From: Diva Las Vegas organizers (dlvorg@geekbabe.com)
Date: Wed Nov 17 2004 - 08:12:00 CST
In this mailing:
Org List
Zingers, hotels, etc.
Time to vote
Boardwalk news
Zingers and various items
Another Zingers suggestion
Off-topic, from another network
Summary schedule of activities
Administrivia
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Org List:
This is the DLV 2005 Organizational Mailing List (dlvorg@geekbabe.com)
Replies to this message will be forwarded to the DLVORG list and not
the DLV-Announce or DLV-Discuss list.
Ongoing activity database appears on the web at:
http://www.geekbabe.com/annie/org05arc/acts.html
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Zingers, hotels, etc.:
We could almost call this one the Special Zingers Edition. It's very
obvious that this club is a major hit already. By the next mailing I'll
have a first-hand view of it. I know we'll want to use this for DLV
2005. The only questions seem to be "how much?" and "how many times?".
. . . . .
This Friday:
I'm planning to be at Zingers sometime between 9:00 and 10:00pm this
coming Friday, November 19.
Wow, with all of the rave reviews (see below) I'm sure expecting to be
overwhelmed. :)
Anybody who cares to join me, please drop by. :)
Densie and Tony are planning to come up too, and I know one other who's
a non-DLV local will be there as well, so we'll have a good group. :)
. . . . .
Next week I'm going to start testing the on-line registration scripts
again. We're on a new server this year, but I think I have all of the
obvious issues fixed. I'll be calling for volunteers to test again,
and yes, if you want to register for real, you can do it. :)
. . . . .
Pinkfest 2004 photos are up:
http://www.geekbabe.com/annie/pinkfest/pink04/
You will definitely see some familiar faces. :)
. . . . .
Although we're pretty much taking a break from our efforts over the
holidays, I would like to ask everybody to please take a look at the
schedule, paying particular attention to the missing items for some of
our prime evenings, and be thinking of things that we can do to fill
in the holes. Thanks.
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Time to vote:
A hotel "ballot" will be sent out today as a separate mailing. There are
three sections to this one:
1. Suggested hotels, aye/nay on each one.
2. Event Hotel, nonexclusive, aye/nay.
3. Event Hotel, one and only one, exclusive, aye/nay.
If you don't receive this sometime within the next 24 hours, please
write in and say so.
Please reply to the special mailing, indicate your choices clearly,
and please do not include comments or discussion with your votes.
Polls will remain open until no votes are received for a 48 hour period.
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Boardwalk news:
As many of you know, MGM has announced plans to raze the Boardwalk
(among other things in that area) as part of the first phase of their
Project City Center "Metropolis" thing, which is to include Yet Another
megacasino and Yet Another upscale hotel and Yet Another shopping mall,
etc.
Maybe Mindy (or anybody else who has heard more than press releases and
inane marketing fluff) can comment further, but the way I read the
numbers -- 18 months in the planning phase and 42 months of construction
ending in 2010 -- I can only assume that the Boardwalk will still be
open in more or less the same state it is now during DLV 2005.
Update: They tell me (the ubiquitous "they") that construction will
begin in 2006 and that the Boardwalk will operate normally for 18 more
months, closing in May 2006.
Boardwalk is one of our nominated hotels, and is a candidate for a
suggested hotel for DLV 2005.
I am suggesting that this announcement be a totally neutral factor in
our consideration of the Boardwalk for DLV 2005.
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Zingers and various items:
Cat writes:
>I had a few minutes so decided to give some comments on various items.
Thanks, Cat, and I'll add to your comments as you know. :) :) :)
>Hope you are doing well and that our paths get to meet some where in
>the near future.
Yes, doing fine. And, you know where I'll be this Friday, so if you
wanna cross paths. ... :)
>I won't be making it to Night of 1000 Stars this year in Omaha - it
>really lost it's appeal to me last year in the new venue, not personal
>enough to warrant the cost to me. Anyway, hope you have a great
>holiday season.
