OK, above was my original post on ideas of what to do and where. I figured I'd throw something up here to flesh things out a little more.
First and foremost, as I know some of you want to get this taken care of, HOTELS. Folks, I haven't stayed in the hotels around here, with VERY few exceptions. So I can't really speak for them. What I can do is point you in a direction, but from there you are going to need to make up your own mind. If we get some kind of concensus I can visit the hotel to check it out, but being Tampa, the choices are many and varied.
First of all, Mike (MangoMike) gave me a suggestion of the Hilton Garden Inn in Ybor. He had a good experience here with a reunion he put together. Unfortunatley, as far as I can tell, this is a pricey option ($150 is the cheapest rate).
Next, there are a plethora of Hotels in the Tampa/Westshore area (15 of them by Travelocity's count). Prices range from $70 on up. There's a La Quinta in the area for $79 a night, a Hampton In at $109 a night and a Hilton for $144 a night to give you an idea. These hotels would put everyone in a central location with two Malls, plenty of restaurants and bars as well as a..ahem...gentlemen's club or two within walking distance or a very, very short cab ride. It is also close to all the major roads needed to get just about anywhere. Further, everyone would be VERY close to the airport.
Alternately, there is the Oldsmar area. This would also be a good central point. Oldsmar is a growing area that is about 10 minutes from my house and about 2 minutes from where I work. Easy access to some good Golf Courses, on the way to the two Cigar Bars I can name off the top of my head, around the corner from the Horse Track/Poker room. Again, lots and lots of restaurants and bars as most anything located here will be on Hillsborough/Tampa Road which is a major road in Tampa. While the Westshore option is literally around the corner from the airport, this option puts you at most 20-25 minutes away and that's with traffic. While prices aren't much different, I know the area a bit better and their are a number of hotels that are only a few years old. I know that we put up all our corporate folks in the Marriot Courtyard when they stay here. I can vouch for this being a nice hotel. It is non-smoking and the lowest rate I see is $119, but that's for either a King with a Sofabed or two Queens so people can look at sharing if they want. There is an Applebees in the same parking lot and a plethora of restaurants within walking distance. In the same area is a Holiday Inn Express which looks to be $105/night, a Hilton Garden Inn @ $89/night.
There are any other number of places to stay, but those two locations probably make the most sense. I would hazard to guess that you will get a nicer room cheaper in Oldsmar, but there won't be QUITE as much to do right there.
Here's a tentative schedule, just to get conversation started:
Friday evening: Dinner and Herfing. Once we know where everyone would prefer to stay I can work on where that Dinner will take place. From there, we'll just let the night develope.
Saturday Morning: Golf for those who are interested. I'll look at the rates on the local courses once we get a bit closer and I know how many are interested. My first thought is The Eagles, but there are so many choices it's ridiculous. So if you are interested please speak up on the kind of course you'd like to play and what you'd like to pay.
Saturday Afternoon-Evening: Herfing at Famous Cigar Bar followed by Dinner at....well crap, I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but I'll find it, they have outdoor seating and Steve and I ate there when he came down last. I can call ahead and get the outdoor portion reserved for us and let them know there will be a blue cloud around our heads.:grin:
Saturday Evening: again, things can develope kind of free form, but I know Steve and probably Tuba will be up for some cards at the local Poker establishment?
Sunday: TBD. Need to have a better idea of who will be around and for how long.
So, let me know your thoughts folks.
