Constant Reader discussion

When we were at our "business meeting" at Ruth's house, we started considering where we should meet in 2019. Cincinnati was nominated. Does anyone live there who would help with some of the arrangements? Does anyone have another city they would like to suggest?

Chicago! I'll even help!

Or Ann Arbor?

I’ve never been to Ann Arbor. Barb, do you think that would be a good choice? Of course, Chicago is great. We had a meeting there, but it was very small.

I spent a lovely afternoon with Barb and Peggy in Ann Arbor when I was attending a wedding weekend nearby. Literati Bookstore opened there since then!

I have heard good things about Ann Arbor. And I've never been to Chicago other than the airport. I'm sorry I didn't make this year and will try to make it next year. Also, if you want to revisit Seattle, I will host!

Theresa

The problem with Ann Arbor is that there are only two hotels downtown which is where we would want to be. Because of that, they keep the prices high and you can only get even those rooms on home nonfootball weekends. The other hotels are all out by the freeway. I've never understood it. If I could ever get a good price, Ann Arbor would definitely be a good place for us.

I would love a Midwest choice this time around though so that Sara and Peggy would attend. But, I also like the idea of an excuse to go back to Seattle! I didn't make it the first time that Theresa posted but have visited there since and loved it.

I vote for Chicago (just down the road a piece for me ...)

I like Chicago too, but last spring I priced hotels in the center of the city when we were looking for a new location for this year's gathering and found them to be pretty pricey during the times we usually gather. With more time to research, though, I imagine we could find something in our price range.

Alternate idea. I searched Airbnb for Ann Arbor houses that look to be near downtown (best as I can tell) with 5 or more bedrooms. There are several possibilities, including this one, $350 night TOTAL for 5 bedrooms/1.5 baths (might be nice to have more baths . . .)

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/29001674...

Amazing location in the most ‘Ann Arbor’ of all neighborhoods! The Garnet House is located in the Kerrytown District. This is Ann Arbor urban living where you can walk to the Ark for live music or head to Michigan Stadium for the game after tailgating in the large parking lot! The world-famous Zingerman’s Deli, Gandy Dancer, and Casey's Tavern are 5 minutes walk or less.

Or check this out - it's gorgeous. 5 bedrooms, 3 baths. $1,150/night, but that would be split among everyone attending. Not sure if Barton Hills is close enough to downtown, though?

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/26297309...

Downside is neither of these has any reviews yet, so we would need to do some extra checking. I've had great luck with Airbnb, but I've only stayed at places with multiple excellent reviews.

It looks secluded. Love the woods out the back door though.

Carol do you mean the second one? The site says it is 5 miles from downtown, so it would probably mean a lot of Uber use, though even with Uber costs would probably be a lot less than hotel rooms. But, it would also mean less privacy than a hotel.

I've used VRBO and Airbnb for family gatherings and student group meetings with pretty good success, but there are a couple of problems for something like this. One is that we don't have many couples attending, and the rest of us aren't fond of sharing beds :)... so we'd need enough beds for everyone to have his/her own. The other problem is that it's hard to split the bill equally if people perceive inequities in the beds (i.e. it feels unfair to pay the same for a twin or sofa bed as someone pays for a queen).

Barton Hills is definitely too far from central Ann Arbor to work for us. Kerrytown is a great area but Sherry had the problems with Airbnbs that Lynne is mentioning when she looked in San Clemente. I will try to check the 2 downtown hotels and see if their prices on weekends with no home football are as bad as they were before.

Just checked online. They already have the 2019 UM football schedule up and the only weekend without a home game in our usual range of time seems to be September 21. There are 2 downtown hotels, the Bell Tower and the Residence Inn. The Bell Tower is quoting $300 a night. The Residence Inn will only give me 3 choices and they are more than the Bell Tower. Most of the Ann Arbor hotels are near a shopping center about 4 miles from downtown. They would require shuttles if available, Lyfts or driving.

Theresa wrote: "Carol do you mean the second one? The site says it is 5 miles from downtown, so it would probably mean a lot of Uber use, though even with Uber costs would probably be a lot less than hotel rooms. ..."

It was the one that was surrounded by woods.

I was the person who suggested Cincinnati, based on the information in this article.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...

I love Ann Arbor as much as anyone, but I'm not sure there are as many options for our group as either Cincy or Chicago.

I would love to go to Cincinnati, mainly because it is closer to me than the others, and after my last few airport experiences, I might decide to drive.

I have never been to Cincinnati before and that article really makes me want to visit. It sounds like there are a lot of interesting things to see and do.

I'd probably drive there, with a stop to visit a friend in Indiana along the way, so I could help provide ground transportation for any who fly in.

We would drive too, and Vic would most likely attend with me.

Don’t think I would be up to a long drive, even though I have relatives near by. Flying is totally out. As the time gets closer, I would have to see.

Tell Vic I'll be glad to see him again, Mary Anne. I would drive too.