Reflections on Pinkfest 2007, thanks, gang! :)

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This posting is from: annie
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First of all, thanks to Elena for putting this all together. It's
nice to have somebody do this so consistently well, and we do
appreciate it!

Thanks to Janna and Velma for the service and hospitality. We do
appreciate the welcomings we received, and it's a very good thing
to know that the Pinkfest business is welcomed and appreciated.

I've made a few more comments about the open houses below.

Most of all, thanks to all who particpated, without whom Pinkfest
would simply not happen! :)

I'm gonna comment in sequence here ...

+Thursday, October 4:
+ 6:30 p.m. Happy half hour at Chicago Chop House
+ 7:00 p.m. Dinner at Chicago Chop House

Excellent as usual. Very good food and drinks, not cheap, but
very very good. :)

We had the largest Pinkfest CCH group so far. I don't think anybody
got as much as a sideways glance. Our people seemed to blend very
well with the normals. :)

We've received comments in the past that CCH is too expensive for
some. I didn't hear any of that this year. Was there anybody who
skipped CCH on Thursday because of the price?

+ 9ish: Gentry on State (maybe)

Zzzzzzzz.... I needed sleep more than I needed more celebration. :)

+Friday, October 5:
+ 12:00 Noon Lunch at Ed Debivics (Chicago)

This always works out well. I do wish we could get some larger
groups here, as we used to when we did dinner here. Do we want
to try this for dinner instead of lunch again next year?

+ 2:00 - 6:00: p.m. Open House at Janna's

Yes, I was fashionably late. :) Quite a few new people turned
out at Janna's (Janna has quite a following) who also joined us
for dinner and partying after.

+ 6:30 p.m. Happy Half Hour at Winberies (Oak Park)
+ 7:00 p.m. Dinner at Winberie's

I think everybody was fashionably late for this one. The staff was
very patient, although I know they were getting a bit antsy about
"are you all here yet" and such.

The food was great as always. I didn't hear a single complaint. I
also think it was a bit less crowded on Friday this year than it
was last year. I seem to recall SRO at the bar last year.

+ 9ish A drink at the Hideaway

"A drink" translated to many drinks! :)

Hideaway has to be the Find Of The Year for 2007!

It says a lot for a club when they give us a good enough time that
nobody, even the hardest of the hardcore party animals, wanted to
venture on to Hunters.

It has a floor for hardcore dance fans upstairs, a bar-bar on the
first level (karaoke that night) and a (semi) quiet area off to
the side for those who just want to sit back. I was tempted to
scream out "get a room, you two!" to the one couple who kind of
wandered back there. :) Lotsa real music on the juke box.

We got a great reception there. More notes below.

+ 10:30ish Partying at Hunters Dance Club

Didn't happen, well, not on Friday, anyway. :)

+Saturday, October 6:
+ 12:00 noon: Lunch at Hard Rock Cafe

Again, small crowd, good food and service, and a very good time. Also,
for HRC, we consistently get smaller crowds than we did when we did
it for dinner.

+ 11:00 a.m. -10 p.m. - Open house at Rachel's Wigs

Rachel's also has quite a following in the TG community, and they
have welcomed Pinkfest with open arms for the second year in a
row. I probably would have been content to sit there for a while
but I needed to rush off early to get the change of venue notice
out.

+ 6:30 p.m.: Happy half-hour
+ 7:00 p.m.: Dinner (Ann Sathers)

Well, as all of us now know, AS's now closes at 4:00pm on Saturday
for one reason or another and we found out the hard way. I did go
back to the hotel and spam out Elena's notice (I was in a hurry and
I at first sent it to the DLVDISC script) which was the reason I was
fashionably late to the new location. (I would have been a few
minutes less fashionably late had the Addison El stop not been
closed for reconstruction.)

Somebody also put notes up on the door to AS's so anybody who went
there would at least know of the new location.

Cy's Crab House is another Find Of The Year, and it was a great
drop-in replacement. We had great food and service, and I don't
think the group received any more attention than anybody else in
the place.

+ 9ish: Boystown Bars

Didn't happen. It was decided on the fly to skip Boystown mainly
due to the expected crowd after the Cubs play-off, and the expected
lack of parking in the area.

+Sunday, October 7:

+ 1:00 p.m. Lunch at Maggiano's Little Italy (Chicago)

Elena and I were the only ones, as we did expect. Very good time
and very good food.

I would like to hear from others about the timeframe. Is Sunday not
a good day for others?
. . . . .

A few general comments ...

1. Lunches and daytime things.

It seems like we've only been getting the hardest of the hard core
at lunch. What is it, and I would like to hear from those who did
not do Lunch with the Pinkfest gang, that would entice you to join
the group for lunch? Is it the venues? Travel issues? Too open and
public in "broad" daylight for you? We need some feedback on this.

