PASADENA GTG--if you are not in pasadena this weekend you are missing the party of the year!!
 

i feel sorry for those of you unable to attend the GTG that Guenmai has put together for us in LA...

people arrived throughout the day on thursday and we met for dinner just around the conrner from the marriott courtyard at 6:30PM......

guen outdid herself with gifts for everyone and a wonderful setting....

we had a delicious dinner and lots of travel chit chat.....many new friends were made and we look forward to the actual get-together later this AM....

people waiting for computer so must sign off for now...

bob and karen
and craig looking over my shoulder!!

Glad to hear you are having a good time in CA. It sounds like Guenmai has set the bar really high for the Boston GTG. Looking forward to the full report. Have a safe trip back to Boston. The weather next week will be in the 70's. Spring has finally arrived.

Bob isn't kidding - Guenmai sure knows how to throw a party and make everyone feel extraordinarily welcome. Was unable to attend today, so she graciously included me in the dinner last night for the out-of-towners.

What an honor to meet so many of the allstars of the Asian board (Bob, Kathie, lcuy, Craig, Simpson510, Hawaiiantraveler, Robbiegreen, Wintersm, Kuranosuke, plus everyone's wonderful spouses and partners.) I was really lucky to be seated between two of my travel heroes, Kathie and lcuy, who had both helped me enormously when I was planning my trip. It was a very warm and friendly group, and within minutes everyone seemed like an old friend.

As Bob said, Guenmai's party favors were quite something - the highlight is a fabulous black canvas tote imprinted with a friendly elephant and all of our screen names. Guenmai also provided a sinful double chocolate cake from a famous local bakery, even though she is deathly allergic to chocolate.

Really sorry I'm not with everyone right now, but it's a crazy day with two other events.

Will provide more details soon(including info about my unexpected parking ticket). Don't want to be faced with penalties for a tardy GTG report.

on the bag are printed two of our favorite names who were unable to attend at the last minute: laurieco and gpanda (i have one for beth)....missed you....

the luncheon was even more fabulous than last nite....delicious thai food and a very pleasant bright sunny atmosphere....about 30 in attendance and more new faces to go with familiar names....kristina, filmwill, mrwundfl and others come to mind...

guen was resplendent in jewels and an asian outfit and was the perfect hostess....

more gifts and momentos....wow!!!

tonight we are going spanish and we look forward to what surprises may await us...

SIMPLY A WONDERFUL WEEKEND!!!!

Boy Bob, you must have sprinted back to the computer! I thought that I would surely be the first to report on the wonderful GTG.

It was great to meet everyone in person.

Guen I wish I had half your energy!

So nice to have that long overdue moment where I got to finally put some faces with the names that have been of so much help to us over the last year!

Kudos to Guen for pulling off such a phenomenal lunch...and thank you to all for helping make the time there such a wonderful few hours.

Was sad to go, but hope to see you all again in our travels and at future GTGs. It feels like a family of sorts and that, always, is a very nice thing. :)

I have to add my two cents in praise of guenmai and this fabulous event. It really has been one for the record books. Andy, if you are reading this thread, you and Bob and Karen and Beth have a LOT of work to do to MATCH this GTG in Pasadena.

Bob and crosscheck each mentioned a number of names of those in attendance. I don't think they missed many... there was BillT today for lunch, along with his lovely wife. We also met Arlene and Dick, Louanne (who owns the wonderful travel book shop that guenmai talks about all the time)... great store!! A number of us ended up there this afternoon for a look. Many purchases were made, I think.

I also would like to point out the lovely books on Pasadena that guenmai gave everyone. I don't know how many of you attendees realized that these are signed by the author, with a nice welcome to the city of Pasadena. What a lovely touch.

There are chocolates from See's, there are macadamia nuts from hawaiiantraveler and lcuy (thank you both) and crosscheck gave us each a CD of symphony music! I think I'll have to go buy a nw suitcase to get all of my goodies home to Illinois!!

