The Hlog

Tourist destination, no crowds

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas -- Come to South Padre Island during Thanksgiving Week, and escape the throngs.

The crowd at Friday night's Iowa-Bradley and Vanderbilt-Utah State games at the South Padre Invitational men's basketball tourney was about 350. The tourney listed the attendance as 850. I don't know how 850 people could have fit into the South Padre Island Convention Centre room used for the games.

The playing floor is perched atop a tile floor. The chairs look more suitable for a hotel ballroom than a makeshift gym.

No complaints here, mind you. I've always loved college basketball venues that are 50 yards from a bay, are connected to a nature trail, and have a birding information center.

As for the island itself, it's very roomy this weekend. You can see how it would mob up during the several weeks it's used for Spring Break. But to see all the big condo buildings and the many hotels and motels sitting mostly empty is kind of weird.

It's easy to see why this is a popular place with young and old alike during good weather, which is virtually all the time except for the three days I'm spending here. The fishing and windsurfing and beaches are all great, it's a very clean town, and it isn't particularly expensive.

This is written 90 minutes before the Iowa-Utah State third-place game here. It isn't being televised. Based on what I heard about the production values of the Iowa-Bradley telecast, it's no loss.

All in all, I'd rather be sailing. If the weather were more suitable, that is.

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