I know that there's a lot of pent-up demand in that area since I do not think that Dorlee was able to get to Miami or the Boca Town Center in March and I have heard nothing of her visiting us in New York. The Panhandle and Tampa simply will not do for that sort of stuff, but Venice will do the trick nicely.

Does this mean she is not going to come to FLL in early November to spend some time with me at the glorious Ramada and be feted at its on-site Denny's? :(

Dov
In your list of things to buy in Venice, you neglected to mention:
Linens (some very good buys on linens, and they are beautiful). I'm not talking about Frette or Pratesi, but a local shop in Canarregio, where we bought towels, and a beautiful down duvet.
Lingerie for women, underwear for men, very reasonably priced (just stay away from the St. Mark's area).
[b] Shirts and ties
Paper Some beautiful stationary and calendars
Artists items, brushes, pens, paint
Food Think about unusual, delicious dried pastas, olive oil, balsamic vinegar
Cosmetics Some good buys on European lines
Knitwear
Lace
Children's clothes You will see the best-dressed kids in VCE.
For designer goods (e.g. Prada, Tods, Gucci, Missoni, Loro Piano, Armani,etc. check U.S. prices. Those items used to be considerably less than U.S. prices, but given the fall of the dollar, probably no great deals any more, but probably still less than U.S.

Linens -- You are right. In fact, I bought an ex girlfriend a very nice but quite inexpensive linen tablecloth in a store in St. Marks itself.

Ties -- You can buy silk ties and pay a fortune for them or you can get almost identical ones in stalls on the Rialto for pennies.

Children's clothes -- Wrong. As much as I hate to admit it (because it helps build up the UIG's ego) but the best dressed kids are in Milano. In fact, the best dressed everybody is in Milano. In the heart of Milan, there are clothing shops after clothing shops after clothing shops. After long and careful hunting, I was also able to find a total of two bookshops. That says a lot about the Milanese.

I don't know what it is, Monitor, but Wal-Mart & Kmart just don't do it for me. :(

The actual Venice Meet
 

Hello everyone,
It now appears that 18 rooms have been reserved at AiMori. I have been in touch with Marco Musco regarding our FT dining venue. Marco knows that I am looking for a congenial, inexpensive (with great food) local trattoria with a room "
off to one side" to accomodate, what may be a party of about 25. I asked Marco to call Vino di Gigio and he responded that they would accommodate our party on Nov 20 if we dined from 1900 hrs to 2100 hrs. Now, that may be too early for some. Moreover,, they want a prix fixe menu (can hardly blame them). There is also a nifty little Trat about one block away from the hotel which will do an a-la-carte service. Honestly, given my knowledge of these little Mom and Pop operations, I don't see how they can possibly crank out individual orders. Marco is also exploring other options. I, personally believe that we should do a prix fixe. I can envision a grand antipasto and wine on the tables followed by several other courses. Per-Dov., I would not make the menu too seafood-heavy. Please note, that a buffet meal is not an option. My initial instinct is to go with Vino Di Gigio; the food is sublime and inexpensive. The restaurant is about a 10 minute walk from the hotel. My only concern is showing up at 7:00 PM. I welcome your comments.
O2K
P.S. I know that this site will be down tomorrow, so please think about these options and e-mail me at [email protected].
Thanks.

Another note: If anyone is coming to the meet who has not contacted me, please do so, ASAP. At this point, we are at 19 rooms at Ai Mori. There are 2 guests who have identified themselves as FT'rs to Marco Musco, but, as yet, I have not heard from them. Marco has given me their last names, but I do not know their FT "handles."
Thanks,
O2K
e-mail: [email protected]

O2K,

It may be tomorrow here, but it is still today where you are, so I figured I could get in my points here:

1. For me, 7 pm is not too early.

2. Most restaurants in Venice, even those which don't cater to tourists, have a "tourist menu" which offers good prices but is less complete than the full menu. Is this the "prix fixe" to which you are referring? If so, it generally offers a fairly good selection at a decent price.

3. Another possibility might be pre-ordering at the a la carte restaurant. Most of us will be there by the 19th and staying at the Ai Mori. Maybe the restaurant will be willing to give us the menu and we would let them know, by noon on the 20th, what each of us wants. This would give them 7 hours to have everything ready and they would only have to add for the few who show up after that time, or are staying at other hotels.

4. As far as I am concerned, you are herewith officially named the Venice Meet Dinnner Tzarina and whatever decision you make becomes a Royal Writ which is binding on us all. (Hopefully, the food won't be overly binding, but that is another matter completely.)

Dov,
My only concern about the 7:00 PM dinner is the possibility of the opera on that day, in addition to some late arrivals. Therefore, I think that I will ask Marco to see if he can negotiate a little later time.
Thank you for the appointment (or is the anointment) of the "Tzarina" (funny, my mother-in-law, used to call me the "Principessa" (but that is another story) :rolleyes:

Dovster, we REALLY need to talk in VCE. Girlfriends DO NOT want tableclothes for presents. They want much more personal items and maybe something that would enhance their beauty.
I don’t care how attractive your ex-girlfriend was. Wearing a tablecloth to dinner..even at an Italian Denny’s....does not make her feel alluring....:eek:.

I agree with you that a set menu is best when dealing with a large group. We normally think of a fixed menu as an appetizer, main course and dessert - but we also had a spectacular set menu in Paris that celbrian organized. It was a marvelous mom and pop restaurant, where they chose a number of dishes that were served family style. Whichever you choose, I know we are in very capable hands with you, and whatever decision you make will be good.

I know I am not yet a committed attendee - and perhaps I am the only non drinker in the group - but would you consider having bottles of water as well as bottles of wine? I hope that some moderate amount of alcohol and water would be included in the fixed price. If more alcohol is consumed beyond that, perhaps the drinkers could cover that overage. The cost of alcohol at an FT function can add considerably to the meal cost.

You are right. I recalled afterwards that I bought the girlfriend (who was not ex at the time) two linen shirts in that store. I bought my ex-wife (who was, indeed, already ex) the tablecloth.

How about if I were to buy a girlfriend three small lace doilies to wear? Would that make her feel alluring?

Dovster writes:

Does this herald an FLL party in early November?

In our FLL meet we had a buffet with beer and soft drinks and the tip included in the total, which was split up evenly among all the participants.

That is not possible in Venice, nor desirable (after all, we will will not be in a ribs joint) but we can adopt it as follows:

1. The price for dinner, for table wine (vin ordinaire), soft drinks (including water), and the tip would be split equally.

2. Hard drinks, or more expensive wines, should be paid for separately by those who order them.

3. White truffles, which are slightly more expensive than classic Rolls Royce Silver Ghosts, will definitely be paid for by anyone who insists on eating these fungi.

Punki, it heralds my stay in FLL from Nov 6 (late at night) to Nov 11. No party is planned, but I will be happy to meet with any F/Ters who are hanging around.