I almost fell out of bed this AM reading Khun Pook's comment. HAHAHA!

Sorry, Andy. That was funny stuff.

I think you guys should stay wherever you want. I don't know the norm for lodging for these, so not sure if you like to stay as a group fairly close together or not.

I know Bob and Andy will probably be sharing a room (who gets the rollaway? Karen?)

I really like a hotel in Beverly Hills called Maison 140. GREAT location, and they have beautiful Asian-themed rooms at a reasonable (for LA) rate:
http://www.maison140beverlyhills.com.../mandarin.html

I think Sunset and BH are both great, central locations for lodging. Santa Monica and other Westside locations will certainly have prettier scenery (ocean) but may be a longer drive to the GTG. Either way, as they say, everything in LA is 20 minutes away.

Sorry for the lack of info...but don't expect a confirmed location for a few weeks, at least. House buying calls and I have to get through this before I can focus my attention on securing a location. Don't worry, though, I'm a resourceful guy...I have a few great places in mind.

Another very solid budget option in LA is the Farmer's Daughter. Other than having a fantastically cheeky name, it's right across from the Grove (LA's premiere shopping center) and is smack-dab in the middle of the city.

It's very basic though and usually has very cheap rates.

http://www.farmersdaughterhotel.com/

I'll keep posting places as I think of them.

I'm staying at Filmwill's place. Plus, does it matter that I only wear argyle socks?

I love Maison 140, and the Farmer's Daughter is cool as well (although on a very busy street).

For those who do wish to stay in Santa Monica, I highly recommend the Embassy Hotel Apartments (not related to Embassy Suites) - www.embassyhotelapts.com

Charming old-world Mediterranean building with gorgeous gardens two blocks from the park that overlooks the ocean and 1.5 blocks from the Third Street Promenade. Very affordable. No amenities or room service, but you can walk to dozens of cafes and restaurants. Most rooms have kitchenettes - Many Europeans and Australians stay there for months while working on film projects.

Disadvantage to staying here at the beach is that the Friday afternoon traffic heading east is absolutely killer.

more participation please

From who? The organizer or the attendees?

I think I may have mentioned that we're in the middle of purchasing a new home (our first!) So, rest assured, the GTG is on like Donkey Kong. But I cannot do anything in regards to planning right now.

I just need to get through the next few weeks alive--and then I can focus my attention on this.

Pinky swear.

Filmwil...Congrats on the new residence! What area of the city? I totally understand the stress of moving. When I moved to a new residence two years ago, it was high drama for MANY months after the move...all of the interior design stuff that I had to take care of. I'm sure the Silk Trading Company doesn't want to see me for a while...as I had to chew up a few people. Smiles. Happy Travels!

Sounds like fun. We should be able to attend.

Woody

attendees only....the organizers are on extended holiday....i just wanted to bring it back to the top so others could join in....

east coast helper

Congrats on buying a home, filmwill! We can patiently await more details. I'm preoccupied with our upcoming trip to Kathmandu and Bangkok and can't really think about making reservations yet anyway.

The words anyone hates to see:

East Coast Helper

Filmwill, do Bob and I have separate rooms at your new residence?

The GTG is six months away. Reservations can be made many months from now.

We have used this forum for our trip to Thailand, and enjoy reading fodorites experiences. Thanks to everyone.

We plan to attend the LA GTG.
Would love to meet everyone.

magic---do you also need a room at filmwill's new house?

Hardy har har.

Actually, Bob has very generously volunteered to pay for all who stay at the same hotel as he.

I thought that was rather nice of him.

no problem bring them on....lots of broom closets available

Happy to hear that about Bob. A broom closet is perfect for me since I have on occasion been called a withch or was it bitch?

Tried to book at Farmer's Daughter it is full. Will deal with tickets etc when I get back from Asia.

We live between LA & SD, so we are close enough but with LA traffic, we might want to stay at a close by hotel...we'll wait and see as the program unfolds.
rhkkmk..... This being LA, filmwill's new house might be full of closets...broom type or otherwise.
Can pandas fit in a broom closet?

Only if they're very large brooms. It's LA, we'll all just camp out in the back yard.

trust me, we lost the closets a long time ago.

looks like it's bob's hotel, after all. bob, better make sure your bed is extra large. i hear andy is a space hog.

If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.

If you lie down with Bob, fleas will be the least of your worries.