.............................  *sniff*

...

...

'Kay, what about an European IRG meeting in Paris? 8D

Just joking, well, it's souns pretty fun guys. Hope you have fun, and take pictures ...

*sniff*


By the way, the internship is horrid.

I'd love to come, but it really depends on a lot of different factors for me; given the state of my job, I am unlikely to be living in England in three months time, which means I will be living again in New Zealand. New Zealand to New York is a hell of a distance, as it's twelve hours to LA and another six to NYC, but the thing is I am not at the moment terribly doubtful about the money...although that is dependant on what I end up doing next year. If I end up back at university I probably will be reasonably broke (although as I would be working part-time as a pharmacist, it wouldn't be as bad as it was the first time I was a student!), but even with that said if I go back home, I will likely be desperate to travel again by then. I'd just have to make a trip of it to make it worth the airfare to the US, which wouldn't be hard as I'd also like to see D.C. and Boston, possibly Orlando (Disneyland, anyone?) and I will TOTALLY hit Las Vegas on the way home.

So, yeah, well. I'd love to come, and was I still living in England at the time I would say I would be there; because I will likely be in New Zealand and I don't know if I will be working or studying or some combination of both, I'm not sure. If I am studying May would probably be a wash-out for me anyway, as that's coming into exam season and our mid-semester break tends to be in April, but like I said...I'll keep my eye on things, and if I can make it, I am so in there.

I'm in.  My sister lives in Crown Heights, so that gets me off the hook for lodging costs.  Barring disaster, finances shouldn't be a problem, either.  Hoo-ray.

Maybe next year, I can't make it, but I hope that all who do go have a fun time.  I've always wanted to visit Harlem and Bensonhurst myself.

Oh, and for anyone outside the US curious about visa requirements -- best place to look is whatever passes for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs And Trade in your country, or possibly to look up the American embassy. I think most EU countries have the same visa-waiver programme as what New Zealand belongs to, i.e. three months holiday (no working) with an arranged ticket home. Just be prepared for a thousand questions when you enter the country.

Just in case anyone's wondering, I am seriously considering.

My parents gave me a 'maybe' over the phone, with the option of discussing it more thoroughly once they get back from vacation. There's a lot of issues that will have to be resolved, but nothing that the IRG people can help me with, so no use blabering about it, no? You just want to hear a big 'YES', don't you? ;) As for visas, any help with that is very much appreciated, as Croatia is not a part of the EU and I admit not knowing anything about it beyond the 'it's impossible to get it' rumors.

Clarice wrote:

I was twenty-three years old -- almost twenty-four -- with a profession. My sister was in her last year of university. ...is it EXPECTED to still be living with your parents then, or what?!

These days in the U.S.?  Yup!  I find it amazing, since I moved out of my mother's home at 19 never to return, but so many of my friends (particularly those that were like, "I'm never going back to Crawfordsville!") turned around and lived with their parents again after school.  Nothing wrong with it, of course, but apparently it's getting a lot more acceptable and expected.  Adolescence is being extended more and more.  Interesting turn of events.  I wonder when we'll reach the breaking point and things will reset in a sense.

Arki, you might be able to come??  That's so awesome, even if it's only a weak maybe at this point.  Have they really made it that hard to get into the U.S. just for a few days?    Now you have to have visas rather than just a passport?  That makes me sad.  Anyone know if you need visas to go to countries aside from the U.S. for short visits?  That might strongly deter my urge to take Paradox abroad one of these days...

Last edited by Cerise (08-04-2007 02:00:13 PM)

By the way, what sites do you all use for ticket pricing?  I've been checking out Travelocity and PriceLine, but if I can find something cheaper, that'd be great.  Of course, I can't do anything until the dates are set, but at least I'll have a general idea of how much the tickets themselves will be setting us back from the outset.  We briefly considered the idea of driving, but I for one do not particularly want to drive, even briefly, in NYC.  Then again, I suppose it might not be that bad (use public transit after getting to the hotel, of course) and it's supposedly about an 11.5 hour drive from here...

Meh, there'll be time to consider such things.  But I get excited easily and love to start considering all of the options well in advance.

