What are some good parks where I can play some night basketball in San Diego?|152983

I go to USD and I usually play at their gym. But its not open at night anymore due to intramural games. I want to satisfy my basketball jones and I need a park where I can continue to play. Usually play at night during the week so looking for some good lighted courts where I can get in on some 5 on 5.

The gyms in Balboa park are open late and there is always a good game going. There are also some clubs, such as:

Mira Mesa Men_s League is classified as a B/C league. This is a good league and it is fairly competitive. Mira Mesa also has an average size court with excellent lighting.

Men_s basketball leagues Four-on-four open and men_s 40-and-over league.Mission Valley YMCA. (619) 298-3576

Men_s and Youth Basketball teams Participate in league play. Kearny Mesa Recreation Center, 3170 Armstrong St. (858) 573-1387

SanDiegobasketball.com has a lot of good information on their site for just drop in sites too.

There_s always tons of people playing at the Pacific Beach Receration Center on the corner of Diamond and Gresham. The rec center closes around 8pm and that_s when they turn the lights off. But there are tons of people playing up until 8 and the courts are lighted. They always have 5 on 5 games going.

What transportation should i use to get from San Francisco to the University of California Santa Barbara?|143831

I want to be able to easily get from the station/airport, to the campus. I will have a big luggage and items from home to move into a Residential Hall. Anyone have options and directions?

Look for a ride share.
The campus may have a posting for this or check on criagslist.
If nothing else rent a truck for a one way trip.
But your best bet is to find others in your area who also will be traveling down for school. In this way you may establish rides at shared cost for the holidays as well.

Directions are quite simple. Take 101 south for about 320 miles give or take. Honestly if you have a lot stuff for college, I would seriously recommend renting a car and driving. It takes approximately 5 hours to drive. As others have mentioned, SB is not very close to SF. Your better bet flying is either Los Angeles or Santa BArbara or San Luis Obispo. Those airports are all within approximately 90 - 100 miles of SB.

If you want public transit, your best bet would be to take bart to Emeryville and pick up Amtrak there. Or take bart to Millbrae and then pick up the caltrain down to San Jose, and transfer to amtrak there.

I_d recommend taking Amtrak! the Coast Starlight offers daily direct rail service between the Bay Area and Santa Barbara. The ride is nice _ the cost reasonable! Other departure time options are also possible but combine Amtrak rail with a thruway bus connection for a portion of the trip. Good Luck!

Los Angeles {LAX} is much closer to Santa Barbara than San Francisco [SFO} Otherwise I would take Amtrack..Probably Bart to Oakland or Emeryville train stations then straight down to Santa Barbara..you could also take Amtrack from los Angeles to Santa Barbara.

Jetpacks and hanggliders are nice because you can skip traffic.

Santa Barbara is a long way from San Francisco.

You might want to find a closer airport - perhaps Los Angeles.

To Denver-ians How is the cost of living compared to other cities like Minneapolis?|116875

We might have an opportunity soon to buy a small hobby place outside of Denver... My husband also has a standing job offer there. It would be less than 20 minutes drive to the city. We are wondering what is the cost of living like out there? Better or worse than Minneapolis MN? thats where we are currently. We are looking at everything and the amount of money my husband will make if he gets that particular job and what it will cost for taxes and land and things.

I_m not sure but I_d guess the cost of living is probably similar or a little greater than in Minneapolis. If you Google cost of living comparisons you will find sites that can give you a better idea.
Land prices (if you_re looking for vacant land) are through the roof. If you mean home prices, they can vary widely depending on what part of the Metro area you_re intersted in. South is generally going to be more expensive than north because most of the new building is that direction. The closer you get to the mountains (west side) the more expensive also. I live northeast and we have a nice, three bedroom home on a large lot that we paid $180k for seven years ago. It was a steal then but unfortunately it_s probably not worth that much now due to the economy. That being said, it_s a buyers market!

Here_s a cost of living calculator showing a cost of living comparison between Minneapolis and Denver:
http://www.payscale.com/cost-of-living-c��
It shows that the overall cost of living in Denver is five percent lower than in Minneapolis. Expenses like food, housing, transportation and utilities are also lower in Denver.

Hope that helps

I don_t think you_ll regret moving to metro Denver. I didn_t. We moved here in 1991 from Jersey. You_ll love it here especially the weather. I live in Castle Rock
http://www.townofcastlerock.org

How long does it usually take for Disneys Magical Express to pick you up and take you to the resort?|127094

Just out of curiosity - our flight should arrive in Orlando at 10:30AM. How often does the Magical Express run to take you to the hotel? Will they be there when we arrive or will we have to wait? Also, we are staying at Saratoga Springs - about how long would it take to get there from the airport using the express?

I_m asking a million questions about this trip. :) Just like to know what_s going on!

Not to worry about asking a million questions about your Disney World trip. I_ve been a lot and get so excited about each trip!

