@chuckwurt, I'd opt to stay at the Holiday Inn on the Berlin Turnpike in Meriden. It's no more than 5 minutes from The Sanctum, and is clean and affordable.

I imagine you are flying in and renting a car/Ubering?

Hartford is probably your best bet; not sure if anything from KY serves New Haven, as it's a regional airport. Be aware that Bradley International being in Hartford is a misnomer; it's about 15 miles north. I wouldn't suggest anything from NY, Boston, or Providence, as the added drive time will be hours, as opposed to 35 minutes from BDL.

That'd be my suggestion, sir.

You're generally "on your own", but there is a food truck on site for the one scheduled meal break. That said, there are TONS of food options within a mile or two of the venue, and TONS of delivery options. Some standouts are perennial local/famous favorites Ted's Steamed Cheeseburgers (its a central CT thing that I've never seen done anywhere else), and Little Rendezvous Pizza (their take on New Haven style "Apizza") right next door to the venue.

One of The Sanctum founders also very graciously even brings in a breakfast spread at around 5 a.m. in the past years I've been in attendance, which is super awesome and very much appreciated by all.

I saw lots of people with coolers and supplies this year, which makes the 24 hours significantly less grueling. It's awesome to go make a sandwich and have a coke at 2 a.m. in between rounds...

Thanks again Jim, Mark, and everyone else that puts on this world class event! So much fun!

Now that I've slept and returned to my normal schedule, I thought I would give a brief summary of this year's event.

To start, I'm very luckily a local to The Sanctum, so I have to admire all those that travel long distances to come to one of the best venues I've ever been to. It's the perfect balance of quality, quantity, and variety of games. The games are all in great condition as well, and play oh so sweetly. The organizers and volunteers should be commended for keeping the sheer number of games in the condition they are in.

The organizers of the event have the administration of it down to a science; things run flawlessly, everything is coordinated perfectly, and the whole thing is just brilliantly executed. I cannot really think of anything going awry. Everything is just so well thought out, and preplanned; they really anticipate and prepare for anything that could go wrong. In the few instances a game malfunction occurred, it was remedied very quickly.

The other players were all a blast to see and play with; you kind of figure that you know the type of players that will sign up for an event like this are committed, and the behavior on everyone's part is friendly and polite. In the years I've gone, I don't recall ever seeing a full on meltdown, even into the wee hours of the morning. There's a good mix of "serious" and "casual" players alike, and everyone has a pretty chill attitude.

As a sucker for matchplay formats, the 24 Hour Final Battle and Pinburgh are my two favorite events of the year, and I would easily place the 24 Hour on the same level as Pinburgh in terms of the quality of the experience; if you're a serious or casual player alike, and have never been to The Sanctum or the 24 Hour Final Battle, you really owe it to yourself to come check it out.

Congrats to all the players, and especially to Jerry for the overall win!

I'm already anticipating next year's event!