we got married...

...and then big sur went up in flames. it's been a whirlwind of a week and a proper update will soon follow when we finally gather ourselves together and answer all of our emails and letters and cards. thanks so much to those of you who made the trip out and survived the longest (but most amazing)wedding night ever. hope everyone got home safe. we love you!!!

important

hello all... almost ten days 'til our awesome big sur weekend! are you excited? we are.

i hate to ask for favors, but i have no choice. i have one small request for you before the big day: please send me your hotel details (and dates that you are staying).

this is SUPER important because this is how our shuttles will be booked... AND how to know where to put your special big sur gift bags. days are ticking away, so the sooner you get me your info, the fewer heart attacks we will have.

thanks guys! can't wait to see you all!

email dave or me:
tania@thefuturemagazine.com
dave@thefuturemagazine.com

it's almost time...

so the date is rapidly approaching... and don't think we don't know it. it feels like we have a bajillion things to do in the next few weeks (and we do), and we're short on time, money, options, and time. did i mention how short on time we are on time?! it's getting kind of ridiculous.

so, that said, you're running out of time to pack. there's so much to think about. are you going to go hiking? are you gonna hang out by the river and sunbathe? are you going to whale watch along the coast? all of those things are fantastic ideas.

watchin whales, originally uploaded by disinfected.

here are a few things to think about as you're packing your bag and figuring out your trip to big sur.

1. the grounds where we are getting married are all outdoors.

paion 007, originally uploaded by disinfected.

there is no respite for you if you get chilly or anti-social. and it's all grass, so please plan your outfit accordingly. high heeled shoes might be a bit of pain, since they can stick into the ground and just be generally annoying for most of the night. if you must wear heels i suggest wedges, chunky heels, espadrilles, or the like.

dave on a bridge, originally uploaded by disinfected.

dave always wears sensible shoes. so should you.

2. listen to your mom and bring a jacket. it's gonna get cold.

don't go chasin' waterfalls, originally uploaded by disinfected.

see, it's not that hard to tote a jacket around in nature.

3. bring a musical instrument, if you're inclined. maracas, kazoos, guitars, drums, tambourines, whatever. music will ensue and you should take part!

4. there will be an arrival dinner on friday before the wedding. notice that i said "arrival" and not "rehearsal." it will be casual, everyone's invited, and it will also be outdoors, probably BBQ, maybe we'll play frisbee or croquet. mostly, we're just gonna catch up and have a few drinks. sound good? once again, sensible shoes and some sort of coat are encouraged.

SMOKER, originally uploaded by disinfected.

5. shuttle service will run from the big sur lodge and a central location in carmel to and from the wedding site. schedules will be posted on friday so you can plan accordingly. there is NO parking at the wedding site, so please don't plan on driving yourself there. it just ain't gonna happen.

6. sunscreen's never a bad idea.

7. there is no cell phone service, internet, televisions, air conditioning, or substantial outdoor lighting at the big sur lodge. prepare yourself. if you need electronic entertainment, bring laptops, all the necessary chargers, and some DVDs or pre loaded entertainment. the rest of big sur is basically just as remote, so be prepared. it'll be a luxurious camping trip in the most beautiful spot in california. enjoy it, guys... who needs another rerun of law and order anyways?

waterfall, originally uploaded by disinfected.

8. there is one tavern in big sur, at the fernwood. please remember that dave and i are entitled to a teeny bit of special treatment for our special event, so please save us a seat if it's crowded.

cuter nature!, originally uploaded by disinfected.

carmel accomodations

for those not so inclined to stay among the redwoods of big sur, far away from phones and tvs and clocks and air conditioning, i would like to recommend carmel. it's about 20 minutes from big sur and we will arrange a shuttle service to make a stop there on Ssaturday, the 21st. and also for those who aren't able to fit within the rules and regulations of the room block at the big sur lodge (it's a popular destination, sorry it's hard to stay in, but it's worth it!).

you're on your own the night of the arrival dinner, unfortunately. shuttles don't grow on trees yet.

Hotel in Carmel

REGISTRY

yeah, we registered. so i feel compelled to let you know where.

we have an open ended registry to benefit our never ending home repairs and home remodeling and our honeymoon fund here.

we've also registered, like most couples, at bed, bath & beyond because we like stuff and things.

not too long 'till you get to see this beautiful place, where it all goes down. woot!

Fernwood

I just came across this place and it looks fairly interesting for those on a budget.

***update 2-12/2008**** this place IS pretty nice. food's good, the lodging is nice for a small motel and for camping, etc. there's a grocery store on site, a goooood restaurant, free wireless, and it's got the only real tavern in big sur. you can have beers with the locals!

i strongly recommend, however, that you try the big sur lodge first, as it's the most convenient for the wedding shuttles/ rehearsal dinner. and you can share larger rooms with other groups, couples, etc... to save on costs. tell them that you're with the carnie/rockenfeller wedding.

