Very well put Jenn, my thoughts also :thumbup:

hmmm, after reading through this wholethread again I have decided that I need to stay away from posting in it. I for one am not here to bicker nor argue with anyone about my finances or my ability to fly across the country alone with my 2 babies. I thought I was just making simple talk about my situation, not whining. Of course I am not going to be mad if it isn't where we can go, but I certainly wouldn't make anyone feel bad about it :( Guess I am just a bit confused about all these post that are talking about people "whining" "finances" "your problems are the same as the opposite coast problems" well yes! They certainly are, but I thought in this thread since it is where a decision is going to be made then we should share some of these views that each of us have, WITHOUT being called out for it :( As I said before, if it's on the East Coast in '09 then we WILL see you all there!!! And if not then we WILL see you all in '10 when it is!! :) To each his own.
Wishing everyone the best of luck, and of course.............HAVE FUN YT'ers!!!!

I think a more productive purpose for this thread would be to state WHY YOU CHOSE A PLACE than why you didn't choose a place or why you can't go. I know I'd love to hear why everyone wants to go to the location that they vote for...what excites you about it? What makes you want to go there? Let's share some positive info about the locations we voted for :)

I can tell you that I finally cast my vote for San Diego. It is the most dog friendly city I've ever visited. There is an entire beach that is ONLY for dogs. There are tons of outdoor shopping centers were dogs are allowed and the most outdoor cafe seating I've ever seen outside of Hawaii and the weather is great. Lucky Dog is located near Horton Plaza downtown and The Honest Kitchen is in San Diego as well. There are so many things to see and do right downtown or within a 1.5 hour drive - Balboa Park and its many museums, Sea World, Old Town, all the Missions, Lego Land, the Zoo and Wild Animal Park, tons of beaches & nature trails, wine country - I could go on and on........

wow....boy i must have missed alot of things when my daughter and i were in San Diego in 2005.....the beaches were dirty , cold, and i for one didnt see a pet one on a beach....we ended up walking a little on i think (cant really remember for sure) Laguna Beach..(which ever one has the boardwalk)...and i really was not impressed at all....the beaches in Florida are paradise compared to the ones we saw there....and it is easy to get lost along the beach road there....im great with directions and we kept getting lost....i rented a car....as we stayed in a small town called Del Mar...which was actually cute...but again not impressed with the beaches there....also we went first weekend in June that year and it was cold....65 degrees on the beach is cold....never got above 78 the intire time we were there.....JMO

Wow thats great! I didnt know thats all there We are going to make a vacation out of it if the meet up is held there and that sounds great! Someone also said there is a dog beach there

ditto....very well said....but i will admit im "whining about finances" i would love to have the money to go just anywhere i want when i want...but that is not in the cards for me....i would hope that i would be able (and by that i mean im not sure i can go at all till later on in the year to see how money goes) to go......even if it is my vote (Savannah)...that is still 6-8 hour drive....we have alot of money going out next year...youngest is graduating high school and getting married...both less than 10 days apart....oldest daughter may be getting married late in the fall of *09* .........so not sure...im not working..havent since 4/07...hospital where i worked downsized and then shut down their OR....also have a very bad *back* situation that keeps me from even thinking of trying to find a job in the near future....so YES im ""whining about finances"......and i will just say JMO...but im sure if the "other coast was behind in the voting that there would be others from that coast that would be complaining also....again JMO

I just read this whole thread and all I can say is Wow lol. In the end, no matter how hard you try, you can't please everyone and someone is going to get their feelings hurt - so all you can do is please the vast majority and run with it. :)

I'm going to refrain from voting because I don't know how sure I am that I'll be able to attend the meetup (though I'm going to try). I'll wait and see where it's decided that it's going to be, then I'll probably be able to figure it out. :D I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to be able to go, but if not, then I'll just wait until '10 and I'll almost (you never know what can happen) positively go to the one on the EC. :)

who's whining? (please, that's a rhetorical question, don't tell me).:)

I think everyone is just excited and some are explaining why they won't go certain places so that no one is upset later that they voted and didn't show. I know that's why I felt compelled to explain my decision.;)

I love hearing about how great San Diego is and I visited all of the sites that were posted earlier for each of the cities.

I really think everyone just has the best interests of the meet up at heart.

Just can't wait to see where it ends up so that I can start making plans...

IMO I think it should stay in the center of the state to make it fair for everyone.