I have flown to Orlando and ridden the Magical Express to WDW and NEVER had any problems. Before you arrive, you will be mailed an Airport Transportation Booklet and luggage tags ~ usually you get it about 2 weeks before your flight.

When we arrive we skip airport baggage claim and go right to the Disney Airport Welcome Center ~ it_s on Level 1, _B_ Side. Not to worry it_s easy to find. Some people stop to get their luggage and carry it on the bus. We have never had a problem with lost luggage. But be sure to have a carry on with your swim suit and any extras you may need. That way you can swim or head to Theme Parks if your room isn_t ready. Or heaven forbid if your luggage is late.

There is a line of ME busses waiting to pick you up. Climb on the one marked for your resort. It takes awhile for the bus to load and then you are on your way. I_d say the drive takes about 45 and that includes stops (no more than 4 stops) to drop guests off at their resorts.

Your luggage should arrive in about 3 hours and is left in your room. Doesn_t get any easier than that.

When you depart your resort returning to the airport :-(
~ will be notified of your ME pick-up time and location the day prior to checkout. They hang this info on your room door.
Check the time to make sure you have 3+ hours ~ the bus can make multiple stops and there are delays as luggage is loaded at other Resorts. You certainly do not want to be late arriving at the airport.

Check this site for Magical Express info and other WDW info as well ~
http://www.wdwinfo.com/Transportation/ma��


Have a Magical Holiday and Pixie Dust to you!

You will go to the Disney Magical Express location in Orlando Airport - if memory serves it is lower level side B - it will be noted or just ask as you leave the plane. You check in and board the bus designated for your resort and you may sit for a brief time waiting for more bus passengers. From start to finish it is about an hour and you are at your resort. Time flys! The bus is comfortable and videos play for the ride.

The ride itself is about 30minutes long.
How long you will wait for the bus depends on
what time of day it is and how many guests are waiting for the bus
and where the bus is on route.

Not all the ME buses go to SS. Each ME bus hits about 3 disney resorts. so it will just depend on where it is on its route.
I have walked right on to my bus and I have waited 30 minutes for it.

Once you get off the plane, you will go directly to the airport_s monorail/subway to terminal B. From there, you take the escalator to level 1. You then go to Disney_s Magical Express Welcome Center and show them your Magical Express booklet that Disney sends you in the mail about 2 weeks before your vacation. After that, you will go into the Saratoga Springs queue and wait for them show you to the correct bus. This process can take up to about 30 minutes or so. There are several Magical Express buses in the parking lot boarding the guests since they are already aware of your flight times, so most likely the bus will be there waiting for you. Once you_re on the bus, the ride from the airport to the hotel can take about 25 min to about 40 min depending on whether you are the first hotel stop or the last since they drop other guests off at different hotels. NOTE: The Magical Express gets your luggage for you and drops it off your hotel room, but that can take up to 3 hours, so if you need to get something before then (ie: bathing suit, toothbrush, etc), then you need to carry it on the plane....So, since your plane lands at 10:30 am, then I think it would be safe to say you will be at your hotel by noon. This is really a great thing Disney has been offering the last few years...it saves a lot of money and it_s a lot of fun too! Here_s Disney_s link for more info
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts��

You may have a bit of a wait, but if you do it shouldn_t be long. My brother and sister-in-law just did a WDW trip in late June and said they had to wait for maybe 10 minutes. It_s a heck of a lot better than it used to be when Mears Motor Coaches was the big outfit transporting people to and from WDW. You_d have to wait for an hour (sometimes two) just to get transportation to your resort, and they usually crammed you into a van. Not nearly as comfortable as the Magical Express Bus.

It takes about 20 minutes to get from Orlando International Airport to WDW property, but you have to bear in mind that the bus may drop people off at other resorts before dropping you off at Saratoga Springs. At most, you_re looking at around 45 minutes from the time you leave to the time you_re dropped off at Saratoga Springs.

As for going back to the airport, don_t sweat that. They_ll ask you what day you_re leaving and what time your flight departs, and they_ll make sure they have someone there to pick you up and deliver you to the airport with plenty of time to check in, go through security, etc.

After you get off the plane, head directly downstairs and walk all the way to the left side of the terminal. You will check in with your Magical Express vouchers you receive in the mail at least 2 weeks before your flight. If you don_t have those vouches, you will not get on the bus so make sure you bring them with you for both trips.

After checking in, they will put you in a line specifically for your resort. It depends on the time of year and the time of day you_re going for how long you will have to wait for the bus. Being that you have a morning flight, you shouldn_t have to wait longer than 10-20 minutes. One time we arrived at 9 AM a literally were on the bus within 5 minutes.

On the bus, there will not only be guests from your resort. Any Magical Express bus can make up to 3 resort stops, it_s kind of luck of the draw if your resort is first. Usually they will only drop off guests with hotels that are close to one another. The ride from the airport to Disney property alone could last to about 30 minutes if you_re the first stop.

Also, don_t forget to tip the Magical Express driver.