Seriously, this is a very lovely weekend. Thank you so much, guenmai. You've been the most charming hostess to all of us! Thank you for sharing you beautiful city.

Carol

Yes, thank you Hawaiian traveller and lcuy for providing desert and the little 'pick-me-up'! :)

I just want to add my thanks Guenmai and all she did in terms of preparation for this event. Boy, am I impressed! Who knew it would be so organized and we'd all get goodie bags? Guen, you really went above and beyond with this one. Thank you so much for taking all the time you did.

The food was fabulous too! If any of you make it out to LA, you've got to go to Pasadena to Saladang Song.

I very much enjoyed meeting everyone and had a fantastic time talking to Bob, mrwundfl, Ken, Will and his partner, Lcuy, Kathie, Carol and everyone else!

The Pandas are very sorry that they missed this wonderful GTG. Sounds like lots was happening. We had no doubt that Guen would excel. Go Red Sox.

Guenmai, thanks again for the wonderful GTG, you were a terrific hostess and the restaurant was an excellent choice.

It was great to meet so many new fodorites and to see my fodors friends from Hawaii again.

Gutted muffin and i couldn't make it sounds like you all had a fantastic time. Ah well maybe another time for us....

Posting from Seatlle - What a fabulous get together! It was great to meet so many Fodorites and trade travel stories. I loved meeting so many people I've "talked" with online, and loved seeing friends from other get togethers... Hawaiian Traveler and Linda, Lcuy, Kuranosuke, and Bob and Karen, and, of course, Guenmai. It really emphasises what a community we are here on the Asia Fodors board. Cheryl, who often thinks I spend too much time on Fodors, now understands, and can't wait for the next gtg.

Crosscheck and I were seated next to each other on Friday night, and it was great to talk with her in person. As you might expect from the posts on the board, the most animated discussion of the evening was about the famous Japanese toilet! Had crosscheck lived closer, we would have all be over there testing it out!

And I loved meeting robbietravels and her charming husband, Fred. We talked about Bhutan (their upcoming trip) and Sri Lanka (our upcoming trip).

Craig and I got to trade info on our Sri Lanka arrangements. We're both getting close to putting down deposits. WHile his trip isn't until February and ours is in November, he's a bit ahead of us in his planning.

On Saturday, I got to meet Filmwill and his partner, David and have a nice chat. And Femi and I got to talk all too briefly about Laos. And I got to meet MrWunrfl and he agreed to offer advice when I plan the Japan trip we're hoping to take in 2008 to see the Sakura. I managaged only brief converations with winstersm and Kristina, we'll make sure to talk more next time.

I also enjoyed meeting some of Guenmai's non-Fodors friends. Dick and Arlene, I found, have been enoying eating at Lemongrass about as long as I have. We traded info on favorite dishes. And we talked with Karen about jewelry shoopping, and envied her that she was leaving for Bangkok that night! We enjoyed meeting Darrius, and of course, we had to visit Louella's travel shop after lunch and walked away with armloads of purchases.

Like others, I have to sing the praises of Guen! What fabulous restaurants she chose for us! I swear Saladang Song is the best Thai food I've had in the US! And last night we had Spanish tapas and watched Flamenco, including the participation of two Fodorites. Who knew they were so talented!!

We're already talking about a Honolulu gtg sometime in September, and of course, the granddaddy of them all, the 4th annual Boston gtg will be in October.

Hello from Marina Del Rey. I moved out of the Pasadena Courtyard this morning (saw HT on my way out the door), and drove the Ventura Fwy and coastal highway on this gorgeous LA day to my next stop on this quickie vacation. Wish I'd been upgraded to a convertible like Craig... it was the perfect day for it.

Guenmai, I enjoyed the tapas restaurant and the tour of Twin Palms (too bad we didn't see Kevin). I knew we are all blessed to have talented members of our fodor family, but the flamenco dancing really caught me off guard! lol

Your GTG in Pasadena was one for the record books, guen. Thanks so much for your work. Now you can rest (and then begin planning next years GTG)!

