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.

Two great city updates! Thanks to both of you.

Erin, you take care of yourself, we'll work on KC.

In that vein. I can do some of the worl on KC. Are there any folks who are also willing to help out on it?

Either denim or leather jackets offer sufficient protection. We have been having what I consider chilly nights lately. At this moment (4:32 Pacific), I can see a big fog bank building up behind the hills of San Mateo, and I expect it will reach me in the East Bay tonight. Deb's house is close to the ocean and therefore in a cool microclimate. If I choose the denim jacket, I'll be sure I also have a long-sleeved shirt. I hate being cold.

6:30 is a safe time to show, Lee.

I just hope I can get out of here fairly soon.

Cool. If you can't. let me know.

Yes, it is. I know the class starts at 6:45...

Woo hoo! Can't wait!

Ginger, if you need a jacket, I can probably lend you one. I have many, since I have no blood and live in a city whose climate reminds me, more often than not, of London's.

deb, I need to amend my flight info. I'm a dork and can't get it out of my head that I am NOT flying American. I'm flying United this time. So, you need to look for United flight 857 from Chicago at 12:16pm tomorrow. Sorry for the confusion.