Edge

Yep, it works... but there's a $1 convenience fee (per ticket!) to do it that way, unless you're a member of AMC Stubs - then the fee is waived. Just making sure people know that in advance. It turns out that I am an AMC Stubs member, so if anyone wants me to buy their ticket(s) for them, I will be happy to do so - and you can just repay me at the theater. However, be warned... if you ask me to do it, once I buy the tickets you owe me for your ticket whether you show up or not. (unless they let me return it for a refund, but I'm not 100% sure they will let me)

OK - I'll modify the event times, but unfortunately it will mean the RSVPs will be lost and have to be re-entered... I'll PM the folks involved to let them know.

So the movie times are out for Friday now... the choices are 9:35pm or 11pm. Crap. Thoughts? I'm guessing 11pm will truly be too late for most people, as we wouldn't realistically get out of the theater until ~1am (after commercials, previews, etc at the start). The question is... will the 9:35pm show be late enough to still be not too crowded and noisy?

Adorable! Thanks for sharing!

Yep! We lower the price in July since it's a partial year... but when it gets this late we often go back to full price and say it's for the following year.

Hey everyone - ever since it was was first announced, I've been looking forward to seeing the new Muppets movie. I grew up on the Muppets and still think they are awesome - doing a wonderful job of appealing to both kids and adults alike. The new movie just came out last Wednesday before Thanksgiving weekend. If you want to see it but haven't had a chance yet (or heck, if you HAVE seen it and want to see it again!), then join me late this coming Friday evening for a Muppety fun time! Please note that I am aiming for a "late" showing in order to make it more adult-friendly (and less crowded?). WHERE: AMC Hoffman Center 206 Swamp Fox Road, Alexandria, VA 22314 WHEN: Friday December 2. Meet at approx. 9pm (in the front of the theater). The movie starts at 9:35pm. MOVIE LENGTH: 1hr 38min COST: $11.50/adult Here are some fun previews!

Welcome to the forum! Actually, if you join the club now, you get a 2012 membership. They were flipped over to 2012 memberships earlier this month.

BINGO! Alan, I think you just hit the nail on the head. I totally forgot about that... it's ironic, since I too have a 2005 with the factory Nav. I'm so used to it that I don't even notice it anymore.

It could be the steering pump. They sometimes make quite a bit of noise on our 1st Gens.

I have a Craven Platypus plate holder too, although I don't use it any more. I switched over to the Show-N-Go one because I think it looks nicer and it hides away when I'm in a 1-plate state.

Welcome to the MINI family - we hope you'll join the club, too!

I'm the guy you want to talk to for 1st Gen Nav... are you coming to the Meet N Greet at MINI of Sterling on Saturday? Thanks Ali. I've been to a number of the regular Clyde's before, but not Willow Creek Farms. Interestingly enough, I just learned through the "Restaurants" page of that site that Old Ebbitt Grill is owned by the same company, too! I didn't know that.

Ali - I'm a little bit confused. You say it's at "Clyde's in Ashburn" but the link says it's Willow Creek Farm (not Clyde's). They are owned by the same company, but apparently this restaurant isn't named "Clyde's". :questionmark: Also, this is Broadlands, VA... which is half-way down the Greenway Toll Road (after already driving the full length of the Dulles Toll Road). The nearest "Clyde's" to that is in Reston, VA. Can you please clarify? :hmmmm: Sorry for being difficult. :embarassed:

Katie is right, but let me go one step further. Look at the available options NOW, and book something. Even call Fontana, just in case (I think they have a waiting list). Booking something now gives you a fallback plan. THEN, keep monitoring for something closer to become available (i.e. Fontana), so you can jump on it and cancel your original reservation. BTW Tapoco Lodge is probably the next best choice - it's actually closer to the Dragon than Fontana, but all of the vendor activity and most of the other action is (or starts) at Fontana.

Today marks exactly 6 months until the start of MINIs on the Dragon 10! Woohoo!

Roy - get with me at an event. I can give you some advice/updates for your 1st Gen factory Nav.

I'm sure there are a bunch of members who will be happy to give a personal demonstration one evening. You're welcome to inspect mine, too... although my MINI is a 1st Gen so you would be better served by checking out a 2nd Gen MINI with Xenons.

Nice try to cover, but no, she (and Alan/Scavenger) meant DSC. They (and I!) have 1st Gen MINIs, and back then, DSC was an option, not standard. I WISH I had the option of turning off the traction control while still leaving the stability control on... but unfortunately it's all or nothing for us 1st Genners. I've never had a problem with that, personally. The beams in the Xenon headlights are actually not symmetrical - they deliberately have the passenger side beam taller (and off to the right more) than the driver's side beam, I believe specifically to assist the viewing of road signs and other roadside objects. The driver's side beam is cut much lower down, so that the driver in front of you doesn't get blasted in the rear view mirror (except over hilly roads, but that can't really be helped). They really are designed quite well IMO.

Ahem - DSC is standard nowadays, folks.

I respectfully disagree - I think the Xenon headlights are fantastic at night - the best headlights I've ever driven with. Yes, they are very bright, but the reason that is allowed is precisely because of the sharp cutoff that they allow. The regular Halogen lights have a wider/more diffuse light beam, which is why they can't be as bright (more of the light travels into the eyes of other drivers, both oncoming and in front of you (via mirror). Most of the really "annoying" bright headlights I see on other cars are either misaligned or just because someone slapped "blue bulbs" into regular headlights because they thought it looked cool. In either case, they generally wouldn't pass the Virginia annual inspection that way. Just a different opinion on the Xenons. I second this... and I should have mentioned it in my previous post. The Harman Kardon stereo option in 2nd Gen MINIs is really, really good - light years beyond the base and "Hi-Fi" stereo options. It's a totally different (superior) animal than the Harman Kardon option from 1st Gen MINIs, because it was redesigned/remodeled after the rare "Digital POWER SoundModul" option for 1st Gens, which itself was designed by a German custom audio house especially for MINI. If you love music, make darn sure to check the box for the H/K stereo.

I'm a big fan of the Auto A/C. Set a temperature, then forget it. No need to keep futzing around with the controls to get the temperature you want. Same goes for auto wipers and auto headlights - all very nice features! 16" wheels will definitely give you a softer ride, but they don't look as nice (IMO) and the tires will "roll" more as the sidewall is taller. I guess you have to decide for yourself what's more important - softer ride (also cheaper tires), or more sporty look and feel but harsher ride? Ali (TGGRRR) is absolutely right about paying attention to the type of tires that are chosen. If you don't want to run separate "summer" and "winter" sets of tires like some of us do (I do!), then you will want to ensure they specify the all-season tires. As for visualizing the interiors - have you played around with the online configurator at the MINIUSA website? It will show you what the interior would look like as you play around with different combinations. Oh, and welcome! We hope you'll consider joining us as a full member once your new MINI arrives! :top:

Actually, both lack of time and the fact that I didn't even have my MINI this week until late yesterday mean that I'm only coming as a spectator this year. I do have an idea for next year though!

I remember that... I was the guy who YELLED at the Corvette driver to stop... and YELLED at him again when he didn't just stop, he started to reverse, not making it any better. He said "I DID stop!" ...and I said "Yes, you stopped... then you started reversing! Just STOP!" After we cleared the area, he ended up taking off - left the entire parking lot. I don't know if he came back or not, but if I scared him away - oh well. He was probably just embarrassed. Good to meet you - and welcome!

Me too!Well I should hope so, considering you're the organizer.