Mittens 2015 New Orleans August 7 - 14

Disco · Sun 04/01/2015 05:22:57

Mittens 2015 will take place in New Orleans from August 7 to 14 at this property.

The roster thus far (bold names are confirmed):

Attendees
Snarky - Arrival on August 6
Quintaros - Arrival at MSY 11:45
Tzach - Arrival at MSY 12:09
Noa - Arrival at MSY 12:09
Grundy - Arrival at MSY 12:09
Disco - Arrival at Amtrak Station 15:32
violetnotpurple - Arrival to Amtrak Station 15:32
Esseb - Arrival at MSY 18:56
AGA - driving
Tamara - driving
MillsJRoss - driving
ddq - driving

Payment information can be found here.

AGA · Sun 04/01/2015 16:58:59

I'm in, also plus one.

Esseb · Sun 04/01/2015 22:20:12

I'm in, no plus one.

Snarky · Sun 04/01/2015 23:00:52

I'd love to, but I'm not sure I can make it this year. Put me down as a maybe for now.

Andail · Mon 05/01/2015 19:48:24

Quote from: Grundislav on Sun 04/01/2015 04:00:12
Count me in for New Orleans. Also a +1

Quote from: AGA on Sun 04/01/2015 16:58:59
I'm in, also plus one.

Tell us all about it! And pics

Oh and put me down as a maybe, as always!

Disco · Mon 05/01/2015 21:23:28

Some properties (provisional search dates of 7 to 14 August):

Turn of the Century Sleeps 18 - Month of August and half of July free currently - $3,200 ($177.80 each)
Leonidas Sleeps 16 - $3,475 ($217.20 each)
Pontchartrain Park House Sleeps 16 - $5,538 ($346.12 each)

Added 14 January:
Fillmore House Sleeps 12 - $3,339 ($285.25 each) Has an aquarium and a theater room.
Terrytown Chateau Sleeps 12 - $3,940 ($328.33 each)
Slidell House Sleeps 12-20 - $1,930 ($160.83 @12 people) Bayou waterfront property 25 minutes from New Orleans

I am finding many more accessible properties after unchecking the "pool" option. They don't seem to be as popular here as in other places we have stayed.

violetnotpurple · Wed 07/01/2015 20:34:01

I'm game for the cesspool. It looks the most fun.

The main question: Does it have WiFi?

Disco · Wed 07/01/2015 20:48:26

My instincts place that property firmly in the "Too Good To Be True" category, but I posted it nonetheless. The rent listed may be owner error as well. I shall ask.

Darth Mandarb · Wed 07/01/2015 20:57:06

Depending on the dates chosen there's a possibility ol' Darth could be there for a day or two!

We will be headed north for a family reunion this summer (planning to drive) and New Orleans wouldn't be too far out of the way for a slight detour! It would be me, the wife and mini-Darth so we wouldn't be staying at the house, just swinging by to hang out for a bit. I'd be happy to pay for a slot (if it's needed) but we won't be takin' up a bed/room! The date for the family reunion hasn't been decided yet so I have no preference but it'll be in July I'm guessing (they usually are).

I'd love to see everybody again (been too long since my last mittens).

Miez · Wed 07/01/2015 21:35:54

Can I be put on the "possibly" pile? I'd love to visit New Orleans, but not sure if I can get it all together this year.

Disco · Wed 14/01/2015 15:14:45

Added a couple more properties.

AGA · Mon 26/01/2015 12:58:56

So to help speed up the decision making, I've set up a couple of polls:

Venues
Dates

If everyone who's interested in attending could please complete both polls, it'll help us narrow down the best date and place.

Disco · Sun 01/02/2015 17:38:12

Looks like Pontchartrain Park House has won out flawlessly!

I am a bit concerned with the current interest level as it relates to the properties listed. Not including maybes, we have 10 people interested so far. The current popular vote puts each spot at $554.

Is this really it for this year? My search criteria was limited to properties that could accommodate a minimum for 12-13.

Should we perhaps check for some smaller properties now? Is there anyone yet holding out interest in New Orleans? I realise it is still early in the year, but usually there is a bit more action in the Mittens thread than we have seen thus far.

Snarky · Mon 02/02/2015 12:56:24

Some other holiday plans fell through, leaving me with more vacation time, so I'm now a pretty solid yes (as long as the dates don't conflict).

Baron · Tue 03/02/2015 02:04:10

N'Orleans still exists?

I can't make it, but you'd be insane not to choose the Terrytown Chateau. C'mon guys, splurge!

