Count me as Definite…at least for the drinking parts.
(Except in the case of incarceration, incapacitation or death).
Though none of the locals can definitively vouch for my level of sanity, cleanliness or hospitality; I have a few spare rooms if they’re needed. The downside: we’re not talkin Midtown Manhattan here: It’s a 48 minute train ride via suburban rail from my place in Nassau County to Penn Station in NYC.
I know I haven’t been on the boards for a little over a week (computer broke; can’t read or post from work) … but I’m still coming. It will be fantastic. I shall be there in all my fabulousness.
geobabe1, I’ll have to be gentle on the lap but not the mints.
Billdo, we like the places with the pool tables. Weirddave owes me a game.
Just a quick planning update: Since America for Saturday night dinner and No Idea for the after-dinner gathering were so successful last year, we’ve reserved them again for Saturday night this year.
Details on these will follow, and we’re deep into the planning on the other events. Look forward to seeing you all in January.
You’d better believe it! There’s no way I could miss out hanging with The Cool Kids[sup]TM[/sup] once more. Count Verrain and I as being in. (Especially now that I’ve got a job once more and can put a little money toward our stay.)
I know Euty already posted on page one of this thread, but I just thought I’d pipe up myself. We’re there.
And I wouldn’t mind a lap dance from tkeana myself. 
or Geobabe…or Acrylic Vessel…or TruePisces…
Billdo: is that hotel near your place still reasonably affordable?
I don’t see why I can not make it, with the new car this year I should have no transportation problems
I’m glad to see we are going to places familiar to most of us this year.
And I’m impressed they’ll let us back.
I’ll be giving the guys lap dances.
Yep. The place on my block is the Hotel Olcott, and you can see their rates from the link. Other reasonably priced places that people stayed at last year were the Hotel Wolcott (not to be confused with the Olcott and the Red Roof Inn Manhattan. I haven’t heard reviews of the others, but people have enjoyed the Olcott.
Coming soon. to a city near…, well, to New York City.
Did I post here already? I’m probably in. Remember, any computer issues, feel free to mention, free repairs to any Dopers.
NEW YORK CITY MEGADOPEFEST WEEKEND IV – JANUARY 16-19, 2004
The preliminary schedule of events is:
Friday, January 16 (evening): Welcome gathering at local bar or restaurant/bar.
Saturday, January 17 (day): Cultural, educational, sightseeing or fun event(s).
Saturday, January 17 (evening): The MegaDopefest Dinner, will be held again at America restaurant, followed by post-Dopefest drinks at No Idea.
Sunday, January 18 (day): More cultural, educational, sightseeing or fun event(s).
Sunday, January 18 (evening): Ethnic food night – dinner(s) at the interesting ethnic restaurants of New York.
Monday, January 19 (day): Billdo’s Bagel Brunch.
We’ll be filling in more details of the schedule, as the date grows nearer. We’ll also be providing further information on travel, transit, reasonable local lodging, and parking as well as answers to other questions you may have. We plan on having the events at wheelchair-accessible locations to the extent possible. Please post if you have other special needs.
For those planning their travel, we recommend that people fly into LaGuardia, Newark or J.F.K. airports. There is good public transportation from each into the City, and if there is a significant price difference in flights, you should probably pick the cheapest (and if they’re about the same, pick LaGuardia). Other airports in the region (e.g. Islip) are difficult and expensive to get to and from, and not recommended. Reasonably priced hotels that people have stayed at include: Hotel Olcott, Hotel Wolcott (not to be confused with the Olcott) and the Red Roof Inn Manhattan.
The following Dopers have expressed interest in coming (we’ll ask you to confirm your attendance later): Acrylic Vessel, andygirl, Annie-Xmas, Airman Doors, USAF, av8rmike, Banger, Biggirl, Billdo, bouv, bristlesage, cherry, CuriousCanuck, Cosmopolitan, DAVEW0071, delphica, DynoSaur, E-Sabbath, Eonwe, Eve, Geobabe, GingerOfTheNorth, Gorgon Heap, Hamadryad, Jane D’oh, jeremy evil, jinwicked, JohnBckWLD, imthjckaz, kyla, lurkernomore, mala, OpalCat, OxyMoron, Maeglin, manhattan, MannyL, Miss Creant, Moe, Mr. Cynical, MsRobyn, Persephone, porcupine, pseudotriton ruber ruber, Ringo, rocking chair, RTFirefly, saramamlana, scott evil, Skerri (& boyfriend), TruePisces, tkeana, Uncle Beer, UncleBill, Verrain, vix, Weirddave, whatmove, Winterwren, Zappo, Zoltarb,
The following Doper has given the sleasy excuse that he’ll be on “a research vessel off the Caribbean coast of Panama”: Colibri.
Parking?
If I drove up, would there be a place where I could stash my car for the weekend? I wouldn’t plan on driving it around until it was time to go home again, so it really wouldn’t need to be that convenient… but it would need to be kinda cheap.
Opal, if you’re staying at the Olcott, there is free on-street parking available around the neighborhood. It often takes a while to find a spot (10-20 minutes, maybe), but you can leave the car there all weekend.
Looks like a couple of cars are leaving from my part of the world. I plan to be there, although Monday is iffy (unsurprisingly, no MLK day here).
Yay!
Billdo: it’s $150/night there vs $100/night at the Wolcott, so if I come I’d probably not stay at Olcott… do you know the parking situation at the other?
Well, let’s see here…
I’m separated now and not responsible to anyone but myself for how I spend my weekends;
I’ll be likely to have spending money come January; and
I have the 19th off 'cos it’s a Federal holiday.
Sure, what the hell… I’m in. And it’s my first major Dopefest, so don’t hold back, neither.
The Red Roof Inn seems pretty affordable; for 4 adults it’s $110 a night, so that breaks down to about $90 each over the total three-night stay. Any Dopers who want to throw in on a room, e-mail me over the next week or so. Otherwise I’ll cadge a bunk with a NY Doper, I guess.
Opal, it’s $130/night at the Olcott. The Wolcott’s site says parking at local garages is ~ $17/day. So the net difference isn’t huge.