Alrighty, kids, you’ve talked me into it.
My sister lives in Brentwood (I think) which is where I would have to stay, since I will have just blown all my money on the plane ticket. Is that in the general area?
psycat and I will be getting into LA at 12:30 on friday. We’re getting a minivan there and bringing Scotti and JimB to the Ramada. We can definitely fit a few more people in, so reserve your seat now! 
Mr Fran and I will be arriving way before you people, at 8pm on Thursday night. We’ll make out own way to the Ramada and collapse there after the 14 hour flight (Including a 4-hour stopover in Pittsburg! Woo!) and then we’ll be waiting at the Ramada for you all in the morning, waving banners and handing out flowers.
Strainger - is it going to be okay that you booked our room but we’ll be arriving a day before you? Is the room in our name or yours?
Forty days to go!
Okay, call me crazy <CRAZY!>, but what’s the possibility of there being a bar <GASP!> at the Ramada? If we’re all (with apologies to Fran and Alex) getting in on Friday, but on a completely staggered schedule we could just all congregate at the hotel bar, no? Wander in as the time is right?
Plus there’s the hotel rooms <DUH!> for the smokers, debaucherists and commies. We can give each other real names <NOOOOOO!> so that current-in-LA-dopers can leave messages for just-arriving-in-LA-dopers as to where the party is at.
<shrug> This is just a suggestion. I figure there will be big (hopefully PLANNED) stuff going on all day Saturday, perhaps something with little driving/planning on Friday night is the ticket.
Conversely, perhaps I just don’t want to be left out since Nen and I are the last to arrive. 
I sincerely doubt that the hotel has a bar, but there’s a liquor store next door, and there’s GOT to be someplace nearby that we can all hoof it to.
What kind of pinko state doesn’t have a hotel bar? Where do all the 60 year old women in pleather miniskirts go to pick up men?
um…HELLO???
anyone out there? For the love of God, if I’m going into hock to try and get out to this shindig, the least someone could do, is tell me where it is.
please? pretty please?
I’ll ask you in 30 years
The fest is in Redondo Beach. I don’t know exactly what part (I’ve don’t know the area very well), you’d be best off asking Shayna or Mercutio for directions.
UPDATED LIST
DEFINITES (47)
boli
Caldazar
Coldfire
Cowboy Greg & Hubby
Dave Swaney
Demo
Diane
domina
Doobieous
Esprix
Francesca & Mr. Fran
Icarus
JavaMaven1
JimB
Johnny L.A.
JustPlainBryan
katiekilldare
Kyla
Manservant Hecubus
Mauvaise
Mercutio
Miss Creant
Monster104
Nen
Nymysys
Padeye
Phouka
porcupine
pricciar
psycat
Sassy
Scotticher
Shayna
Silo - banned
Silver Fire
slackergirl
Spiny Norman
SPOOFE
Strainger
Sue Duhnym
thinksnow
UncleBill
warmgum
Wicked Blue
woodstockbirdybird
MAYBES (17)
Anamorphic
beatle
beckwall
Commander Fortune
deb2world
Flypsyde
jab1
Jack Batty
January
JillGat
Jodi
Purd Werfect
Ruffian & DeathLlama
Seadiver
seawitch
sethdallob
This is huge! We have to start a massive campaign to get all the Maybes to Definites!
Will there be nametags?
Has anyone thought to ask Arnold Winkelreid? He never ventures into MPSIMS (all the teenagers fucking like rabbits scares him).
And, hey, how’s this for an idea… someone who’s familiar with the Redondo Beach area, find a big park (or, hey, a beach) that has plenty of restaurants/stores nearby. That way, we can stuff ourselves, then go outside where it’s not so crowded and, y’know, do our thang.
Isn’t that what you just did? 
There were name tags in SLO, weren’t there?
I’m still a maybe. I have to find out about airfare and if
my sister and brother in-law are going to let me crash with them.
I have been working on finding a place that would accomodate a group this large and had hoped to be able to snag the banquet room at The Cheesecake Factory. Well, I was able to get it for Friday night, however… the “deal” there is pretty unmanageable. They treat the banquet room reservation as though it were a wedding party and you have to pick one or two entres in advance, give them an exact head count so they know how many to prepare, pay $75 for a bartender if the bar tab doesn’t exceed $400 AND you have to pay IN FULL, IN ADVANCE. So, no way, Jose.
So I phoned El Torito at the Redondo Pier, since that’s where we had the last Dopefest and the service and accomodations were great. They were reluctant to make a reservation for us on a weekend night, especially for a large party, but I gushed about how wonderful everything was with the service, etc. the last time, and I guess I stroked his ego enough to get him to acquiesce - YAY!
The only thing he asked is that we come early (5:00PM) so they could still seat walk-ins during the regular dinner hour. A little more sweet-talking got us a reservation for 50 people at 6:00PM. I know it’s still a bit on the early side, but I think we can manage. (The reservation is under the name Cecil Adams, FYI.)
It’s walking distance from the Ramada (less than a mile) and 2 miles from the Hermosa Pier area where there are several bars/taverns for partying afterwards, or, if anyone would rather, there’s a great arcade on the Pier to play in afterwards, too.
I hope this is ok with everyone. I know that some of us have been there/done that, but it ain’t easy finding a place that will make a reservation for 50 people. If there are any objections, and/or anyone can find or think of a better place, let me know and I’ll see what arrangements can be made.
I really appreciate your consideration in avoiding stepping on my penis - Spiny Norman
Jeg elsker dig, Thomas
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I forgot to say which night - Saturday night. So it’s El Torito at the Redondo Pier (100 Fisherman’s Wharf, for those who will need to look up driving directions) at 6:00PM on Saturday night.
The Cheesecake Factory is still holding the banquet room on Friday night, so if everyone agrees to pick the same entree as everyone else and someone wants to set up a PayPal account and collect money upfront, I have no objections to going there. I just don’t want to be the one responsible for forking over the dough - sorry.
Shayna, is this Friday night? Either way it sounds great to me.
Jim
Nevermind.
Jim
You are a dollface for doing all the work on this, Shayna. I have organized a few DopeFests and I know it is not easy. And the PNW Dopers are a small bunch so this is a LOT more work than I had to put in.
You are, as always, a marvelous and wonderful lady.
Much Love,
Cheri
Oh, and a couple more notes:
Miss Creant, the Brentwood area isn’t near Redondo, but consider finding some people to share a room with. The rooms are only like $60/night, IIRC, so if you split that 4 ways, the cost to you over 2 nights is only about $30.
Nymysys, there are no bars at motels, which I’ve mentioned a few times that the Ramada Limited is. There are, however, 2 liquor stores right nearby - one immediately next door and one almost directly across the street.
Stoid, it’s probably a good idea to have nametags, which I’ll be happy to provide and which you don’t have to wear if you’d prefer not to. Does this mean you’ve decided to come? Can we add you to the list?
To those who are keeping the list updated (Merc & Monster104 - are there others?), thank you!
SPOOFE, yes, I emailed Arnold a while ago, with the original email notification about this event. I also know that Coldy has talked to him about it. I haven’t heard from either of them if he’s planning on coming.
Did I forget anything? If so, remind me what your question was and I’ll answer to the best of my ability.
Many sincere thanks to Shayna for heaping all this planning stuff on herself and making it so easy for the rest of us.
You rock the house.