Early Oshkosh Planning

[Paul Dow]

I generally try to alternate years going to Oshkosh and Sun N' Fun. For
the Winconsin trip, that makes a problem with getting a hotel room since
I don't keep the room every year.

I've been told that to get a hotel room, I should call right after I
finish kissing my girlfriend after watching the Times Square ball drop
on New Years Eve. That's when they become available.

Does anyone have any suggestions on which hotels to call? I'm trying to
avoid the Motel 6 class room for $250/night. I know there's no avoiding
high prices, but I want to skip the worst of the gouging. In the past
I've stayed in Appleton twice, Wautoma (45 miles west) (Really good
pizza) and Green Bay (Really good & cheap shrimp at the Raddisson bar
there).

I know the camping experience is something to consider, but since nearby
Appleton holds the all-time US record for highest dew point (101 Deg -
July 13, 1995), I really appreciate air conditioning after a long day of
walking around. The dorms in Appleton may be a good option, since I
read they are air conditioned.

I would also add the requirement for being close to a Culver's
Butterburgers, but those are numerous in the area.

Thanks for any assistance,
Paul

[UltraJohn]

Paul Dow wrote:
> I know the camping experience is something to consider, but since nearby
> Appleton holds the all-time US record for highest dew point (101 Deg -
> July 13, 1995), I really appreciate air conditioning after a long day of
> walking around. The dorms in Appleton may be a good option, since I
> read they are air conditioned.
>
> I would also add the requirement for being close to a Culver's
> Butterburgers, but those are numerous in the area.
>
> Thanks for any assistance,
> Paul


Let's see, since the record high temp in Appleton for July 13th (also
checked 12th & 14th) of any year was 96 degree's It would be quite
impossible to get a 101 degree dewpoint ;-)
Quite frankly I hate it when we get into the 70's most of the summer (with
the occasional 80+). Just take a bar of soap with you and you can take your
shower as you walk!
John

[Gerry Caron]

New Year's is too late. But then, it may be too early.

No. Most hotel rooms don't become available after New Year's. Most are
already gone. But they could become available on Jan 1 or some other day.
Sounds cryptic, but the hotels each run their own process. The only way to
find out is to call the hotels direct -- forget the 800 number.

Where we stayed, we put in our request for next year during this year's
show. They started taken requests then (from anyone who came in and asked.)
They then decide who gets the rooms and send out a confirmation around Oct
1. (Priority goes to those who stayed there this year and request 5 or more
nights.) Once you get the notice, a 2 night deposit is required by Jan 1 or
you lose your reservation. So some rooms may be available then, but they'll
likely got to others on the waiting list.

So here's the tactics:

Call and see if they have a waiting list. Get on it if you can. Best to
talk to the manager. The manager's often handle OSH reservations by
themselves.

Find out if and when there are any deposit deadlines. Be ready to call on
those days if they don't use a waiting list.

Out around March, start calling regularly (weekly) to see if anyone has
cancelled. (That's how my wife got ours the first time.)

Sometime around March-May, they give up on the 5 day minimum and start
selling 2-4 nights. So if you're planning a short trip, you probably won't
get very far until then. When they've started that, then you start getting
the "We've got Mon-Thurs only." Around June-July, you can start finding
these thru the hotline.

Good luck.

Gerry

"Paul Dow" > wrote in message
news:lu9qd.10938$SA.8463@lakeread02...
> I generally try to alternate years going to Oshkosh and Sun N' Fun. For
> the Winconsin trip, that makes a problem with getting a hotel room since
> I don't keep the room every year.
>
> I've been told that to get a hotel room, I should call right after I
> finish kissing my girlfriend after watching the Times Square ball drop
> on New Years Eve. That's when they become available.
>
> Does anyone have any suggestions on which hotels to call? I'm trying to
> avoid the Motel 6 class room for $250/night. I know there's no avoiding
> high prices, but I want to skip the worst of the gouging. In the past
> I've stayed in Appleton twice, Wautoma (45 miles west) (Really good
> pizza) and Green Bay (Really good & cheap shrimp at the Raddisson bar
> there).
>
> I know the camping experience is something to consider, but since nearby
> Appleton holds the all-time US record for highest dew point (101 Deg -
> July 13, 1995), I really appreciate air conditioning after a long day of
> walking around. The dorms in Appleton may be a good option, since I
> read they are air conditioned.
>
> I would also add the requirement for being close to a Culver's
> Butterburgers, but those are numerous in the area.
>
> Thanks for any assistance,
> Paul

