Hi, EJ, Erin, and I had a mini-F2F at McMenamin's Edgefield in Troutdale, OR, on Sept. 29 & 30. I will post photos on the B'ftas FB page.

It's such a great place for a F2F. It's 10-12 miles from Portland airport/ PDX (depending on route). It has hotel rooms with bathrooms, without bathrooms/shared bathrooms, and hostel rooms. It has a winery, distillery, brewery, golf course, orchard, gardens, vineyards, 3 or 4 restaurants, a tea house, an amphitheater with A list performers, glass blowing studio, ceramic studio, a library, a full service spa, an outdoor spa/hot water soak that's hundreds of sinuous feet long, several bars, a movie theater with first run movies (and older ones sometimes) and it's a boatload of fun to just hang out there, with so many options for many different inclinations and tastes.

You can get a big white bathrobe, even hostel guests, and wander around the grounds all day and all night in your bathrobe with a drink in hand if you want.

It's super arty. The art is the # thing I love about the place, and all their hotels. The McMenamin brothers have a full time historian as well as about a dozen artists employed full time honoring the history of the places where they have hotels, and making inventive art all over the place. The website does not describe it. If I had to name a type of art, I'd say it's kind of like Grateful Dead posters, sort of. But not all of it. A lot of it is honoring the people who lived in the buildings before.

My first post recommending it in this thread was #9396 on July 28, 2013. Second was Feb. 10, 2014, #9969. I'm thrilled that EJ and Erin volunteered their opinion that it was a great place for a F2F without my prompting, even! Take a look at the photos on FB.

Scads of people have weddings and retirement parties and the like so it would have to be booked for 2023 or possibly even 2024. There just isn't anything like McMenamins places outside OR and WA and people from there take them for granted. It's where they'd go after the soccer game or for a work group birthday party. As an outsider from Calif, there is nothing like them anywhere else, and they are all pretty great IMHO. Edgefield is the first, and the biggest. Here's the link to all their historic hotels: [link]

I've stayed at: Crystal Hotel, Hotel Oregon in McMinnville, Grand Lodge, Kennedy School, Olympic Club, and been to but not stayed in the Gearhart Hotel, White Eagle Saloon & Hotel, and Old St. Francis School in Bend. The newer ones, Kalama Harbor, Anderson School, and Elks Temple in Tacoma, I have not seen. Edgefield is the best IMHO.

Thank you for the info, Java! Sounds like I need to put this on my list.

I love the work that the McMenamn brothers have done in Portland.

I should keep that in mind, as I've been thinking about a trip up that way.

I swear I remember you recommending it all those years ago. It sounds super neat.

Thanks, Brenda.

Laura, it's a must in my book. It's fun to stay there during a concert, & can be a rewarding challenge to get a room at the same time. Here's the 2023 concert schedule: [link]

David, the Crystal Hotel is adjacent to the Crystal Ballroom, still a music venue, where the dance floor is mounted on springs so dancers' legs don't get tired as quickly as flat floors. All the rooms are decorated with musical artists info. Soaking pool underground in the basement. The attached restaurant is called Al's. It's about 2 blocks from the Portland Whole Foods.

Though I now prefer the NW Hostel, by Hosteling International. So Easy to get there from airport, & easy to get around by light rail, I've stopped driving there. Nicer feeling re walking around NW by yourself on a late summer evening for a cone at the original Salt & Straw.

Salt & Straw! I could NOT remember the name

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Hi, I have booked lodging and bought tickets for two concerts at McMenamin's outdoor amphitheater (at Edgefield, just outside Portland, a place about which I have gone on & on several times, the latest just a few pages back). Since I am in and out of their website anyway, I'm going to make contact with their event coordinator just to find out when is the next year with availability, and what would be involved.

The form requires a time range. I looked in this thread to find dates. I"m going to use late May - early June for this initial event inquiry. The DC F2F 2004 was peak Brood X cicadas, so, late May, early June. Seattle F2F 2009 was also late May. I've not created surveys before, except laborious ones in Word, which, no. If someone would like to create one , please do!

Found via search (thank you all Stompys for such a great website) -- [Juliana] PDT #202 of 12529 "I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I miss them all tonight…"

Results from the poll:

What weekend would you be MOST likely to make it to Buffista F2F 2009? (F2F will be in the Pacific Northwest this year.)

30% (14) May 29-31 17% (8) June 5-7 26% (12) June 12-14 17% (8) June 19-21 50% (23) June 26-28 46 voters have answered this question.

What weekend would you be LEAST likely to make it to Buffista F2F 2009? (F2F will be in the Pacific Northwest this year.)

51% (19) May 29-31 24% (9) June 5-7 13% (5) June 12-14 27% (10) June 19-21 8% (3) June 26-28 37 voters have answered this question.

I would like to propose a different set of dates: _____

early July July July 11th or 18th July as well July please!!! 5 voters have answered this question.

Which F2F location would you be MOST likely to attend?

15% (7) Portland 73% (34) Seattle 10% (5) Other (please explain in comments)

46 voters have answered this question.

Which F2F location would you be LEAST likely to attend?

18% (6) Portland 3% (1) Seattle 78% (26) Other (please explain in comments)

Others: 1 anti-anywhere hot 4 anti-Arizona 1 anti-Alaska The Hellmouth and Back Of Beyond were also brought up. The rest of the responses were either pro-anywhere or pro-PNW.

Hi, again!

So, I've seen people in the NYC and northerly parts talk about coming in to see Shir. While it is on the calendar that Shir will be with me on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in DC... we also could spend some of that time in NYC if that works better to give more people a chance to join... stuff.

I don't actually know the exact question to ask. Maybe -- who can come to NYC to see Shir?

Also, Shir is flying out of Newark on Monday, 5/6... there is a train that goes from DC directly to EWR, but am I being paranoid that I would rather she be closer to EWR on that Monday instead of having a 3+ hour train ride in between her and her flight to Seattle? Like, should I try to arrange for us to be hanging out with people in New York on Sunday, sleep at my sister's nearby that night, then have a much shorter car ride to Newark on Monday?

If so, who's available for NYC on Sunday?

Honestly, suggestions welcome!

Then, for DC/Baltimore, I know Lisa will be away, but she'll get to see Shir in SF. Who else from DC is planning to hang on, say, Friday/Saturday the 3rd/4th? One visit requested is to the Library of Congress, which, awesome. Then Shir mentioned the DC Punk Archive... I will have to check with my friend Ted on that one; I bet he knows!

I am thrilled to have Shir from the 3rd to the 6th, but I am also not territorial! Chime in at will!!