I hope everyone had/has a safe journey back to their respective homes. Glad you and Cheryl made it back to Seattle, Kathie.

I hope those fodorites from the HNL GTG decide on a date for their next event and post it so we can all begin planning our travels to the island. I look forward to seeing everyone once again!

Thanks, one and all, for the memories.

Carol

just got back from spending the day with guen and polly. went to the getty museum, had lunch there, and took a tour of the garmet district, and altadena.

what can i say that others haven't said already. just a great weekend, beginning with the indian dinner with karen and bob, and ending today.

guen, mahalo plenty for the best gtg that i have ever attended(went to 4). now go take a long well deserved nap. i know you really worked very hard on this gtg, and it showed. we all appreciated your hard work.

it was good to see old friends again, and meet new ones. you guys are all great. :-)

WOW.....everyone has said it all, the best gtg ever!

It was great to see Kathie, lcuy,kuranosuke, guen and mrwnrfl again.....wish we could do this much more often as Linda and I already miss you all.

It was a real pleasure meeting you Craig,Karen,Carol,BillT, Olive, Cheryl,wintersm,robbiegreen,filmwill,femi,crossche ck,Dick and Arlene, Derrius,David,kristina and Louanne, it was a privilege and honor and I hope we all cross paths very soon!

Oh.....and of course the grand puba himself, rhkkmk, lol. Bob you have helped us all out more than you know, many thanks for all the help and for keeping your speedos in your suitcase, lol.

Kathie we have to get Linda and Cheryl to start posting......I think Linda is just about ready, maybe after just one more flamenco dance, OLE! :)

Carol, what a coincidence we just got back from dinner with the family at The Warehouse in Marina del Rey.

The Hawaii gtg should be on either Sept. 8th or the 22nd, we'll figure it all out when we get home.

guenmai has set the bar on the top rung for future gtg's, thank you guen for everything!!!!

Aloha!

Peter,
I pass by the Warehouse everytime I leave the Marina. Looks like a nice place for dinner.

If I'm not mistaken, Ken rattled off three dates in September, but the 22nd was not one of them. I could be wrong. I'll be anxious to get back to HNL, whatever the date.

Carol

Hi everyone - got home a little after 10 last night and am now at the office. The boss (Jeane) debriefed me this morning so now she knows what she missed 8-) .

My 36 hours "on the ground" in LA went by so fast, I didn't even get a chance to read Guen's write-up on what countries everyone had visited until I got home and unpacked. We sure are a well-traveled bunch.

I really enjoyed meeting everyone - old friends and new ones. As some of you know, I had seen on the other GTG thread that we were all supposed to meet Friday night before dinner in Ken's (Kuranosuke's) room. I had arrived from the airport just in time for dinner and had no idea where the room was. Later I was to discover that RHKKMK's Karen had left a message on voice mail on my room phone but I didn't see it. As I was heading down the hall towards the rear exit that would lead me to the restaurant, I heard loud talking and lots of laughter coming from one of the rooms - I immediately knew that I had stumbled upon my fellow Fodorites...

I hope to get to a Honolulu GTG some day but it won't be this Fall - will have to "settle" for Boston in October, I'm afraid...If there is another Pasadena GTG, Jeane has promised she will attend with me.

Guen, thanks for all of the goodies and all of your hard work - amongst the attendees it seemed unanimous that this was the best GTG ever. I enjoyed sitting with your friends Dick and Arlene at Saladang - I hope you can convince them to join Fodors and post a trip report when they return from Bangladesh. Your restaurant choices were excellent - please thank your friends in the business for treating us so well.

ht, uh plays on 9/22 but i will skip it if that is the best date for the gtg. other good dates are the 15(although i won't be there) and the 29th.

sep 8 is not good for guen, as she is just returning from her trip to bangkok that week.

still here in pasadena, but will be leaving shortly.