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Austin, Texas Mega Do - February 26 - 28, 2010
A few fellow Austinites, and myself, would like to invite the community at large to attend an Austin Mega Do late next February. The web site for this event can be seen at:
https://www.regonline.com/AustinMegaDo Registration is now closed. Here are some highlights: Friday, February 26th >4:00 PM – 6:30 PM - Central Market South tour/shopping for Foodies http://www.centralmarket.com/Stores/...-Westgate.aspx We will be leaving the Sheraton at 4 PM sharp, so don't be late! While I will be accompanying you on this tour and providing transportation to and from, I have arranged for two of the Foodies at Central Market to actually give the tour. We will break up into two groups of 15 and start at opposite ends of the store. Note: This event is full. You will have to use the transportation provided because of the logistics involved, but due to the generosity of Randy Petersen, there will be no cost involved. I anticipate that Central Market will be arranging an opportunity for us to shop, drink, and snack after the 30 - 45 minute tour is completed. Then, we will be depart at 6:30 PM like a herd of turtles in a thunderstorm to catch the welcome reception at the Sheraton. >7 PM – 10 PM – Welcome reception at the Sheraton Austin Hotel http://www.starwoodhotels.com/prefer...ropertyID=3079 Several "On Your Own" recommendations for the rest of the evening: >10 PM – 11 PM - Bobalu Cigar Company http://www.livecigarrollers.com/ I'll be glad to accompany anyone who wants to watch how cigars are hand-rolled. John Haddad, one of the owners, hires Cuban men, whenever possible, to perform this task during regular business hours, but he has agreed to give us a demonstration at the time referenced above. The atmosphere in the walk-in humidor is absolutely divine. I could stand in there for hours. LOL. And, of course, there will be cigars of various sizes, shapes, and varieties for sale. >10 PM – 12 Midnight Show - Esther’s Follies http://www.esthersfollies.com/ Esther's Follies is about three doors east of The Bobalu Cigar Company at the southwest corner of 6th Street and Red River. If you like stand-up as well as vaudeville-type comedy, this troupe has been performing on this location since the late 70's and are an Austin theatrical institution. If you want to attend this show, I recommend buying reserved seats online from their web site at least three weeks in advance. >10 PM - 12 Midnight and Onwards – Sixth Street On Your Own http://www.6street.com/ >It is possible to do all three of these or simply remain at the Sheraton until the reception ends/morphs into drinks at the Lobby Bar, and thereby get some rest for the following day. Recommended transportation mode for On Your Own events: Shared Taxicabs and/or locals providing transportation. Saturday, February 27th >8:30 AM – 10 AM - Breakfast – For those attending the Texas State Capitol or Bob Bullock Texas History Museum tours, may I suggest: Juan in a Million http://www.juaninamillion.com/ If you've ever seen the Austin Man vs. Food episode, this is the restaurant where Adam Richman tried to tackle 8 Don Juan breakfast tacos for the restaurant record, which is still 7. <what was he thinking?> While he was only able to down 4.25, the owners had compassion on him and created a "celebrity" category so he would not be shamed by his failed attempt. Personally, if you can finish one of these, you would be doing well, but the menu offers other TexMex breakfast delights such as Heuvos Borachos, Heuvos Rancheros, and Migas con Queso. "Larrapin", as we say in Texas! Of course, if your tour sponsor/host has a better suggestion for breakfast, then by all means take them up on it! >10:00 AM – 12:00 Tours – One of three possible choices: Texas State Capitol http://www.tspb.state.tx.us/SPB/capitol/texcap.htm OR Bob Bullock Texas History Museum http://www.thestoryoftexas.com/ OR Starwood’s Austin Customer Contact Center For Platinum members/spouses/significant others only. Space is limited to 30 attendees. Breakfast/non-alcoholic beverages will be provided by SPG from: Ken’s Subs, Tacos, and More http://www.kenstacos.com/ Note: If you sign up for this tour, you must use the transportation that will be provided by tour coach due to security concerns at the CCC, but due to the generosity of Randy Petersen, there will be no cost involved. We will be returning to the Sheraton before we head down to Lockhart, so anyone who has their own transportation or have offered rides to others for the weekend will still be able to do so. Confirmed for the CCC Tour so far: 30 Golden Toque (registered) tmartazu (registered) SeeYa (registered) ac777 (registered) From NYC (registered) TrojanHorse (registered) San Diego1K +1 (both registered) RTWSTARALLIANCE (registered) cawhite (registered) itsaboutthejourney (registered) LarryU (registered) UpperDeck744 + Noelene (both registered) Anglo Large Clawed Otter +1 (both registered) monitor +1 (both registered) rolov (registered) RichMSN +1 (both