[Paul Dow]

I see I did read the information wrong. This page:
http://www.weatherwise.org/qr/qry.02dewpointextreme.html shows the temp
to be 101 with a dew point of 90 on 7/13/95. It's on the Internet, so
it must be true :-)

The historical information on wunderground.com for that day show it to
be a comfortable 81 there. I couldn't find the true record information
on the NOAA site.

I guess we can agree that an air conditioned room will be much better
than a tent or dorm room suffering the affect of solar heat storage.
BTW, I wonder what they do with all those Wal-Mart fans that are bought,
but are too big to bring back in checked luggage?

UltraJohn wrote:

> Let's see, since the record high temp in Appleton for July 13th (also
> checked 12th & 14th) of any year was 96 degree's It would be quite
> impossible to get a 101 degree dewpoint ;-)
> Quite frankly I hate it when we get into the 70's most of the summer (with
> the occasional 80+). Just take a bar of soap with you and you can take your
> shower as you walk!
> John
>

[Bart D. Hull]

What about staying at the college dorms? I have gone there year after
year with NO reservations and always got a decent room at a cheap price.

I don't have high expectations for a room as I only go there to sleep or
get out of the sun so I don't waste money on a 4 star hotel.

I met quite a few fellow Oshkosh goers in the process and felt more a
part of the true Oshkosh adventure.

Just my 2 cents...

--
Bart D. Hull

Tempe, Arizona

Check http://www.inficad.com/~bdhull/engine.html
for my Subaru Engine Conversion
Check http://www.inficad.com/~bdhull/fuselage.html
for Tango II I'm building.

Remove -nospam to reply via email.


Paul Dow wrote:
> I generally try to alternate years going to Oshkosh and Sun N' Fun. For
> the Winconsin trip, that makes a problem with getting a hotel room since
> I don't keep the room every year.
>
> I've been told that to get a hotel room, I should call right after I
> finish kissing my girlfriend after watching the Times Square ball drop
> on New Years Eve. That's when they become available.
>
> Does anyone have any suggestions on which hotels to call? I'm trying to
> avoid the Motel 6 class room for $250/night. I know there's no avoiding
> high prices, but I want to skip the worst of the gouging. In the past
> I've stayed in Appleton twice, Wautoma (45 miles west) (Really good
> pizza) and Green Bay (Really good & cheap shrimp at the Raddisson bar
> there).
>
> I know the camping experience is something to consider, but since nearby
> Appleton holds the all-time US record for highest dew point (101 Deg -
> July 13, 1995), I really appreciate air conditioning after a long day of
> walking around. The dorms in Appleton may be a good option, since I
> read they are air conditioned.
>
> I would also add the requirement for being close to a Culver's
> Butterburgers, but those are numerous in the area.
>
> Thanks for any assistance,
> Paul

[Paul Dow]

Gerry Caron wrote:
> Once you get the notice, a 2 night deposit is required by Jan 1 or
> you lose your reservation. So some rooms may be available then, but they'll
> likely got to others on the waiting list.

I got the Jan. 1 date from the people at the Oshkosh Convention &
Vistors Bureau booth at OSH. Your statement about deposits being
required by Jan 1 adds up. Rooms could open up if the deposit isn't paid.

5 night stays though may be a bit long. 6 days at Airventure can get to
be a bit much for me. I guess I could spend some time volunteering, but
I usually go with people who aren't quite as 'plane crazy' as me.

I see Lawrence University in Appleton has an air conditioned dorm for
$65/night double occupancy. I might check their availabilty. I wonder
if they have internet access? Maybe that's asking a bit much.

[John T]

Oooh yeah...culvers! Theres one on the hwy 41 frontage road on the EAA
side, about a mile or less from the corner where the museum sits.

