Belmont Stakes...anyone been?

My friends are coming in from OOT and they want to go. I was just wondering what the deal is on that day. Usually I know you can bring coolers and stuff but can you on the day of the Stakes?

Also, for those of you who have been, what's the best strategy for going there? Getting there early v. later? What time? LIRR or drive? Any input is great!

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Posted by thelastresort

But can't you just go into the park part? I didn't think you needed general admission tickets, no?

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that part i'm not sure about. i don't think it would be a good idea that day - just because of how INSANE it is going to be. I'll call my dad and ask....gimme 5 minutes!

my dad said in the paper today he read, they are expecting 120,000 people that day....

if you are not there at 7:00 AM - you have no chance on earth. It's going to be worse than the World Series.

you will have to pay admission to get into the race track, pay for parking... You can get into the park, yes, but will you want to deal with 120,000 of your closest friends?

This will likely be the first triple crown winner in 30 years and the entire world will be watching...may not be the best idea for a picnic.

(all quoting from my dad)

Sorry to crash the newlywed board!!

I went to the Belmont Stakes when Smarty Jones was going for the triple crown and although my fiance and I were packed like sardines on the general admission field, it was one of the best experiences of my life!!!! Right before the race they passed around a bottle of Jager (which I didn't touch cause a million other people drank out of it) and when someone behind us asked FH and I to scoot our chairs up a little, they offered us a beer as a thank you. You also get to watch a whole bunch of other races so it helps to pass the time.

Definitely take the LIRR (I took it from Ronkonkoma and then changed in Jamaica) and then they run special trains to Belmont. Be prepared for a lot of people, especially when you go to leave and just be ready to have an awesome time. I would also get there very early as well. You can definitely bring coolers and bring chairs to sit on. HTH!

I'm also going to crash because we go to the stakes race every year. We will be getting there around 7ish, and on the stakes day you are not allowed to bring alcohol into the park. You can get in on field level, and the admission is usually not much. We always bbq in the back (opposite side of the track from the bandstand), and then we head into the park around 2.

It will be a crazy day and the crowds will be out of control, but I always have a good time when I go. Let me know if you have any qyestions.

You can def. go the day of, we go every year. It is super crowded but that's all part of the fun. We come in from the city and the best way is def. to take LIRR. They run special trains from Jamaica all day long to and from just for Belmont, they're almost like shuttle trains. I would assume they do the same coming from LI but I'm not sure which station....you'd have to check the schedules online.

We don't get there at 7, we usually so sometime before noon and we don't ever have a problem. It's so much fun.

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Posted by thelastresort

My friends are coming in from OOT and they want to go. I was just wondering what the deal is on that day. Usually I know you can bring coolers and stuff but can you on the day of the Stakes?

Also, for those of you who have been, what's the best strategy for going there? Getting there early v. later? What time? LIRR or drive? Any input is great!

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we were @ belmont yesterday, and I heard the stakes are sold out.

Belmont Stakes is so much fun, but yes it does get crowded. You can always get in though. I've been a number of times even when there was a triple crown. We were planning on going Saturday, but now I don't think we can make it You can hang out in the park area. There is general admission and we never got there at 7am. We used to go around 10-11. It gets crazy, but it really is the best experience.

I've never been but thanks to my DH's B-day we'll be there !!
I can't wait.