San Francisco, California

yes, some of us are mad cooks.

Yes! I'm going to meet the crazy online cooking club!

Hah, hah, hah, your friend the chef.

Oh feolola, your sons would think you are the coolest mom on earth if you tell them you're going to meet with internet friends! My sons thought so when I first met with some women from abuzz, although they 'warned' me to be careful!

If you think osso is great online, just wait 'til you meet her in person. Meeting online friends is a true pleasure. Besides, we'd love to meet you!

It looks like I'll be able to go to San Francisco.... I can fly down on Friday, and fly back up to Washington State on Monday evening.... perfect!!!

I don't want to rent a car.... so, I'm looking for a hotel that's within walking distance of everything.... I don't need a fancy hotel.... as long as it's clean, it's OK with me.... I'd like to keep my expenses as low as possible.... and I'd like to be in a hotel with other A2Ker's....

I'm really looking forward to this!! I love meeting my friends from A2K!!

Peace and Love
Sandra
:-)

I've been looking The York and The Savoy up on TripAdvisor and have decided to stay with my reservation at the Savoy.

Peace and Love, Glad you will be joining us in SF. Several people have already made hotel reservations, but you'll have to scroll back on this forum to find out who will stay where. I think your idea of a central location is good, because public transportation in the city is good.

I need to get some feedback on whether I can excuse myself from the San Francisco Gathering in early April. Here's what happened. We had a 49 day memorial service at our home for my mother-in-law who passed away last month. The minister came from Sacramento to perform the service. He informed us today that he is taking a small group on a trip to Japan for 12 days beginning on March 25. My wife asked if he still had space for others to join his trip, and he said "yes." This is an opportunity to travel with somebody that lived in Japan and speaks excellent English. He will be our guide. I will also need to get an excuse from Grand Jury service, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel in a small group with a Buddhist priest. The group will also visit Himeji Castle, where my mother-in-law's grandfather served under the shogun, and their family crest is in that castle which my wife wants to see. How about it? Will you excuse me? c.i.

Oh, gosh. I haven't looked at this thread for a while. April in SF would be a treat! My daughter was born there but we moved up here to Seattle three months later... It would be really cool to go back for a visit, especially to meet the people I've been thinking of as friends for so long.

I'm currently unemployed, tho, so coming depends on getting a job soon (I'm hopeful) and saving enough for travel/lodging/etc... It sounds like a good goal!

I hope to meet y'all this spring!

Of course, c. i.

Gosh, we'll miss meeting you, but that sounds like something you really need to do.

PDid, I'm really feeling bad about all this, but I've been promising my wife a trip to Japan for many years, and told her we would make the trip when she retired at the end of 2004. But this opportunity popped up out of nowhere, and it's really something I've been planning for my wife for many years, because she enjoyed our trip to Japan so much since our first visit in 1982. Your post made me feel a little better, but I'd like to hear from more A2Kers planning to come to San Francisco. I've heard from several people that were planning to attend, but will not, because of other plans. pueo will not be coming, because he's having a family get-together in Hawaii, and he's one guy I've always wanted to meet. Even promised him a dinner, but that wasn't enough. The good news is, Saddam has been captured.

It might be a good idea to put out a call for all who definitely plan to attend to post that intention, c.i.

Your graciousness in asking our permission not to attend is not lost on me. Please don't think that any here are so selfish in our desire to meet you that we would ask you not to take your wife to Japan.

For my part, I hope someone else onsite (or close) can step into the semi-coordinator role you staked out for this Gathering; it always helps if there is someone to assume responsibility for things like contact at arrival, preparing an activity roster and other minor logistics.

I'm sure this will be a wonderful trip for your wife and yourself; and we will, likewise, have a great Gathering and anticipate meeting you at the next one.

Of course we understand, CI. I myself regret a trip I didn't take to Japan with a small group and a teacher from Japan who is now a good friend - that was a lifetime opportunity I couldn't afford at the time. A quarter century later I now wish I'd put it on a Visa.

On coordinating, PDiddie, why don't those of us who are going to be there for sure keep in contact? I am not getting there til sometime on the fourth (have made hotel but not plane reservation yet).

CI, can you tell us more about who you know isn't coming? It would make figuring out the For Sures, the I Hope So's, the Can'ts a little easier.

On the other hand, what if we moved the date a couple of weeks, could you make it then, CI?

PDiddie, do you have plane reservations already? Diane has made a hotel reservation I think but might be able to change it, and so could I. As it is, I have always been going to miss most of the weekend meeting because I have an unbreakable commitment on Saturday night April 3rd (having 400 people in to our gallery), and the April 1-4 date was set very early.

osso, I used to have a list of people planning to attend, but my computer was hit by a virus, and I lost the list. If I remember correctly, there were about 22 people planning to attend. I'll scroll this forum and see if I can rebuild the list. The Japan trip is scheduled for March 25 through April 5. If the SF Gathering can be rescheduled for after April 7, I can make it without any problem. c.i.

Only made a hotel reservation at this point, so if the date moves around I could probably shift a bit, but would need to coordinate with Ms. PDiddie's vaction schedule, which may or may not have flexibility, depending on her co-workers' vacation schedule. Wouldn't be able to say for sure until next week at the earliest.

c.i.

After April 7 works for me. In fact I would prefer it if it means that you'll be there.

As a practical matter it probably shouldn't be immediately after your return as you'll need at least a little time to recoup from your japan trip.

Maybe the SF gathering could be in the latter half of April.

What do you think?

What do others think?

jjorge, With all my experience with travel, I usually need one day to recoup from long plane trips. But thanks for the concern. Here's the list I reconstituted from past posts here and the other 'one.' Don't forget, some are "maybes."
Wy, Peace & Love, Diane, fealola, PDid, Joanne Dorel, McTag, Fiona, Asherman, Natalie, cjh(?), ehBeth, mikey, CodeBorg, jjorge, chatoyant, oldandknew, jespah, Rae & mom, ossobucco, Lola, maxdadeo & maximom, Dek, dlowan, Piffka, dagmaraka, and gezzy. That's 30, but some may have opted out since they posted their interest.

Ketamine should be removed from that list.

Wow, what a list! As far as I'm concerned, later is better, affording more time to save...

Hmm, I made a post about an hour ago and it isn't here. So....

Dys and I can cancel our hotel reservation since there is so much lead time. It would be a real disappointment not to be able to meet with c.i. after all this anticipation.

C.i., you are very nice to offer to miss the gathering, but I'm hoping that most of us can accomodate the delay. The weather later in April will likely be nicer anyway.

Besides, if I was your wife, I would wring your neck if you didn't take me to Japan, especially with such an incredible guide. Of course, I'm sure she is much nicer than I am. LOL

Do you think it would be useful to PM all the people who had expressed interest? The date change might make a difference to those who had decided they couldn't come in early April.