registered) baglady + Plus1 (both registered) flycotoseetheyanks (registered) BondAir007 (registered) Sagy (registered) MSPeconomist (registered) GenieFlyer (registered) dmfriedman (registered) bdraco +1 (both registered) Flying stand-by for the CCC Tour: 4 opushomes +1 (MarshaB) (both registered) karenkay (registered) tommy777 (registered) >12:00 Noon – 4:00 PM – For those of you who are late risers or those who do not wish to make the BBQ trek to Lockhart after your morning activities: >12:00 Noon – 1:30 PM - Live Oak Brewery Tour http://www.liveoakbrewing.com/ >2:00 PM – 3:00 PM – Lunch at the Iron Works BBQ http://www.ironworksbbq.com/ Since the folks going to the Live Oak Brewery tour will miss out on the Lockhart BBQ experience, colpuck (your tour host) has chosen the Iron Works to be the default lunch destination after the brewery tour. Try the beef ribs here as they are the best anywhere in Texas! This place is located at East Cesar Chavez and Red River and there is plenty of parking across the street. As Hartmann points out, you should be prepared to bring cash. Stanford baseball plays Texas at Disch-Falk Field at 2 PM. General admission is $7. Reserved seating is $12. OR, if you are on one of the morning tours: >12:30 PM – 7 PM - BBQ Lunch - Lockhart, TX http://www.lockhart-tx.org/web98/vis...taloftexas.asp Transportation for this trek to the BBQ Capital of the World leaves the Sheraton precisely at 12:30 PM, so don't be late! I see this as consisting of short (tasting) visits to Black’s, Chisholm Trail, Kreuz’s, and Smitty’s. We will break up into separate groups and visit each one in rotation. I recommend trying 1/4 lb. of brisket at each with minimal sides in order to get the full spectrum of what each has to offer in relation to the other. As Hartmann points out, you should be prepared to bring cash. >7 PM – 8:00 PM – Time to recover >8:00 PM – 10:00 PM – TexMex Dinner Serrano’s at Symphony Square http://www.serranos.com/ This is a pre-pay meal event limited to the first 90 people to RSVP via the registration web site. The cost will be $35 per person (gratuity is included) and the meal with be served buffet-style. On the menu: Appetizers: Chile con queso Chicken flauquitos Beef burritos Stuffed jalapenos Guacamole Fresh tortilla chips and salsa Dinner: Beef fajitas Chicken fajitas Trimmings for fajitas: Pico de gallo, guacamole, cheese, and lettuce Cheese enchiladas Beef enchiladas Chicken enchildas Dinner sides: Spanish rice Refried beans Drinks: Unlimited sodas, iced tea, and water. There will be a cash bar open for beer, wine, mixed drinks, hot tea, and coffee. Note: This is a block away from the Sheraton Austin Hotel on Red River. Parking and valet parking available for locals not staying at the Sheraton. Otherwise, I recommend walking. >10:00 PM Onwards – Choice of Two Areas to Visit, On Your Own: The Warehouse District, including the site of the new W Austin Hotel & Residences http://www.6street.com/6s_warehouse_directory.htm SoCo/Continental Club http://austin.smallplanetguide.com/r...n_neighborhood http://www.continentalclub.com/ Recommended transportation mode for On Your Own events: Shared Taxicabs and/or locals providing transportation. Sunday, February 28th Sunday morning – On Your Own >12 Noon – 3 PM - Lunch at the Salt Lick BBQ http://www.saltlickbbq.com/ This is a pre-pay meal event limited to the first 80 people to RSVP via the registration web site. The cost will be $35 (gratuity not included/tip at your own discretion) and the meal will be served family-style, all you can eat. On the menu: BBQ: Beef brisket Pork ribs Sausage Chicken BBQ sauce Sides: Beans Coleslaw Potato salad Bread Butter Pickles Onions Drinks: There will be a self-serve drink station stocked with iced tea, water, and coffee. The Salt Lick also allows you to BYOB, so you can bring your own beer, wine, or hard liquor. Ice chests optional. >3:30 PM – 6:30 PM – Hill Country Winery Tour** http://www.texaswinetrail.com/index.html **While the Texas Wine Trail extends north and west of Austin for some distance, this event will be paired down to Driftwood Vineyards and Mandolas Estate Winery, which are both within easy driving distance of the Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood. >8:00 PM – 10:00 PM – Dinner at Threadgill’s in South Austin http://www.threadgills.com/ >10:00 PM – 12:00 Midnight - For those who live in Austin or have late flights out on Monday, we will gather at The Flying Saucer following dinner: http://www.beerknurd.com/stores/austin or at The Ginger Man: http://aus.gingermanpub.com/ *The final gathering place will be a game-time decision made at Threadgill's. Note: If you are local to the Austin area and wish to help other Austin-based Flyertalkers pull off this very ambitious schedule, please send me an email or a PM. Best regards, William R. Sanders Online Guest Feedback Coordinator Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide [email protected] |
The Sheraton Austin Hotel graciously provided a group rate for this event of $129 per night plus taxes.
