Recommendations

Tickets

San Jose Box Office
http://www.sjbo.com/

1-800-97Tickets (1-800-978-4253)
Since things changes quickly, it is best to call and see what they have or can obtain for you. You pay a premium for a ticket from a broker. The better the seats, the higher the premium. Expect three to four times the ticket cost for the really good seats.

What I like about San Jose Box Office is their consistently great seats, honesty in telling you what is good, better, or what in better terms, what you are buying. I have never been disappointed by their staff. I like excellent seats, as I am at the age, if I go somewhere, I want it to be the best. When I was a lot younger, "standing room only" or "stand-by" was fine. If I am going to take Sue out, you better believe they are going to be excellent seats. San Jose Box Office is the best place to get them, too.

Their site has a newsletter plus the location of the majority of the stadiums in our area (better than the telephone book).

Online Box Offices

There are many online ticket sites. Here are ones recommended by The New York Times:

CULTUREFINDER: www.culturefinder.com
Allows you to search for cultural events by city and date and buy tickets for a modest service fee. Tickets are picked up at the box office.

MOVIEFONE: www.moviefone.com
Allows you to select a theatre, movie and specific show time for purchase, then you pick up your tickets by swiping your credit card in the Automatic Ticketing Machine in the lobby. The surcharge (usually $1.50 per ticket) is extra.

TICKETMASTER: www.ticketmaster.com
Sells tickets directly for a variety of live events, which are searchable by city or venue or by the categories of sports, music, arts, and family. Payment is by credit card, and convenience, handling and delivery charges (the latter when the tickets are purchased less than two weeks in advance) are extra.

TICKETS.COM: www.tickets.com
Although its selection of sports, shows, concerts and other cultural events is not as extensive as Ticketmaster's , it includes links to other ticket sellers. It also includes an auction site. Fees are similar to Ticketmaster's.

TICKET TRADER: http://www.tickettrader.com This is a popular ticket broker network. Click on "Tickets" to find what is available (also who is playing where and when). Click on "Charts" and get where the seats are located at amost all the stadiums and concert places in the United States. There is also "Schedules" and "Brokers", connect to the top broker in the area you will be visiting.

TICKETWEB: www.ticketweb.com
Tickets can be purchased directly online by credit card. Affiliated with the groups and venues for which sells the tickets, the site adds a modest service charge to the cost of tickets.

TIXX.COM: www.tixx.com
A large reseller not affiliated with any venue or group. Surcharges can be substantial. Tickets for some events can be ordered online by credit card, but for others, you are directed to order by phone or e-mail.

Here is the sports one:

Sports Index
http://www.sjbo.com/pages/Sportsindex.html
P.S. I don’t like the newspapers or even other ticketing agencies. I would rather pay professionals like my friends at San Jose Box Office because they know more than I what is a good seat or a good buy as they deal with other ticket agencies quite a bit more than I ever will in my lifetime.

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