Questions on going to Skate America!

Is anyone else going to Skate America (Oct. 26-28)? I called the number listed at the website for the Sovereign Center, where it's being held in Reading, PA, and they are currently collecting names and numbers for all-event tickets.

But I left my name and number a couple days ago and they haven't called back. They said they're returning calls in the order they get them - so has anyone here on the boards heard back and been able to order their tickets? If I can't speak to anyone soon besides that women's recorded message, should I just buy individual tickets on sale at ticketmaster? I want the all-event passes to be able to go to the practice sessions in the morning and get as close as I want.

Also, where are people staying? I'm on a student budget so I was planning on staying in one of two Philly hostels and then driving to the rink in Reading - not sure how far they are but I think it's about an hour's drive.

Also, does anyone recommend a certain package? I won't buy the most expensive one, and I hear live figure skating is best to watch from a bit higher up in the stands anyway. So should I go for the cheapest pass (about $151) to have the best view of the whole rink? Or is the medium package the best view?

I put a lot of time into planning last year but never ended up going to Hartford. And I definitely want to take advantage this year with SA being held on the East Coast in the tri-state area, because who knows where it will be held next year!

I have already gotten my all event tickets about two months ago. I got the 151 dollar package. My seats are about 10 rows from the top or so. But remember this arena holds about 7000 people...not your normal arena which holds 20000 or so. So any seat is a good seat. Plus there is no assigned seating for the practice sessions. During the competition there is usually a part that is arena that tickets are not sold for so you might be able to move down. That if of course a big if. Way back when I called and left a message for tickets and they took a while to call me back. YOu might also want to e-mail them. I believe that there is only one person that is working the tickets for this event because when I got my tickets it was always the same person that I spoke with.

Philadelphia is about 1 hour or so away from Reading. That of course does not include traffic on the Schuykill Expressway or the Pennsylvania Turnpike which can get very messy at pretty much any time of the day, especially in the morning and evening rush hour periods. This traffic could definitely add to your drive. And unfortunitly if you plan on going from Philly to Reading you have to take these roads.

You might want to find a hotel that is a little outside Reading. There are a number of towns close by and there are college towns so you might find something. I am staying at the Comfort Inn that is about 3 miles or so away. Also remember, that you have to pay for parking there so this might also be a consideration for you. You might also want to find out if there are people who are going who might like to share a room and the hotel expenses. That's always and idea. But you want to be careful because there are some areas of Reading that aren't that nice. So book your room wisely. But I would also say the same thing about Philadelphia!!!

Good luck and hopefully you will be able to find something.

PS I only plan on staying in Reading Friday and Saturday night. There is only practice sessions on Thursday so I will probably head back home to Jersey on Thursday night and head back on Friday morning. But I do have a roomed booked for Thursday night in case I change my mind.