This website http://www.gocongress.org/2014 is the only thing I've seen that's at all official looking and it seems that they are way behind in getting ready for it. For example it is almost March and registration is not open yet, though they've advertised a discount for early registration. There is no info about pros. Apparently you have to go to the hotel website to reserve a room but there is nothing I could find on the Hotel Pennsylvania website about the Congress and I'd assume there is some sort of special rate for congress participants.

Is there really going to be a US Congress this year?

There's a lot more information there than there was a month or two ago, so I imagine things are progressing. Given the shorter timeframe due to the change of cities last summer, I'm not entirely surprised that things are taking longer than they have in the past.

I just checked the AGA page for the congress and there is essentially nothing there except the dates and venue. It's hard to imagine how this could be significant progress from two months ago. Maybe there's another website? I hope there will be real progress soon. People need firm, detailed information, including cost, to make plans to attend. Many people use vacation time to go to the congress and that has to be arranged several months ahead of time.

I won't be going, but I have to wonder how many can afford to spend a week in a hotel in Manhattan.

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Still officially AGA 5d but I play so irregularly these days that I am probably only 3d or 4d over the board (but hopefully still 5d in terms of knowledge, theory and the ability to contribute).

According to the site, at least, the costs look pretty affordable. Comparable to past congresses, anyways.

I found the costs under that header but still no information on how to get a room at the congress rates. Do we have to call the hotel? The hotel website has no information about special rates or the US Go Congress. They do have a registration option for "group" but it requires a special code, which is not available on the go congress site. And what about food? Are we on our own for food? That could be a major additional expense if we have to eat off site, unless we eat all our meals at McDonalds or the equivalent.

Which is even more expensive when you have factored in the additional health care costs in the future.

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Still officially AGA 5d but I play so irregularly these days that I am probably only 3d or 4d over the board (but hopefully still 5d in terms of knowledge, theory and the ability to contribute).

For the rooms, at least, in the past you would select them as part of your registration and don't deal directly with the venue at all. I'm curious about the food too. Has anyone inquired with Matthew?

One thing to note, though, is that there is great street food all around midtown manhattan. Finding something cheap and relatively decent shouldn't be too hard if you wander for a couple blocks.

Lastly, who else is going to 'enjoy the mountain air'?

I see there is an introductory page on the website now that clarifies the food situation. There is no meal plan. That will be more expensive than the previous congresses that had meals on site included in the fee. The rooms at the Hotel Pennsylvania are "being negotiated" so that would seem to mean that the prices quoted are not firm (maybe lower, maybe higher?). No matter what, it seems like it's going to cost a lot if you want a single room. In that case maybe you can do better off site. I'm afraid that this congress is too rich for my blood. At my age I need a single room, I don't want to eat "street food", and on top of the expensive accomodations and congress fees there would be an expensive airline ticket to be bought. I'm estimating that the total cost for the congress for me would be around $2000 (or more). If the AGA is willing to have a congress that is this expensive to attend I'm going to save my money for one in Hawaii

You just missed the BIBA Hawaii camp http://www.bibabaduk.net/index.php?p=pContent&mid=24 . You can see some pictures on Diana Koszegi's facebook.

While it is admittedly a bit more work getting arrangements than previous congresses, the location does allow for a number of unique options for potential participants. For instance, you could even get a cheap hotel out in Jersey city (probably ~$100/night for a room) and take the PATH train right in to Penn station each morning.

I'll have a place to stay with family if I go luckily. I'm more concerned with whether the $400 registration makes it worthwhile. Every year it's about that though.

We've done this before when we visited New York, at a place on the edge of Hoboken and Jersey city, near the PATH station, and it was incredibly easy to get to midtown, as well as comparatively inexpensive to stay. It looks like the normal train runs from 6am to 11pm and then there is a night train schedule for later.

I want this Congress to succeed, but I have very mixed feelings about having a Congress in midtown Manhattan.

Pluses:

- It's midtown Manhattan! You can walk wherever you want to eat whatever you want - eat cheaply from the hot dog vendor on the street, or splurge, or something in the middle.
- Museums, Central Park, Broadway, a short train ride to Flushing and all the great Asian food and Korean Go clubs. Lots to do.
- If you are awake at 3am, there is no better place to be (does not apply to me though).

Minuses:

- I have stayed at the Hotel Pennsylvania and it was not nice - at least this was the case 12 years ago.
- Is this really family friendly? If you lose sight of your eight year-old child in Black Mountain, North Carolina, you could rest assured that he/she would pop up again soon. The same cannot be said for midtown Manhattan. This is the thing that scares me the most.

Good luck to the dedicated Go players in NYC for trying what has never thought to have been possible...

Manhattan doesn't have grizzly bears or cougars.

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Help make L19 more organized. Make an index: https://lifein19x19.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=5207

I think the family friendly thing could swing both ways -- I would imagine it is much easier for a spouse to find something to do with the kids in Manhattan while you are playing in the US Open. It may be also easier to convince the family in general to spend a week in NYC as opposed to some of the previous locations.

On the whole, I think it's an interesting and ambitious idea...I would imagine those who have quite liked earlier go congresses may find it off-putting. It won't have as much of the "week long immersion in a group of go players where everything is taken care of" feel. On the other hand, those who have had trouble justifying a week long trip "just for go", those who prefer to have other things to do once they have played in the US open, or those who have significant others tired of becoming go widow(er)s may be pleasantly surprised and find it a great time.

The fears of having to eat at McDonalds are making me laugh. New York City has a greater variety of good food at all price points than anywhere else in the world. I guarantee you will eat better than you do at home. No way you would want to be locked into a cafeteria!

Specifically, the best thing about the Hotel Pennsylvania is that it is a five minute walk from Koreatown, a solid block of Korean restaurants on 32nd St. between Broadway and Fifth Ave. Most of them offer Japanese food as well. I've never had a bad meal in one of those places. It would be fantastic if they could be induced to offer discounts or even meal plans to Congress participants. Maybe I will take it on myself to ask.

Here's a quick/dirty map of them: https://www.google.com/maps?q=korean+re ... 1&t=m&z=17

There is also a Korean supermarket on the block, Han Ah Reum, which in the past has offered decent go equipment for a much lower price than you will find on the internet. I'm talking ~$20 for stones + bowls + board. As long as I am taking things on myself, I should make sure they have them in stock.

New York is famous for being expensive, but, paradoxically, it's also famous for bargains. You just have to know where to look. People come from all over the world to shop there.

Of course, there are tons of things to do in NYC when you and your family are not playing go. Here are a couple of attractions in the neighborhood that are relatively new - http://www.thehighline.org/ and http://www.rubinmuseum.org/

Oh, and I'm sure that this place will appeal to some go players! http://momath.org/

Re kids at the Congress - of course you don't let young kids wander around NYC unsupervised. But Paul Barchilon tells me, "The Youth Room is open from 1 pm to 5:30 pm every afternoon at the go congress. There are different fun activities every day, from 9x9 tourneys, to lightning Go, Pair Go, and various other Go related things." I'm looking forward to attending with my seven-year-old!

Another food idea: Chinatown has some of the best you'll ever eat at criminally low prices. It's 15 minutes from the hotel by subway, less by taxi.