Jay Tholen · Tue 03/02/2015 03:18:49

I may be able to go to this! I'm a central floridian and have a bunch of friends in New Orleans. Woop woop.

AGA · Thu 05/02/2015 15:35:02

Quote from: Disco on Sun 01/02/2015 17:38:12
Looks like Pontchartrain Park House has won out flawlessly!

I am a bit concerned with the current interest level as it relates to the properties listed. Not including maybes, we have 10 people interested so far. The current popular vote puts each spot at $554.

Is this really it for this year? My search criteria was limited to properties that could accommodate a minimum for 12-13.

Should we perhaps check for some smaller properties now? Is there anyone yet holding out interest in New Orleans? I realise it is still early in the year, but usually there is a bit more action in the Mittens thread than we have seen thus far.

North American Mittens almost always have a lot fewer attendees. Given that absolutely everyone who voted is for Pontchartrain Park House I'd say we go for that. We have 11 people so far (assuming Grundislav's girlfriend agrees with his choice), and it shouldn't be too hard to find five more. There are already close to that many in the maybe pile. I know I'd be happy to pay $500 for a week in a great place like that too, if it came to there only being 11 of us. Bagsy (or 'shotgun' if you prefer) one of the king sized rooms!

Grundislav · Thu 05/02/2015 16:28:02

She'll be fine with whatever we go with. I claim one of the king size rooms too!

Disco · Sun 08/02/2015 05:51:01

After looking into the locations and amenities for both of the top picks, I am putting my support firmly behind the "Turn of the Century" (actually named The Dusty Mansion) location.

I found the Pontchartrain house on satellite images. It is part of an RV park that is situated in an industrial area, which to me is a much less desirable location than the next most popular pick. Check it out (yellow pin):

Close up
Further out
The surrounding area. Beside being in an industrial park, there is an airport directly across the road to the north.

Compare that with the location of the Dusty Mansion (red pin):

The house's nearest intersection (assuming the map is accurate enough)
Further out. The next main road to the north is Saint Charles Avenue (which is served by a street car) is about 8-10 minutes by foot.

An overview of New Orleans

A few more things to consider...The mansion has more than double the floor area (4,000 square feet compared to 1,920 square feet at the marina) and has twice the amount of seating in the dining area (12 seats instead of 6). There is a pool table that can convert to a ping pong table, whereas the marina doesn't even have a game room. The rent is nearly $1,000 less* overall as well.

The area looks to have many more options for restaurants, supermarkets, and is closer to more attractions and transportation links.

Additionally, there seems to be a much more authentically New Orleans look to the mansion than the property at the marina, which in my opinion does look somewhat cool but lacks a lot of character both on the inside and outside.

*Sometime in the previous 24 hours, the Pontchartrain property dropped their weekly rate for our chosen time period(s) from $5,540 to $4,345. However, even with this sudden price reduction it is still nearly 25% MORE than the Dusty Mansion weekly rate of $3,500.

AGA · Sun 08/02/2015 11:47:48

Dusty Mansion is fine by us. I will reiterate at this point that we reserve a queen room to ourselves though, as those are far more limited in Dusty Mansion... Oh, and can we ensure that the Dusty Mansion isn't actually dusty, because I have allergies ya know

Disco · Sun 08/02/2015 12:34:33

Quote from: AGA on Sun 08/02/2015 11:47:48
Dusty Mansion isn't actually dusty, because I have allergies ya know

It is more "Son of a Preacher Man" dusty than "poor maintenance".

Edit: I have made an inquiry!

Disco · Thu 12/02/2015 14:34:55

The weekly rate is $3,200. The owner further explained that this is the total charge. There are no fees for cleaning, parking, taxes, etc.

---

With three couples in the group so far, and not considering the possibility of secret couples (!!!), the lonesome among us will be spread between two microdormitories of four people each. Two of the "couple" rooms will each contain two twin/single beds. These are not to be considered beds for our purposes, but rather as horizontal coat racks.

This brings our maximum bed-sleeping population to 14 before we open up other possibilities such as couches or the pool table.

---

Any thoughts/concerns/questions/answers?

AGA · Fri 13/02/2015 18:29:06

We're up for that.

Esseb · Sun 15/02/2015 10:38:26

Works for me, yeah.

Snarky · Sun 15/02/2015 11:18:40

Sounds good!

Jay Tholen · Sun 15/02/2015 18:14:36

I'm probably going to be a very later confirm-er because everything is riding on my game being released by June so I can afford the trip. I'll update you guys as soon as I can. :0)

Grundislav · Mon 16/02/2015 17:58:41

I approve!