Dave and I will be traveling up there this weekend, staying at the Big Sur Lodge so we can report on he rooms and food and whatnot there. And we're gonna pick what kind of food you people will be having on Midsummer Night. I'm thinking hot dogs and coleslaw. Or maybe Ray Gordon can cater it with that crazy Pollack dish he always makes for Thanksgiving.

Sleepover Time!

If you aren’t familiar with Big Sur, you might need some info about how to get there and stuff. I can give you that info!

If you’re flying in you can fly to Monterey Peninsula Airport, San Jose, or San Francisco and then rent a car to drive a bit to the central coast.

If you live in LA, you should probably just suck it up and enjoy the scenic drive, unless you like going to airports and waiting in security lines, dealing with the TSA, paying for parking, and then having no choice but to rent a car just to DRIVE the additional time it takes to get to Big Sur from whatever airport you land in (I’m talking to you, weirdo-Lorene). Below are some general directions from nearby landmarks to Big Sur. I figure that if you’re web savvy enough to have found this site, you can probably find the directions to suit your liking in a matter of clicks.

Airports

From Monterey Peninsula Airport
Approximate driving time one hour
• When leaving the airport on Olmsted Road, turn right onto Highway 68
• Follow the signs to Highway 1 South, Big Sur
• Stay on Highway 1 through Carmel,
drive about 30 miles to Big Sur

From San Jose Airport
Approximate driving time 2 hours to 2.5 hours
• When leaving the airport, follow signs to Highway 101 South
• Follow 101 South to Highway 156 West, Monterey Peninsula Exit (50 miles)
• Highway 156 will become Highway One South
• Follow Highway 1 past Carmel into Big Sur

From San Francisco Airport
Approximate driving time 3 hours to 3.5 hours
• Take Highway 101 South (approximately 1.5 hours)
• Follow 101 to Highway 156 West, Monterey Peninsula Exit (95 miles)
• Highway 156 merges into Highway One South
• Follow Highway 1 past Carmel into Big Sur

From Southern California
307 mi – about 5 hours 21 mins, up to 6 hours 20 mins in traffic
• Merge onto US-101 N for a couple hundred miles
• Take the CA-1 N exit toward Morro Bay/Hearst Castle
• Turn right at CA-1/Toro St
• Continue to follow CA-1

OR IF YOU HATE LOOKING AT THE OCEAN AND WOULD PREFER TO STOP AT SOME WINERIES IN PASO ROBLES...

308 mi – about 5 hours 34 mins
• Merge onto US-101 N
• Slight right at CA-170 N/Hollywood Fwy (signs for Hollywood Fwy
• Merge onto I-5 N for about a 130 miles
• Take exit 278 for CA-46 toward Lost Hills/Paso Robles
• Turn left at CA-46/Paso Robles Hwy
• Turn left to merge onto US-101 S
• Take the CA-46 W exit toward Hearst Castle/Cambria
• Turn right at CA-46
• Turn right at CA-1 for about 80 miles

Dave swears that the latter route is faster, but I think the wine that we buy on that route usually speeds up the drive in his mind. We're driving up this weekend, so I'll let you know.

Accomodations

Hotels book really fast during the summer on the California coast, so book your rooms quick. We have blocked off rooms at the Big Sur Lodge, near the site for you, so snatch 'em up. Big Sur Lodge

It’s in the heart of Big Sur, close to tons of nature and hiking and all of that hippie shit. They’ve even got a heated pool for those of you nature haters. It’s got a grocery store and restaurant onsite too if you’re not in to playing Survivorman in the woods. And it’s even got a gift shop for all those sweet postcards and dream catchers you know you wanna buy. Go look at the website, dudes.

The Big Sur River Inn is also pretty awesome. It’s by the river (duh) and has a sweet little restaurant (that has live bands and serves drunks so you can feel at home, you lushes) and gas station and free wireless.

The Ventana Inn is a delightful hotel on the mountainside of Highway 1. It’s got a rad restaurant there and pretty scenery and is all high falutin’ and stuff.
This place is interesting as well. And there're cool yurts at Treebones if you feel like roughin' it a little.

Carmel is lovely city by the sea that used to be able to boast Clint Eastwood as its mayor. It doesn’t have Clint Eastwood anymore, but it sure does have hotels with beds for you to lay your faces on! Woohoo! Beds! Aren’t beds awesome?

Monterey is pretty nice too. It’s got a sweet aquarium and a John Steinbeck museum.
And Pebble Beach. I don’t know nothin’ about Pebble Beach, but if you stay there, you can tell me all about it. Here are some hotels in those areas, separated by price.

I’ll add more stuff regularly now that Dave finally gave me the password to this website, but you know… I figured you’d want to get things goin’ by now.

P.S. We’ll be in Big Sur from June 19th – 23rd, in case you feel like extending your stay. If you really wanna stretch it out and wanna hang out, it won’t be hard to talk me into vacationing even longer.

P.P.S. for all you breeders out there, our wedding is totally kid friendly so feel free to bring them. Just keep 'em away from the cliff's edge, because we're probably not hiring sitters to do that for you. Sorry. *sad trombone noise*