UBS arena experience

[19854ever]

I know this was discussed somewhat in the  Pre game and post game threads for our favorite teams abysmal performance against Kansas. 
 


But I want this thread to be more about the UBS arena and the fans experience. 

Here is my review:

I really like the arena the section 200 bar stools were awesome. I sat there during the second half very fun. Great view of the arena. 

The crowd was nice , close to 10,000 it looks much better with the black curtain closing up over the upper deck. I wish MSG would do that.

Getting into the arena was a bottle neck , at one security check point I wish more entrances were open. I love the higher ceilings inside the main rotunda.

ok getting to the game I took the lirr from Manhattan change at Jamaica  then got off at Elmont that was not fun. There was no shuttle bus waiting for us we had to walk to the arena. Not bad but the advice of the LIRR employee is to take the train going to Belmont Park from Jamaica. I will do that next time. Also better to buy tickets in advance there was still a service fee buying at the game 15 minutes prior at the ticket office at the arena. Decent walk up crowd good to see . 
 

Beers very expensive I had the Laquinta IPA $18.37 for 24 oz’s. Not sure if they had Mike Mahers Bronx Pale ale I didn’t see it. 

Also arena staff is brand new still working out the kinks and figuring out the lay of the land. 

Finally great Job  by Mike Cragg and staff making it feel like A Redmen home game. The court looked nice . The PA announcer did a great job. I liked the interactions like moving a fan to court side seats, mentioning the ex players in attendance. They mentioned my old friend Norm Roberts in passing was disappointed about the lack of video tribute . But old Norm inspired his talented team and they played hard against SJU .. 

 

[rcatalano]

Without going into an entire discussion regarding UBS I will tell you that for me coming from Setauket Long Island I would take MSG any day of the week! Much easier to get to. Jump on at Ronkonkoma and get off at Penn Sta end of story!  On the way home we missed the train out of Queens Village by 5 minutes and had to stand for over an hour for the next train to Ronkonkoma! Between waiting for the train at Quenns Village and the debacle of delaying our entrance into the arena at the main entrance we stood for over 2 hrs in the freezing cold!  No I don’t know if I would attend another game at UBS!
  I thought I purchased great seats in Section 108 row 5 only to find out that we were set so far back from the court I could barely see the Kansas bench! The arena was nice but I thought it lacked adequate bathroom facilities and concession stands!

 

[19854ever]

Catman thank you for your feedback, too bad there is not a train stopping at Elmont that could connect to the Ronkonkoma line. The LIRR and UBS Need to coordinate better,  a work in progress. 

 

[SJU85]

I took the shuttle from Jamaica as I was coming from Manhattan.  No problem what so ever and is definitely the way to go if coming from he west.  My wife was coming from home and drove.  No real problem and getting out we headed to the Cross Island Northbound (the traffic was southbound).  

As far as Ronkonkoma or other mainline trains stopping at the arena, they currently can’t gain access to the platforms there due to the current configuration of the tracks, switches and signal systems.  Elmont Station was fast
tracked  so they would at least have the southern platform (eastbound) open to allow Hempstead Branch trains to stop there when when the Arena opened so it and Belmont Station could be used for game days.  That branch diverges from the other mainline branches just prior to this area. However, much more needs to be done for the other branches to get there.  New track, track switches, signals and other systems must be put into place.  There are a limited amount of manufacturers who make these items which are not off the shelf items and there is a long lead time.  Same for the signal equipment and housings and is why the northside (westbound) platform ​​​​​is not open.  This will all be done before next season.

l loved the arena and my seats.  I had a $17 24 oz Dos Equis beer and a shot of Tequilia which was about $20.  Food I was told was better priced for an arena/stadium.  Had no problem or wait for the line to check for Covid vaccination or to get in the arena.  Didn’t like the cue for the line to get to my seats through a bar/restaurant area.  The bathrooms were close to my seats however that one I thought was rather small.

For games at MSG, most of our fans probably take the subway, LIRR or NJT to get to there while for CA most drive.  USB offers a different scenario where you could have a good mixture of both but more inconvenience as there are additional logistics involved (decent walk or shuttle bus) unless you take the LIRR right into the grounds and even that is limited (two trains before and after the game on Friday night, maybe more for an Islanders game).

I would not mind a few more games there next year (maybe one being a conference game) game to try it out but not at the expense of MSG.

 

[beast of the east]

If we can draw 7k or more for lesser big east games, I wouldn't mind playing there.

They do have bugs to work out, including getting seats behind the baskets on the floor, but it has a bigger game fear, real concessions, and they serve alcohol which is important to many.

The pregame food was crap for the price.

 

[jetstorm]

I know this was discussed somewhat in the  Pre game and post game threads for our favorite teams abysmal performance against Kansas. 
 


But I want this thread to be more about the UBS arena and the fans experience. 

Here is my review:

I really like the arena the section 200 bar stools were awesome. I sat there during the second half very fun. Great view of the arena. 

The crowd was nice , close to 10,000 it looks much better with the black curtain closing up over the upper deck. I wish MSG would do that.