Disco · Mon 16/02/2015 20:13:16

Jubilation!!

I can start taking Paypal payments to impressiveowl@gmail.com . As of 29/7/15, there are bed spaces available for $246.

We are allowed up to 18 people in the house, but due to the bedroom configurations and there being two couples (so far!) to accomodate, we will have to get creative for any new guests after 14.

AGA · Mon 16/02/2015 22:39:30

That is my 30th birthday week. You must celebrate it. Diamonds and Bentleys are accepted.

AGA · Sat 21/02/2015 14:38:31

Paid the full amount for me and mine. Feel free to use this to pay half the deposit.

noavana · Wed 25/02/2015 19:50:44

Paid as well for Tzach and I.
We haven't planned anything yet for August so the dates are ok for us as well.
Can't wait

Disco · Wed 25/02/2015 21:23:34

Thanks! I have just sent a message to the owner asking to make the booking

Quote from: noavana on Wed 25/02/2015 19:50:44
Can't wait

Same! It will be great seeing you two again. I'm sure we'll have more hot water this time than we did in Ireland

Quote from: noavana on Wed 25/02/2015 19:50:44
We haven't planned anything yet for August so the dates are ok for us as well.

This brings up something I have been curious about. Is anyone interested in extending their trip for the weekend after Mittens or going to another nearby city for a few days? We have have done that a few times in the past, so wondering if that is something anyone is interested in. I don't have any specific ideas myself, just putting it out there.

Grundislav · Wed 25/02/2015 21:48:23

I'll be sending my and Jess's money in the next few days.

As far as an extended stay, we were planning on getting a hotel in the French Quarter and staying the rest of the weekend.

Disco · Wed 04/03/2015 00:08:20

Just made the booking. We are in!

MillsJROSS · Sun 08/03/2015 17:07:45

This is the year I can finally make it back to Mittens (I think it's been like 5 years since Miami mittens)!

I've intended to go sooner but something tragically has been preventing me (broken arm, knee surgery, new job with no time off accrued, no money, etc...). And while I'm in the midst of looking for possibly another job opportunity, the current and potential new opportunity both have open time off policies, so I don't see that being an issue, and I've been saving my money from all the previously cancelled times.

So count me 100% in. Assuming there's still room, just tell me how I can get my money into the right hands. I don't mind sharing rooms, in fact I demand it!

Mandle · Mon 09/03/2015 13:48:20

Will there be a tour of Gabriel Knight locations?

Disco · Mon 09/03/2015 15:33:29

Quote from: MillsJROSS on Sun 08/03/2015 17:07:45
So count me 100% in. Assuming there's still room, just tell me how I can get my money into the right hands. I don't mind sharing rooms, in fact I demand it!

Glad you can make it this year Mills! Payment information is here. There are now two bed spots remaining before we make the couches, etc. available.

Quote from: Mandle on Mon 09/03/2015 13:48:20
Will there be a tour of Gabriel Knight locations?

More than likely. My guess is that Grundislav is cooking up some plans for this

Snarky · Mon 09/03/2015 16:01:57

Bah! Who* cares about "Gabriel Knight" when we have a chance to tour the locations of that timeless classic, Louisiana Adventure!

AGA · Tue 10/03/2015 08:13:58

I'm reading 12 Years a Slave at the moment. I reckon we should go explore the history of Louisiana's slave trade. That'd be... fun?

Grundislav · Tue 10/03/2015 15:21:15

The Gabriel Knight tour takes literally 5 minutes. All the relevant locations are pretty close to each other.

Quintaros · Tue 10/03/2015 15:32:00

I was hesitant about going to New Orleans during the heat of August but if this is the year that Mills is returning to Mittens I think I should make my return also.

Snarky · Tue 10/03/2015 15:43:58

Quote from: Grundislav on Tue 10/03/2015 15:21:15
The Gabriel Knight tour takes literally 5 minutes. All the relevant locations are pretty close to each other.

You must have had luck with the lines to see the underground hounfour under St. Louis Cathedral. And are you counting the time spent being harassed by roving mimes in Jackson Square?

Esseb · Tue 10/03/2015 17:24:43

I kind, kind of don't, want to see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphine_LaLaurie

MillsJROSS · Sat 14/03/2015 17:25:46

Quote from: Quintaros on Tue 10/03/2015 15:32:00
I was hesitant about going to New Orleans during the heat of August but if this is the year that Mills is returning to Mittens I think I should make my return also.

