

http://www.vrbo.com/139173

Lodo loft...1,600 sq/ft 250/night http://www.vrbo.com/152973

What a great idea, Meck!

[Sassy]

Originally Posted by 27atwater

How much is Red Lion nightly?

I think it ran us $139 a night but they tend to up their rates on game day.

[PaintballCLE]

yeah we paid 99 the night before the game, and 199 the night of the game......so it averages out to be about 150 a night.

the other times i have been there we stayed at the tech center..... we stayed in the westin (50 a night on hotwire) and just took a cab for 20 bucks each way or parked (35) but still is cheaper than staying in the red lion.

[Sassy]

The Red Lion right now is $109 per night...It will go up when the schedule comes out.