Leaguefest 2022: More Info
The primary hotel for Leaguefest 2022 has been selected: Hilton Alexandria Old Town in… uhhh… Alexandria’s Old Town. {reads note cards} Sorry, Alexandria’s historic old town!
Seriously, I’ve always heard great things about it and after having gotten a lot of information from various sources I think Alexandria is a great place to set up shop. It’s accessible to the blue line which runs through DCA into DC. With added affordability it is the best of multiple worlds.
I decided not to reserve a block of rooms, but this hotel was chosen in part because if there is a problem getting a room to your liking there are several nearby hotels within walking distance of both the Hilton Alexandria Old Town (sorry to be all formal with the name, but there actually is another Hilton right there) and the Old King Station of the Blue Line providing us direct access to DC and all it has to offer. The big dinner would be that night.
Spitballing it here, I think we may be looking at a more informal dinner in Alexandria the first night, that Saturday being mostly in DC, then Sunday being a day where folks go whichever way suits them. Some of you talked about going to vineyards, maybe some go back to DC, and there’s always Historic Harpers Ferry which I hear is a very nice place. The Orioles are also in town (The Nationals are not). Also, the Hamlton: The Musical has a showing on on Sunday afternoon. Tickets for that start at $150 and go all the way up to the $700’s. I figure we meet for dinner that night in Alexandria. Monday we have a lunch for folks who are still there, and all say our goodbyes.
How does this sound? Any suggestions? Any concerns? Please let me know.
Sounds awesome! I’ll be there Fri-Mon.
Also who wants to go to Hamilton with me?Report
I’m definitely game for Hamilton. Anyone else?Report
I’m not sure I can justify the cost.Report
Yeah it’s eye poppingReport
Ok, I’d never tell a baseball fan that a stadium is too far, but out-of-towners should know that Camden Yards is really probably too far. It’s a great place to see a game, but you’d be trusting I-95 and the Capital Beltway on Labor Day weekend, or spending 2+ hours on trains each way.Report
Concur. Which is a shame, as Camden Yards is still a gorgeous ballpark, I think one of the first of the “new style” parks and Boo’s BBQ there is tasty and you can see the plaque they put up out on the concourse where Griffey hit that massive dinger.Report
TBF if you guys were all coming to my neck of the woods and you wanted to go see a Dodger game you’d be in the car for at least two hours and it’s about 15 miles away.
So it’s all a matter of expectations 🙂Report
Maybe next year we could do Leaguefest Los Angeles?Report
He said “Dodgers”. He’s in Brooklyn, not Los Angeles.Report
I am booked and looking forward to meeting up with everyone! I will pass on seeing Hamilton (seen it live here in PDX) but it’s a great, great night out if you can do it.
I would very much enjoy visiting the International Spy Museum in L’Enfant Plaza. I see that they book tickets 45 days out and are expected to sell out for the weekend. Anyone who wants to go do this with me, let’s coordinate and book our tickets now, because we’ll have to book a week from today (posting on Tuesday, 12 July 2022).
Am also quite interested in a visit out to the countryside for grape juice (particularly the fermented variety) and a crawl of local craft brew in DC/NoVA, as well as the usual commemorations of national greatness in and around the Mall.Report
Ohh the Spy museum sounds fun. I’d dig that. Probably good for a winery tour also depending on where everyone wants to go and such. I will be bringing Wife in Ak so should check with her at some point i assume.Report
Wife in AK… but what is she in VA?Report
Anyone else for the spy museum? I will buy tickets on Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on preference and number (you can pay me back in some form when we get there).Report
Last call — is it just gonna be Greg in AK, his wife, and I?Report
If this is happening on Saturday, count me in, please!Report
I have a total of six (6) tickets available for 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, 03 September 2022. Definitely looking forward to it!Report
I’ve booked rooms for Fri 9/2 and Sat 9/3 — those are the right dates, I hope?
No particular objectives for Fri/Sat other than drinking some beers and being appropriately contrarian.
If folks wanted to explore some wineries out west, I’d be happy to assist with coordinating a loop to the ‘near west’ out US 66… could possibly end with Dinner at Field & Main to set everyone up for an easy 30-40 min drive back to Alexandria.
The near west is probably the closest wine region – the other being Central VA near Charlottesville – which is fun and worth doing on it’s own but not my zone.
Near West suggested vineyards:
* Linden Vineyards (known for their whites)
* RdV Vineyards (Super Pretentious Reds — but darned if they aren’t really good in that pretentious sort of way)
* Naked Mountain Vineyard (Known for their buttery Chard)
* Barrel Oak Winery (New-ish – never been but they’ve built a ginormous fancy winery right off 66 – looks nice!)
* Rappahannock Cellars (furthest out, run by local acquaintance family in our parish — Sold their CA winery to open this – winemaker kids go to school with my kids kinda thing… could see if we could get some tour or something. But this one is 1.5 hrs from Alexandria – so maybe too far — then again about 20 min from Linden. Soooo?)
* Field & Main specializes in Local Wine List and open hearth cooking… one of my go-to places where the owner will take good care of us.
If we did Linden (first), RdV, Naked Mountain and Barrel Oak… it would take approx 1 hr to get to first winery then an hour +/- for each tasting, then dinner at F&M? Leave at 12 … Dinner at 6? Something like that. Could scale it down to 1 or 2 plus dinner… or no dinner. Anyhow, lots of options depending on what folks wanted: Quantity or Quality time?
These days most wineries want reservations… so we’d have to put some structure/planning into it depending on how many folks would be interested.
Will post links below.Report
Links:
https://www.lindenvineyards.com/
https://www.rdvvineyards.com/
https://www.nakedmtnwinery.com/
https://barreloak.com/
https://www.rappahannockcellars.com/
https://www.fieldandmainrestaurant.com/menus/Report
I remember Grey Ghost being a nice setup.Report
I would love to do this on Friday!Report
Yes. Count me in for that as well!Report
I’m arriving on Thursday night and leaving early Sunday morning. So Friday will be for debauchery and Saturday for contrition.Report
Wait?! Is this a real thing?!?! I love it.
Assume ladies are included too?
I can’t make it this year, but would love a future gathering. Is it always Labor Day weekend?
(We took my boys to the Spy Museum in 2019. Their favorite exhibit was the prosthetic scrotum for hiding a radio transmitter).Report
Definitely a real thing!Report
I was going to send a life-sized cardboard cut out of myself in my stead but I figured it would be cost-prohibitive.Report