If you're going, I'm doubly going! Unless that means I have to pay twice, in which case, I'm just singly going. Not it for food poisoning this trip.

Disco · Mon 16/03/2015 12:43:40

There are now 13 confirmed attendees

because of this, rents have been reduced from $290 to $246 if
no one else joins.

Since I will travel to Mittens via train from Chicago, I will not be bringing cash for refunds. Once our numbers settle, I will issue them in advance via Paypal.

Payment amount beginning from the 14th (and beyond) guest will now be $229.

AGA · Mon 16/03/2015 16:53:54

I would personally be happy to wait until we get there to sort the refund out. You'd probably lose money in fees if you had to sent the money back by PayPal anyway?

m0ds · Tue 17/03/2015 00:44:41

Too bad it's not % off the 1000 GBP flight. Sorry guys, too expensive for me to make it. But have fun!

AGA · Tue 17/03/2015 09:27:07

There are flights for Â£853, that's already 15% off.

MillsJROSS · Thu 19/03/2015 02:35:50

Mods, just do what I'm doing and drive. I'm saving 50%!

ddq · Thu 19/03/2015 15:43:12

Sent in my payment. I'll be driving my car down, which seats 5, though walking around the city shouldn't be too hard. Then again, my car has air conditioning.

Miez · Thu 09/04/2015 10:31:54

I've looked at my financial and 'available time' situation, and sadly I must decline this year.

A shame as New Orleans is certainly on my "must visit" list.
Have a lot of fun Mitteneers!

cat · Sun 12/04/2015 16:15:09

I'm sorry to hear that, Arj0n

I hope that you will still stick around here on the forums and get back your energy soon.

@All: The house looks great and New Orleans sounds exciting, I wish you all a great Mittens!
Maybe I will see at least some of you at next AdventureX...

Snarky · Tue 14/04/2015 15:03:47

Yes, sorry to hear that, Arj0n. Hope you'll be OK, and please do get back in touch when you feel up to it.

Snarky · Mon 11/05/2015 12:49:50

Quote from: Disco on Wed 25/02/2015 21:23:34
This brings up something I have been curious about. Is anyone interested in extending their trip for the weekend after Mittens or going to another nearby city for a few days? We have have done that a few times in the past, so wondering if that is something anyone is interested in. I don't have any specific ideas myself, just putting it out there.

Quote from: Grundislav on Wed 25/02/2015 21:48:23
As far as an extended stay, we were planning on getting a hotel in the French Quarter and staying the rest of the weekend.

I'm looking at booking a flight, and I think I'd be up for staying the weekend as well.

arj0n · Mon 11/05/2015 13:58:25

Post updated

Disco · Mon 01/06/2015 21:05:22

I've just booked train tickets for violetnotpurple and I. We are due to arrive at the New Orleans Amtrak station at 15:32 the first day. We will also probably be staying for the weekend after Mittens, most likely at one of the area hostels.

AGA · Mon 01/06/2015 21:20:40

Are you planning to be the first to arrive to do all the meeting the landlord stuff?

Snarky · Mon 01/06/2015 21:25:53

I'm actually arriving (late) the day before, so if there's any stuff that needs to be taken care of early on the first day, I could be at hand for that. I'm also staying the weekend after. Haven't sorted out accommodation on either end yet.

Disco · Mon 01/06/2015 21:44:30

Typical changeover times for rentals are around 16:00-17:00, so we should be well within the time limits to get the keys.

Grundislav · Sun 28/06/2015 03:39:56

Tzach, Noa, Jess, and myself will be arriving on Friday, August 7th at 12:09pm.

MillsJROSS · Sun 19/07/2015 17:53:39

I'm driving in and I might be there either late on the 6th or early morning on the 7th (depending on how sleepy I am after work). Getting excited, the last vacation I had was the last Mittens (Florida) I attended, so this was badly needed. Looking forward to seeing some old and new faces.

Snarky · Thu 23/07/2015 13:33:00

The link in the first post doesn't seem to work any more, but it's this place, right? http://www.vrbo.com/173743

AGA · Thu 23/07/2015 13:34:54

Yup. Dusty Mansion.

