I'm crying so hard right now that the cats are now cleaning the floor of the water!

THank ALL OF YOU for makign it all possible. I would not be the person I am now without the support and spirit and respect of my many friends, my wealth in life!!!

I have the space on the wall for the P-H-P degree. I guess I will get it at the PIP (in the form of Yards of BEER, which I do want to try!)

Flyerme2... Whenever you want to do an F-T Montreal get together I can be there, since it's one of the few great cities I have NOT been too! Maybe for a special time of the year so we can see the fun side of Montreal!

Three cheers for Catman! Hip, hip, meow! Hip, hip, meow! Hip, hip, meow!

Well done old chap. Enjoy your PHP.

Now enough about all this Cyndy nonsense. Remember that I never claimed to be anything but good 'ole lovable PremEx. It was that charming Essexjay that seemed to have single-handedly mislead you all. Shame on her.

And Flyme2, only glad to have been able to save "Vienna" from it's watery grave. But remember, I couldn't have done it without you!

hark...did I hear "Yards of Beer"?

I am awake now! Catman, we served you Ales, Porters, and Mimosa's and now you are learning the fine art of martini's. You have already tried and hopefully will stay away from Punki's dirty martini. The QuietLion knows about the perfect dry martini!

So now we have to acquaint you to the fine art of Yards. Please let Shadow, auh20, and myself show you the way in that heaven called the PIP. Even though you will be the cruise director that weekend, I am sure we can pull you by the paws over to a nearby watering hole for at least one yard.

Ok, I'm going back to sleep now.

One round trip ticket PDX-EWR (not including upgrade): $321.

A dozen Krispy Kremes and cawfee for four: $11.86.

The look on Catman's face when my pal "Cyndy" arrived in the lobby of the Marriott WTC: Priceless.



I just want to preface this trip report by begging Catman's forgiveness for fibbing about the true identity of Cyndy. It was with the best of intentions that PremEx roped me into his naughty little plan to surprise you. I hope you know that.

I really hate keeping secrets, but when PremEx emailed me about a month ago that he wanted to surprise Catman for the NYC FT get-together, I knew I had to hold up my end of the bargain no matter how convoluted the cover story. The toughest part was that I couldn't actually attend any of the dinners, but somehow had to get PremEx in on the head-count. Thusly, the alter ego of Cyndy.

Fast forward to the afternoon of Friday, Oct. 22. There was the indefatigable Catman, prowling the lobby of the Marriott when I raced in from a morning of mad errand-running. I can't remember who on this board said it, but Catman has a heart as big as NYC and a grin about a mile-wide, and it was my honor to finally meet him.

The plan was to wait for Boomer and then the three of us would head out for my baptism at the WTC Krispy Kreme where "Cyndy" would be waiting. I made a brief trek to my room to deposit my bags and it was a good thing, too: PremEx rang to ask exactly which Krispy Kreme in the WTC were we supposed to meet. Foiled! PremEx's backup plan was to give me 5 minutes to get back down to the lobby and he would stroll in right after.

When I returned, Catman asked about "Cyndy's" whereabouts. I was about to utter my final fib when "she" showed up. It was a scene fit for a MasterCard commercial.

The venerable Boomer joined us and I was soon acquainted with the joys of what cannot be described as "just a donut." I would step over my own mother for one of these . . . yum yum.

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly, details of which have been documented in previous posts. My only regret is that I couldn't clone myself and be in two places for the rest of the weekend, if only to witness the conga line of tanked FTers waltzing up Broadway to Central Park. I heard even the KKK was terrified!

Seriously, thank you again, Catman, for putting together such a wonderful afternoon. I look forward to seeing you - and Boomer and PremEx and all the others I missed - real soon.


[This message has been edited by essxjay (edited 10-25-1999).]

Catman: I may be crazy, but I like Montreal in the middle of February.

#1 good thing about Montreal: Impossible to find a bad meal!

#2 good thing about Montreal: Cheapest taxis in North America!

Dear essxjay: it was wonderful that instead of resting from your busy trip that you decided to spend some time with a puurfectly strange Catman, a brilliant and witty Boomer and of course a personal hero of mine, PremEx the great Surpriser.

Essxjay: I hope you can come up again and we can spend more time discussing Krispy Kreames and Cats and other fun stuff. I'm glad you kept the surprise because I'm still happily stunned by it!

Premex: for someone to come all that way (even with all those U-A miles!) give a nice surprise, that's a true sign of friendship. MAHALO BRUDDAR!

It was one of the highlights of my weekend
(YES FOLKS! I DO LIKE SURPRISES! GOOD SURPRISES! I HAD A FEW BAD ONES IN MY LIFE AND ONE THAT ALMOST KILLED ME THAT WANDERLUST, AUH20 AND MILECRAZY KNOW ABOUT AND I MAY SHARE AT THE PIP!)