I want dollface to come

Again, I just want to restate to our underage members that we are perfectly willing to speak to parents, moreso me as I've got the unlimited long distance plan, and I don't mind making (and keeping) whatever promises are needed to be able to reassure people. Totally willing to spend six months arguing away any resistance, guys.

You guys make me want to cry.

Cerise wrote:

We're nerdy, so museums will be top of the list for us most likely.  Although window shopping with IRGers who have fashion sense (something I have none of) would be great fun for me too!  Picnic at Central Park...all the possibilities sound wonderful.  Now granted, I've never been all that keen on visiting NYC, but it's something I should experience anyway.  Especially since I've been to Upstate New York, it seems silly that I've never visited the Big Apple.

Yay! Yasha and I are nerdy nerds about museums too, and aside from the obvious group, including MUSEUM MILE, I know about/have been to several smaller, more intimate museums that are also very awesome. Like European art? Frick Collection. Himalayan art? Rubin. There is no lack at all for museums of every sort in NYC. As for whether you'll like NYC, I like to think at the least Yasha and I are so brutally enthusiastic about the city that it'll rub off. I'll say this: most of the negative stuff you've heard is just completely god damn not true. NYC is low on crime, can be cheap, and frankly, I've been all along the eastern end of the country and New Yorkers are some of the best fucking people on the planet, provided you keep in mind they hate it when tourists stand in the middle of the street blocking the flow of pedestrian traffic.

Cerise wrote:

Anyway, Paradox and I will likely be looking for a hotel option.  And, that said, being a married couple in a new place, we're going to be going for the privacy of our own room, bien sur.    It'd be fun to crash with a big bunch of IRGers together, but yeah... ^_-

Awesome! Husband and wife duo FTW. BTW I should mention here that we aren't opposed to anyone bringing friends/lovers that aren't on IRG themselves. Bring your whole family for all we care, as long as they pay for themselves and don't mind listening to us talk SKU for hours at a time.

Stormcrow wrote:

This might be the best idea ever. I will of course be there, though I kind of hope things can be extended by a day or two because...let's talk dates.

Yasha and I aren't opposed to making the official con longer, but I would say that's an option to bring up once we have a more definite list of people that will be attending. Anyone wanting to stay longer in NYC and make a vacation of it is welcome to, we'll be happy to help you out with anything you'd need to know, like that there's a 10% discount on weekly rates at the Carlton Arms Hotel.

Stormcrow wrote:

Speaking of rates, anyone interested in or at least willing to share a room with me and one or two others, please let me know privately, I'll be sending out a couple of PMs as well.

I'm quite sure a few members will be interesting in group rating things. At the least there are going to be the underage people who can't have their own room, or at least not in name.

As for Charlotte, NC, it's a major transfer hub, so I think flights to and from it and NYC would probably be very accomodating...

Cerise wrote:

I know I'm up for those 3 specifics (although I too would be happy with just seeing the Lady from the ferry if need be) and Paradox probably would be too.  Gotta do some touristy things.  I really like the idea of splitting up into small groups as necessary, as I'm sure people who've already seen Ellis Island and the like would probably rather do something else than that yet again.  Plus, small groups will let us get to know each other better, then switching out for other activities etc.

This is the idea! There is just SO much to do in NYC, and we can't do it all as one big group since that'd be too expensive, too impractical, and too boring for people whose interests don't line up. I would say definitely you guys should arrange amongst yourselves some of the touristy stuff like the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Yasha and I haven't actually gone but frankly we're weird and are more inclined to ride the subway for four hours listening to the musicians. We are big museum/art nerds though, and big fans of any opportunity to just walk around the city.

Another thing I would like to do as a group, or this might also be done in smaller groups, is dinner. Yes, it'll be more pricy than the 10bux a day budget, but if a few of you are more adventurous, and you have a little bit more to spend, Yasha and I would be all over a group dinner. Larger group, something we'll all agree on. Italian? Indian? Smaller group? Ethiopian? Burmese? Tibetan?

angelicreation wrote:

This sounds like fun.  I can't give any definites for myself given the job I have, but as long as I bonus first quarter, this shouldn't be a problem financially.  Though mass transit kind of scares me and I've never been on a subway before.   May... it may fall near my birthday.  Hmm.