AGA · Tue 28/07/2015 09:15:42

I've done some research, and found some things that seem interesting:

Activity	Location	Cost	TripAdvisor
Destrehan Plantation	13034 River Road, Destrehan, LA 70047; Approx 30 mins' drive from house	$18
5 in 1 Ghost & Mystery Tour of the French Quarter	723 St Peter Street, New Orleans, LA 70116; Approx 15 mins' drive from house	$25.00
Honey Island Swamp Tour	41490 Crawford Landing Road, Slidell, LA 70461; Approx 45 mins' drive from house	$23
Jackson Square / French Quarter	700 Decatur Street, New Orleans, LA 70116; Approx 15 mins' drive from house	FREE	/
New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum	724 Dumaine Street, New Orleans, LA 70116; Approx 15 mins' drive from house	$5
Segway City Tour	214 Decatur Street, New Orleans, LA 70130; Approx 15 mins' drive from house	$65
St. Louis Cemetery #1 tour	New Orleans, LA 70112; Approx 10 mins' drive from house	$25.00
Steamboat Natchez	Toulouse Street, New Orleans, LA 70130; Approx 15 mins' drive from house	$29.50

Not everyone has to join in everything of course, but chances are we'll be visiting most of this stuff, even if no one else is interested in coming along.

We've got cemeteries, swamps, voodoo, the Mississippi, the French Quarter, slavery... Seems to cover most of the NOLA bases!

Snarky · Tue 28/07/2015 14:16:14

I was talking to some people about the trip, and the first thing they ask me is "Oh, so are you guys big jazz fans, then?" $:-\$

AGA · Tue 28/07/2015 14:41:36

The steamship ride has live jazz, and the general 'French Quarter' category should cover it too, especially if we go after dark. Apparently it's basically impossible to avoid live jazz around there.

Disco · Tue 28/07/2015 14:43:12

Good ones, Berian. I quite like the idea of the steamboat and swamp tours myself.

I've been casually looking up some things too, but ended up having a pet emergency starting a couple days ago, so my mind hasn't really been on NOLA since that started (surgery is about an hour after this post, and the prognosis is good!). There are a couple updates/considerations/ideas I'd like to present:

1. I will be calling the property manager this afternoon to pay the balance on the rent, so have but to show up

2. Francisco has informed me that there is a chance that Jess will not be able to make it due to work commitments, though last we spoke he did say that they were trying to get an exemption. It is possible (but not yet definite) that we will be 12 in that case.

3. From what I have read, all except Esseb will arrive in NOLA before we are able to go to the house, so we should establish a rally point nearby so that the bulk of us arrive there at the same time.

I hope that it does not sound too self-serving if I suggest the New Orleans Amtrak station that Kayla and I will arrive?

It is only 2.3 miles (8 minutes) from the house, and has ample parking.

4. Pondering dinner for our arrival, I was thinking we could either order out or make something simple at the house so we can visit the first night. We could do the major grocery shopping the next day after a nights rest.

5. Jazz will never, ever die.

Thoughts?

AGA · Tue 28/07/2015 14:46:53

I've been reading a lot about Cajun and creole cooking. We should make a jambalaya on the first night. It's apparently pretty simple.

Grundislav · Tue 28/07/2015 14:54:41

It's pretty much definite at this point that Jess won't be joining us

Also, we should take a ghost tour.

AGA · Tue 28/07/2015 15:08:45

Quote from: Grundislav on Tue 28/07/2015 14:54:41
Also, we should take a ghost tour.

Added one!

Quintaros · Tue 28/07/2015 18:44:00

Quote from: AGA on Tue 28/07/2015 14:46:53
I've been reading a lot about Cajun and creole cooking. We should make a jambalaya on the first night. It's apparently pretty simple.

Yeah jambalaya is one of my go to recipes for a simple one pot meal. But it does require a lot of spices that you might not want to buy when you're only staying at a place for a week.

AGA · Tue 28/07/2015 18:47:18

Wonder what would happen if everyone brought bags of suspicious ground substances with them through the airports...

Snarky · Tue 28/07/2015 18:49:14

The keywords found in that post have already put you on a watchlist.

Disco · Tue 28/07/2015 20:30:01

Quote from: AGA on Tue 28/07/2015 18:47:18
Wonder what would happen if everyone brought bags of suspicious ground substances with them through the airports...

That concern does not apply to train travel or driving! Correct me if I'm wrong, but this may be the first Mittens since the debut where the majority of people will not arrive by plane (at least at the onset).

For the first night I was thinking of making biscuits and a large-ish pan of southern style mac and cheese and perhaps some red beans and rice, which should take maximum one hour.

Disco · Fri 31/07/2015 21:25:01

The property manager is closing on a house the day we arrive, and will be busy until 16:00. We can arrange to go to the house any time after that.

