Successful Meetings - October 2008 - (Page 56)

10.08 PLACES SPACES & Fraunces Tavern Griswold Inn Napoleon House Occidental Hotel Red, White, and Brew This is America; and in America, we like bars. We invented the cocktail. Our founding fathers liked a good beer after a day of plotting revolution. Our cowboys settled their differences with a bar fight or with a shootout in front of the town saloon. So it follows that a group looking for a relaxed yet meaningful venue should consider taverns and bars where our country’s colorful history was made. Fraunces Tavern in New Inside York City offers up a taste of PAGE 100 > Mexico revolutionary history, along with > Spain PAGE 116 New England fare and foamy PAGE 118 > Austin pints of ale. In 1762 an innkeepPAGE 122 > New Orleans er named Samuel Fraunces > Lake Tahoe PAGE 124 bought the three-story property on one of Manhattan’s first landfills. He opened a tavern, which soon attracted a local revolutionary by the name of George Washington. It was here, in 1783, that Washington delivered an emotional farewell address to his officers after winning the war for independence. His resignation as commander-in-chief secured the democratic future of the United States. In 2004—221 years after General Washington’s historic speech—another general, Secretary of State Colin Powell, welcomed the G-8 Ministerial Working Dinner to Fraunces Tavern, saying: “In Washington’s day this wasn’t a place for boarding in, but for serious eating and drinking, and for serious conversation. And so it is again tonight. We’re going to eat and drink, and we’re going to talk.” Available to groups looking for a historical event space are the tavern and five dining rooms, including the Nichols Room with a private elevator and in-room bar. Capacity is up to 300 for seated dinners, and the restaurant offers all-inclusive catering packages to fit your budget. One of America’s favorite, and oldest, maritime taverns, the Griswold Inn in picturesque Essex, CT, was founded in 1776 by three brothers. During the American Revolution, the inn was captured and used by British forces for a command center. In 1801 it was moved to its present location by a team of oxen, rolling it on logs down Main Street. The historic inn and tavern does “a good amount of corporate dinners and some meetings,” says banquet sales manager Laura Shipman, adding that reservations should be made at least one or two weeks in advance to secure space. “Our largest dining room can hold up to 85 guests. For meeting space, it would depend on the setup. We can accommodate up to 25 for a square style and 35 for classroom style,” Shipman says. The Covered Bridge Room is constructed from old boards rescued from an abandoned covered bridge in New Hampshire, and is loaded with the largest collection of works by U.S. maritime artist Antonio Jacobsen. A large stone fireplace warms the room in chilly New England winters. Fittingly, New Orleans is the birthplace of the cocktail. According to local legend, the Sazerac was concocted in the OCTOBER 2008 SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS 56 successfulmeetings.com http://www.successfulmeetings.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - October 2008

Successful Meetings - October 2008
Contents
Editor's Note
Supplier News
On the Record
Calendar
Planner News
Planner Spotlight
Personal Success
Technology Talk
Food &�Beverage
Pre-Event
Tools of the Trade
On Site
Technology for Modern Meetings
A Tale of Two Cities
A Cast of Thousands
Places & Spaces
Mexican Destination Resorts
Spain
Austin
New Orleans
Lake Tahoe / Reno

Successful Meetings - October 2008