Raleigh Bound! Info on travel, tickets, lodging, and GW events in NC and elsewhere

So, Raleigh is upon us. GW faces the Memphis Tigers at 6:55 PM on Friday and a fair number of folks from GWHoops.com and people I know are headed down (me included.) Here's a start at looking into ticket, lodging, and GW events in Raleigh and elsewhere. Next I plan to look into fun things to do in Raleigh. Will post about that soon.

Travel
Airfare looks to be pretty pricey headed down, but Amtrak seems to be a good option. It's about 5 hours from DC to Raleigh and the morning train, leaving at 10:55am and getting into Raleigh at 4:42 pm, is only $89. Otherwise, renting a car might be a good option, or finding somebody on GWhoops who is already drining.

Tickets (updated)
The first tranche of GW tickets have gone out, as myself and my friends who requested them all got theirs. However, you might be able to get more from GW -- I'd suggest calling the box office at 202-99-GWTIX (more info on the tickets website.)

In addition, GWHoops.com has some folks who have extra tix or are looking for them. The tickets get you into the "session" which is two games in a row, so you can watch another game before or after GW, which I'm guessing is the 9:25 game between 1-seed Virginia and 16-seed Coastal Carolina.

There's also stubhub.com, a good secondary marketplace for tickets.

The tickets will be distributed at the Hilton Midtown at 3415 Wake Forest Rd in Raleigh from 12-4 pm. That's also the same place hosting GW's pre-game team send-off party. More on that below.

Events (updated)
GW is hosting a number of events, in Raleigh, in DC, and elsewhere. So there are two parties in Raleigh -- the team send-off at the Hilton Midtown, which is also where you get your tickets, and the Alumni Association party. The sendoff party starts at 3 pm, while the Alumni Association party starts at 4:30, info is below. I say go to both!

Here's the link for all the other official GW watch parties all over the country. In DC, it's at Stoney's at 21st and L Street, with the time TBD, while other cities already have all the details.

To register for the Raleigh Alumni event, click here.

4:30pm: Pre-Game Reception
Dail Club in Vaughn Towers
Carter-Finley Stadium, NC State University
4600 Trinity Road, Raleigh, NC
(5-10 minute walk from PNC Arena) 

6:55pm: GW vs. Memphis
PNC Arena1400 Edwards Mill Road,
Raleigh, NC #RaiseHigh

Lodging 
Hopefully it's not too late to find a place to stay. Downtown Raleigh is pretty close to the arena, as is Cary, NC. I'm staying in downtown, as are a few other folks. I've heard the Glenwood South area is pretty good for hotels and for nightlife.