I have yet to attend a Convergence…be it timing, geography, lack of funds, work, health, whatever ~ something always gets in the way. However, if NOLA wins the bid ~ and what a fabulous proposal they have submitted ~ there will be no keeping us away. Vote, vote, vote!
New Orleans – Convergence XII Proposal
Details behind the cut tag
Voodoo Redux
April 13 – 16, 2006
Proposal website: http://www.altgothic.com/c12neworleans
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Introduction
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New Orleans residents have a fondness for our city that borders on fetishism. That fondness stems from the same mentality that tells us the actual history of New Orleans is far stranger than anything fiction can create. That stranger-than-fiction history is alive in this city. It’s on every street. It’s visible in the buildings and the sidewalks and the people. It’s everywhere. It is with that sense of living history that we have formulated our proposal for Convergence 12, and why we think New Orleans would again be a bewitching host city.
Our theme is Voodoo, a cultural cornerstone of New Orleans, which arrived from Haiti on the back of the burgeoning slave trade in the early 1800s. Marie Laveau, our most famous voodoo priestess, was instrumental in reaffirming the integration of the Catholic saints and the Voudon gods, and by the 1830s she had helped persuade the Catholic Church that many Voodoo worshippers were converted Catholics.
In acknowledgement of our city’s past and of Convergence past, we throw Voodoo together with Catholicism again for Easter Weekend, our proposed dates of April 13th - April 16th, 2006.
No matter what your beliefs, we are sure that if you choose New Orleans as the host city for Convergence 12, you will be a part of the best Convergence yet, in the city where history is stranger than the most imaginative fiction.
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Hotel
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Convergence 12 has chosen the Hotel Monteleone (http://www.hotelmonteleone.com) as the official hotel. The hotel is a four-diamond New Orleans landmark and we feel that there would be no better hotel to make the most of your New Orleans and Convergence experience.
We’ve arranged a SIGNIFICANTLY discounted room rate of $129 single/double occupancy.
The Hotel Monteleone is the essence of a memorable travel experience. It’s the heart and soul of hospitality. And, when you’re there, you’re right where you want to be: in New Orleans, in the French Quarter, in the hotel with an identity all its own.
The Monteleone has welcomed guests to their family owned and operated hotel for well over a century. To say that they’ve mastered the art of hospitality is no overstatement. From your first call to checkout, they’ll show you the service that has made the Hotel Monteleone a legend in New Orleans and among discriminating travelers around the world.
The Monteleone offers a selection of 600 rooms and suites, ranging from the intimate to the truly magnificent. All have amenities ranging from high-speed, wireless Internet connections to plush robes. Their three restaurants are among the city’s most acclaimed. Their Carousel Piano Bar and Lounge is a French Quarter institution in its own right. The rooftop pool and fitness center, the private spa Aria, full-service business center and their gift shop all add to the quality of your stay.
Staying at the Hotel Monteleone is having your own private retreat in the French Quarter. In fact, you’d have a great New Orleans experience even if you never stepped outside their doors.
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Events
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Just as the Loa may enter Voodoo adherents, we have called on them to possess our Events for Convergence 12. In reverence for our unique history, a patron Loa guides each event. All of these events are subject to change, but you can begin to appreciate the flavor of what we’re planning.
Thursday April 13, 2006
Early Check-In: Arriving a day early? Swing by committee headquarters to pick up your tickets and laminates to free up more of Friday afternoon for exploration and meeting old and new friends.
Official Unofficial Pre-Party
(18+, 21 and over can purchase alcohol)
Friday April 14, 2006
Loco’s City Park Trip: Anxious to see more of New Orleans than the French Quarter? Sign up to join us on a fun afternoon jaunt that will bring you to NOLAs beautiful City Park. Home to plenty to see and do, including the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Botanical Gardens, a Sculpture Garden, the Dueling Oak, City Park Stables and more. If you brought your little ones with you to Convergence, this is something you must do! City Park is a wonderland for kids, including Storyland, a park where 26 storybooks come to life, and an amusement park that includes and antique carousel, a Ferris Wheel, Tilt-A-Whirl and more!
