Anyone experience the same issues at Belmont?

[thespaah]

Originally Posted by Saratoga_Mike

You can't see the difference? The vast, vast majority of sexual assaults are men assaulting women, not vice-versa. Therefore, it's a safety issue if we allowed men in the women's restrooms (in this case, there were lots of men in the restrooms and nothing was going to happen). If you were so intimidated by a few women (and it was only a few at a time) in the men's room, use a stall and you'd have full privacy. Me, I didn't care.

Not the point.
It's wrong and should not be tolerated.

[Shelby]

Originally Posted by thespaah

Not the point.
It's wrong and should not be tolerated.

It is a valid point when you can't get into a bathroom. You're a smart man, you know what we're trying to say.

I'm not trying to stir up an argument. For me it was either have an accident or go in the men's room. Again, men get done a lot faster.

Maybe new venues should have 2 women's bathrooms to every men's built.

[Redboard]

Originally Posted by Shelby

It is a valid point when you can't get into a bathroom. You're a smart man, you know what we're trying to say.

I'm not trying to stir up an argument. For me it was either have an accident or go in the men's room. Again, men get done a lot faster.

Maybe new venues should have 2 women's bathrooms to every men's built.

That's what they did with the Kimmel Center, a relatively new venue in Philadelphia. I attend concerts there frequently. They probably have two female units there for every male one.

[proximity]

not to make light of the many serious issues in this thread but this scene of the little 8 1/2 year old girl sporting her little pink zenyatta t-shirt, rounding the corner of the belmont men's room only to find none other than the (aptly named?) whizz draining the ol' lizzard, her little innocent eyes suddenly bulging out of her pretty little head.....

[thespaah]

Originally Posted by PaceAdvantage

This is why I am having a hard time reconciling the attendance numbers. It really seemed to me to be the most crowded I have ever seen since 1988.

In 2004 we didn't hear of all these horror stories between the parking and the LIRR. What changed? The parking lots are all the same...or have they removed some of the parking since then?

It just doesn't add up. Either there weren't 120,000 there in 2004, or there were way more than 102,000 there on Saturday...

102,000 people wagered a little over 19 million on track.
Typically the per capita at Belmont is about $350 per person.
I went back to 2010. ON each Belmont day, the per capita handle on track ranged from $160 in 2010, $180 in '11 $160 in 2012 and way up to $234 in '13
This year's was $190....
So the attendance ratio to on track handle appears to fit.
As a side note, this years all sources handle was $131 million. Compare that to the last time there was a TC potential 2008, I believe. 94k people the per capita was just $140. All sources handle that year was $99 million.
In 2004 reported attendance was 120k. The on track handle was 14 million.
Kind of light compared to successive years

[thespaah]

Originally Posted by Shelby

It is a valid point when you can't get into a bathroom. You're a smart man, you know what we're trying to say.

I'm not trying to stir up an argument. For me it was either have an accident or go in the men's room. Again, men get done a lot faster.

Maybe new venues should have 2 women's bathrooms to every men's built.

Not arguing shelby..
And I understand the issue.
I guess the irritating thing is when some women just think they have carte blanche to whatever they want.
I worked as a bartender in a very busy sports bar and event though the ladies room was twice the size of the men's room, every once in a while we'd have issues with women using the men's room. They would just walk in two or three at a time wait for the guys to run out then lock the door for 20 minutes.....
I banned these jerks for 6 months one time for pulling a stunt like that. I had guys who needed to hit the head and couldn't because of the girl's indiscretion. So excuse me, it's a bit if a sore spot.
Now for the good news.
There are three relatively new sport facilities near here. One is new. All three have what is known as "potty parity". One third more women's toilets than men's.
An idea a long time coming.
Women simply take longer. But as you probably know some women use the rest room to fix their hair and makeup, not use the toilet.
That's gotta suck.

[thespaah]

Originally Posted by Shelby

Think what you want. I was by myself. I'm not a child or a teenager that needs another to help me relieve myself. And, it was not at a horse race that I needed to do what I had to do, by the way.

I agree, women take longer to go....they can't go in a communal area and get done. We have stalls.

Ok. I get it. You had to go.
I do think there should be more women's rest rooms than men's. New venues are being built with that in the design.

[burnsy]

Originally Posted by RunForTheRoses

Reading these reports I'm not surprised. I figured it would be terrible. The average Belmont weekend is a ghost town so I guess no one could figure out this would require some extra planning. It was a real nice day, should have been a good time.