OH! I'm sorry you had a bad experience! It sounds like you weren't in San Diego though, so that may be the difference. Laguna Beach does have a boardwalk, but it's almost 75 miles NORTH of San Diego. Del Mar is much closer to San Diego, but it's still about 20 miles NORTH of San Diego. And the farther north you get, it's always colder too. I've NEVER been in the water past my ankles in Los Angeles area (chilly IMO, even in summer), and you couldn't pay me to get in the water at all in the San Francisco area (another 380 miles north of LA...brrrrrr), but I LOVE getting in the water in San Diego. Of course, that still depends what time of year you go, but it's much warmer there than anywhere else in CA. Personally, I haven't been to the dog beach down there, so I can't speak from experience about that, but the beaches I have been to have been beautiful! We have friends who live south of San Diego, so we go there to visit them, and I always love going down to that area :thumbup:!!! Everyone is super friendly down there too (as compared to Los Angeles area) :thumbup:!!!

Whew!! I will be thrilled when this poll finally closes and we get the results no matter where it is!! Then we can all just accept it and start planning a REALLY fun time together!! I just saw the pictures from KC and cannot wait to plan for next year. Im going to do whatever I can to try to be included in the fun next year and meet all you great people in person!! :)

I am very sorry your experience was not a good one. San Diego is known for the fairly constant temps of between 65 and 75 degrees. It is unusual for it to get above 80, let alone lots above 80. But, this temp holds pretty true year round. I'm not a big fan on heat and don't like it above 80 degrees, but can have fun in the sun and be very comfortable at 65 - so for me, it is perfect. The nights are chilly which makes for great sleeping weather and I love that you don't need to use the air conditioning!!!

I also feel it is very easy to drive the Pacific Coast Highway 1 and get around. I don't care much for the larger expressways and prefer the scenic route. Guess we navigate pretty easy cause we've never been lost. The small towns along the coast between San Diego and Oceanside are quaint and cozy. I am especially fond of Cardiff by the Sea, Leucadia and Carlsbad. I love the little shops and restaurants. La Jolla has my favorite beach cove, though it is very small. It is protected from the wind, so a 65 degree day is gorgeous there. I also love Laguna Beach as well. Dogs are not allowed on the beaches from Memorial Day through Labor Day - EXCEPT for dog beach which is always dog friendly. Dog beach is in the Del Mar area.

I love all the parks and the nature preserve at Torrey Pines is awesome!! I think it definitely helps to know someone in the area who recommends places that most tourists wouldn't happen upon (or someone who's been there lots). Getting closer to LA, there is also DisneyLand, Universal and Knotts Berry Farm. I think I've been to all the missions between San Juan and Old Town, San Juan Capistrano is my favorite. There is also tons of yoga available!!!

So, I guess it all depends on what you like to do and the weather you are fond of as well.

I chose San Diego for a few reasons. Originally I talked to Cynthia and Gayla, who I'll be traveling with, and we decided we'd prefer to drive. By looking at the closest locations...we had Savannah that was 16 hours and San Diego that was 20 hours and then Alexandria that was 24 hours (so none are actually close...they'll take a two day drive). My top choice for the East coast would have been Savannah as I've always wanted to go there and it was closest, and then my top choice on the west was san diego. Then once I researched dogfriendly.com I saw the extensive list of restaurants with outdoor seating that allowed dogs, dog parks, dog beaches, dog boutiques, stores that allowed dogs, and hotels that are dog friendly. There was so much! With the extensive list of hotels, I think we'd have no problem finding a hotel that will host us and give us a good deal. Also, the restaurants were very important to me as we had a few issues with dining with dogs in KC. So to see all those restaurants that allowed dogs...well, that kindof sealed the deal with me. Plus, I've never been to California and have always wanted to go. I think San Diego sounds like it's got a nice climate and is very dog friendly. Should make for a great meetup.

So far as finances...I'm still in school and don't have much of an actual income. I plan to put small amounts away every week or so while I actually do have a job (before I start classes again) and just save what I can here and there. Last year, between December and March, I put the amount I needed for gas, hotel, dog fees, plus a little extra in an account that I didn't touch until June...that made sure I had money for the necessities. Luckily I got a job right before we went and was able to have extra spending money.

I spent:
$125 gas
$150 hotel
$100 pet fee (but we didn't get charged..)
$75 food
then some extra I had for shopping

I did travel with two other people and shared a hotel room with them so we were able to split gas and hotel room three ways. I really suggest doing this at it definitely helps with the cost, and it's fun to have traveling buddies! Just plan ahead and start saving here and there, and it might be doable for you. You've got almost a whole year

Wow, bummer! Del Mar is one of my favorite places in the world! Wonderful restaurants, quaint towns, fabulous for walking, and the beach! And yes, CA is totally different from Florida.

I voted for San Diego b/c I know for SURE I can attend if it's there. I'd love to go ANYWHERE that it is and I'd love to see Seattle and Portland too (my brother's in Seattle and Oregon is too beautiful for words). All the choices I think are awesome, but I KNOW my way around SD and there's just so much to see and do! And they ARE VERY dog friendly. The weather there is usually pretty perfect (and I don't mind if it's a little cool since we BAKE 90% of the year here). I can't think of a more fun place to experience the outdoors with a bunch of cute yorkies and their wonderful owners!