'09 ROAD TRIPPERS: IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!

[TarHeelMom]

Hi Trippers!

Welcome, and for you repeaters, welcome back! In the months to come we'll be releasing tons of info for you folks, so please be sure to visit the Road Trip forum FREQUENTLY to ensure that you're up to date. It's our job to help make your 2009 Cathe RT experience the most smoothly-run, eye-popping, wow-inducing, memory-making weekend ever.

First, a suggestion from us: PRINT THIS POST AND ALL OF OUR OTHER IMPORTANT INFO POSTS TO COME, and put them into a Cathe Road Trip folder or ring-binder. We've found that a 1/2" to 1" binder is plenty roomy. You'll be glad later that you've kept all this RT stuff together and organized!

Now, we do have one IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT that may affect your transportation plans.

Cathe usually teaches a class at her gym on Friday mornings, and in years past many Road Trippers have come to town early in order to attend that class. This year, for a variety of reasons Cathe is not going to be able to teach a Friday morning class on Friday, July 31st.

What does this mean for you?

The Road Trip and your fun time with Cathe will officially late Friday afternoon (the official time to be announced soon). So:

(1) If you've already booked your transportation plans and will be in town early: Registered Road Trippers who arrive in town early are welcome to use Cathe's gym free of charge on Friday prior to the start of the Road Trip events. It's awesome, and there are many classes and equipment that you will enjoy. For more info, see http://www.hugeclub.com.

(2) If you have NOT already made your transportation plans, try to schedule your drive/plane/train so that you arrive at our hotels in time to catch the Cathe Bus to the gym for the opening Road Trip events. There will be ONE BUS RUN TO CATHE'S GYM (two buses, but making only one trip). The buses will depart from the front of the Fairfield Inn at approximately 3:30 or 3:45 on Friday, July 31st (exact time to be announced soon). For those of you staying at the Residence Inn, our "sister" hotels sit side-by-side and you'll just need to walk across the parking lot to catch the bus.

For your planning purposes, we'd say that from the time your plane/train arrives, you should allow 90 minutes (we're deliberately being slightly conservative with this timing, but you should be too!) for getting your luggage, picking up your transportation and getting to the hotels. Keep in mind that the later you arrive, the more you risk running into summertime afternoon thunderstorm-related landing delays as well as Philadelphia-area rush hour and going-to-the-shore-for-the-weekend increased traffic.

If you're not renting a car, once again we do recommend using Rapid Rover transport, available from the Philadelphia Airport and from the Philadelphia 30th Street Amtrak Station. We'll soon be posting this year's info about their rates.

A final note: We know that stuff happens and that some of you may end up involuntarily coming in too late to catch the Cathe Bus. If that happens, don't panic. Just have your transportation service bring you directly to the gym. We will have secured storage available for your luggage, and you can carry your luggage on the Cathe Bus when you return to the hotels on Friday night.

That's it for now. Post with questions and we'll be glad to try to help! See you soon!

[banslug]

I'm coming early ANYWAY! LOL

Gayle

[exer_cited]

Me too, Gayle!!!

[llp]

How early will you 2 be arriving? 1st timer here, and I was thinking of going early, too. What do you do when you arrive early? Go shopping? Go to the gym? Nap? Eat? Meet people? I'm trying to figure out how early to make my flight reservations. They are pretty good prices from Portland now. Just $273 roundtrip. I think that sounds pretty good.

I think I need suggestions on what to do!

thanks and looking forward to meeting everyone!

[cb1924]

I am leaving first thing in the am. I hope to be there by 10am. Last year I felt rushed.

chrissy

Can't wait to see/meet everyone

[lorrayne]

Linda (and those coming from the West Coast),

I would suggest you fly out on a Thursday as no flights really arrive until close to 3:00/4:00. If you take a flight out on Friday, you will miss the bus to/from the gym. Of course, as Kathy mentioned, you can go directly to the Club instead of the hotel.

[Miss Lee]

I haven't made any travel arrangements yet, but I do have a question. You said that there will only be one bus to Cathe's Gym, departing from the front of the Fairfield Inn. What about the people who are staying at the other hotel Cathe mentioned in her announcement -- does the bus go there, too, or are these hotels within walking distance from each other? TIA for your answer.

[lorrayne]

Hi Michele,

Clarification to Kathy's note. The one bus means that the buses will depart once from the hotels to the Club as a TBD departure time. This bus will be in front of the Fairfield Inn. The Residence Inn is next door to the Fairfield. You only need to leave out the door and walk 50 yards or so to the neighboring hotel.

[Miss Lee]

Originally Posted by lorrayne

Hi Michele,

Clarification to Kathy's note. The one bus means that the buses will depart once from the hotels to the Club as a TBD departure time. This bus will be in front of the Fairfield Inn. The Residence Inn is next door to the Fairfield. You only need to leave out the door and walk 50 yards or so to the neighboring hotel.

Thank you Lorrayne!!!

[jolene_hajj]

All the memories are coming rushing back! I cannot wait, it's going to be fantastic, especially now that I've gone once and know the drill a bit, and some folks going.