<digression>
Sorry to digress, gang, skip if you want. :) Yes, I too was disappointed
in the venue last year. I know they did get complaints about it, but
when I was in the NAP office I asked about it and they said they got a
major sugar-daddy deal on the use of the Qwest Center. I also seem to
recall some bit^H^H^Hgriping when they switched from Aksarben to the
Regency Court a few years back as well.
</digression>
. . . . .
>>I would like to nominate The Palace Station as one of our suggested
>>Hotels. It is extremely reasonable if reserved early enough and has
>>easy access to parking and CAT stops right out front too.
>Not only do I stop right out front, I have been know to visit inside
>and stay awhile too. LOL
ROFL! :) :) Good one!
But seriously, the one complaint I have about Palace Station is that the
buffet has definitely gone downhill over the past few years. Back in
1999 or so, it was one of the best deals around. By 2002 the quality and
selection had both slipped quite a bit and from what I hear things have
not improved, buffet wise. The little Italian place there is (still)
good (or was the last time I was there), however.
But anyway ... enough digressions, sorry ... :)
. . . . .
>Another Zingers review
>First, let me say that I am very bias about this nightclub, as the
>owners and management are close personal friends. I believe in them so
>strongly that I made a special trip back home to attend the grand
>opening. Now, that being said.....
>This club is a very nice, classy, casually sophisticated place to
>visit. The remodeling has turned what was becoming a run down place a
>year ago into a comfortable lounge that almost anyone can enjoy. This
>was evidenced by the diversity of the opening night crowd. There were
>several very different ethnic, social and lifestyle groups in
>attendance - all enjoying themselves and each other. There were people
>in from Los Angeles, Phoenix, Baltimore, London and Canada as well as
>locals. I tried to greet everyone and then talk with them when they
>were leaving and I got the same comments from everyone - they felt very
>comfortable and welcome and would definitely return.
>The owners brought in top notch entertainment, and while not on the
>agenda for every weekend, they will be doing more of the same. The
>committment from the owners to provide a place where the TG can mix
>with mainstream in a great atmosphere is truly what our community
>needs more of.
>The decor of this club is so conductive for having an enjoyable
>experience. The "club" area is good size for dancing, with plenty of
>tables and seating.
>The bar is the same as before, and although not spacious as others, the
>set up makes it easy for the bartenders to serve any seated patrons and
>take care of the cocktail servers.
>My favorite room is the "Z" room. Located in the back where the
>kitchen use to be, the transformation of this area is astonishing.
>Comfortable black overstuffed Italian leather sofas and chair, with
>very warm accessories around the room just invites one to relax and
>relieve the stress of the daily grind. The large screen plasma TV and
>the two smaller ones are great for those who enjoy watching the tube..
>or one can put on the music channel of choice and simply chill out.
One concept that seems to work for a club that has dancing or some other
loud entertainment is to have other options, areas where it's more laid
back and conversation can go on. Places like Joy and The Max in Omaha
and Hunters and Gentry in Chicago are examples of where this has worked,
and I'm sure this will be one big positive factor for Zingers as well.
>I urge everyone visiting to walk around and spend some time viewing
>all the pictures/paintings on the walls - it is a very interesting mix
>and will provide an insight into the care and love taken by the owners
>in creating this place.
>A small item that in my opinion shows alot of thought and caring for
>the patrons is not only that complimentary pretzels/nuts are offered,
>but good coffee and even hot herbal tea is available.
>Needless to say, I am a fan of Zingers. I hope our community matches
>the commitment of the owners and management in making this a show place
>in Vegas.
Everything so far about Zingers is highly positive. It's obvious that
it's a by-the-community for-the-community project. Although they are
indeed in business to make money, :) I know the owners see this as much
more than simply a revenue stream. It's a project that has the potential
of a very high degree of personal satisfaction as well as a great
benefit to the community.
