wipes away tears of rejection

invests in earplugs

Friday dinner will still be on, Sean. I knew when I saw it that my living room couldn't compete with the offer of an actual bedroom. sigh We'll just have to find another way to make you wish you'd stayed in the East Bay.

SFistas--It's supposed to be in the 60s there. Is that the damp 60s? The windy 60s? I'm bringing layers with long-sleeved shirts, but I'm trying to decide if I need to find room for a jacket, bearing in mind that I usually don't add a jacket to long sleeves until it hits about 40.

Lee, is tonight still on? I'm pretty much a bust for dinner, since I'm operating on fumes here, but I hope the rest is good to go.

SFistas--It's supposed to be in the 60s there. Is that the damp 60s? The windy 60s? I'm bringing layers with long-sleeved shirts, but I'm trying to decide if I need to find room for a jacket, bearing in mind that I usually don't add a jacket to long sleeves until it hits about 40.

Right now it's a gorgeous sunny, slightly breezy 60s. (At least downtown.) However, the fog can roll in very quickly at night and the temperature could drop to 45 faster than you can say "Blue Tourist."

Bring the jacket, Ginger. If you need it, you'll be very pleased; and if not, you'll have had a good-weather SF vacation.

And don't forget to bring The Garnets.

What's the weather like in New York next weekend?

Lee, is tonight still on? I'm pretty much a bust for dinner, since I'm operating on fumes here, but I hope the rest is good to go.

Yes, it is. I know the class starts at 6:45, but how early should we get there?

eta: also, insent.

Bring the jacket, Ginger. If you need it, you'll be very pleased; and if not, you'll have had a good-weather SF vacation.

Jacket, like denim jacket? Or like leather jacket? (Bear in mind that I get cold when it's 71 degrees out.)

Ahem.

What follows is the Minneapolis proposal for the 2005 F2F. The New Orleans proposal can be found here.

Minneapolis Update:

I've concentrated on the downtown area, as that is the place that has the best hotels with the most to do and the best public transport.

Hotels range from $89-109.

The most comprehensive bid I've gotten so far is from the Crowne Plaza Northstar, which is 2 blocks away from the Light Rail line & 2 blocks away from Nicollet Mall, which is a pedestrian & bus mall (in the outdoor sense).

Northstar's offer is thus: Sleeping rooms - $99/per night - no change in rate for single to quad occupancy
Hospitality Suite $300 - $400 total, but will include a 2-person Jacuzzi.
Prom - Under negotiation. This is one of 3 union hotels in the city, so catering is required.
Parking: $14/day during the week, $9/day on the weekend.
It is connected to the Skyway system, which is goes all over Downtown and is lined with shops, restaurants, and art galleries.
A 'rooftop' garden for all guests

There are other offers in the works,. This one is on the high end for the Suite & the Prom.

Public Transport

The Light Rail will be running all the way to the Mall of America and the airport by May. Light Rail and buses are the same fare - $1.25 for 2.5 hours ($1.75 weekday rush hour) - and go all over the Cities.

Taxi rates are reasonable, but taxis can be difficult to find once you're out of the Downtown area or the airport. They are all over Downtown.

Eating and Drinking

There are restaurants everywhere. All kinds of restaurants, from the hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese soup place to three Irish pubs within spitting distance of each other to good Tex-Mex to barbeque to Thai to chi-chi American to French.... I can easily go on. One of the best places to go for food is along Nicollet Aveune just out of Downtown. It's called "Eat Street", and it has, well, everything.

There are also bars everywhere. Prices are middle-of-the-road - bottled domestic beer, $3; vodka tonic, $5; speciality martini, $8. This will naturally go up or down, depending on where you go.

Shopping

Holy moley, is there shopping. Minnesotans love their shopping, especially at a discount. Hence, I offer you:

The Mall of America and The Albertville Outlet Mall.

There is also a Saks (including Saks Off Fifth) and Nieman Marcus/Neiman’s clearance store, as well as Marshall Field's & the two-level Target.

But wait! There's more!

Other attractions include:

The most live theaters outside of New York City
A ton of galleries in downtown
The Foshay Tower
The Sculpture Garden
The Walker
Minnesota Zoo
Valleyfair
Ground Zero, home of Bondage A Go Go (meara's been there)
St. Anthony Main, home to the historic mills (aka Pillsbury, Golden, etc.)
Mill City Museum
Fort Snelling
An extensive park system, with trails all around the city.
Steamboat rides along the Mississippi
Uptown
The Quest - the club formerly owned by Prince
Speaking of the Purple One, Paisley Park
Central Avenue

Airline Prices

Booking early is best, as NorthWest likes to screw people over if it can. Current prices are ranging from $200 - $300.

I will be happy to provide more in-depth information as requested.

eta weather: Average high for those dates in May is 72 degress, average low is 50. It's generally pleasant late spring weather - mostly sunny, a few showers.