Barb's idea of roughing it is verra similar to mine. I love nature, and being out in the wilds, but I like having civilization to return to in the evening.

(seems like Portland is cheaper once you're there, but more expensive to actually get to, right?)

This has been my experience.

And I am with Barb and Anne on the whole "roughing it" thing. Even going down to Joshua Tree - I stayed in a motel (that the SPN set dressers would LOVE).

Okay - let's get this sucker rolling. It's the weekend, so shall we give until Wednesday, 6 p.m. board time for everyone to make suggestions as to time & place, or shall we just say it's between Seattle, Portland, and some wooded spot and make a poll between those places and the possible weekends we can go?

Works for me, J.

And I am equally at home at a 5-star hotel, and in a tent.

Works for me too. Post in Press?

Post in Press?

Right, right.

Um.

Okay, on it.

And I am equally at home at a 5-star hotel, and in a tent.

Same here. Add Buffistas and it is all good.

It's not much more practical than Bangkok, but I'd like to offer Alaska. We could have it in Juneau, and there's plenty of hotel space here if we have it in spring or early summer.

What I think would be even more fun, though, would be to have it on the ferry. We could get on in Bellingham (near Seattle), and ride the ferry together up to Skagway, with fun and hijinks at either end.

I realize that I've not been to F2F before, and I've been mostly lurky here lately, but I would be willing to take point, and I have coordinated conferences in Juneau and Barrow.

Or, um, pretty much anywhere from California's central coast north works for me.

I'm for Seattle or Portland.

I totally agree with Kristin about not doing a wooded spot for all the reasons she listed. Also, Jilli doesn't do camping. No, really, don't bother trying to persuade her.

The key thing that both Portland & Seattle have over anything else I've seen suggested so far, is that there's a lot to do. Lots of restaurants, bars, other good stuff. And both have good tolerance for weirdness. You know full well what I mean, you party-crazy fiends.

Seattle also has the Science Fiction museum. Oh, and that music museum, but, y'know whatever. Science. Fiction.

July or August would be good for Seattle. You'd want to avoid Seafair weekend (July 31 to Aug 2nd)as it's a bunch of crowds & noise and pricier hotels for no good reason.

Also, please, please avoid July 23 to 26 which is San Diego Comicon. We have to attend Comicon in 09. Have to.

Re: resort F2Fs... TBH, the primary reason for the F2F is to see buffistas. But the second reason is to have a lovel excuse to motivate my ass to an interesting I haven't been to or haven't been back to. And for me, there is nothing on earth less interesting than a resort/tourist destination. And, of course, I realize that this is completely a different strokes thing.

We could look at an off-season thingy though...

I was just in Asbury Park (on the Jersey Shore) in late September. All the summer madness has ended but a) the hotels are HALF (or less) of what they were before Labor Day; b) the water is still gorgeous; c) most of the fun stuff is still up and running; and d) (in the case of AP) there are about a million venues with five million bands.

I'd think this would be similar in many vacation areas just-off-season.

I'd think this would be similar in many vacation areas just-off-season.

The disadvantage of that is late September will lose the teachers just like May.