MillsJROSS · Sat 01/08/2015 02:34:46

This Amtrak Station?
1001 Loyola Ave
New Orleans, LA 70113

Disco, I'm going to swap cell #s with you via private message, so's we can contact each other.

I'm thinking some truly New Orleans for Dinner. Popeye's Chicken!

Disco · Sat 01/08/2015 04:48:08

Quote from: MillsJROSS on Sat 01/08/2015 02:34:46
This Amtrak Station?
1001 Loyola Ave
New Orleans, LA 70113

That's the one!

QuoteI'm going to swap cell #s with you via private message, so's we can contact each other.

I usually do a directory on the private info page, and am going to search for one of the previous editions to compile an updated one. If anyone has a new number since last year or has yet to supply it, please PM me.

Also, random thought just now but might as well suggest everyone bring some type of swimming garment. The house does not have a pool, but you never know. I have ideas.

Snarky · Sat 01/08/2015 17:18:21

The closest public pool seems to be the John P. Lyons Center (624 Louisiana Ave, New Orleans, LA 70115).

Quintaros · Sat 01/08/2015 18:04:47

I imagine Disco's ideas are more mischievous.

AGA · Sat 01/08/2015 18:08:43

I would assume something involving either the lake or the river.

Snarky · Sat 01/08/2015 20:10:43

Swim the Mississippi?

AGA · Sat 01/08/2015 20:13:21

Fine, the lake then!

Disco · Sat 01/08/2015 21:17:08

Well...I was actually thinking about scoping out the area behind the house for a hose and proper drainage, and if both are available, we could either get a small portable pool or two or engineering some small backyard sprinkler recreational situation.

Snarky · Sat 01/08/2015 21:29:03

Oh Kenneth, I'm disappointed in you...

[embed=640,360]http://youtu.be/rnLofBkLaAA[/embed]

For the record, I'm up for bathing in whatever body of water we may find or create.

Disco · Sat 01/08/2015 22:20:17

Haha, I know! Normally my ideas are something to be much more proud of. We shall all get wet, one way or another.

I did look up water parks in the area. The closest large one is in Baton Rouge (90 minutes by car). I would have listed it as a possibility, but the website calendar seems to indicate they are not open most of the days we are around. It may be a glitch, since not being open much of August seems like bad business to me.

noavana · Sat 01/08/2015 23:23:02

Good options, Berian!
I was thinking that if the most (or all of us) will want to go to a tour we should check if there's a discount group rate. Might save us some dollars. The steamboat for example has a cheaper rate for groups of 12 or more (26$ instead of 29$).
Also, I'll check if maybe there are coupons for NOLA in websites like groupon. Might save us even more money.
I'll post them here if I find anything interesting:

1.The same haunted tours company with 15$ for one, 29$ for 2 and 55$ for 4 people
With some fine print:

Spoiler

Valid only for the Haunted History Cemetery Tour (Monday to Saturday: 10 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m.), The Garden District Tour (11:30 a.m. daily), The Garden District Ghost and Legends Tour (2:30 p.m. daily), The New Orleans Scandal Tour (daily at 5:30 p.m.), The 5-in-One Ghost & Mystery Tour (5 p.m. only), or the Haunted History Ghost Tour (3 p.m. daily)

[close]

2.A coupon for a haunted private tour (up to 27 ppl) for 150 $
3. guided adventure tour. sounds like fun! 19$ for 2, 39$ for 4

Disco, I've sent you a PM with our local numbers.
Noa

Disco · Sun 02/08/2015 17:17:13

Just curious what table games people plan on bringing?

Kayla has Boss Monster, which is quite fun and retro and pixelly. She also has Fluxx and Zombie Dice.

Esseb · Sun 02/08/2015 22:23:11

Concept and Love Letter from me.

Snarky · Sun 02/08/2015 22:49:51

Resistance and Dune (and a fierce determination to ~~force~~ persuade someone to play it).

MillsJROSS · Mon 03/08/2015 00:05:38

Pandemic, Star Trek themed Catan, and a few others from me.

Snarky · Tue 04/08/2015 12:11:42

We haven't fully worked out the logistics of arrival yet, have we?

Quote from: Disco on Sun 04/01/2015 05:22:57
Attendees
Snarky - Arrival on August 6
Quintaros - Arrival at MSY 11:45
Tzach - Arrival at MSY 12:09
Noa - Arrival at MSY 12:09
Grundy - Arrival at MSY 12:09
Disco - Arrival at Amtrak Station 15:32
violetnotpurple - Arrival to Amtrak Station 15:32
Esseb - Arrival at MSY 18:56
AGA - driving
Tamara - driving
MillsJRoss - driving
ddq - driving

I'm staying in a hotel near the airport, and I propose to meet up with Quintaros, Tzach, Noa and Grundy there. Mills, you want to join us there, if you're getting in early?

