This spring District 4 will be hosting the North American
Bridge Championships (NABC) in Philadelphia. Only once every six or
seven years do we have an opportunity to play in a National Championship
without getting on an airplane. This is your chance and it's an opportunity
that no bridge player should pass up!
This national tournament is open to all and has games
available to players at every level of experience. If you have never
been to a national tournament, I urge you to come. The excitement of
participating in a bridge event that will host between 4,000 and 5,000
players from all over the world is unparalleled.
If you have never been to an NABC, here's a link to
a Welcome Bulletin that will give you more information about the experience.
Welcome to our NABC
For players with fewer than 299 masterpoints, Deb and
John Klinger have put together a great program of events for you. Because
the number of players in the field will be large, there will be lots
of masterpoints available. There will also be free lectures from nationally-ranked
players every day. There is also a full schedule of Gold Rush Events
for players with under 750 masterpoints. Here's a link to the Intermediate/Newcomer
schedule: Philadelphia I/N
Schedule
The tournament will be held at the Marriott Hotel at
1201 Market Street in Philadelphia and the attached Convention Center.
If you would like to reserve a hotel room you must book through the
ACBL to get the room rate of $160 a night. These rooms typically fill
up early, so don't procrastinate. Here's a link to the ACBL room reservation
site: Reserve
a room at the Marriott
If you will be commuting to the tournament site, SEPTA
has a train that will take you right to the Convention Center. If you
have a Medicare card, you can ride for $1. Just get off at Market Street
East and you will be in the Convention Center.
If you plan on driving into Philadelphia, Everett Young
has arranged discounted parking for our players. Here's a link to the
parking information: Discounted
Parking
If you take advantage of the discounted parking rates
you will need to pick up a discounted parking ticket at the Information
Desk on the 5th Floor of the Marriott Hotel when you get to the tournament.
Most important - if you plan to be in Philadelphia
for dinner, take advantage of the terrific restaurant guide that has
been put together by Ed Kung and Janet Johnson, two center-city foodies.
Here's a link: Restaurant
Guide
Please don't hesitate to get in touch with me: joannglasson@msn.com
or my co-chair: bglasson45@gmail.com
if you have any questions about playing in the NABC.
We have a great committee of volunteers who will be
working together to put on this tournament. If you would like to help
us by volunteering to work at a desk at the NABC, please contact our
Volunteer Coordinator, Pat Civale. pat@csa-accounting.com