I’m in at the Oceanfront Inn (757-422-0445) also.  Now, I’ve got to figure out whether to “wear” my MiGi or my classic Mini.

For those of you who may be considering attending this show, this has been the usual order of events:

We all try to arrive at the Oceanfront Inn (2901 Virginia Beach, Va.  757-422-0445) on Friday afternoon and meet for dinner at Murphy’s (within a walk).

Sat morning we usually have breakfast at the Inn’s restaurant.  We generally plan our meet in Oceanfront parking lot and “parade” together for the 10 mile trip and arrive at the Military Aviation Museum at 1341 Princess Anne Rd, Virginia Beach, Va.  (This area of VaBch is also known as Pungo)

We generally park together using Rock Star Parking (you get free goodies and a t-shirt) at the show, adjacent to the airstrip.  Several of our members have taken rides on whichever antique airplane is offered up.  There is plenty of opportunity to browse around and kick tires of the antique aircraft in the several hangars.

Saturday afternoon, as the show winds down, we (TD replica guys) usually gather the faithful for a photo shoot prior to departing en masse for the Oceanfront.

After getting resettled at the Oceanfront, we usually go to a casual eatery famous only to locals.

Sunday morning, some of us eat breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant before the tearful 🙂 departure.

Dress for the entire weekend is comfortable casual (this is a beachy place).  You might want to bring a compact collapsible chair.  The Oceanfront has on-premises open as well as covered parking at no extra charge.   There are always some incredible aircraft and automobiles there (last year a concours Mercedes 300SL Gullwing and 300SL Roadster plus lots of others.)

Drive!

Rock Star Parking registration completed.

Bill…

How early were you suggesting meeting? And where did we meet last time? Two years is too long ago for my feeble memory.

The drive straight from my house by the shortest highway route is just over six hours via the bay bridge/tunnel route (I-476 to  I-95 to  DE-1 to US-113 S and US-13 S to 30th St in Virginia Beach, the bay/bridge tunnel route).

If I recall correctly, last time we met up with more guys for lunch somewhere. That obviously results in a later arrival time. I’d be ok skipping a lunch stop.

Thanks for the analysis Bill! 🙂

We have time to work this out, but…

West Lawn is one hour and fifteen minutes from home. Add in the eight hours you estimate and that means well over nine hours on the road. If I drive the most direct route from home, it’s just over six hours. That’s a big difference.

I may decide to drive the direct route.

Love to have Paul in the convoy but I get it: 9 hours is a lot of seat time, even in the lap of IM luxury.

I think last time Bill and I were a little late for lunch (accident on 301?) and the group dawdled a bit at the table. I’m all for dawdling but the hour or 90 minute delay there cost us an additional 2 hours in traffic because of the usual rush hour jam-up. That was when I sort of lost it….

If we could get to the lunch spot an hour earlier (noonish instead of 1) and be a little less leisurely at the feedbag (and top off the tanks as needed there instead of, oh, 30 miles down the road in the middle of a traffic jam), we could probably make the hotel before the big Friday traffic crunch. 3:30-4-ish instead of 6:30-7ish. That would give us more time to sit at the beachside cafe and make fun of each other while beautiful Polish exchange students serve us drinks.

My thoughts are purely theoretical, though, and I resolve to develop a much more Zen attitude about our journey, regardless of any obstacles.

Oh … and as to the IM lap of luxury … true that!

I may not even need a heavy coat and gloves when I leave home. Just turn on the heated seats and blast the warm air! 

Bummer man…

I don’t understand Mossberg at all now. It’s like he’s gone all soft and Teutonic. Heat?!

We don’t need no steenking heat!