Dartmouth College Class of 1966
60th Birthday
Celebration in San Francisco
Announcement
Dear Classmate,
We have completed our
planning to celebrate our mutual and collective 60th birthdays
during 2004, much like we celebrated our 50th in Washington DC in
1994 and our 55th in Charleston in 1999. Based on the response to our questionnaire included in the
June Class Newsletter, we have decided on a Friday, April 30 - Sunday, May
2, 2004 gathering in San Francisco in
the hope of attracting West Coast/Bay Area classmates, as well as classmates
from other regions who might want to visit San Francisco for the first time, or
would like to return to this beautiful, lively city by the Bay. Local San Franciscan Walt Knoepfel has
taken on the challenge to chair this mini reunion, ably assisted by Allan
Anderson, Roger Brett, Bob Serenbetz and Ken Zuhr (we welcome other
volunteers).
The questionnaire response
and subsequent Committee research confirmed that our preliminary planning was
on target.
A. Timing:
The weekend of Friday, April 30 - Sunday May 2, 2004.
B. Headquarters:
The Chancellor Hotel - Located at 433 Powell St. on the north side of
the Union Square area, on the cable car line, and next-door to the most
renowned breakfast spot in SF (Sears), we have reserved a block of 50 rooms
(minimum 2 night stay) at the very competitive rate of $99 for a double room
per night including continental breakfast (plus tax of 14%), or $109 per night
including continental breakfast and parking (plus tax). They have agreed to also
provide a few rooms to local Bay Area residents who may want to stay over one
night at the same rates. The Chancellor will hold these rooms until March 30,
2004. They will honor the same rate if you wish to extend your stay for the
nights of Thursday, April 29 or Sunday, May 2. Check out their website at www.chancellorhotel.com
and book your room directly by calling 800-428-4748 and specifying the
Dartmouth Class of 1966 Reunion.
Because of the size of our group the hotel has included the Clipper room as a hospitality suite for registration, meeting, and refreshments.
C. Other hotel options: You may want to check out other area hotels including the
nearby Westin St. Francis at www.westinstfrancis.com (800-917-7458) or you may have a
favorite San Francisco hotel of your own.
Booking the Chancellor or another hotel is your responsibility.
D. Weekend agenda (some times are approximate):
1. Friday noon to 5:00 PM--Registration at the Clipper Room at the Chancellor Hotel.
2. Friday 3:00-5:00 PM-- Optional docent
guided tour of the new Asian Art Museum (recently opened to rave reviews). The cost is $12 per person. The Museum is a 9 block walk from the
Chancellor.
3. Friday 5:30-7:30 PM--Cocktail reception at Chancellor Hotel; cost is included in overall weekend charge.
4. Friday 7:30 PM--Dinner at local restaurants.
Our plan is to provide a list of 6 or 7 restaurants prior to the weekend which exemplify San Francisco's most interesting locales and cuisines, and make group reservations in advance, or you can do your own research and make your own reservations.
5. Friday 7:00 PM or 10:00 PM -- Optional Beach Blanket
Babylon revue. Tickets to this
long-running, uniquely San Francisco show cost $42 per person. We will buy tickets in advance for
those who sign up. There are no
reserved seats, so attendees should plan to arrive at least 20 minutes before
show time. Drinks are served at the floor level table seating at the show. Those attending the 10:00 show will be able to join classmates for the reception and 7:30 dinner reservations; those attending the 7:00 show will have to leave the reception around 6:15 and may plan dinner at local restaurants after the show (see above).
6. Saturday morning--breakfast on your own; if staying at the Chancellor, a continental breakfast is included. For those
interested in an alternative, check out
Sears restaurant nearby.
7. Saturday 8:30 AM to approx. 5:00 PM--Bus trip to Napa Valley for visits to two wineries for tours and wine tasting, plus a picnic lunch at V. Sattui winery. We have decided to opt for a buffet
lunch of a wide assortment of meats, cheeses, salads, fruits, and desserts,
plus V. Sattui wines, as an economical and time effective lunch venue. They will also provide an indoor
location in the unlikely event of rain in the Napa Valley on May 1. A third
winery for a tasting only will be included, time permitting. Bus, lunch and winery charges are
included in your overall weekend charge.
8. Saturday 6:30 PM--Cash bar/cocktail reception and dinner at the North Beach Restaurant (or some other well known San Francisco landmark). Meal cost, including tax and gratuity, is included in
overall weekend charge. The
restaurant will offer a selection of their most popular entrees for your choice
(please note vegetarian or special dietary requirements on your signup)
9. Sunday 10:00 AM--Optional Sunday brunch
and farewell gathering at the Carnelian Room, located atop the Bank of America
building affording an outstanding view of the City and the Bay. The cost is $40
per person, including tax and gratuity.
This is optional as we recognize that those flying to the East Coast on
Sunday may have morning flights out.
E. Other options
1. Pre
and post weekend options: your
committee will provide information for classmates or groups of classmates to
use in self-organizing activities such as San Francisco City tours, more
extensive Napa tours/train excursion, East Bay tours and museums, baseball
games, etc.
2. We
plan to organize a golf outing for golfers on Thursday afternoon, Friday
morning or Monday morning, based on expression of interest below. Depending on the size of the group, we
will book tee times at one of the local, highly regarded public courses. Each player will pay for his or her
greens fees, etc. at the time of play.
F. Costs--We have made preliminary estimates of costs for the weekend. Your Class Officers
have voted to subsidize the cost of the weekend if necessary to facilitate good
attendance and have encouraged us to use the low end of our cost estimates when
pricing the weekend and signup. We
hope you will find the following reasonable.
1. Full
weekend cost per person (excluding hotel and optional events): $160 per person ($135 if paid by
January 15, 2004) to cover the hospitality suite costs, including beverages and
snacks, and other general expenses; Saturday winery bus tour (including lunch);
Saturday reception and dinner, excluding alcoholic beverages but including
taxes and gratuities.
2. Saturday reception and dinner only (for local classmates and guests who don't want to participate in the local tours, etc.):
$60 per person ($50 if paid by January 15, 2004)
3. Optional
Friday Asian Art Museum tour: $12
per person
4. Optional Friday, 7:00 PM or 10:00 PM performance of Beach Blanket Babylon revue: $42 per person
5. Optional
Sunday brunch--$40 per person (including taxes and gratuity).