Note: The group cut-off date was Friday, February 5th, so the room block is no longer available. By the way, you can follow this hotel at twitter/sheratonaustin & be their fan on Face Book. They are also going to host a welcome reception on Friday evening, so be sure to arrive in time for that. ;) Trust me when I say that you really do not want to miss it! Best regards, William R. Sanders Online Guest Feedback Coordinator Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide [email protected] |
My RFP's for providing transportation to several events are beginning to trickle in and it looks like this will be the most economical route to take. Renting 12-passenger vans for the weekend was going to cost us approximately $30 per person, if you recall...maybe more after insurance considerations.
Regardless, transportation will be provided to the following events: 1) The Central Market Foodie Tour on Friday afternoon (30-person limit, transportation not optional) 2) Saturday's CCC Tour & Lockhart BBQ 1 <leaving the Sheraton at 10 AM> (34-person limit, transportation not optional) 3) Saturday's Lockhart BBQ 2 for non-CCC Tour folks <leaving the Sheraton at 12 Noon> (56-person limit, transportation optional) 4) The Salt Lick BBQ and the two wineries on Sunday afternoon (56-person limit; transportation optional) Sunday afternoon transportation update: Taking a look at the 25 of you who have requested transportation to the Salt Lick, 17 of you are continuing on to the wineries and need transportation going there. That means that the 8 who are not joining us for the winery tours will have to catch a ride back to the Sheraton from someone who is providing their own transportation to and from the Salt Lick. Since this encompasses another 25 folks, it should not be hard to do, but if your name falls here, then this is your heads up to seek out a ride back to Austin other than the bus because it will be going to the wineries after the Salt Lick: LLM SanDiego1K +1 flycotoseetheyanks ac777 See Ya tmartazu The cost was supposed to be $20 per person per event ; however, due to the generosity of Randy Petersen, it will now be provided for free. Here is a list of Locals who have mentioned providing transportation to fellow attendees, their participation status as far as the Do is concerned, and how many they can accommodate: stratofortress (definite) (4) Mikey likes it (definite/Saturday only) (7) singtx (definite) (2) Middle Seat (definite) (3) baglady (definite) (full) Mackieman (definite) (full) If you wish to take them up on their hospitality, I suggest contacting them via PM to make arrangements. Once their vehicles are full, if these local folks can let me know via PM, I will note this going forward so no one else will contact you. Otherwise, everyone is welcomed to use the free vendor-provided transportation that Randy Petersen is covering for us. Note: If there are any more locals out there who can give rides, please send me a PM or post here stating how many - other than yourself and your plus one (if there is one) - you can give a ride to. Best regards, William R. Sanders Online Guest Feedback Coordinator Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide [email protected] |
We will use this space to impart information concerning the tours/entertainment.
Foodie tour at Central Market South on Friday afternoon This is a free tour. The coach will pick up any folks who have arrived at the Sheraton early enough to attend (pick up at the Sheraton precisely at 4:00) and we will return in time for the hosted event at the Sheraton Austin. Note: This event is full. Attendance will be limited to no more than 30 people and you must use the free transportation provided to attend this event. Confirmed attendees - 30: baglady bk3day BondAir007 boxo carsonheim cheepneezy colpuck Golden Toque GrizShel itsaboutthejourney lili LLM MarshaB mnmag monitor +1 MrHalliday Noelene opsprof opushomes Plus1 Randy Petersen +1 SeeYa tmartazu Upperdeck744 violist LarryU ac777 RichMSN Wait-Listing - 7 RichMSN's +1 tommy777 dmfriedman +1 flycotoseetheyanks FromNYC Water Girl For those of you on the Central Market Foodie tour, we will doing this in two shifts. The first group will tour the store with a CM Foodie as their personal guide precisely at 4:45. The second will begin precisely at 5:15. While A22 has seen its demise, Central Market has arranged for "Happy Hour" specials in their Cafe from 4:30pm-6pm: $4 wine tumblers (Coppola Rosso red, or Menage Troise white), $2.50 domestic beer bottles, and $3.50 premium beer bottles - all of which you can "sip and shop". They also have a full-service coffee bar and house-made gelato bar in the same area. While the first group tours, the second will be able to relax in the Cafe; then, vice versa when the second group tours. Texas State Capitol on Saturday morning This is a free tour. stratofortress works here, by the way. :) This will be an official guided tour with one of the Capitol guides. Meet stratofortress at the east door of the Capitol at 10 AM and be sure to be back at the Sheraton by 12:30 to catch the bus to Lockhart. Bob Bullock Texas History Museum on Saturday morning Tickets are priced as follows: *Adult $7.00 *Military $6.00 *Senior $6.00 *Youth $4.00 *Student $6.00 For those who registered for the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum, your tickets have been pre-paid and Mikey likes it will be picking them up for you at the will-call window when you arrive at the museum. To that end, he will be meeting you at the lobby bar at 9:30 AM on Saturday morning and will drop you back to the Sheraton in time to board the bus to Lockhart. Starwood Customer Contact Center on Saturday morning If you are registered to go, you will be joining me at the call center for a tour of the facility, breakfast tacos from Ken's Subs, Tacos, and More (not to be missed), and a slide show presentation from the CCC management team. Afterwards, we'll head back to the Sheraton to pick-up/drop-off some folks and then head down to Lockhart for some BBQ! Live Oak Brewery tour on Saturday at Noon This is a free tour. It does require standing and drinking, so dress accordingly. I know...it's a hard job, but someone has to do it. ;) colpuck will be your host, so please contact him by PM if you have any questions. He has selected the Iron Works BBQ as the lunch venue afterwards. Winery tours on Sunday afternoon The closest winery to the Salt Lick BBQ is Driftwood Vineyards: http://www.driftwoodvineyards.com/ The Driftwood Vineyard private tour and tastings is $15 per person. There will be 11 wines to taste and some light snacks and beverages to cleanse the palate in between. Best regards, William R. Sanders Online Guest Feedback Coordinator Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide [email protected] |
These are the folks who registered for the Austin Mega Do.
