Men,
I haven't written you in a month, but I assure you I've been toiling over mountains of minutiae. I've broken down the weekend into 4 primary items: Hotel, Friday Night Dinner, Cubs Game, and Saturday Night Festivities. In today's installment, I have an update on the hotel.
I've reserved 4 rooms for June 12th and 13th at the SpringHill Suites Marriott Chicago Downtown/River North. The address is
410 North Dearborn Street. Each room can sleep up to 5 people (two double beds plus a sofabed) at a rate of ~$250 per night including taxes. Here's the cost breakdown per person depending on how many people we have in each room:
5 people in one room for 2 nights = $100 total per person including taxes
4 people in one room for 2 nights = $125 total per person including taxes
3 people in one room for 2 nights = $167 total per person including taxes
At the moment, I have the following 11 people in need of a hotel:
Jeff Long, Matt Baker, Wayne Beutler, Drew Patrick, Jeff Cumberworth, Doug Colling, John Bennink, Ryan Leach, Eric Vernon, Dan Dreyer, Ryan Kaul
Here's the list of folks who DO NOT need a hotel:
Steve Bradford, Dane Fife, Brad Clapper, Erich Poley
And, as a matter of diligence, there are 6 people who I haven't heard from yet and 3 people who aren't able to commit at this point but would like to remain on the email list. Thus, our hotel needs may range from 11 to 19 and general attendance may range from 15 to 24.
If we end up with 12 people for the hotel, we'll probably do 3 rooms with 4 people in each. Likewise, if we get a clean 15, we'll do 3 rooms with 5 in each. However, should we end up with a prime number or some scenario to that effect, I can weigh lowest average cost and take volunteers for a 3 person room.
Once I get a tighter lock on the guest list, I'll have update on Friday night's dinner, Cubs Game, and Saturday Night Festivities.
Here's what I ask from you:
1) If you haven't responded yet, please reply as soon as you can with your intent.
2) If you're on the hotel list but will not need a hotel, please reply to let me know I've been misinformed.
More details regarding the bachelor's deteriorating emotional state shortly.
Matt Baker
Best Man, Cousin, AmericanOn Sun, Feb 8, 2009 at 3:36 PM, matt baker
<matt@mattanddanielle.org> wrote:
Gents,
It's been a fortnight since I last wrote to you. Thank you for your replies and enthusiasm. I'm heartened by your candor. The reckoning is coming together nicely. Of note, and of particular importance to the event, I must tell you that I booked my flight from San Francisco to Chicago today. Unfortunately, I've a layover in Phoenix but I shall persevere nonetheless.
If you have not responded yet (we shall not name the lame at this juncture), please do so at your earliest convenience.
In the meantime, however, I can impart details which are germane to the festivities. For the Friday night welcoming dinner, I'm planning for us to break bread at Mike Ditka's Restaurant on East Chestnut Street. I've personally reviewed the dinner menu and I'm confident in its quality of sustenance.
For out-of-towners, the choice of hotel is another matter entirely. I'm weighing our options with an eye on cost, location, and reputation. If we're squeezing four people (two beds) per room for Friday and Saturday night, we're looking at roughly $150 per person. I've checked with the Best Western Grant Park, the Marriott Renaissance, and the Inn of Chicago Magnificent Mile. If you have a recommendation or a unique strategy for our hotel choice, please let me know.
Of course, more details to follow as surely as sunlight overtakes candlelight each morning. I spoke to the bachelor himself today and he's encapsulated in wedding planning. We should all pity his lot in life until the bachelor weekend is upon us.
Until next time,
Matt Baker
Best Man, Cousin, American
On Sat, Jan 24, 2009 at 11:26 AM, matt baker
<matt@mattanddanielle.org> wrote:
Gentle Fellows,
Consider my plea. I write to you and your sensibility. We must acknowledge the degradation of a man. This a man we all encourage and respect. Yet, this is a man stuck in an incorrigible state. I cite for you Jeffrey Michael Long. A lamentable married man within six months' time. We must, as a point of paramount significance, acknowledge his fate with ritual madness.
The bacchanalia is imminent. Don your fox-skins. Restore your fervor. The locale is Chicago, Illinois. The Jeff Long Stag will commence Friday, June 12th, 2009 and will dismantle June 14th, 2009. As the witching hours draw nearer, I'll have more concrete details to share.
The night of the 12th will be a righteous reunion for many. Dinner, drinks, stories, urban decor. On the 13th, we'll go to a Cubbies game at Wrigley Field with the Twin City sluggers in town. The night of the 13th we'll surround Coach Long with admiring and affectionate friends, and it'll be true that, on this exclusive occasion, he will regard the 13th as a hapless man's lucky day.
In the interest of preparation, please contact me shortly by email with your intended status. I will rely on your collective size to seek out hotel accommodations, restaurant venues, ticket options, and other items to propose a workable budget. However, I leave you to finalize your own travel arrangements to and from Chicago. With many guests arriving from out-of-state, we'll likely see a unique blend of planes, trains, and automobiles.
You should feel compelled to contact me with your suggestions, questions, and enthusiasm. Apart from email, my cell phone number is 650 861 0616.
Let us part briefly with a quote from the bachelor himself, "I've never had a bad time in the windy city." We have the power to make him omniscient.
Thank you for your time.
Matt Baker
Best Man, Cousin, American
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