Update 11-24-09

Hi,

First, Happy Thanksgiving.

Second, good news from Jerry Bittman.  He wrote:  Thanks for the kind words.  All went well.
   
    Third, thanks for your thoughts about our dog.  She was a Lab / Spaniel mix who looked a lot like a Border Collie.
   
    Fourth, three e-mail addresses:
   
        Terry Shields' updated address from last week is case sensitive.  So that address should have been:
        Terrence.Shields@symyx.com
   
        Ed Albrecht has an updated address, too, and it's:  SherlockInspections@gmail.com
   
        Barbara Button McAnulty, from our class, found us through Facebook, and her e-mail address is:
        B A NEWFIE@aol.com
   
    Fifth, more reunion thoughts:
   
    From Sharon Hoenig Barry:  Depending upon the date, count me in -- 2 people -- for a reunion on Long Island.
   
    From Larry Rugen:  May I recommend a great restaurant and party place:  Captain Bill's in Bay Shore.  That's south of Hauppauge and a mile-or-so west.  www.captainbills.com/index.htm   We just had our daughter's engagement party there, and it was fantastic.
        The restaurant's on the water -- walk outside the room, and you're on the Great South Bay -- and it's known for its sea food, but it offers a full menu.  Our room was for sixty people, but they have larger rooms also.  We choose the four-hour cocktail party with unlimited drinks -- top shelf.  There was plenty of food, all kinds of hors d'oeuvres, and a hot buffet with a carving station.  No one went hungry.
        The price is about $50 per person, and that included the 20% service fee and the 8.7% tax.  The restaurant also has a great staff.  They took a head count and returned money for the three people who could not make the party.
        But you need to choose a date and book.
   
    From Barbara Blitfield Pech:  With regards to the reunion, I would personally prefer to be as close to "home" as possible.  Also, since when has Rockaway Avenue hosted a hotel location?  Wow, have I been gone for a long time.  But I will look at all the names you've listed and report.
        Some of the places noted are part of chain resorts like Best Western, so how bad could they be for three days, surrounded by friends and with proximity to the old stomping grounds?
   
    Quick follow-up from Barbara:  Stumblin Inn is not a hotel.  It's a bar.  But the Best Western in Lynbrook is surprisingly not hideous, at least in the virtual tour.  And if I recall correctly, there's also a Holiday Inn on Sunrise Highway in Rockville Centre that my brother's class -- '68 -- had its reunion at some years ago.  I think the class of '66 went there, too.
   
    [Rich:  Some rough price checks for some of the hotels mentioned and others in the area.  These were listed as "lowest average rates" on hotels.com, but perhaps we could get better group rates.  Though these rates seem to fluctuate, so who knows what's dependable?
   
    Allegria Hotel in Long Beach:  $299 per room a night
   
    Garden City Hotel:  $255 per room a night
   
    Rockville Centre Inn:  $199 per room a night
   
    Hampton Inn in Rockville Centre:  $185 per room a night
   
    Freeport Inn & Boatel:  $155 per room a night
   
    Holiday Inn Express in Lynbrook:  $145 per room a night
   
    Best Western Rockville Centre:  $140 per room a night
   
    Huntington Hilton -- from our 40th reunion:  $129 per room a night
   
    Hyatt Regency Wind Watch in Hauppauge -- from our 37th reunion:  $92 per room a night.  Another reason Terri chose Hauppauge.
   
    Confused?  Wait till next week.  Stu Borman's offer of a sleep-over in Washington is looking good.  Wonder if we could rent out Forest Road School for a weekend?  Or if I could lure my mother out of her house for a couple of days, and we could throw a party in her basement?]
   
    The South '65 e-mail addresses:  reunionclass65.blogspot.com
   
    The South '65 photo site:  picasaweb.google.com/SouthHS65
   
   
    Rich