We should have some time before joining Disco and vnp at the Amtrak station. Depending on when the other driving people are getting there, maybe one of you could pick up Esseb at the airport?

MillsJROSS · Wed 05/08/2015 13:11:55

Sure, I'll join. I don't have a time nailed down, but I'd guess I'll be there sometime between 10-12am. It just depends on how tired I get on the drive over here.

Could you PM me the hotel location and phone number.

Grundislav · Wed 05/08/2015 15:50:03

If Gunnar's hotel is near the airport and Mills gets there by noon, would it be possible for you to pick us up at the airport? By "us" I mean Darren, Tzach, Noa, and me.

Snarky · Wed 05/08/2015 16:35:15

I don't have a car (or indeed a valid driver's license), but I'll certainly meet up with you there.

(I take it three cars is sufficient for our transportation needs, and that we don't need to rent another one?)

Grundislav · Wed 05/08/2015 18:21:38

I meant could Mills take us over to your hotel. And yes, there's 12 of us and 3 cars, so that should work out perfectly.

Snarky · Wed 05/08/2015 18:39:09

Oh, well, I'll have checked out by the time you arrive (it's only for that first night; I wasn't planning to spend Mittens in an airport hotel), so I'm not sure I see the point?

Quintaros · Wed 05/08/2015 20:10:00

Okay, so I guess we're meeting at the airport not the hotel. It wasn't clear to me before either.

Miez · Wed 05/08/2015 20:19:26

Have a lot of fun Mitteneers! Wish I could be there, say hi to Gabriel Knight from me

Grundislav · Wed 05/08/2015 20:24:34

Ah, ok. I misunderstood the meeting point as well. I guess meeting at the airport is the best option!

Snarky · Wed 05/08/2015 20:26:22

Quote from: Quintaros on Wed 05/08/2015 20:10:00
Okay, so I guess we're meeting at the airport not the hotel. It wasn't clear to me before either.

Ah, yes, sorry. I didn't realize that the "there" was ambiguous when I wrote it. Meet at the airport, definitely.

MillsJROSS · Thu 06/08/2015 02:21:08

Quote from: Grundislav on Wed 05/08/2015 15:50:03
If Gunnar's hotel is near the airport and Mills gets there by noon, would it be possible for you to pick us up at the airport? By "us" I mean Darren, Tzach, Noa, and me.

That's fine, but if I'm the only one with a car in the morning, it actually might be best to use the hotel as a staging area until one more car comes along, since I'm counting 6 people (Grundy, Snarky, Darrren, Tzach, Noa, and myself plus luggage). When do AGA, ddq get into town?

Snarky · Thu 06/08/2015 07:39:39

I'm underway! (The flight itinerary is somewhat less than ideal, with a detour to Copenhagen and a seven-hour layover in Newark.) See you all in NOLA! ... where Google informs me we can expect 37 degrees C.

I expect we'll work out transportation at the airport. If we don't have enough seats we can just get a taxi.

ddq · Thu 06/08/2015 08:55:25

I'll get in town about 6 hours after whenever I decide to leave.

Stupot · Thu 06/08/2015 09:07:28

Have fun Mitteneers!
Explore the locations, interact with your surroundings, talk to the locals and pick up everything that isn't nailed down. But most importantly, take pictures and share your fun with the rest of us.

Andail · Thu 06/08/2015 09:44:52

Have fun everyone! Really sorry I couldn't make it this year, but budget concerns and a new family situation made it hard for me to undertake such a longest journey...

LimpingFish · Fri 07/08/2015 01:31:06

Have a fun Mittens, peeps! \o/

m0ds · Fri 07/08/2015 02:39:16

Have a great time out there! I doubt that will be hard

Mandle · Fri 07/08/2015 14:55:15

Have fun all! I hope we get to see some photos of Gabriel Knight scenes recreated with you guys standing in for the characters

Grundislav · Fri 14/08/2015 18:54:45

Boo hoo wah wah Mittens is over

It was a great time, and seeing everyone again was great. Thanks to Mills, Tamara and Drew for driving everyone around and to Ken for organizing it all.

::growl:: Oh, I think I hear a mountain lion. Gotta go!

