OFF Sisters GTG -post moved fwd

~~~Moving this up for more to see:

WHO : Female members of the OFF board - NO spouses ****-NO SO's -NO men****-NO children -NO pets-NO extra guests
WHAT: GTG = get together-uninhibited fun, gabbing, eating, shopping, safe sisterhood stuff
WHEN: October 10-13, 2008
WHERE: Frankenmuth, MIchigan
WHY: see WHAT !

Grab your dirndl dress and join me in Frankenmuth, Michigan….”Little Bavaria”, home of Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland; the city is wonderfully decorated in Bavarian or Franconian style architecture. Let’s go shopping and eating and gabbing as only OFF Sisters can do over Columbus Day Weekend (Oct 10 thru 13, 2008).The sisterhood needs another GTG and I have always wanted to see Frankenmuth! Let’s do some Christmas shopping together and get our sister fix to take us into the holidays!   
 I’m attaching mucho info if you are not familiar with Frankenmuth…please enjoy the links—hope I don’t get into trouble! These are certainly not wls sites so should be ok? I’ve put notes along with my thoughts on some of this as you go along…..  
 Main site   http://www.frankenmuth.org/
    Bavarian Bargains –discount card-order individually-can get guidebook thru here also……I would order NOW - specials are done by season…..http://www.frankenmuth.org/fc/home.nsf/Public/Bavarian_Barga ins.htm    the guidebook has a wonderful walking map showing locations of everything! or: free guidebook only http://www.frankenmuth.org/fc/home.nsf/public/contact_us.htm        ~*~ Picking the weekend that I did was partly due to Columbus Day giving us the long weekend-also due to the German Glassblowing at Bronners and the Clam & Lobster Fest & BBQ  in town giving us more food and fun opportunities. See the calendar on this web page for other activities of that weekend—the pretzel rolling( fee of $3.25 per person) sounds fun! Oh—and Saturday, a farmer’s Market !    traditional calendar   http://www.frankenmuth.org/fc/home.nsf/Public/Traditional_Ca lendar.htm?OpenDocument&Count=2000
   Frankenmuth is reached via car ( I-75 directions easy to find!!) or plane-in between Saginaw/ Bay City (airport code MBS) and Flint Bishop Int’l (code FNT).   There are no airport shuttles that I could find into Frankenmuth-cabs available-probly pricey!! I am sure that we can arrange to pick you up depending on arrival times! I will be driving in and will plan on picking up whomever I can. Also as of now we have at least two gals with vans who have offered to help pick up!( *** note below)Thanks, Pat R and Paulette!      Rooming-I have called several places and quite honestly- the rates online are not a whole lot different than those thru group sales-however- we would have our rooms closer together by me blocking them. We will not be penalized if we don’t use all of the rooms. I am amazed at how pricey these hotels seem to be however- we are talking tourist trap city!!!! And when you break them down into 2-3-4 or 5 ppl per room it isn’t really so bad!!!  Driving 15-20 miles further out we can stay more cheaply-but-to me – the ambiance and the proximity to sites is worth alittle extra-(also- the Embassy’s-always nice facilities-- are not offering us the amenities we would like!) I encourage you to look at the web pages - the Drury isn’t as “touristy” as the Bavarian Inn but I think the Bavarian is going to have mucho children and families…and DOES NOT give us the freebies we would probably want…so I have removed the link and info...tho the group sales gal was very nice!

6/6/08 Edit::: I am going to block 10 rooms -2 suites and 8 standard double rooms---at the Drury today so they don't sell out-they can always be cancelled if enough would prefer the Bavarian ; however, I think the Drury would be our better bet.....
and I think our group name will be OFF Sisters--simple enough to remember???? !!!!

Our Group number is 2038685

          http://www.druryhotels.com/index.cfm

               >Standard double rooms –2 double beds $135.00 per nite + tax = $449.55 Divide by 2 ppl = $224.75 for 3 nite stay Divide by 4 ppl = $112.39 for 3 nite stay >Suite- 2 double beds and sleeper sofa $169.00 per nite + tax = $562.77 Divide by 3 ppl = $187.59 for 3 nites Divide by 5 ppl = $112.55 for 3 nites
*****includes manager’s reception (= free happy hour!) from 5:30 –7:00 PM
*****free soft drinks and popcorn in lobby from 3:00-10:00 PM; *****free Quickstart  hot breakfast and cold continental breakfast; *****free long distance in each room for 60 minutes per nite

              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Much of Frankenmuth is walkable; tho we may end up renting vans (***see note above about vans)–depends on cars available and the weather and how many want to hit the Birch Run Outlet Stores! If we do rent vans; I would expect to pass on the cost—again—have to wait and see how many are planning on attending this GTG.