Flyme2: how is Montreal in February? is that Valentine's weekend?

Catman,

I want to apoligize for not showing up. We had some problems and we couln't go. I didn't have the name of the restaurant or your telephone number with me and that's why I didn't tell you I was not going.

I'm glad you all had a great time at the dinner and again, sorry for not going.

Claudia.

Catman, Montreal in F-f-february will be f-f-f-f-freezing!

I love my city, but even my hometown pride couldn't make me say that Montr�al is the place to be in February. It's cold and slushy with not much going on because most of us are down south warming our frozen buns. I could never inflict such torture on my fellow FT'ers. Spring is lovely, summer even better but September is my personal favourite. Montr�al does go festival crazy in the summertime, though, and you can partake in anything from jazz or comedey to hot air ballooning, film, gourmet food or my wife's favourite, the international fireworks competition. Of course, the more popular the festival, the higher the hotel occupancy rate. February, in that respect at least, would pose no problem.
September/October offers good hotel rates, autumn foliage, moderate temperatures with plenty of sunshine and more elbow room at your favourite watering hole.
Don't forget that current exchange rates mean that your US$ saves you at least 33% on all your purchases. Ex. Ritz Hotel at $250 CAD = $167 USD, Centre Sheraton at $189 CAD = $126 USD, Wyndham at $109 CAD = $73 USD, 2 l. bottle of PEPSI at $0.99 CAD = $0.67 USD
And if you save all your receipts of $50 CAD or more, totalling at least $200 CAD, you'll be able to get back all our GST/PST (value added) taxes...including your hotel stay. What a deal! So what are you waiting for?

SCLGal: Please do not worry about missing the get together. I was so disappointed not to have met you and your husband but I am sure you will coem back to NYC )or I will come to S.A.) and see you both then.

As I said Flyme2, you are the master of Montreal and I nominate you to organize the Montreal F-T get together. Basically you select several dates, find enough people to come on one date and have FUN FUN FUN!!!

I HAVE MADE A VOW TO GO TO MONTREAL NEXT YEAR. JUST DON'T REALLY WANT TO GO ALONE.

I knew you'd all say I was crazy about February.

I always wanted to go to the comedy festival. I nominate that.

Sorry this has been a bit delayed but here goes...

10/22
My flight was supposed to leave at 7PM in the hopes that I could hook up with fellow FlyerTalkers for after dinner drinks but that was not to be. The flight ended up being delayed about 1/2 hour due to waiting for the pilot who was still in transit. Flight was pretty smooth and with the wind at our backs, we came in about 15 mins. late. I didn't expect the EXTREMELY long taxi line at LGA so by the time I got to my hotel (which was very nice & they had checked me in prior to my arrival since I was so late), the after dinner drinks were winding down so we made plans to meet up the next day. The Sheraton Russell was very nice although off the beaten path from everyone else. I was given a nice suite which was almost as big as Punki's condo! Sometimes Platinum status helps (but no welcome amenity )

10/23:
A wonderful day of sightseeing with Catman, Burkey, Punki & Andrea filled with sights, shopping & deli sandwiches! A truly fun-filled day already described by everyone else. Dinner was at the fabulous restaurant chosen by Mr. Cat with great food, great friends (including one very masculine-looking Cyndy! ) and my very first Cosomopolitan (yum!!). The walk over to the Plaza was just the ticket to settle dinner & prepare for a very nice nightcap. A terrific evening all around!

10/24:
Got to LGA earlier than I planned & attempted to get on the 12PM flight rather than the 1PM but no such luck since it was completely booked. So, I went to the RCC again, thinking just how worth it the membership was to be away from the crowds at the gate! Flight was jam packed but uneventful & even managed to get in 15 mins. early.

Thanks again especially to Catman for setting up this get-together & doing such a wonderful job hosting. Mr. Cat, you are more than ready for your duties at the PiP! Thanks to everyone else for a great weekend of old & new friends!

------------------
Regards,
- Anna

The Just For Laughs comedey festival usually runs from July 15 or so until the 25th. Hotels are usually jam-packed so if this were to become the Montr�al FT get-together time frame, things would have to start rolling well in advance. Montr�al in summer is very much like Paris. You take your refreshments and/or meal at an outdoor bistro (caf�) and watch all the beautiful French women (or men, for those who prefer that species) saunter by in those clingy tanktops and hip-hugging shorts. I may be biased, but I still find Montr�al women to rank near the top quartile. They are equally stunning in February, but who can tell with all those layers they have to wear to ward off the cold.
I dare you FT'ers to prove me wrong! You'll have to come down and judge for yourselves.

Flyme2, may I propose that you pick a few dates for Montreal for next year, post it under community and see which one gets the most interest.

I know it's early but it would allow a LOT of us to plan.

Thanks and can't wait to see the "sights" in Montreal (female and otherwise!