We haven't really had much success with daytime activities, with
one major exception, which brings me to the next topic ... :)

2. Open houses and such.

Despite the relatively small crowds, I'm hoping that Janna's and
Rachel's considered the open houses worthwhile and will continue
with them. I did business with both of them, and I know others
did as well, so hopefully they will see enough value to do it
again.

One comments I will make, and I did feel kinda badly about it,
is that both places had sumptuous spreads with much left over.

On both days I had a very big lunch and was anticipating a
diet-busting dinner on both evenings, and really the last thing
I wanted to do was to nosh at the time. I really feel bad turning
down such offerings, trust me. I really appreciate the effort.

I almost felt like I was being rude by not partaking.

3. Parking at Hideaway?

For some reason, somebody (don't know who, and it really doesn't
matter) passed the word that there was no parking available at
or in the vicinity of Hideaway. I **KNOW** that this disuaded
some, and they either went to Hunters or called it a night.

THERE WAS PARKING ALL OVER THE {expletive} PLACE!!! Yes, I am
shouting. Whether it just gave them an excuse to retire early,
or it actually scared them off, several of our people missed
what was a very good club and a very good time due to some very
incorrect information being passed as fact! :(

4. Taxi?

+Also, don't forget about Vanessa's Univeral Taxi #108. She can give
+rides out of or from the suburbs. Her cell phone # is (708) 837-0826.

Did anybody use this service.

I hope Vanessa wasn't turning down other rides in anticipation of
business that did not appear.

5. Schedule issues.

Yeah, we had a couple schedule boo-boos. NBD! Things worked out,
well, actually.

Thanks again, everybody. See you again at Pinkfest 2008, if not
before! (Hint: http://www.geekbabe.com/dlv/) :)

Comments?

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(This posting was entered by annie, an external user of MyDLV.)

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This posting is from: Tina
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OK, let me take a whack at some of these. Always remember, I had
great fun at PF again this year, and the PF schedule makers have
no responsibility to make me happy. (Elena and Annie do a
fantastic job.) If I wanted to, I could always get off my
fanny and organize something (as I have at many DLVs and PFs
in the dim, distant past.) One of the outstanding strengths about
the DLV model is the ability to show up for what you like and skip
what you don't like. I'll be candid about my likes and dislikes,
but please don't anyone take offense. I had fun!!

First, an important background point: the last 2 times I have come
to Pinkfest were when I was able to schedule some personal business
for the same week. Of course, that means my days were already
booked. (I've never personally been much of a day activity person
at either PF or DLV. YMMV.)

+Thursday, October 4:
+ 6:30 p.m. Happy half hour at Chicago Chop House
+ 7:00 p.m. Dinner at Chicago Chop House

Loved it. A meal at the CCH is always a high point of a Chicago
trip. And, it's not expensive when compared to other fine
restaurants in other cities. I've paid more in Omaha, for
instance.

There is a McDonald's down the street, for those who don't care
what their food tastes like. More important, by ordering one of
the larger platters, I had to-go food for 2 more meals back at
the hotel. What a deal. (More comments about expenses at
bottom.)

+ 9ish: Gentry on State (maybe)

>Zzzzzzzz.... I needed sleep more than I needed more
>celebration. :)

Wow, I was really shocked that you cratered so early. ;-)

Gentry on State is always fun, always classy, and no more expensive
than any other bar. I like the cabaret entertainment, but prefer
to hang out at the main bar.

+Friday, October 5:
+ 12:00 Noon Lunch at Ed Debivics (Chicago)

> This always works out well. I do wish we could get some larger
> groups here, as we used to when we did dinner here. Do we want
> to try this for dinner instead of lunch again next year?

I don't like Ed's at all, so no longer go. It's too crowded,
there's usually too many children and/or teenagers, and the
food sucks. (Well, I did say that I would be candid.) :-)

I wouldn't have made lunch on Friday regardless of where it was
at. Had other commitments, as I probably will on any other trips.

+ 2:00 - 6:00: p.m. Open House at Janna's

> Yes, I was fashionably late. :) Quite a few new people turned
> out at Janna's (Janna has quite a following) who also joined us
> for dinner and partying after.

I really appreciate what the local TG-friendly vendors do for PF
and DLV. Personally, I don't need the services anymore that they
provide. Too experienced, I guess. Does that mean I've hit
middle-age? :-)

+ 6:30 p.m. Happy Half Hour at Winberies (Oak Park)
+ 7:00 p.m. Dinner at Winberie's

Didn't make this due to personal commitments that ran long. Maybe
next time. PF people say they like it.

+ 9ish A drink at the Hideaway

> "A drink" translated to many drinks! :)

> Hideaway has to be the Find Of The Year for 2007!

> It says a lot for a club when they give us a good enough time that
> nobody, even the hardest of the hardcore party animals, wanted to
> venture on to Hunters.

I AGREE!!! LOVED IT, LOVED IT, LOVED IT.

+ 10:30ish Partying at Hunters Dance Club

> Didn't happen, well, not on Friday, anyway. :)

I did make it to Hunter's late on Saturday. I'll reserve comment
until I've been there a few more times.