             Bronner’s self proclaimed “World’s Largest Christmas Store”—Open 361 days per year, Bronner’s has over 50, 000 gifts and trims, full tree displays, Bibles and many many many things Christmas. During our stay, there will be special guests, Thomas and Marlene Horn, glass blower and painter couple, representing Krebs Ornament Factory from Lauscha, Germany. www.bronners.com

          http://www.frankenmuth-riverplace.com/    misc; Toy Co/Kite Craft, Cheese House, Clock Company, Bead haven, Enchanted Forest, Thunder Bay Mining Company –mine for gems! I think I’ll visit there Monday before going home! A Junior Minor Gem bucket is $7.00.( In Ocotber, they are only open Mon-Fri 11-6)           So……who will meet me in Frankenmuth???? I plan on having an awesome weekend which will only be enhanced by the company of my sisters!!!!!!

Frolicking Frauleins???????

*** as of this morning (6/8) we have 8 sisters attending now and 6 possibles..and room for many more- I will start emails around in a bit to coordinate some stuff cuz you know we all love to talk!

( too bad Judy G is moving away from the area-maybe she could come back for the weekend????? and Phyllis Gilbert lives in Frankenmuth....hmmmm....coffee at Phyllis'?)( i still have to call phyllis 7/29 edit!)

 

 Oh…I will be needing a roomie or two or three  ……. money is as tight for me as for all of you!

Talk to me, Sisters!!!!

edit 7/29/08: I am rooming with Pat R and we have room for 2 more......

****we are also bending the rules a teensy bit- Joyce S has been a very valued part of our OFF boards for a few years and she and her wonderful hubby John are altering their entire vacation to be with us for Friday and at least part of Saturday-we do not normally allow spouses/SO's etc  but John (who has also had wls) is  or should be as much a part of our board as Joyce in my eyes and a few others so we are bending this time only!!! if you have a real problem with this please address it by PM to me ....

we are still two months out but it is time to be thinking about this.....would love to see you! i have a tentative itinerary in mind but not ready to share!!!!!

 River Place- shopping and activities-beads etc

 Weather in Michigan in October is like that of Wisconsin or Ohio or New York—Warm? Cold? Wet? Dry? Fall in Michigan can be a wonderful time of year- we’ll have to watch the weather reports but I would think jeans and a sweatshirt- a nicer outfit for Saturday night dinner (I’m thinking Zehnder’s www.zehnders.com  for the famous chicken dinner and maybe some entertainment at the www.blackforestbrewhaus.net .

Oh! I forgot the coffee shops- there seem to be at least two but I don't know of a 4bucks!

 within walking distance of St. Julian Wine Company (wine tasting!) and Willi’s Sausage Company

 pricing and rooms – this is thru Group Sales- I have set up our  “group” – you would each call in your own room reservation (1 person per room call!) and I forgot to ask about when your credit card is charged-

 Drury Inn and Suites

As a veteran of this hotel, there is a good bar next door to the hotel that serves killer black russians for cheap (my brother can attest to this, all I drank was beer) ... they were served in the canning jar mugs ... for $4.50 ... now this was about five years ago, but it was a huge drink. The Drury is very nice, we stayed there and they have a really nice pool area with a hot tub; when my brother and I stayed there they didn't have the breakfast bar, though, they were just building it, and the brewhaus was just opening, so that's new. 

with the happy hour and the free snacks and beverages in the lobby we should be in pretty good shape for some of it! that's nice to know about the bar next door! and then there are the wineries!!! what is in a black russian???

carla tells me that the one restaurant will do a buffet for a group for reasonable-that may be saturday nite's dinner instead of teh chicken dinners- they are served family style and mucho carbs so not good for us! so i'll check on teh buffet...both are at zehnders.

i was also pleased about the breakfast at the drury--the bavarian is still trying to get us to book but they just couldn't offer the other amenities!

Kahlua and vodka ... knock your socks off drink ... and then they put it in this big ol glass. My brother loved it, but we staggered next door back to our room. (well, I only had two beers! could only do one beer now.)

ok--i've had them!!!! i love kahlua.....hmmmmmm
i remember when white russians were popular...but now the calories!!!!!

I make my own kahlua ... mix it with the fat free half and half and leave out the vodka and it's not as many calories but it 's pretty good.