EC2007 - Entering sinister Phase II

[Trafton]

<center>EC2007*
* - Apologies to our Canadian <s>friends</s> acquaintances.</center>

We're trying to wrap up EC2007 planning soon. As you may have heard, most of the planners are <b>leaning toward the West Coast</b>. I know this is sudden, and some of you may not have heard about this, but this is why:

Of course, better options are always considered, but - please - don't just name a city. Do some research (Trafton will love you forever), and I'll be happy to help you/look into it.

See you at EC2007!

[EvilMike]

I'm quoting this from the last thread to voice my opinion.

I should mention this here, since we've talked about it a few times in #jj2. One possible place to stay in Vancouver is the University of British Columbia residences. I stayed at the Gage Towers (http://www.ubcconferences.com/accommodation/gage_towers/) with my family last summer, and it worked out quite well.

Basically it's a 6-bedroom suite, with a kitchen, common area, and extra-large bathroom. The University of British Columbia (UBC) is fairly close to downtown Vancouver (not quite walking distance, but a very short bus ride) and is quite a nice location. There's stuff to do at the university itself, as well.

Bedrooms:

http://www.ubcconferences.com/gallery/gage_towers_shared_apartments/gage_towers_single.jpg

Lounge area:

http://www.ubcconferences.com/gallery/gage_towers_shared_apartments/gage_towers_lounge.jpg

The cost isn't significantly less than a hotel (it would be about USD 40 per person per night with six people per suite), but everyone gets their own bedroom, and it has a kitchen so less money could potentially be spent on food if we made some meals ourselves.

This would be my preference if we decide to go with Vancouver. Trafton is looking at the option of renting an entire house for the duration of the meeting, so hopefully he'll post some of his findings here as well.



I seriously reccomend the option Link is suggesting. The cost would probably be less than it was previous years, for one. Also the UBC area has a lot of fun stuff to do. Even though it is a University, it's really a city in itself, just because it's so huge. Downtown isn't quite as nearby as Link made it seem but it's no more than 30 minutes away by bus.

Also, I live in Vancouver and know a lot of fun things/places in the city that might not be totally obvious or in a tourist guide. I don't know the UBC area very well myself, but when it comes to other parts of the city I've got a fair amount of knowledge. Once the date is set, I would not mind planning out activities or a list of things to do. It would take some of the work away from Trafton. I guarantee there'd be enough entertaining stuff to do. More than just supermarkets and shopping malls.

The "house" option Trafton is suggesting is fine too, but most of the suggestions aren't in as fun places as Vancouver (I'm biased, but remember most of these places are in smaller cities and some distance from the city itself), which would mean activities would center more around just staying in the house and not really going out as much. Which is fine I guess, but not my personal preference.

Downside to this: It would probably still be more expensive than Trafton's suggestion (though still less costly than previous trips). But I think the location makes up for it.

[Trafton]

By the way, for 15 people, the house would be around $25/person/night, about $12/night/person less than the University of British Columbia thing.

Personally, I'd rather spend that money on food and stuff, but Mike's suggestion wouldn't be awful either. However, for those who stay as families of 3+, it would be a problem. Either people would have to pack in two to a room (as you can see from the photo, this would be...uncomfortable), or a family of 3 would have to get 3 rooms and pay CAN$160/night. And the costs would go up for that suggestion more if we had a number of people not divisible by 6. At the moment, I think that we might end up smack dab between 12 and 18.

The location is good, but unless we REALLY packed people in, it would be too much for the accommodations.

[Link]

Honestly, I'd feel the same about Ocean Shores as I would about Ashland, Ohio. I stayed at a place like this on the East Coast a couple summers ago (in Maine), and was very bored. If I'm spending a lot of money to get somewhere, I don't just want to sit around inside or doing mundane activities in a tiny ocean resort town. This is my main objection. The accommodation sounds great (though I'd like to see a link to the listing), but I'm not at all keen on the location. I'd prefer a major metropolitan area, to such an extent that not choosing one would negatively affect my chances of attending.

Transportation might be prohibitive, as well. From the Seattle airport to Ocean Shores, it's a two and a half hour drive (http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=d&hl=en&saddr=Seatac,+WA&daddr=Ocean+Shores,+WA&sll=47.245678,-123.184204&sspn=1.85709,3.735352&ie=UTF8&om=1&z=8&ll=47.208374,-123.222656&spn=1.858397,3.735352). Considering that most of us will not be taking cars, and that there is unlikely any cheap public transit (if any at all) between Olympia and Ocean Shores, it will be difficult for people to get there. If you have an idea for how this will work, Trafton, please elaborate.