John

[Blueskies]

"Paul Dow" > wrote in message news:PKbqd.11597$SA.10043@lakeread02...
<snip>

> BTW, I wonder what they do with all those Wal-Mart fans that are bought, but are too big to bring back in checked
> luggage?
>

At Ripon college, there was a back room filled with fans. They let us borrow a
few...

[Morgans]

"Paul Dow" > wrote

> 5 night stays though may be a bit long. 6 days at Airventure can get to
> be a bit much for me. I guess I could spend some time volunteering, but
> I usually go with people who aren't quite as 'plane crazy' as me.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ditch those ^%&$*(&*(% no good dogs! You gotta stay that long to see even
3/4ths of OSH! Sorry, my plane craziness is showing!
--
Jim in NC


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[RobertR237]

>
>
>"Paul Dow" > wrote
>
>> 5 night stays though may be a bit long. 6 days at Airventure can get to
>> be a bit much for me. I guess I could spend some time volunteering, but
>> I usually go with people who aren't quite as 'plane crazy' as me.
>++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>
>Ditch those ^%&$*(&*(% no good dogs! You gotta stay that long to see even
>3/4ths of OSH! Sorry, my plane craziness is showing!
>--
>Jim in NC

That depends on why you are going. If the only thing you want to do is go,
look at a bunch of planes and the displays, then 4-5 days is enough. You will
do nothing but walk your legs off and not really enjoy the even though. I have
spent 5-6 days at Oshkosh each year and have yet to see it all. Its not
because I couldn't get to everything but that I wanted to enjoy everything that
I did get to. The most time is spent simply talking with the other builders
and pilots about their projects, experiences, and love of flying.


Bob Reed
www.kisbuild.r-a-reed-assoc.com (KIS Builders Site)
KIS Cruiser in progress...Slow but steady progress....

"Ladies and Gentlemen, take my advice,
pull down your pants and Slide on the Ice!"
(M.A.S.H. Sidney Freedman)

[Paul Dow]

Hi Bob,

On my first visit back in '98 I didn't have much of a plan to go through
the place, and we just did a lot of walking for 3 days. Saw about 80%
of the place (measured by volume) and realized that we missed a lot of
forums we were interested in. I think the workshops at Sun N' Fun are
more intesting because of the smaller crowds allow more individual
attention from the instructors.

I don't want to feel like I have to see "Everything" there since I don't
think I miss much by quickly going through the Big Business sections,
and honestly I think some of the Theater in the Woods shows need to be
brought up to the current century. Well at least up to the 1970's.

As you suggest, I should try to take more time to talk with random
people. I need to accumulate some of those "I Learned About Flying From
That" and "Never Again" type stories to make myself more interesting. :-)

I did actually like being there on the final Monday in 2003. Although a
lot of planes had left, it was nice having an almost private airshow.
An interesting place to watch the show for a while is down at the south
end of the field near the big amphibians. You get a different
perspecive of the flight patterns, and there's no stiff neck from
looking straight up. Also on Monday there were no lines for the Bell
helicopter ride.

I know what will take a lot of time to do there! The quest for
reasonably priced food & drink. That was one thing Sun N' Fun really
did right this year. They didn't go with a single food supplier. They
had many County Fair-type vendors supply food. A lot of it was very
good and not priced too high.

RobertR237 wrote:
> That depends on why you are going. If the only thing you want to do is go,
> look at a bunch of planes and the displays, then 4-5 days is enough. You will
> do nothing but walk your legs off and not really enjoy the even though. I have
> spent 5-6 days at Oshkosh each year and have yet to see it all. Its not
> because I couldn't get to everything but that I wanted to enjoy everything that
> I did get to. The most time is spent simply talking with the other builders
> and pilots about their projects, experiences, and love of flying.
>
>
> Bob Reed
> www.kisbuild.r-a-reed-assoc.com (KIS Builders Site)
> KIS Cruiser in progress...Slow but steady progress....
>
> "Ladies and Gentlemen, take my advice,
> pull down your pants and Slide on the Ice!"
> (M.A.S.H. Sidney Freedman)
>