I was talking with iCeD last night about getting the next phase started. We want to get a final tally on where and when. Before we just go with the general consensus of this first phase, I want to start gathering details on possible locations. That way the final decision on a location can be directed by the details of the possible locations, rather than being stuck with trying to find stuff for a single location.

This is where you can contribute. You can help us by finding stuff such as places to stay, how much they cost, how well they can accomidate a group of our size (about 20 people), how good transportation around the area is, how much transportation costs, how far it is to possible attractions that we would be interested in, what kind of places would be nearby that we could go to to easily find food to eat or have some place to wander around in case people get bored, etc. Since there has already been a general consensus for either Toronto or New York, it'd be best to concentrate your search around those areas -- however, if you happen to find another place not too far off that happens to have everything we're looking for, plus it's cheaper or something, then mention that too so we can put that up for the final consideration.

As for the dates, early August is sounding the best, possibly right at the end of July. Also, there have been voices for both the weekend and weekdays, so the best solution would probably be to include both a full weekend, and extend into the week. People seem to be thinking it should be at least 5 or 6 days long to make the trip worth it, so getting in both a weekend and weekdays wouldn't be hard. Remember that you don't have to be there for the entire duration. (But we probably would like you to be .)