Monica, Rikki, and Co. are taking a great risk here, far more risk than
I would personally want to take. They are opening a new club in a very
competitive market, within months of several other openings. However, I
have a feeling that Zingers will not only survive, but thrive in the
shakeout that will undoubtedly come.
>Hope you have a happy Thanksgiving and wonderful holidays. I hope my
>schedule is such that I can make at least a few days of DLV this year.
Yes, same to you and yours and everybody. :) Just remember to mark
April 24-30 on your calendar now, and I know Southwest serves HRL in
your area, so you have an easy trip. :)
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Another Zingers suggestion:
Yvonne (who attended Zingers opening) writes:
>This email {copied below} was sent from Rikki Lace.... about the band
>that performed at the opening night at Zingers... fantastic group....
>good live music... NOT lip sync! They also allowed dancing to their
>music...
>IF the slot is open and other org or disc people who went to the
>opening night agrees, I would recommend this as a possible alternative
>entertainment for our friday night if they are still performing at
>that time during DLV. or a place after our friday evening
>activities....
Here are my thoughts on this (no conclusion), and I would like to hear
comments and any agreement/disagreement out there.
First point: Lounge entertainment and lineups change frequently and as
of this time we don't know how long the Lou Martinez group will be there
on Fridays. I'll ask about this next week. As we've seen, it's not in
general a good idea to plan our schedule around specific entertainment
this far in advance. I'm sure there will be some kind of entertainment
at Zingers on Friday of DLV week, as well as other days possibly, but
the way things change ...
Second point: I think it's a given that Zingers will be tremendously
popular with our group. I'll have a first-hand view in a few days, but
from the feedback so far, I can easily see this being the most popular
club in the history of DLV.
We've already penciled in Zingers for the Wednesday evening "maximum
turnout" thing", we have a proposal to make Zingers the default
meeting/staging area, we have your Zingers proposal on the table above
for Friday, and I'm sure that's not the last Zingers suggestion that
will come out of this group.
I can already see Zingers becoming the DLV 2005 defacto after-hours
gathering spot, kind of like Keys was in 1998-1999 and LVL was in 2000.
(LVL was MUCH different then than it is now!)
The big question, and we do need feedback from those of you on the ORG
list regarding this, is "how much" do we use Zingers? Do we concentrate
our major bar activities at Zingers? Or do we continue to use our
traditional and/or favorite places as well?
I've been thinking that it would be a good idea to hit Zingers early in
the game, meaning the Welcome Celebration on Sunday evening. In reality,
I can't think of a place more conducive to an optimal turnout and one
that's not gonna scare the nervous newbees.
That would make two Zingers bar nights, Sunday and Wednesday. Is this
too much repetition?
As to Yvonne's proposal above, what this would effectively do is to move
our traditional Friday "Annual Mixer" from Goodtimes to Zingers. Again,
unless something changes my perception this weekend, I think if we put
Goodtimes and Zingers to a duel on which would give us a better turnout,
Zingers blows Goodtimes away. (We have received complaints about
Goodtimes over the past few years, dark, smoky, slow drink service.) I
also think that doing something like scheduling Goodtimes first and
Zingers second on Friday is just asking people to blow off Goodtimes
and go directly to Zingers.
This would make three Zingers bar nights, Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Is this too much repetition?
Then there's this whole "mainstream/upscale" issue, the contingent of
which has not been very vocal lately.
Yes, the Zingers people use the "M word" when describing their place,
but I do think there's a semantic difference between what Zingers means
by the term and what our mainstream/upscale contingent means by the
term.
Comments, gang?
. . . . .
From Rikki via Yvonne:
+Zingers is a mainstream nightclub who caters to the transgendered
+community. Especially since two of the owners are TG's. Everyone who
+has been in has said how comfortable and clean it is and how classy the
+place is. It has a superb light and sound system for the dance floor
+and live band area. And a room which is a ultra lounge with 48 inch
+plasma screen TV.