Me either. I was there for the Big Brown debacle. Started going to Mt Jam at Hunter mountain ever since. A friend of mine went to Belmont then showed up Sunday for the Allman Brothers.....He said he wished he never went and should of been with us. I was sitting in the place we rent, drinking Heineken, barbequing chicken, with my feet up. I did well too, great day betting, except for the Belmont Stakes itself. After that jack ass had his rant about losing......I went to listen to Govt. Mule........I'd rather be at the track any other day than that one. I wouldn't of cared if he won, its not for me and I love the live track. If you are there to actually handicap and wager....it's a tough day. I'd rather be there when there's no TC attempt. Since Mt Jam always starts the Thursday before...it keeps me away and I ain't really missing it.

[breezing]

i was in the green lot and got out in about 5 minutes, i disregarded the line of cars in front of me and went out the way i came in. the issue was there was no one directing anyone where to go and there was no signage either.

i had a good time despite the following:

• no one directing you where to park upon entering

• no one directing where to go to exit

• ridiculously long bathroom lines

• $20 for a boxed lunch was a bit excessive although it wasn't bad

• no one knew where will call was so that i could pick up my tickets since they didn't arrive prior to my departure (thanks belmont for "requesting that the tickets not be sent until the week before the event". when i finally found the reserved seating office i was redirected to the annex on the other side of the place. stood in line for 45 minutes until someone got the bright idea to make two lines, one for people who just needed to pickup up purchased tickets and one for people looking to buy tickets.

• 95% of the time no one looked at my ticket to see if i was supposed to be in that area.

• clubhouse apron was closed for a "private party" and every time i looked was empty

• exiting the track itself was an ordeal, couldn't leave the way i came in. luckily there was a regular who told me that i wouldn't be able to get out that way and the mass of people in front of me were people trying to get to the rail platform. ended up squeezing through some small opening and all was well. buses back to lot were full and were just parked so i walked back to my car. they must have been really messed up because only one bus passed me on my walk back.

• a few other issues but didn't really affect my "total experience"

the good: no problem with wi-fi all day; saw the belmont stakes and triple crown trophy up close and personal; had great people sitting and standing around me so it made for great conversations; no issues with machines or tellers; liked LL Cool J (i'll take him over broadway musical numbers any day); even with the crowd managed to run into 4 people i know without trying.

i would probably attend another belmont day but i can assure you i would not attend a BC there.

[NTamm1215]

Originally Posted by thespaah

102,000 people wagered a little over 19 million on track.
Typically the per capita at Belmont is about $350 per person.
I went back to 2010. ON each Belmont day, the per capita handle on track ranged from $160 in 2010, $180 in '11 $160 in 2012 and way up to $234 in '13
This year's was $190....
So the attendance ratio to on track handle appears to fit.
As a side note, this years all sources handle was $131 million. Compare that to the last time there was a TC potential 2008, I believe. 94k people the per capita was just $140. All sources handle that year was $99 million.
In 2004 reported attendance was 120k. The on track handle was 14 million.
Kind of light compared to successive years

Don't forget that the 19 million includes NYRA Rewards and anyone at Aqueduct.

[PaceAdvantage]

Originally Posted by thespaah

The problem is that most people bolt right after tyhe Belmont. Get this....to beat the traffic. HA!
We never left until the last race was official.
By then at least half the crowd was gone.
We'd walk back to the car and take our time. No stress. We just dealt with the traffic on the Cross Island and the (UGH!!!!) Cross Bronx ( parking lot)

The weird part was, it seemed hardly any people had left after the Belmont. Probably only seemed that way because of how truly large this crowd was...

[PaceAdvantage]

Originally Posted by breezing

the good: no problem with wi-fi all day;

Not once could I get onto the NYRA wi-fi signal...you had it all day? Where were you sitting? I was in 3X...

[breezing]

Originally Posted by PaceAdvantage

Not once could I get onto the NYRA wi-fi signal...you had it all day? Where were you sitting? I was in 3X...

i was in 2D.

[menifee]

I can deal with large crowds, wifi being down, women in the bathroom, long lines for gambling, food, etc. I cannot understand why NYRA can't manage these events better (I don't blame the rank and file who are working hard - I blame management because they were understaffed), but it seems par for the course with NYRA.

My real concern was the situation in the Blue Parking Lot. There were no police, security, etc. There were ambulances with sirens blasting trying to get out and the gridlock cost them substantial time. It was a 3.5 hour delay getting out of the lot. It was utter chaos/anarchy and there was absolutely no staffing whatsoever. It was pure gridlock. I don't know what the state of the people in those ambulances were, but they really could have endangered people's lives by having that parking lot managed like it was.

[wiffleball whizz]

Originally Posted by proximity

not to make light of the many serious issues in this thread but this scene of the little 8 1/2 year old girl sporting her little pink zenyatta t-shirt, rounding the corner of the belmont men's room only to find none other than the (aptly named?) whizz draining the ol' lizzard, her little innocent eyes suddenly bulging out of her pretty little head.....

Hahahahahahahahahaha