Okay, still cathing up and updating stuff. Now looking at my Minneapolis information. I know that Juliana is a local and has volunteered to be point person. Do we have any other people local to Minneapolis?

Hec or JZ (having visited recently) have anything to add or any suggestions - including things you want me to check on this weekend let me know. You can post it here or e-mail me at the profile.

Heh, not just recently - I've been to New Orleans three times in the last five years, for a week each. So I've got a good bead on Fun Things Buffistas Might Like.

That noted, I am completely open to any of the cities currently in the running. They're all intriguing for one reason or another.

What I've heard about the hotels in New Orleans is that tourism has suffered so much in the past few years that the hotels are willing to make deals. My mother runs a choral festival in New Orleans, so she's in a position to know.

I'd suggest maybe even looking at the hotels near the convention center. There's a big new Hampton Inn there that's supposed to be nice.

Check.

Maison St. Charles
Hampton Inn and others near the convention center
Hec is open

Just popping in to say, I hope that the F2F ends up in NOLA. I can pretty much guarantee (barring work-related stuff- May kicks off the crazy conference season where I work) that we'll be there if it does. Would love to visit Toronto, but until Tom has his green card (which, at the speed of applications being processed, probably won't be for more than a year from now) we can't leave the country. Even to Canada. Which makes me sad. But, let's just blame the INS for that.

Check.

INS blamed

Seriously, that sucks. How long will it take? He won't have it before the F2F?

Well, he got his entire application submitted, part and parcel, to the INS, signed and sealed, in December of 2002.

As of January 2004, they were processing applications from January 2002.

As of May 2004, they were processing applications from January 2002.

Fortunately, he still has papers to live and work here, and allegedly to travel, but... eh. Don't want to be on the other side of Immigration with nothing less than a firm visa with an end date (which he doesn't have anymore) or a green card. Just can't risk it.

IIRC, Erin and Gudanov are in KC, with Erin as point.

I'm the only active Buffista in Cleveland (there may be lurkers), though Liese used to live here.

I don't know of any other Buffistas besides Juliana in Minneapolis, but Daniel is in Minnesota and may be able to help.

JS is the only Buffista I know of in Toronto.

Astarte is the Buffistas in Austin.

Ginger's not in Nashville, but offered to be point person if there's interest in Nashville.

Besides Heather's knowledge of and connections in NO, -t lives there, but she just got married so may have gone black for a while. I haven't seen posts from her lately. She may be able to do some research type stuff on-site, and I have her e-mail address if you want to contact her, Heather.

Edited because I oopsed. Thanks, Kristin and Bev.

Astarte is also in Austin and volunteered to help.

I think I'll let her do her just married thing before I bug her with F2F stuff, but of course any and all help is welcomed and appreciated.