Confirmed - 82 AASweets ac777 Anglo Large Clawed Otter baglady +1 bdraco +2 bk3day BondAir007 boxo carsonheim cawhite cheepneezy CJ1120 colpuck DealDetective +1 dmfriedman +1 ElmhurstNick flugvergnugen flycotoseetheyanks Flyer_70 fozz From NYC GenieFlyer Golden Toque GrizShel hauteboy +1 itsaboutthejourney KD5MDK + 1 LarryU LiftedFog lili LLM Mackieman +1 Middle Seat Mikey likes it mnmag Mr. Bob +1 MrHalliday MSPeconomist monitor +1 Noelene opsprof opushomes +1 (MarshaB) platbrownguy + 1 Randy Petersen +1 Renard RichMSN +1 rolov RTWSTARALLIANCE Sagy SanDiego1K +1 SEA777GUY SeeYa sfogate SFOMo SFOTerry singtx +1 Starwood Lurker +1 stratofortress tamartazu TexasYankee tommy777 TrojanHorse UpperDeck744 violist Water Girl Plus five others whose Flyertalk user id's are unknown for a total of 87 registrants. |
I'm using this space to list the tour sponsors/hosts and any information they wish to relate regarding their tours.
Please give a shout out to Randy Petersen who, in his infinite generosity, is covering the cost of provided transportation where applicable. colpuck will be your host for the Live Oak Brewery tour and the BBQ lunch at the Iron Works afterwards. stratofortress will be your host for the Capitol building and complex tour. Depending upon how many folks RSVP for this tour, he may lead a nickel tour by himself or have one of the Capitol tour guides give the grand version. Mikey likes it will be your host for the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum tour. For those of you who chose this tour for Saturday morning, your tickets will be given to you at the Friday evening reception at the Sheraton and Mikey likes it will meet you on Saturday morning at 9:30 AM at the lobby bar of the Sheraton. Remember...the bus to the Lockhart BBQ destinations leaves precisely at 12:30, so don't be late getting back. singtx and mrssingtx will be your hosts for the Driftwood Vineyards and Mandolas Estate Winery tours. More as it becomes available. :) Best regards, William R. Sanders Online Guest Feedback Coordinator Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide [email protected] |
hey what happened to doing a basketball game? I was going to contact you about setting something like this up haha.
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Interested
Hey William, I am interested.
As an SPG plat I would love to go on the tour! Darren |
Originally Posted by CJ1120
(Post 12251621)
hey what happened to doing a basketball game? I was going to contact you about setting something like this up haha.
Best regards, William R. Sanders Online Guest Feedback Coordinator Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide [email protected] |
Count me in!
Originally Posted by Golden Toque
(Post 12251631)
As an SPG plat I would love to go on the tour!
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This sounds great! Guess it's time to start planning 2010! :D
Count me in! |
OMG, put me down as "99.9% most likely in".
Wow, what an itinerary! |
William, please put me down as Definitely, maybe +1. Will get there Friday PM if the definitely stays definitely.
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Hi William -
Sounds like fun. Please put me down as a strong “maybe”, since it’s so far in advance. As an SPG Plat, I’d love to come on your tour of the CCC. It’ll be nice to see you on your home turf. |
Originally Posted by SeeYa
(Post 12251685)
May we lowly Golds also be allowed to join the tour of the Cust Svce Center?
Best regards, William R. Sanders Online Guest Feedback Coordinator Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide [email protected] |
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