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MWRF contact/hotel list


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#1 KevinKorell

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Posted 15 June 2015 - 11:25 PM

We are approximately one month before the Midwest RailFest as of this writing. At this point it's time to solicit your personal information which will go into a confidential contact list. This list will be handled strictly by e-mail to ensure the privacy of those on the list.  For those who don't know, the purpose of this list is two-fold. It provides me (and anyone else) the ability to contact others in the group during times we are not together --  in case of emergency or in the unlikely event of last minute changes.  Most of us have texting abilities as well, so we can also communicate that way.   The other aspect of this list is the hotels where everyone is staying. It is so that those staying at the same place can coordinate and travel together, perhaps have breakfast together, and travel to the start point or back from the end point of that day's activities.

 

Please do not post this information here or in any other thread on this board.

 

So at this point please start to e-mail me where you are booked at hotels. If you volunteered the information before, it was explicitly mentioned before that I was not yet ready for it.   So all participants please send me the hotels where you will be staying in Pittsburgh, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Chicago.    If I don't have your cell phone number, or it has changed since previous events, please include this as well.  Please put something like "MWRF hotels and contact information" in the subject line as well, which makes things easier for me to find.

 

It is understood that a few have multiple reservations in some locations, and that some may be cancelled or changed between now and our arrival in those cities. Please let me know if any further changes occur.  A final update will be sent out around July 13th, in advance of when some will begin their travel.

 

Once the list is compiled, it will be e-mailed back to all names on the list. It will not be published online nor sent to anyone else.  Please also do your part to protect this information, as we don't want personal telephone numbers out there, and some may not want their whereabouts to be known other than the fact they are on the Fest.



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#2 pennyk

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Posted 04 July 2015 - 05:25 PM

Without mentioning the names of the hotels where I will be staying, I want to mention that I just researched mapquest directions and maps from the Amtrak stations to the hotels in Pittsburgh and St. Paul. One hotel is slightly less than a 1/4 mile from the Amtrak station and the other is slightly more than a half mile from the Amtrak station.  Since I really enjoy walking, I am very pleased that both hotels are walking distance from the station.  



#3 KevinKorell

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Posted 04 July 2015 - 05:45 PM

The hotel where I am staying the 1st night in St. Paul is a little further than where the majority will be.   However I too believe it's walkable.  Besides taxi or Uber for those who use them, remember that one can also board the Green Line within downtown St. Paul for just 50 cents and it will cut out much of the walk to either location.



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#4 steve4031

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Posted 04 July 2015 - 06:53 PM

I used uber last month in St. Paul and got hit with a surge price. It was steep because I was going to a hotel 20 miles away. Should not be a problem. I'm walking to mine in Msp unless it's raining.

#5 KevinKorell

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Posted 04 July 2015 - 07:56 PM

If it's raining and you want to walk, there is another solution too.    Both downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul have Skyway systems, designed to do just that, keeping you out of the elements.  A map of the St. Paul system is here.  It looks like it is connected to Union Depot (which this map erroneously refers to as Midway).   This being Saturday night, we'll be doing this 2 weeks from tonight.



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#6 steve4031

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Posted 05 July 2015 - 03:36 PM

If it's raining I'll shall beat my umbrella senseless. The purpose of hauling an umbrella around is so that you can complain about carrying it and not needing it. I've carried this one a few times and it has rained. I might need a new umbrella.

#7 BillMagee

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Posted 05 July 2015 - 03:50 PM

If it's raining and you want to walk, there is another solution too.    Both downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul have Skyway systems, designed to do just that, keeping you out of the elements.  A map of the St. Paul system is here.  It looks like it is connected to Union Depot (which this map erroneously refers to as Midway).   This being Saturday night, we'll be doing this 2 weeks from tonight.

While the Skyway general hours are from 6am to 2am, there are sections passing through private buildings that have more restricted hours. One such section is located just outside Union Depot at Sibley Square. That section closes at 6pm. A detailed map of the Skyway, including hours, is HERE.



#8 KevinKorell

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Posted 05 July 2015 - 04:03 PM

Thanks, Bill.  I saw that map too online but didn't post it because while the hours of Skyway availability are shown, the buildings it passes through or near are outdated.  Note that where the Doubletree should be, it says Hilton Garden Inn. The key indicates that the last update was in November of 2010..  So the map pre-dates Amtrak moving from Midway to Union Depot. One hope is that with Amtrak now there and the need for people to get around either very late or early in the day, they might open that closed stretch. Nevertheless, the sections shown on the map to be open longer hours still would allow most of the trip to be done by Skyway, except that from Union Depot one would need to cross 4th Street and walk a couple blocks outside before going up to the Skyway.



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#9 KevinKorell

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Posted 05 July 2015 - 11:12 PM

First edition of the hotel/contact list has been e-mailed to those whose names are on the list.   Without naming the hotels or people involved, here are some facts (subject to revision if anyone's plans change):

 

 

  • Of the 7 people who will be in Pittsburgh, 6 will be staying at the same hotel, while one will be staying with family.
  • Of the 12 people who will be arriving into St. Paul on Friday evening 7/17, 11 will be at one hotel, and one will be at another.
  • Of the 13 people who will be staying in St. Paul on Saturday evening 7/18, 12 will be at one hotel, and one will be staying with a friend.
  • Nine people will be staying in Chicago area hotels on Sunday evening 7/19, and one in Milwaukee. Of the 9 in Chicago, 5 will be at the same hotel.
  • By Monday evening the travelling group will be smaller, with only 5 requiring hotel says.

Please let me know if anything is incorrect or changes between now and Monday, July 13th, so that corrections can be sent before most begin their travels.


 

 


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#10 KevinKorell

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Posted 09 July 2015 - 04:08 AM

You know a trip is coming soon when you begin to get "Can't Wait to See You" messages coming from your reserved hotels one week in advance of your stay.  Pittsburgh one came today.  It is a confirmation, but my practice has been to bring a hardcopy of this message along (or you could do a softcopy on your phone too) just so that there is some proof if a hotel is booked and perhaps your room was given away.  As you finish your stays and check-out, these messages can then be shed from what you have to carry since they are no longer needed.



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