However, for those who stay as families of 3+, it would be a problem. Either people would have to pack in two to a room (as you can see from the photo, this would be...uncomfortable), or a family of 3 would have to get 3 rooms and pay CAN$160/night. And the costs would go up for that suggestion more if we had a number of people not divisible by 6. At the moment, I think that we might end up smack dab between 12 and 18.

Your math skills amaze me, Trafton. The whole suite would be CAD 279.72 per night, including tax, so half a suite (3 rooms) would be about 140 per night, not 160. I didn't mention this in the quoted post, but one of the six rooms contains a double bed. Presumably 2 people of a family of 3 could share a bed, so they would only need two rooms. Anyway, how is this even an issue? A family of 3 would have to pay significantly more (I'd guess about 3 times more than a family of 1) regardless of the chosen accommodation, if we're dividing the cost equally like we should.

I'm not heartset on the Gage Towers, nor even on Vancouver, but potential issues (such as the number of attendees being indivisible by 6) with the specific option I suggested shouldn't preclude us from considering anything similar.

[Link]

My apologies; I divided into 299, because I somehow didn't remember the price. Look more closely at the bed in the screenshot. Do you think that two people can really comfortably fit into that bed?

No, I don't think that at all. I was referring to the double bed that is present in one of the six rooms in the suite. That photo (not screenshot :-P) shows a room with a single bed.

This is a difference because, in a house, a family of three would pay $75/night, which is a lot more than CAN$140/night.

That's true. The additional cost is compounded by there being three people, even if the cost per person isn't a lot more. How many 3+ person families do you expect to attend?

[Monolith]

Hey look, there's a SURVEY <strike>that nobody's bothered answering yet</strike>.


Do you have any specific objection to the accommodations listed (e.g. fear of water, hatred of non-metropolitan areas)?
I have no strong objections. But I would much prefer a location that has some sort of easily accessable nightlife, such as clubs, bars, or other such venus.
What are the current chances that you will be able to attend on, say, August 1st-August 7th?
Pretty high. Like 85%
What is your transportation situation? Would you have trouble getting to Olympia?
I don't have much options due to the distance. I'll have to fly. That'll get me to Sea-Tac. From there, I don't know. It doesn't look like I can fly into Olympia.
Which dates between early-July and mid-August are convenient, and which are best?
My schedule is flexible, so anywhere in that range should be fine.
Would you have trouble affording US$40/night (probably higher than the final price)?
I can afford that.
Do you have any dietary concerns that would be impacted by the somewhat limited local restaurant selection relative to a metropolitan area (e.g. veganism)?
Not really.
Could you bring a car, and how many people would this fit?
No. It takes 2 1/2 days to drive up to Washington.
Because of the centralised payment, it would have to be paid in cash, preferably upfront (I'm not rich, so I can't carry it myself). Would this be a problem in any way?
That would not be a problem. Although an alternative could be for people to pay by mailing checks in advance to the person who'll put in the payment.
Any other comments/questions/concerns?
You made a comment about also renting a minivan for transportation. I think that would be awesome. In fact I was kind of looking at that earlier. But renting a minivan for a week would be expensive, and wouldn't fit everybody. But still it'd be cool and I wouldn't mind driving (unless we're going out to drink).

[Bobby aka Dizzy]

Do you have any specific objection to the accommodations listed (e.g. fear of water, hatred of non-metropolitan areas)?
I'd prefer a metropolitan type area because I wouldn't want to deal with taking a bus to get anywhere. From my experiences last year people were slow on doing things and it would probably be even worse if we had to take a long bus ride to get anywhere.
What are the current chances that you will be able to attend on, say, August 1st-August 7th?
If I'm in the area I would probably be around only for the weekend. (Friday night - Sunday). I won't know if I'll be in the general area until late January/early February most likely.
What is your transportation situation? Would you have trouble getting to Olympia?
If I'm in the area I could probably drive a car there.
Which dates between early-July and mid-August are convenient, and which are best?
Mid August and July 4th weekend are bad for me.
Would you have trouble affording US$40/night (probably higher than the final price)?
Perfectly fine.
Do you have any dietary concerns that would be impacted by the somewhat limited local restaurant selection relative to a metropolitan area (e.g. veganism)?
The more interesting food the better!
Could you bring a car, and how many people would this fit?
Yes. Chances are it would fit 5 including the driver. Maybe 6 but I am generally not happy with 3 full sized people in the front of a car. I would not be able to attend the entire time so I wouldn't be a very good shuttle service.
Because of the centralised payment, it would have to be paid in cash, preferably upfront (I'm not rich, so I can't carry it myself). Would this be a problem in any way?
That's fine.
Any other comments/questions/concerns?
I'll let you know my situation as I figure things out.

[Monolith]

That sounds like a good option.

[Kaz]

Sounds awesome to anything I have to offer (not kidding :</b>|!).