The main objective of this post is to make sure people are aware that the SCG Event this weekend which is marketed as "Philadelphia," actually takes place in OAKS, PA - a suburb in the greater Philadelphia area. To give some perspective, it is about 40 minutes northwest from the convention center in downtown Center City Philadelphia.
Venue: Greater Pennsylvania Convention Center (GPCC) 100 Station Avenue, Oaks, PA 19456
[Google Maps Link] Players, please take notice!!!! The event is in OAKS, PA - an outer suburb northwest of Philadelphia. The major highway that most players will take is Route 422.
My take on the venue is that it is an older venue but very very large. They have actually held multiple huge events there simultaneously. Bathrooms should not be an issue.
Unfortunately, there are no other businesses nearby or what I'd consider walking distance. The convention complex is sort of isolated, and connected by roads to some other shopping complexes. I will touch on the food situation in separate section.
If you’re flying in from Philadelphia International Airport, I recommend renting a car to get around. I really don’t think taking a cab is economical and the venue is not really public transportation accessible.
Parking: Ample + FREE!!! The GPCC is massive and so the parking area. There is plenty of free parking.
Hotels/Lodging: There are a lot of moderately priced places to stay. Definitely more reasonable than trying to find something downtown. Should be easy enough to find, but here are my picks, sorted from cheapest to most expensive from the time of this post:
- Motel 6 - King of Prussia 815 West Dekalb Pike King of Prussia, PA 19406
- Holiday Inn Express & Suites King Of Prussia 260 North Gulph Road King of Prussia, PA 19406
- Valley Forge Casino Resort 1160 1st Avenue King of Prussia, PA 19406
- Fairfield Inn Philadelphia Valley Forge/King of Prussia King of Prussia Mall 258 Mall Boulevard King of Prussia, PA 19406
- Hampton Inn & Suites Valley Forge/Oaks 100 Cresson Boulevard Phoenixville, PA 19460
Food Options: The food & eats situation is where moving the open venue from downtown Philadelphia to Oaks really stings the most. The Reading Terminal Market and nearby Chinatown are staple attractions of the Philadelphia gaming experience. I will miss getting a Pastrami Special from Herschel's and being finished eating it before the next round of Legacy starts. On the brighter side, there are plenty of affordable food options within a short driving distance and lots of suitable places to gather for that end-of-day meal with friends.
Unfortunately(and similar to GP New Jersey 2014), there are no places that are in "convenient" walking distance. However, if you have a car all of these places are relatively close and easy to get to.
- Buffalo Wild Wings
- Moe’s Southwest Grill
- Wawa (Hoagies and other Prepared Foods + No Surcharge ATM)
- Uno’s (DEAD mediocre)
- Max and Erma’s
- BJ’s Wholesale Club
My current game plan is to sign up for a Moe's account, order online and have someone pick up the order. With all that said, it’s not as dire of a situation as one might believe. I’d actually be disappointed if I hear Patrick and Cedric complain about the food options for this event.
Other Attractions: Stuff for your non-mtg travel companions to do, or stuff to do after you got Griselbranded out of the tournament.
- Regal Cinemas - Post Tournament Movie!
- King of Prussia Mall (15 min east on Route 422) - Largest Shopping complex on the East Coast.
- Philadelphia Premium Outlets (15 min west on Route 422) - Dozens of outlet stores of the most popular brands in fashion and home goods.
- Valley Forge Casino - Table games, but sadly no poker. $10 cover (to keep out the riff-raff) but they give you a voucher worth $10 that be redeemed for food, etc.
- Valley Forge National Park - Some revolutionary war stuff happened here. But it’s dead middle of winter and it just snowed so I can’t say I didn’t warn you.
Local Game Stores: Unfortunately, there are no "very close" game stores that I can recommend nearby the Open venue. If you are looking to jam some games on Friday here are the game stores that most of the local grinders play:
- Alternate Universes - Blue Bell
- Uncanny! King of Prussia Mall
- Deal Me In Games - Zern’s Farmers Market - Gilbertsville
- The Games Keep, West Chester, PA
- Top Deck Games - Haddon Twp, Nj
- Red Cap's Corner, Philadelphia
- Stomping Grounds, Horsham PA
Conclusion: I am really glad SCG went with this venue and I think people will enjoy it, despite it not being in downtown Philly. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. I hope we can show that Legacy is NOT dying and that Philadelphia and surrounding suburbs is a great place to hold large tournaments in the future!!
P.S.: I will be editing this post with more detailed info as we get closer to the event. I just wanted to get the important info out there ASAP.
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