Erzulie’s Alternative Models and Photographers Meet-up: Bring your portfolios and dress your best, here is your opportunity to make some good connections across the country and for the rest of the weekend. Get to know your fellow Convergence goers and set up some shoot times for the rest of your trip, New Orleans makes a fabulous background. Professionals and Serious Start-Ups with Portfolios ONLY please.
Papa Legba’s Registration & Rendezvous: Pick up your tickets, laminate, and goodie bag, then meet up with old friends and make new ones as everyone gets acquainted. There will be booze!
Adjasou’s Tonics and Potions Run: Join us in the hotel lobby for a trip to get the booze flowing and room parties rumbling. We’ll take a quick jaunt over to the Vieux Carre Wine and Liquor Store, just a few short blocks from the hotel. They also deliver, and then you’ll know where to go for the rest of the weekend!
(18+, 21 and over can purchase alcohol)
Papa Legba’s Opening Ceremonies: Papa Legba himself will grace the ceremonies as we line up a full Voodoo spectacle. Bands and DJs follow until you can’t stand, as we don’t stop serving drinks until you go home.
Saturday April 15, 2006
Ayezan’s Market: A shopper’s paradise awaits you, just an elevator ride away from your room. Come and peruse the wares of shops from all over the country and world!
Erzulie’s High Fashion Tea: Tea, scones, clotted cream, and a fashion show! Dress in your finest for a Formal Tea, during which you will be entertained by the amazing attire from designers around the country. We’re working on making this extra special.
The Ghedes’ Cemetery Tour: The talented guides of New Orleans Ghost Tours will be pleased to take you on a journey into the oldest graveyard in the city, Saint Louis #1, at a Convergence-only discounted rate. Located just outside the French Quarter, it has been the filming location for a myriad of movies, and is rumored to be the final resting place of Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen. They’ll also tell you all about architecture and historic French Quarter landmarks on your way there.
Alt.Gothic.Fashion Swap: A Convergence staple that we will certainly be continuing!
Art Show: Curious as to what is inside your cohort’s heads? This Art Show will showcase the talents of various attendees; anyone wanting to participate is welcome to do so!
Zombie Film Room: Playing movies all day!
(18+, 21 and over can purchase alcohol)
Kalfu’s Night: More live bands followed by the hottest DJs in the world. Just like the night before, the music and the drinks won’t stop until you can’t stand on two feet anymore.
Sunday April 16, 2006
Ayezan’s Market: A shopper’s paradise awaits you just an elevator ride away from your room. Come and peruse the wares from shops from all over the country and world!
Agwe’s Riverboat Brunch: Sail down the Mississippi on one of New Orleans fine old riverboats as you enjoy authentic New Orleans cuisine. This is a fun way to see New Orleans from another angle, and you’ll get a chance to see some of the edges of the Bayou as you cruise past. The more people we get for this event the more fun it will be, if we reach past a certain number, we’ll get our own deck or possibly our own boat which means we can hand-pick the menu and bring a DJ on board! This event is based on interest, so if you want to do it, you’ll need to sign-up!
Voodoo Tour: The guides of New Orleans Ghost Tours will lead you on a fascinating walk around the Quarter, at our special discounted rate, exploring the roots of Voodoo in New Orleans and the rest of the world. After the first 45 minutes, you will then be dropped off at Chez Voudon where you will meet a real Voodoo Priestess and participate in an authentic ritual.
Shopping Trip: Magazine or the Quarter, your choice! Meet-up is in the Dealer’s Room where we will split into groups. Magazine street will require a small transportation fee.
Art Show & Silent Auction: Curious as to what is inside your cohort’s heads? This Art Show will showcase the talents of various attendees; anyone wanting to participate is welcome to do so!
