quote:Although its dive, I think the attendance is way down since the event left the Plaza. It was really the perfect place though, with cars in the ball room , Fremont Street and the large parking area.
True to an extent, Mike. The ballroom cars option went away when the old-school owner sold off the Plaza, and the newbies didn't have the needed pull with the LV Fire Dept. They also had no sense of history with POCA, and added a price to every damn little perk that had just been 'comped' for years. The parking lot was big and secure, but right next to the RR tracks and all their dust. Fremont was an easy drive around the block, to be sure, and thus an easy walk back to the Hospitality Suite - there were always enough owners on the display to watch your baby if you couldn't hang for the whole time - drunk ex-show girls dancing on John's car excluded.
Sadly The Orleans IS more $$$ than the Plaza (old Place prices, that is). And the well-worn-in ambiance of the Plaza is missed by many.
All that said, let's make one thing perfectly clear....
The Fun Rally is NOT about the hotel room, any one event, or even the $$$.
It is about gathering owners/admirers of De Tomasos in one five-day community devoted to our cars.
There is ALWAYS something new to see, a new face to meet, old friends to see, and the bench racing never stops. The damn job at home can wait, the boss is a jerk anyways and you're going to spend all your money one way or the other.
For members of the Pantera Family, I believe there are two must-do events that never grow old - Fun Rally and Monterey Concorso Italiano.
So tell the boss you're taking time off, lay off the $5 Starbucks and the $10 quick picks for the next few months, call the Orleans and make your reservation (you can cancel up to three days prior to arrival), and get your car trip-worthy or buy the airline tickets.
Larry
(Still hoping for a repeat of those 150 car Fremont displays)