ESTN 2011

[BuckeyeRider]

All sounds great to me (in my backyard) and schedule permitting, I'm in.  

[Skee]

 Might be better to find your own "best deal" (AAA, AARP, whatever) and have the usual Days Inn cancellation policy (day off by 6pm or whatever).

Agreed.    Pick a "location" and a weekend.   Folks will naturally assemble.  I liked the Lake Placid format.  Kind of like this year's Burger Run.

[R Doug]

Cool!  Doug's bringing the popcorn.  

Actually, I'm not very optimistic I can make ESTN this year.  So, I'm taking a back seat in the theatre watching this event reveal itself.  Right now I plan on attending the National in June and my wife and I have a week's trip planned in late September to the PNW for hiking.

I'll have to see how much time I can take off for this event given the timing of my planned vacation with the wifey.  

[garry]

Hmmm....

The Super 8 in Marietta is $65/night (with taxes). Couple miles away from a great Mexican restaurant (Tampico) for a possible largish dinner gathering. Right off I-77.

An awesome location for twisty strafing in all directions.

The only issue is that it's kinda redundant with the HSTA Mail Pouch Fly-By meet a few weeks earlier.

[R Doug]

Hmmm....

The Super 8 in Marietta is $65/night (with taxes). Couple miles away from a great Mexican restaurant (Tampico) for a possible largish dinner gathering. Right off I-77.

An awesome location for twisty strafing in all directions.

The only issue is that it's kinda redundant with the HSTA Mail Pouch Fly-By meet a few weeks earlier.

Now THAT's an excellent place for ESTN!  

[garry]

I think I'm going to focus on a Marietta-based ESTN rather than Charleston due to the proximity and quantity of awesome roads.

Twisties Till Ya Puke (the rollercoaster nature of the roads makes it especially true).

[Bill-Z]

Ok now, I've not been hangin' around for very long but I like how y'all are working this out.  I'm watching because this will be pretty close to home for me and I would really like to get out for a great weekend.  The community spirit of how this is coming together is really encouraging.

[garry]

After a lot more research, I think Marietta is the winner. I have a request in for a group quote (not expecting much) from the Super 8. Most of the hotels in the area are $100+ a night. I know STN likes to sleep cheap, but don't expect a lot out of a Super 8. The "flexible/cancellable" rate is $65 a night which is pretty affordable.

Look for an "official ESTN 2011" post in the next couple days with more info. Since someone suggested Sept 9-11, I'm OK with that date (similar to last year).

Marietta is a cool little college town on two rivers. The Super 8 is downtown, so it's close to lots of stuff. The motel is tucked away behind a little strip mall, and looks like a fine parking lot to party in. There is a Kroger (grocery and probably beer) store in the plaza. A Shoney's is next door, with a Bob Evan's across the road for breakfast options.

And the good riding starts right outside the smallish town. I suspect there will be (at least) three if not four good routes to choose from (kind of a clover leaf). I've spent a fair amount of time in the area and I know we have locals that know the good stuff, so finding a fun route should not be an issue. The bigger problem will be to pick which one to do. I would encourage coming a day early or staying an extra day to do at least two of the routes and maybe hit bits of the others on the way in and  the way home.

Back to writing mind-numbing unit tests...

[Smoker]

Garry, your Saturday night dinner is on me. Thanks for setting this up. Anything you need me to do to help out, just ask.

[R Doug]

 The community spirit of how this is coming together is really encouraging.

By this, do you mean by the way to kick things around until someone starts to run with it and we all point that finger at that member and say, "You're the Organizer!"  

[Mrs. DantesDame]

By this, do you mean by the way to kick things around until someone starts to run with it and we all point that finger at that member and say, "You're the Organizer!"  

 

[Oilhed]

Agreed.    Pick a "location" and a weekend.   Folks will naturally assemble.  I liked the Lake Placid format.  Kind of like this year's Burger Run.

Me, too!

Hey!  Looka here - http://www.mbcpub.com/

[nickybcareful]

Hi Garry,

The Sternwheel Festival is that weekend, Sept 9-11.  I would be surprised if you can get reasonable hotel rates for that weekend because everyone within 200 comes to the event.  I used to go down to WV to do the Upper Gauley opening day (until I just about killed myself - motorcycling is much safer ), I'd stop by Marietta on the way back cuz the Festival was the same weekend.

It's really a hoot.  Plus you get all that great carnival food - corn dogs, french waffels, funnel cakes - all the gourmet stuff! They have faboulous fireworks, plus you get to rub elbows with the natives, but I'm not sure if the congestion might not be too much for our ESTN folks.

Just food for though.

[kyzrex]

Might try Parkersburg, WV instead....just south of Marietta on the river.  Not sure what there is there as far as restaurants, but I do know there is a hospital there ( don't ask me how ).  Close enough to Marietta to hit the same roads.  Sept 9-11 usually has excellent weather in this area.

[MrsCablebandit]

Might try Parkersburg, WV instead....just south of Marietta on the river.  Not sure what there is there as far as restaurants, but I do know there is a hospital there ( don't ask me how ).  Close enough to Marietta to hit the same roads.  Sept 9-11 usually has excellent weather in this area.

There's a Red Roof Inn in Parkersburg that gets very favorable reviews on Trip Advisor.  When I checked availability for that weekend in September, it returned rooms for $58 (king) and $64 (two doubles) per night.  That's all I know about the place.  Just my $0.02, FWIW.

[Max Wedge]

I'm kind of liking the WV thing...staying tuned.  

[malbojah]

Definitely out on this one. Marietta is 7 states and 2 days away.

Then again, Charleston is 6 states and 2 days travel

[R Doug]

Me, too!

Hey!  Looka here - http://www.mbcpub.com/

Great find!  I really need to make this.  

Please don't let it be the last weekend in September, that's when I'll be on wifey vacation time.  

[garry]

So the plan is evolving:

Right now it looks like ESTN will be based at the Microtel Inn and Suites in Marietta, OH on Sept 16-18. It is across the highway from the Super 8 and next door to a Hampton Inn on one side and a Bob Evans on the other. KMart and Applebee's appear to be in the same shopping center area. Both the Super 8 and the Microtel were listed as sold out as well for the previous weekend, so I guess that riverboat festival really is a big deal.

The Microtel is the top-rated hotel in Marietta according to TripAdvisor. I think it's pretty new. If you pick the "Best Available" rate, you can take advantage of a "Stay 2 - Save 20%" offer which knocks the rate down to $64/night for two adults plus tax (figure another $10 or so a night). Cheaper than the AAA rate.

I am trying to get a group reservation nailed down so that we have a block of 20 rooms at the $64 price. Or just reserve the block of rooms and let people find their own best rate. Its the block of rooms that I want to ensure people can reserve a room over the next few months without worrying about the hotel selling out. Waiting for a reply from the sales office.

[Max Wedge]

Wait....Ohio? I thought it was WV.   I mapped out Marietta WV from my house then to Barber, and was 1044 miles. So much for my SS1000 idea. Still staying tuned however.