Zombie Film Room: We’ll still be playing movies until 4 p.m., after that join us for the Silent Film Wine Tasting!
Damballah’s Silent Film Wine Tasting: Want to whet your whistle and hobnob with friends before getting ready for the final event? We’ll be featuring a delicious selection of wines hand-picked by our own personal wine snob. Explore your palate and take a look at some of the best silent horror films if you aren’t too busy talking.
(18+, 21 and over can purchase alcohol)
Baron Samedi’s Closing Ball: Just like Baron Samedi marks the passing from this world into the world of the spirit, Convergence 12 passes to Convergence 13. All good things must come to an end. We send you off in grand style with a fashion show, closing ceremonies and finally a blessing by a Voodoo Priestess. Then, we dance until the spirits require rest. May the spirits watch over you in all your future journeys.
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Travel
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Getting to New Orleans from any major city in the world is easy, and not always expensive. Tourism is big here, so airlines make it easy for you to get here.
Below are some airline rates from major cities and distant points, including previous Convergence cities. These prices are for reference only, and will definitely be different (maybe even cheaper) next year, but we provide them to give you an idea of what it will cost, and to help you budget your travel.
Sample round-trip rates:
From Chicago - $213
From Boston - $193
From San Francisco - $235
From Toronto - $359
From Seattle - $224
From New York - $166
From Montreal - $367
From Las Vegas - $183
From San Diego - $218
From Portland - $234
Getting around in NOLA
Hosting Convergence in the French Quarter means that many notable locations are easily accessible by foot. The French Quarter and the neighboring Marigny are bustling all night. If you need to get uptown or to mid-city, both are conveniently located on the streetcar lines. For other parts of the city, you can call a cab (see the typical rate table below). The most commonly used company is United Cab (504-522-9771). Make sure you know the address of where you are and an idea of where you are going before you call.
The Magazine Street Bus (#11) picks up on Canal outside the Sheraton hotel. You can also ride the historic St. Charles Street car that picks up on the corner of Bourbon/Carondolet and Canal. Fares will cost $1.25 and transfers are .25. Getting to the N.O. Museum of Art is easy by either the new Canal Streetcar line or on the Esplanade bus (#48) that picks up along North Rampart Street in the Quarter, until turning onto Esplanade Ave.
Taxi Rates
Drop of Meter $2.50 + $1 gas surcharge plus $0.20 per 1/8 mile.
Waiting time $0.20 per 40 seconds.
$1 for each passenger over the first.
Fixed Airport Taxi Rates:
1 person $28
2 people $28
3 people $36
4 people $48
5 people $60
Airport shuttles run $25/person roundtrip. We’re working with the hotel on a discounted rate for Convergence attendees.
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Committee
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David White aka Penguin / niugneP: Chairperson, Hotel and Evening Events
Official Convergence Drink: Red Bull and Ketel One (or better)
Mike Heckman aka Tepesh: General Manager
Official Convergence Drink: Chartreuse ROCKS!
Micah Medway aka Micahra: Public Relations
Official Convergence Drink: Jack & Coke or Corona
Brian Callahan aka w0rl0ck: Web Design and Development
Official Convergence Drink: Tully on the rocks
Jake Moran: Vendor Coordinator
Official Convergence Drink: GUINNNNNNNNEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!
Melanie Overslaugh aka Stranglet: Daytime Event and Entertainment Coordinator
Official Convergence Drink: Jameson’s straight with a beer or on the rocks with Diet Coke
Frank Schmidt: Transportation Coordinator/Legal Consultant
Official Convergence Drink: Vanilla White Russian
Please visit our website for complete bios: http://www.altgothic.com/c12neworleans/committee.html
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FAQ
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For a complete and up-to-date FAQ, please visit our web page at http://www.altgothic.com/c12neworleans/faq.html
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More info
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http://www.altgothic.com/c12neworleans
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::x-posted ![[info]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
creepigurl::
I can’t wait to go!
Me either…’hell or high water’ as they say.
See you there =)