mhlepore wrote:I want this Congress to succeed, but I have very mixed feelings about having a Congress in midtown Manhattan.
Pluses:
- It's midtown Manhattan! You can walk wherever you want to eat whatever you want - eat cheaply from the hot dog vendor on the street, or splurge, or something in the middle.
- Museums, Central Park, Broadway, a short train ride to Flushing and all the great Asian food and Korean Go clubs. Lots to do.
- If you are awake at 3am, there is no better place to be (does not apply to me though).
Minuses:
- I have stayed at the Hotel Pennsylvania and it was not nice - at least this was the case 12 years ago.
- Is this really family friendly? If you lose sight of your eight year-old child in Black Mountain, North Carolina, you could rest assured that he/she would pop up again soon. The same cannot be said for midtown Manhattan. This is the thing that scares me the most.
Good luck to the dedicated Go players in NYC for trying what has never thought to have been possible...
I think the family friendly thing could swing both ways -- I would imagine it is much easier for a spouse to find something to do with the kids in Manhattan while you are playing in the US Open. It may be also easier to convince the family in general to spend a week in NYC as opposed to some of the previous locations.
On the whole, I think it's an interesting and ambitious idea...I would imagine those who have quite liked earlier go congresses may find it off-putting. It won't have as much of the "week long immersion in a group of go players where everything is taken care of" feel. On the other hand, those who have had trouble justifying a week long trip "just for go", those who prefer to have other things to do once they have played in the US open, or those who have significant others tired of becoming go widow(er)s may be pleasantly surprised and find it a great time.