MillsJROSS · Sat 15/08/2015 16:37:25

Got back home safely. After a six year gap in time it was truly wonderful to see how quickly I was able to gel with old friends, and just as nice was making new friends. I was a little nervous coming back to Mittens after so long. I was worried it might not be the same. I was worried I hadn't really worked on anything AGS related in some time and wouldn't relate. I was worried that I had grown out of it. You guys showed me that wasn't the case, and I really am thankful I got to share this time with you.

I feel far more energized creatively after seeing the show and tell.

The thing I learned the most, though, was that Tzach is almost always the spy. Also skinning garbanzo beans does make a legitimate difference in the taste of Hummus.

I'm interested in seeing the long-term affects of swimming in high levels of bacteria. I'm expecting us to have mutant super-powers next Mittens.

-MillsJROSS

P.S. someone left there cell phone in my car. It's an iphone with Superman the Movie logo as the screen. I believe it's Quintaros's, but in the event it's not and someone is missing their phone, PM me and I'll ship it back to you.

tzachs · Mon 17/08/2015 02:31:10

We are now back home.

Mittens was great fun, and it helped a lot that the weather was so lovely throughout the entire week

Meeting familiar faces was great, meeting new people was also great!
New Orleans itself was a real blast, I actually got to ask a voodoo guide "What do you know about gris gris?" which was probably my personal adventure related highlight of the week.
Also, just as an fyi to those who left early, I got to eat a beignet on the very last day, hooray!

Stealing from Grundislav, I would also like to thank all mitteneers for the planning, driving and entertaining.

Mills, indeed I was a spy a lot during the week, but you'd be happy to know that during the weekend IT BROKEN and now Kayla is the undisputed spy.
As for the iphone, I can confirm it is indeed Quintaros's. I believe he "accidentally forgot" it in your car as part of the oldest trick in the book.

cat · Mon 17/08/2015 18:28:02

I'm glad you all had a great time

Two important questions:

Where is the group photo?
Have you decided next Mittens' location, yet?

AGA · Mon 17/08/2015 20:26:27

1. Forthcoming. ddq and Esseb took some
2. Probably Australia

We're still on our way home, and will write up when we can.

ddq · Mon 17/08/2015 20:30:59

Here's the group photo that matters.

cat · Mon 17/08/2015 21:54:44

Compared to last year's super bock collection this is a ridiculous small amout of booze

Australia? Better start saving money right now

yamipanda · Tue 18/08/2015 16:13:05

Quote from: ddq on Mon 17/08/2015 20:30:59
Here's the group photo that matters.

Looks like you had fun.

I might just have to start saving up for a trip to Australia next year then.

ddq · Wed 19/08/2015 02:46:52

Here are the group photos. I will upload the rest of my pictures somewhere soonish.

Esseb · Sun 23/08/2015 20:51:03

Better late than never, here are my photos: http://esseb.com/photographs/mittens_lagniappe/

Stupot · Mon 24/08/2015 00:58:30

Quote from: Esseb on Sun 23/08/2015 20:51:03
Better late than never, here are my photos: http://esseb.com/photographs/mittens_lagniappe/

D'aw, man. It looks like so much fun. I will make it to Mittens at least once in my life.

Mandle · Mon 24/08/2015 01:21:37

Quote from: Esseb on Sun 23/08/2015 20:51:03
Better late than never, here are my photos: http://esseb.com/photographs/mittens_lagniappe/

Looks like such a fun time...Love the "movie spoilers pictionary"....I'm gonna totally yoink that and play next time my movie club meets!

And damn....I want that boxed copy of Resonance sooooooo badly....Who won that one?

AGA · Mon 24/08/2015 05:39:51

ddq.

ddq · Mon 24/08/2015 07:33:41

My pictures.

cat · Mon 24/08/2015 09:19:27

Thanks for the photos, looks like you had a great time!

Andail · Tue 25/08/2015 11:25:44

Looks like you had a great time indeed, sorry I missed it!

Grundislav has been working out since I last met him.

AGA · Tue 25/08/2015 11:28:24

He and his frat buddies have been out punching ghosts.

Grundislav · Tue 25/08/2015 14:44:54

DEBUNKED!

m0ds · Tue 25/08/2015 15:34:43

Nice photos! Cool to see alligators, kareoke and voodoo... And that bloody Beckett game! A game about a guy about to be melted under intense heat, pretty ironic coming from 'heatstroke productions' himself

(ps happy birthday)

Mittens 2015 New Orleans August 7 - 14

m0ds

m0ds

m0ds