The airports have shuttles also I am sure members in the area can pick up.
I picked up Misty this last time :)

hey, I am GAME..... and even the ones who "choose" to stay in a hotel, could stay near and drive in or shuttle there... it would probably be so much more pet friendly and have "facilities" close by... :)

whereever, I sure know I want to be there!
d

Just an observation I had regarding the KC location - we have lots of YT members in both Kansas and Missouri as well as the surrounding states that would have been well within a 5 hour drive and hardly any of them attended. I know there are various reasons people opt out, but I don't think a location where there are lots of YTers is a reason to pick a location for exactly this reason.......

Regarding a campground that has cabins - I am so not a camper. "Roughing it" to me means staying in a Motel 6!!! Selecting a campground might also mean we are quite a distance away from a major city that would allow for shopping and restaurant dining and probably also means we would not have an indoor facility that would allow all of us in with our babies. It also doesn't make it feasible for vending.

One of the things I really liked about this meet-up versus local ones in the park or at someone's house was the variety of options available for those who wanted a night on the town and the schedule of activities contained within that allowed our furbutts in.

I also think that no matter how many surveys we do or how many people say they will attend, one a date/location is selected many of those still won't attend. But, the sooner a date/location is selected the more time folks have to save & plan.

Gatlinburg, TN is gorgeous! I love it there. If there was one held there I'd have a better chance of being able to go.

I personally like like the idea of TN or somewhere in this area. It is beautiful! Or Ohio, but honostly who would want to come to Ohio, heck I can't wait to get out of it, lol! That would be a reasonalble driving distance for us (7 hours) coming from Ohio. Or even NY possibly. Not sure the distance on Chicago?? Flying really wouldn't be an option for me, as it would be just me and the furbutts coming and I would not attempt both of them alone on plane and in an airport . Just too much for me personally. As long as it is under 8-9 hours driving we will definately be coming :)
I think Cindy has a good point for the small donation in order to keep the voting down to people who are seriously entertaining the idea of coming. (no offense anyone ;)) lol!
Lori, I like the idea of camping too :) Or doing it cabin style I should say unless someone wants to let us bunk in their motorhome with them! lol!
I personally do not want to spend an outing/getaway in unreasonable heat. I can do that at home ;) As I do understand no one can predict the weather, we do know what areas are prone to be warmer of a climate than others and some people just can't handle heat as well as others :)
So basically for us if it is within 8-9 hours driving distance and prices are reasonable as far as hotel/cabin, dinners, shopping etc then we will be attending :)

Pigeon Forge has alot of hotels that are pet-friendly....i know they have alot of car shows there and i see alot of dogs with them so i am pretty sure that means they have pet-friendly places to stay....as for restaurants that are pet-friendly there i dont know

question....
 

since I could not attend the first one, I didnt follow the planning too closely, it was depressing, haha, did ya'll have a "roomie" sign up? I was just thinking that might help some with expenses... I know several of you roomed together, but like others, I dont know many people well, but would not mind rooming.....

I do know, that I will plan now, to be able to enjoy the meet-up next year.

I would DEFINITELY like to be able to drive, but Hope is such a terrible traveler, she may not make it anyway... it may have to be me and the Tootie Man... hehe....

If I have to fly, I guess I can start her now, getting used to her carrier.. haha

d

Good point! I'm interested to hear some comments from everyone about this :)

who is planing the whole thing mabe they should get to pick since they are doing all the hard work we never had an option when it came to KC we where just told its here in kc if you want to come come just an idea cause no one is going to agree so im not sure what to do

I don't remember who it was but I think the person that chose KC didn't even attend. :confused:

I have to say I'm not a fan of the campground... I'm definitely not an outdoorsy person either for the most part. But my main issue is that I cannot trust Lacy off leash when we are outside...and if we are in a campground, we'd be outside a lot.

I like the idea of TN. There would be a lot to do there.......and I'm being selfish, cuz I've never been there and that is on my "to do" list.

I was unable to attend the meetup in KC but I am hoping to be able to make it to the 2009 meetup. Even though it's hot, I really think the summer is the best time to hold it. Like others have said, schools out and things are just generally "slower" than in the spring and fall. I have been on many, many planning commitees for things similar to this before, and if I could share just one piece of advice...You can NOT please everyone! If you try to make everyone happy, nothing is going to get decided. I think the best way to handle it is to get a listing of a few places, take a poll and go with whatever wins, no matter what.

That said, here's my 2 cents on the location. I agree that having somewhere that's near that most members is not the best solution. If people are really serious about coming, they're going to come no matter where it is. Cost is a very important factor- think travel expense, hotel room, actual fees to hold the convention, shopping, dining, etc.

Personally, I think we should consider holding it in KC again, at the same location. I wasn't there to experience it first hand, but maybe someone who was can comment...Was the hotel welcoming? Did they accomodate everyone's needs? I think having it in the same location at the same time every year would make planning easier, people would know what to expect when they got there, and maybe the hotel would be even more willing to work with us knowing that we're coming back next year.

Ok my idea of "roughing" it is having to roll over and actually calling room service. :D I like modern things, electric, running water, something that flushes the :p:p:p away.
Also like Michelle, I would never trust Sasha off leash and being on a leash all the time would kill her.
I did not attend KC (daughter was married that weekend) but really would love to attend in 09.
California: perfect weather
NYC: Love the idea
Chicago: interesting idea never been, but would think there would be lots of things to do.
West Alex, Ohio: Field/Woods behind my house for all you "nature" people :D
In side my house running water, electric, and something that flushes the :p:p:p away. Things to do, watch the grass grow, watch the deer behind the house, traffic sometimes, Oh and my grandchildren running in and out of the pool :D
You decide and I will do my very best to be there! YT members will make the right descion.

I say we just make a list of possible cities. It is impossible to please everyone. Just make a list of places and have a poll. Thats it. Whoever is truly interested in going will go no matter what. If it is decided to have it in Florida I am more than willing to help with planning.

Example:

Chicago (O'Hare is very cheap for airfare)
San Diego
Austin,TX
Boston
New York City
Miami,Fl or Tampa, Fl

(Being a bit biased since I live in Fl but it is great for dinning shopping. If it is held in March or April the weather is great nice and cool, Summer in Florida gets very rainy so I don't recommend it, also hurricane season)

My vote is for Chicago, its a great city with lots to do and very pet friendly check it out:

DogFriendly.com's City Guide: Chicago, Illinois

We don't need to stay in the city. When I went I stayed by the airport and took the train into the city. It saved a lot of money and plenty of parking. Parking in downtown Chicago can be a killer. Dogs are allowed on the trains :)

For $20 you can get unlimited train rides for 7 days. Most hotels offer a shuttle for free to the airport, then you just take the airport train to downtown Chicago.


Someone suggest that we pay $10 to vote. Honestly that is a great idea because it will prevent the people that are not really interested from voting, also it would a great boost to be able to plan the meet-up effectively.