Getting into the arena was a bottle neck , at one security check point I wish more entrances were open. I love the higher ceilings inside the main rotunda.

ok getting to the game I took the lirr from Manhattan change at Jamaica  then got off at Elmont that was not fun. There was no shuttle bus waiting for us we had to walk to the arena. Not bad but the advice of the LIRR employee is to take the train going to Belmont Park from Jamaica. I will do that next time. Also better to buy tickets in advance there was still a service fee buying at the game 15 minutes prior at the ticket office at the arena. Decent walk up crowd good to see . 
 

Beers very expensive I had the Laquinta IPA $18.37 for 24 oz’s. Not sure if they had Mike Mahers Bronx Pale ale I didn’t see it. 

Also arena staff is brand new still working out the kinks and figuring out the lay of the land. 

Finally great Job  by Mike Cragg and staff making it feel like A Redmen home game. The court looked nice . The PA announcer did a great job. I liked the interactions like moving a fan to court side seats, mentioning the ex players in attendance. They mentioned my old friend Norm Roberts in passing was disappointed about the lack of video tribute . But old Norm inspired his talented team and they played hard against SJU .. 

A video tribute to Norm??? Let’s not get carried away!
 

 

[P1NSTR1PEZ]

The arena itself is visually pleasing, but clearly not done. The outside is nice and will be great for spring/summer events.

Not letting fans into the arena until 6:15 is an absolute disaster from a business/financial perspective. ESPECIALLY with how expensive everything was. Beer was $17, Chicken Fingers, Hot Dogs $14+, Fountain soda $14, alcohol prices through the roof. Parking was $35+

It's so expensive to go that with tickets and parking plus food and drinks the night ended up costing close to $500. They have a lot of kinks to work out (parking being a major cluster F) and hopefully prices go down eventually.

 

[monte]

If we can draw 7k or more for lesser big east games, I wouldn't mind playing there.

They do have bugs to work out, including getting seats behind the baskets on the floor, but it has a bigger game fear, real concessions, and they serve alcohol which is important to many.

The pregame food was crap for the price.

Any idea what the break even is for attendance? 

 

[beast of the east]

If we can draw 7k or more for lesser big east games, I wouldn't mind playing there.

They do have bugs to work out, including getting seats behind the baskets on the floor, but it has a bigger game fear, real concessions, and they serve alcohol which is important to many.

The pregame food was crap for the price.

Any idea what the break even is for attendance? 

PM me.

 

[rcatalano]

I thought I was having an outer body experience when the cost of a Diet Pepsi was $14
Thats absurd!

 

[ras]

I have to admit going to a game at UBS , when you factor in ticket prices, mark ups. parking, a couple of beers for 2+people is a lot of dough and is a deterrent, And very rarely  you going to get a blue blood like Kansas as an opponent. What do you think it cost to attend a game at Creighton or even Nova?

 

[Las Vegan]

Friday night at seven is not the easiest time for an event. A Saturday or Sunday game might be better for the fans who are driving.

 

[RedStormNC]

Friday night at seven is not the easiest time for an event. A Saturday or Sunday game might be better for the fans who are driving.

Fyi...Specific to the KU game, it was initially scheduled for Thursday night but got bumped back.

 

[mjmaherjr]

I know this was discussed somewhat in the  Pre game and post game threads for our favorite teams abysmal performance against Kansas. 
 


But I want this thread to be more about the UBS arena and the fans experience. 

Here is my review:

I really like the arena the section 200 bar stools were awesome. I sat there during the second half very fun. Great view of the arena. 

The crowd was nice , close to 10,000 it looks much better with the black curtain closing up over the upper deck. I wish MSG would do that.

Getting into the arena was a bottle neck , at one security check point I wish more entrances were open. I love the higher ceilings inside the main rotunda.

ok getting to the game I took the lirr from Manhattan change at Jamaica  then got off at Elmont that was not fun. There was no shuttle bus waiting for us we had to walk to the arena. Not bad but the advice of the LIRR employee is to take the train going to Belmont Park from Jamaica. I will do that next time. Also better to buy tickets in advance there was still a service fee buying at the game 15 minutes prior at the ticket office at the arena. Decent walk up crowd good to see . 
 

Beers very expensive I had the Laquinta IPA $18.37 for 24 oz’s. Not sure if they had Mike Mahers Bronx Pale ale I didn’t see it. 

Also arena staff is brand new still working out the kinks and figuring out the lay of the land. 

Finally great Job  by Mike Cragg and staff making it feel like A Redmen home game. The court looked nice . The PA announcer did a great job. I liked the interactions like moving a fan to court side seats, mentioning the ex players in attendance. They mentioned my old friend Norm Roberts in passing was disappointed about the lack of video tribute . But old Norm inspired his talented team and they played hard against SJU .. 

A video tribute to Norm??? Let’s not get carried away!

 

I didnt see any bronx pale ales either. The bar next to 111 didnt even have IPAs in stock

 

[jerseyshorejohnny]

If we can draw 7k or more for lesser big east games, I wouldn't mind playing there.

They do have bugs to work out, including getting seats behind the baskets on the floor, but it has a bigger game fear, real concessions, and they serve alcohol which is important to many.

The pregame food was crap for the price.

Any idea what the break even is for attendance? 

Hello Mark,

Please check your mail. I sent you a PM, Thanks in advance
 

 

[nycfan]

Our own Bill Wennington (LuHi Alum) with current LuHi players (also Jayson Williams in the pic as well).  From Kansas game - 

https://twitter.com/LuHiBasketball/status/1466963519799271426/photo/1