+Saturday, October 6:
+ 12:00 noon: Lunch at Hard Rock Cafe

> Again, small crowd, good food and service, and a very good time. Also,
> for HRC, we consistently get smaller crowds than we did when we did
> it for dinner.

I actually wanted to go to this, particularly since its right
across the street from CCH, but slept late, as usual. I'm really
not a daytime person, particularly after a couple of nights of
partying.

+ 11:00 a.m. -10 p.m. - Open house at Rachel's Wigs

Ditto from above.

+ 6:30 p.m.: Happy half-hour
+ 7:00 p.m.: Dinner (Ann Sathers)

> Well, as all of us now know, AS's now closes at 4:00pm on Saturday
> for one reason or another <snip>

Remember, I AM VERY FUSSY about restaurants. I really like the ones
I like, but hate the rest (which are the vast majority).

AS was no great loss to me. I just don't think that there's anything
special about them, so had only planned to arrive for dessert anyway.

+ 9ish: Boystown Bars

> Didn't happen. It was decided on the fly to skip Boystown mainly
> due to the expected crowd after the Cubs play-off, and the expected
> lack of parking in the area.

OK, I had started pointing this conflict out on Thursday. :-)

I like Boystown and all the bars there. Hopefully it will work out
for next year.

+Sunday, October 7:

+ 1:00 p.m. Lunch at Maggiano's Little Italy (Chicago)

> Elena and I were the only ones, as we did expect. Very good time
> and very good food.

> I would like to hear from others about the timeframe. Is Sunday not
> a good day for others?

I stay on Sunday when I can (and I like to), but the schedule didn't
work for me this year.

> . . . . .

> A few general comments ...

> 1. Lunches and daytime things.

> It seems like we've only been getting the hardest of the hard core
> at lunch. What is it, and I would like to hear from those who did
> not do Lunch with the Pinkfest gang, that would entice you to join
> the group for lunch?

Gotta sleep sometime. :-)

<snip>

> 3. Parking at Hideaway?

> THERE WAS PARKING ALL OVER THE {expletive} PLACE!!! Yes, I am
> shouting. Whether it just gave them an excuse to retire early,
> or it actually scared them off, several of our people missed
> what was a very good club and a very good time due to some very
> incorrect information being passed as fact! :(

I wasn't at the earlier events that night, so don't know what was
said. I'm glad I drove in for it - loved it. That said, parking
really was rather difficult. I momentarily parked in some
restricted space and was nearly towed. (Shade of DLV!!) They
had parking enforcement vans everywhere. Some of the locals at
the bar suggested trying street parking on side streets on the
other side of the main road in front of Hideaway. I eventually
found street parking several blocks away, where I had to put up
with catcalls from a couple of street people both coming and
going. (No biggie - Texas girls are tough!!)

The club only had like 10 parking spaces in the tiny lot behind
their building. Remember, I arrived almost an hour before the rest
of you girls, while the club wasn't even crowded (found a downstairs
bar stool right away), but it had still taken me 20 minutes to find
a space. Since you spotted all this open parking, I'll let you park
my car next year. ;-)

> Comments?

OK, here's the balance of my comments, in no particular order:

1). I saved a lot of money (shaved 2/3 off my usual hotel bill) this
year by staying in the suburbs at the Hilton Garden Inn by O'Hare,
instead of the downtown Hilton Garden Inn on Grand Ave (walking
distance to Gentry and Baton) that I usually stayed at. Had no
trouble parking my car at either CCH or Gentry on State (lot did
close at midnight, but we were all bailing by then anyway).

2). My rental car was way cheaper then what I would have spent on
cabs. Parking can be a hassle sometimes, but I still prefer the
flexibility rental cars give me.

3). Air fares between Chicago and Austin have stayed remarkably
flat and affordable the last several years.

4). I generally get good value for my travel dollar at PF, even
a little better than at DLV, based on my personal preferences.

In closing, I had a great time and loved seeing everybody again,
plus meeting some new faces.

Hugs,

Tina Tawdre

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(This posting was entered by Tina, an external user of MyDLV.)

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This posting is from: Sylvia
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Hi all,

Well, your recap explains why I was not able to hook up with you gals. I
went to Hunters on Friday night to try to meet up with you and asked a
few gals there if they were part of Pinkfest. I also went bar hopping
at Boystown but could not find anyone from the group. I forgot to take
your number to contact you while out. Oh well, maybe next year.

I am off to Clearwater and Orlando Florida to do a little relaxing and
partying. Any local gals from that area have any suggestions on where to
go? I am familiar with the usual places but I heard that one of the
regular bars in Clearwater closed a couple of years ago and one in
Orlando is also no more.. I will be there til the 29th so I am hoping
that there will be some Halloween parties Any local news that could
be helpful? Any gals want to join me there? Let me know, Sylvia Marie

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(This posting was entered by Sylvia, an external user of MyDLV.)