[MR] Hotelling Pennsic

[Tracie Brown]

I've camped "the Atlantian way" for the last several 
Pennsics, and a few times in the more distant past.  I stayed 
at the Amerisuites in Cranberry Township for the last four 
years. 
http://www.amerisuites.com/reservations/locationdetail.asp?
facid=4052

Cranberry Twp is where I-79 and the Pennsylvania turnpike 
intersect, so there are a lot of motels.  The rates are 
reasonable, especially if you have a discount you can use. 
With my government discount last year we paid about $60/night 
a suite with 2 double beds (or maybe it was queen, I don't 
remember) and a double sleeper sofa, bedroom, living room & 
kitchenette. Free high speed internet. Laundry. Pet friendly 
(additional charge for pets.) There's a free hot breakfast 
bar in the morning and a pool.  They're quite used to seeing 
costumed guests. (At breakfast, but not in the pool.) 

There are other comparable motels in the area, as well as 
some less expensive and more modestly appointed, and some 
more expensive with more amenities. 

Cranberry Township is about 20 miles or 30 minutes south of 
site (depending on construction), in an area with a mall and 
some shopping centers featuring real supermarkets, beer 
stores, movie theater (air conditioning!), Kinko's and a Jo 
Ann fabrics (among others). Fast food and sit-down 
restaurants.  A hospital. Cranberry is about 30 minutes from 
Pittsburgh. This past year I noticed a number of families 
with younger (under 12) staying in Cranberry who would take a 
day off from Pennsic to go do something mundane -- visit the 
zoo, the Carnegie Science Center, a baseball game, IKEA. I've 
done the same to visit some period related museum exhibitions 
and shop for mundane clothes (no sales tax on clothes in PA).

One unexpected advantage to staying in Cranberry is that if 
you're traveling from the south (which is probably everybody 
in Atlantia), your drive from home to the motel is about an 
hour shorter than if you stayed at any of the motels in 
Butler or New Castle.  To get to the Butler and New Castle 
motels, it is necessary to overshoot Pennsic, so the initial 
drive is longer, and they aren't that much closer to site.  
And they're always full.

THE major disadvantage to staying off site -- climbing the 
parking lot hill(s) and trying to find your car in the dark 
after a long tiring day of shopping, classes, fighting and 
partying. Another "disadvantage" is that the climate control 
and privacy of a motel room encourages sleeping late! Be 
disciplined when that alarm goes off or you'll miss out on 
stuff.

If you're hotelling Pennsic, consider setting up a small tent 
on site where you can stash your purchases or your armor 
during the day, or make arrangements with friends.  

Well, this post is longer than I thought it would be, but it 
should help.  

--  Signy