I'd really love for you to come, bitch at job! Alithea too, this is totally couples-friendly. As for mass transit, DO NOT BE AFRAID. Mass transit is fun, cheap, and perfectly safe unless you wave your money around like a jackass, which is a dumb idea anywhere you go. I know the subway system, and though there's a map in every station, you will all be free to call me on my cell and ask how the hell to get where. (I will be handing out my cell, and I would request for all of you that have phones to at least give me your number, if not share it with others. Communication will be important since we won't always be together.) In most cities, including mine, mass transit is for poor people. This is not so in NYC. Pretty much everyone gets around this way. Yeah there are crazies. Yeah there are beggers. Ignore them or indulge them as you like. There are also awesome street musicians in a lot of the subway stations. One night Yasha and I heard a woman singing an opera in I think it was Penn Station, her voice filled this huge expanse of space and it was just gorgeous. We gawked. You sometimes hear people talk of subway culture or underground culture...it's true. The subways in NYC are awesome and unique unto themselves, and you may or may not like them (you can certainly get around by bus alone, or taxi if it's that traumatic for you), but they're definitely worth giving a try just for the experience.

Also if anyone's birthday lands on the con, say so, and we'll embarrass you in public by singing or making waiters sing.

And then we'll give you spanks.

Epi_lepsia wrote:

'Kay, what about an European IRG meeting in Paris? 8D

Hey, if you Eurotypes that can't get here want to organize a minimeet around the same time over there, that would be awesome. But that said, I have every intention of this con being a success, which means I intend to do it again. Who is to say where we might end up down the road? Yasha and I are very interested in travel abroad and we would love to drag a few of you with us.

Sorry to hear about the internship though... when will it be over?

satyreyes wrote:

If what one hears about NYC is true, you could get on the subway dressed as Chu Chu and not get any funny looks.  By reputation, people there are totally live-and-let-live types.

This is pretty true. There is a very 'eh, seen it all/not my business' mentality in NYC, and you're just not going to get a rise out of New Yorkers by dressing funny. We could walk around in wigs dressed as SKU characters and at most people will think we're going to a punk rock show or something. If you watch The Daily Show/The Colbert Report, you've seen them do stupid shit like streak or flail around right out on the street, and you've seen how everyone's just like 'eh whatever'. (BTW, what would be the interest in attended a taping of one of these shows and possibly attempting to rape the host?)

Clarice wrote:

STUFF

You're coming, that's all there is to it.

Razara, you're coming too. We'll totally help you get permission from your parents, we are adults and if it makes her feel better to know, quite a few of us that are going have already met. This is why dollface needs to come, we can have a Shiori Underage Fangirl Brigade.

Frosty wrote:

Sounds like such a fun time! I would love to make it, but like Clarice, I don't know for sure what my situation will be at the time, as I will have graduated already - not sure where in the world I will be, or what I in the world I will be doing, but if there is a possible way to make it  - I surely will!

YOU'RE COMING TOO. This is America, I hate this sitting on the fence moderate maybe bullshit! (I jest but seriously you guys, you have months to pull strings at your jobs, and the con is short enough that you could probably get by on calling in sick one day.)

Frosty wrote:

I also second, or third, the motion to spirit dollface away from home!
Would inventive lying work, doll face? Like say… some sort of Seminar, Art Camp, Career Training? I used to use the “art camp” idea with my overprotective mother, and got away with more than a few vacations with my friends that way.

Well really that's only sorta an inventive lie. It's an Akio kind of lie, in that there'd be some truth to calling the con 'art camp', but the lie is in what's not being mentioned. A lot of our interests are naturally of the educational kind anyway, you'll all learn or see something educational one way or another here.

Arki wrote:

You just want to hear a big 'YES', don't you? ;) As for visas, any help with that is very much appreciated, as Croatia is not a part of the EU and I admit not knowing anything about it beyond the 'it's impossible to get it' rumors.

