Ideas Thread for where the Large FL Yearly GTG should be.

[Miss Neecerie]

Well its pricy because that includes hotel.

If we are talking about trying to -encourage- folks to travel to an event.....its actually -cheaper-....last years all inclusive ticket ran in the 650 range...for 2...

thats 325 a person for the -whole- weekend...Friday pajama party, Saturday night formal dinner ball, sunday afternoon tea dance. And classes on -both- days....

You can buy individual tickets so much like this year where the -bulk- of the attendees for our weekend event only did one dinner, that would be possible....but since we were in general not talking about the LA'rs making the 'annual event'.....I did not mention that in my initial post.

Put it this way....we paid that much -just- for a hotel room for two nights this year.....so its actually -cheaper- then our weekend was for those who were on the ship from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning.

 

[John in Covina]

I am glad we could get you to do diligence on that.

 

[Widebrim]

Loungers,

In the Queen Mary thread, Miss Neecerie had suggested that someone open another thread where we could suggest and discuss the possibilities of other locations for our large Yearly FL GTG. I am hoping that the bartenders move the pieces of that discussion to this thread.

So, if we were going to have a large enough gtg in lieu of someplace other than the QM...where do you think it would be?

Thanks,

FG.

I say the Biltmore in downtown L.A., or the old Elks Lodge on 6th, across from MacArthur Park (absolutely beautiful, early '20s decor). Having a location either in or very close to downtown would be a plus, making possible a walking tour of Broadway and Union Station (and Hollywood is just a few minutes away). (Speaking of which) The Hollywood Roosevelt is also an option (although I don't know how the recent renovation turned out). And as for the East Coast, NYC is a natural...no insult to Chicago.

 

[Mike K.]

EAST COAST!!!

South Beach, a.k.a. "America's Riviera," is a whimsical collection of more than 800 architecturally protected buildings from the 1930s and 40s has been given the nod and transformed into a super chic destination of celebrities and an urban neighborhood of eccentric residents. The transformation into a pastel wonderland of painstakingly renovated architectural treasures, has brought global fame for the historically protected Art Deco District.

November at the QM seems to bring out mostly the fall/winter attire. Let's switch to something like Miami where we can show off the Panama hats, sun dresses, linen suits, aloha shirts, etc. Besides the famous Art Deco District there's also nearby Little Havana, Hemingway's house in Key West, historic steam ship cruises, etc. Oh, and did I mention the warm sunny weather?!

We also need to consider moving the yearly gtg to some date other than the weekend immediately prior to Thanksgiving (too much of a travel nightmare)...perhaps just a couple of weeks earlier.

 

[Mike K.]

Some guy on a travel site says it better than I ever could: "If you like your clothes clean and dry, forget it. If you put on a clean shirt, it's all sweaty a few minutes later because of the humidity, which usually hangs right around 98%... Remember that 100% means it's raining because the air can't hold anymore moisture. "

He also delivers a missive about the people there, but I don't wish to start a flame war. lol Suffice to say I'd rather have it almost anywhere else!

Some guy on a travel site obviously does not live here year 'round...

Weather - that's August. If we hold the GTG in November the weather is perfect (usually 75-80 degrees with little humidity).

People - the typically rude snow buzzards usually are around between December and April.

 

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

(usually 75-80 degrees with little humidity).

That sounds like great weather actually. lol Everyone loves Florida but me and Scott I guess.

 

[scotrace]

Florida is just not my favorite place. Maybe because I've been there so often (though not for years).

THE place, of course, would be Havana.

 

[carter]

Think of the cars!

Florida is just not my favorite place. Maybe because I've been there so often (though not for years).

THE place, of course, would be Havana.

NOW YOU'RE TALKIN' !

 

[Tomasso]

Don't you give me the sneaky black type print Tomasso, I know what you're up to.

See, I can do it too.

You're too cute.

Whaaaat?

 

[Mike K.]

Florida is just not my favorite place. Maybe because I've been there so often (though not for years).

THE place, of course, would be Havana.

I'm right there with you Scott!!!! Who's taking care of the visas?

 

[Hemingway Jones]

"I don't like Florida" is no reason to discount South Beach! Think of how many people hate LA, and I'm talking about the people who live there! :eusa_doh: lol

Seriously though, if you want a major event, you need a major attraction: Jersey Shore, NYC, South Beach, New Orleans, Chicago, something along those lines.

Money is always an issue and locals will always have it easier. Schedule it near a concentration of Loungers and you're somewhat likely to get more of a turnout of those Loungers, though the NYC event from 2006 disproved this.

Schedule it and they will come, or not. Make it a'la carte and at least you haven't lost any money.

Personally, I would be happy with a few people in South Beach luxoriating among those art deco gems, if I were to come. Miami has the advantage of having very cheap flights, very cheap hotels and lots of beaches and fun things to do. I can think of no other place in the country so accommodating.

Though supporting the redevelopment of New Orleans would be wonderful.

 

[scotrace]

I have a pal on the inside.

Seriously, if that island opens up as a possible for US visitors, it would be an extremely cool destination. And it would have the added benefiit of being appealing to members elsewhere on the globe (who can already go there if they like).


Florida's a great state. I just don't happen to care for it enough to make it high on my list of choices. The same can be said of anywhere in Ohio, for that matter.
Miami only has appeal for the chance to visit the Padron operation.

 

[Feraud]

I thought the Frankie Manning Birthday Party would be a great thing to be connected to, but the silence has been deafening as far as response is concerned.

While I have marked it on my calendar, getting people to attend an event around the Memorial Day weekend is a tough sell. The odds of people travelling in from out of town at this time are slim.

Schedule it and they will come, or not. Make it a'la carte and at least you haven't lost any money.

This is the most succinct comment I've read yet.

 

[Miss 1929]

little clarifications...

Miss N is right, I am not one of the organizers of the QM Art Deco Weekend, I am however privileged to be one of their featured performers, for the past 4 years.

But as far as when to have your official gathering within their event - NOT SUNDAY NIGHT, that is when I do my show in Sir Winston's! And it is PACKED, you would not be able to dine comfortably in there at that time. And goes without saying, you don't want to miss it.

You actually get so much for the ticket price if you are coming from out of town - hotel room for two nights (and you can buy an extra night at a reduced rate), plus:
FRIDAY: opening night reception with a band, Pajama Party
SATURDAY: lectures and tours all day, admission to the antique bazaar, the Gala dinner with an orchestra
SUNDAY: more lectures and tours, admission to the antique bazaar, Tea Dance with a band, and the annual Sara Klotz de Aguilar lovefest in Sir Winston's. The Sunday Brunch is also grand, but not part of the package.

Also, when I say "a band" I mean, a band that plays nothing but Golden Era music! Wouldn't that improve things? Usually the band that plays the opening reception moves down to the Observation Bar afterwards for the rest of the night, so there is continuous, vintage music. The orchestra for the gala is usually Dean Mora (fabulous) and if you have never danced to a vintage orchestra in full vintage in a wonderful vintage environment, you have not lived.

It is such a bargain. And then NONE of us would have to worry about coordinating anything... just pay for your package and you're in.
All you have to do really, is to talk them into letting you have one space for the time that you want to have your special lunch or dinner (as I pointed out, they do not use the Starboard Lounge, so you could probably have your thing there easily enough). And the rest of it is taken care of.

For those of you who are locals, you can drive in and buy a ticket to an individual thing or two, and still have a lot of fun. You can always do your costume changes in someone else's stateroom.

It is a pipe dream of mine to have the two events overlap. OK, I am done raving and ranting again for a little while...