+Take a look at the Zingers website at: www.zingersclub.com
+BTW every Friday night at 10:00 p.m. til 2.00 a.m brings back Lou
+Martinez Entertainment who really knocked the full house down on the
+club's grand opening. Songs from Bobby Darin, Neil Diamond, Chicago,
+Jerry Lee Lewis, to Salsa, they rock. Oh by the way too, their is a
+happy hour from 8:00 p.m. til 10:00 p.m. before the show.
+This is a real nightclub with sophisticated atmosphere of the Las Vegas
+nightlife. Premium blended margaritas, daiquiris, and specialty drinks,
+fine wines, champagnes, scotches, and ports, along with your regular
+favorites.
+The owners, managers, bartenders and waitresses are both GG's and TG's
+and regulars. About half and half and are as professional and customer
+oriented as any place you'll go to. So everyone has a great time and
+there is clean three bathrooms in case there is any GG's that want
+privacy.
+Come to Zingers, for an experience that you can't find anywhere. And
+we thank everyone who has stopped by and visited Zingers, it is so much
+appreciated.
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Off-topic, from another network:
Seen in the newsfroups:
+Subj: Must be sweeps on Teevee - Vegas Hookers Tue, 16 Nov 2004 17:10
+This "news report" was fairly lame. They said the Del Mar motel is a
+hotbed of hookerdom and was adversely impacting neighboring businesses.
+No lurid video and their transmitting truck had the hiccups for the
+live report. Yawn!
+I'm pretty sure the Del Mar sign is hard to miss if you are trying to
+take a picture of the new "Welcome to Downtown Las Vegas" sign near
+the Strat. The Del Mar sign says stuff like "free XXX movies" so I
+find it ironic, truthful and funny.
Not part of this article, but a link I posted a couple years ago: :) :)
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2002/Dec-04-Wed-2002/news/20202414.html
But wait, there's more!
LVRJ just published this:
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Nov-16-Tue-2004/news/25271341.html
Enjoy! :)
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Summary schedule of activities:
Highly tentative, subject to change.
Sunday, April 24:
AM Religious services (Metropolitan Community Church - SV)
6:00pm Happy Hour (TBD)
Ev Welcome Celebration (Bar, club)
Monday, April 25:
10:00am Death Valley Tour (Death Valley National Park - MS)
1:00pm Lunch With (or without) Ginger (TBD)
2:00pm Walk Off Your Lunch (TBD)
PM Bowling (TBA)
6:00pm Happy Hour (TBD)
Tuesday, April 26:
10:30am Lake Mead Boat Cruise (Lake Mead - MS)
1:00pm Lunch With (or without) Ginger (TBD)
2:00pm Walk Off Your Lunch (TBD)
6:00pm Happy Hour (TBD)
Ev Night Of The Soiled Doves II (CR - SV)
Wednesday, April 27:
8:00am Air Tours (Airport - MS)
1:00pm Lunch With (or without) Ginger (TBD)
2:00pm Walk Off Your Lunch (TBD)
2:30pm Ballroom Dance Instruction (Dance studio - MS)
6:00pm Happy Hour (TBD)
Ev Eating Out Night (Several)
Ev Maximum turnout get-together (Zingers)
Thursday, April 28:
10:00am Art Tour (Museum(s) - MS)
1:00pm Lunch With (or without) Ginger (TBD)
2:00pm Walk Off Your Lunch (TBD)
6:00pm Happy Hour (TBD)
Ev Pity Party (TBA)
Ev Limo Tour (Vegas, baby! - MS)
Friday, April 29:
1:00am Charles Bar (Bellagio, Allegra Bar)
11:00am Shopping trip (Mall(s) - MS)
11:00am Secret Garden / Dolphin Habitat (Mirage)
1:00pm Lunch With (or without) Ginger (TBD)
2:00pm Walk Off Your Lunch (TBD)
6:00pm Happy Hour (TBD)
Ev Annual Mixer (TBD)
Saturday, April 30:
AM-PM Garden Party (TBD)
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Administrivia:
This is the Diva Las Vegas 2005 organizational list.
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