Yes, yes we do. I'll poke around online tonight and see what's the story about getting to the US from Croatia. The more disagreeable countries seem to tend to want things like proof of funds, proof of contact within the destination country, etc. We will of course help with any customs BS you might encounter. From what I understand, most countries will take US passports with very little fuss. The exceptions are all the really obvious ones like Iran. I think it's probably a lot easier to get into Croatia than to get out.

Cerise wrote:

By the way, what sites do you all use for ticket pricing?  I've been checking out Travelocity and PriceLine, but if I can find something cheaper, that'd be great.  Of course, I can't do anything until the dates are set, but at least I'll have a general idea of how much the tickets themselves will be setting us back from the outset.  We briefly considered the idea of driving, but I for one do not particularly want to drive, even briefly, in NYC.  Then again, I suppose it might not be that bad (use public transit after getting to the hotel, of course) and it's supposedly about an 11.5 hour drive from here...

Meh, there'll be time to consider such things.  But I get excited easily and love to start considering all of the options well in advance.

YOU DO NOT WANT TO DRIVE IN NEW YORK CITY. Truthfully NYC is actually not as bad with the driving as Miami, but the parking is murder. Be prepared to spend 20bucks a day just to park your car somewhere, and nine times out of ten, you're going to park as far away from your destination as the subway would have dumped you. It's just not worth it unless you're really really off about using mass transit.

As for airlines, the problem here is you really can't price out the tickets in an exact fashion for several months. The best time to buy tickets is 2-4 months in advance, since earlier and the prices aren't released/discounted yet, later and the options run out. I use yahoo travel, which is travelocity, to price things out. The trick is once you have your flight, there's no reason to get it through them, go to the airline's website and book through them. You'll save 5-10 bucks, and the airlines DO know whether you brought directly from them, and there is a customer service advantage to doing so, I've noticed. (Since they're getting more of your money this way.) But these sites only price out the major airlines, there are a lot of smaller operations now that offer potentially much lower airfare, though they don't usually depart from the 'main' airport where you are. For example all the discounted minor lines down here leave Ft. Lauderdale instead of Miami International Airport.
http://www.southwest.com/
http://www.jetblue.com/
Are a couple such airlines, then there's stuff like Delta's Song airline, which doesn't show up in travelocity searches, you need to check with Delta's site directly. When the time comes, I'll be happy to price hunt with you guys, I'm familiar with the routine and I've been to two of the three NYC airports. (Newark and LaGuardia, both have their benefits and drawbacks depending on how much you're carrying/how you want to get into the city.) Another thing to consider is attempting to synch up schedules a little so some people can meet in the airport and split cab fare or something. Yasha and I do this every time, it's not too hard.

dollface wrote:

You guys make me want to cry.

People that want to come but can't because of Nazi family members make me want to cry. Come on dollface, come on Raven. THEY CAN BE BROKEN.

Also yes, there's a Museum of Sex. Haven't been there yet.

Razara wrote:

dollface, if you need a place to stay, you can probably stay with Kealdrea and I. If getting your mother's permission is part of a problem, saying that you'll be staying with someone your own age might sound a bit better to her. (My mother will be there, and probably her boyfriend if we end up flying down, but they'll probably be gone shopping the entire time, and I don't want them anywhere near the IRG members. That still makes for some parental supervision, though.)

Holy shit, that would be thoroughly awesome. Parental supervision will definitely make for a lot of ammo for the underage group getting up here. We are most of us adults but I realize '23 year old' doesn't sound as good as 'parents'.

I figure your mom and her bf won't be around us much Razara, but if they have any questions they're certainly free to ask or call me at odd hours asking how to get to here or there.

Giovanna wrote:

This is pretty true. There is a very 'eh, seen it all/not my business' mentality in NYC, and you're just not going to get a rise out of New Yorkers by dressing funny. We could walk around in wigs dressed as SKU characters and at most people will think we're going to a punk rock show or something. If you watch The Daily Show/The Colbert Report, you've seen them do stupid shit like streak or flail around right out on the street, and you've seen how everyone's just like 'eh whatever'. (BTW, what would be the interest in attended a taping of one of these shows and possibly attempting to rape the host?)

TOTALLY IN THERE