I don't know how Nilly imagines she can be a burden. If I lived somewhere with more Buffistas, I'd be vying to be able to put up a "Nilly slept here" sign on my guest room.

Nilly, there is no burden in having you as a guest. Believe me, it'll be a thrill.

ION,

Re: Kansas City

I asked them a simple question and TOLD them I was just trying to get general numbers and now I am getting proposals left and right. Sighh.... (Erin, I'm not trying to step on your toes with this though I'd be happy to help) This one looks promising:

[link]

GROUP RATES:

We can extend the following group rates for your group based upon our understanding of your room needs.

Standard Guestroom $79.00 Suite $109.00

The above rates are subject to local and state taxes. Currently the city and state sales taxes are 14.875%. Room rate quotations are based on a per room, per night basis.

SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS:

The DoubleTree Hotel Kansas City will be happy to provide the following for your group:

· One (1) complimentary room for every fifty (50) paid rooms actualized
· One (1) complimentary suite 5/20-22/05
· Complimentary Hospitality Suite
· Our famous DoubleTree Cookies at Check-in

Please don't think of yourself as a burden. You'll have keys and can come and go as you please, I'm just offering a Nilly homebase for you to keep your things, rest your head, and fill your belly on breakfast before lots of shopping and sightseeing with LAistas.

Replace "LAistas" with "Somervillains" and Allyson is me.

Nilly!

If you're in NYC on the 28th of August(and the 29th, I presume) I could go up to see you!(Of course, if you plan to be in DC before then, that's even better!)

(Am I abusing exclamation points, or what?)

Nilly, I just rode the Boston-NYC-Washington Amtrak train about a month ago. It was nice and scenic, but cost $111 ($30 more than advertised) and the dining car wouldn't accept plastic, hence a very hungry and grumpy me by journey's end. The Acela express would be faster and more expensive, flying faster still and less expensive. But I think driving with fellow Buffistas would minimize cost and maximize enjoyment during transit.

Hey. Just got back, and got a lot more information. So much in fact that I'm going to organize it all before I post it.

- Side note- anyone who would be driving down and find themselves at the 49/10 junction, I'd like to suggest a side trip to Prejean's. I had the yummiest alligator, frog legs and seafood gumbo ever Saturday night and would love to share.

Nilly, you may already realize this, but I've had the experience before of bringing people from places like Israel to my lab, and the States, she is very, very big, which sometimes people know but don't really take into account on travel times.

LA to San Fran is about 400 miles and a four hour drive depending on time and day you leave.

It can be a really gorgeous drive down the coast or through the mountains (your ears will pop!).

A plane trip from LA to New York is five hours (you're in the jet stream that way) and six the other way.

I've driven from Boston to New York, but can't remember how long it took, maybe four hours on the Mass Pike? It felt like days.

If you'd like to do Disney, or go on a movie studio tour, those are things we can sort of do on the fly, so no worries about overscheduling.

Well, maybe not Disney. Lee can do Disney with you. I'm a Disney-hater. Too. Much. Sun.

I really want to take you to Mann's Chinese for a movie.

LA to San Fran is about 400 miles and a four hour drive depending on time and day you leave.

If you go 100 mph, I guess. I'd budget more like 6 hours (though you can do it in 5 and a half depending on where in LA you're leaving from, and when you leave).

If you go 100 mph, I guess.

There's that.

subbed here for Nilly.

Nilly, that schedule works with my schedule for being back home in NYC. You are still welcome to crash at my place for any part of the East Coast stay as needed. The extra set of keys is waiting for you.

Very excited this is becoming real.