The State of Hushnic

[Admin]

Fam, what is your thought on Hushnic? Over the years, we have had a fluctuation in attendance. Was this due to location? Or how well the economy was doing at the time?

Of course Orlando was the biggest turn out we have ever had, but in recent years, it seems that we struggle to get back to numbers close to that.

Yeah, it’s a stretch for the Cali crew to flow to the east and vice versa. Some folks live in the middle and can drive, but again the numbers are not there for hushnic.

Personally? I Straight love Hushnic, but over the years, I have heard that August may not be the best month for it? I think some proposals have been made to change that date over the years, so that folks with kids can make it.

Then there is the factor of location and that fact that the local folks to the city or region seem not to wanna be involved when Hushnic is near them.

So, I am looking for your input here. This year will mark 8 years of Hushnic and of course I wanna see 10years, but I also want it to grow in size. So, let’s pow wow and discuss the future and direction of Hushnic.

Holla:afro

[Brightness]

Ummm, I know nobody wants to hear it but having an agenda and some type of order to the whole affair may appeal to folks....the straight "wingin' it" has always been a bone of contention of mine since day one.

And folks laugh and say Hushnic is just free-wheelin' "blah-blah, blah, blahbity-blah"....well, not everyone is wanting to spend hard-earned dollars or their precious days off just to free-wheel with online peeps when you can do that in your own backyard.

I've participated in gatherings from other online venues and the things that make them success is the planning and attention to detail. There are committees, discussions, votings, etc. It makes folks want to go and social because you are doing things not just sitting around gigglin & guffawin which theoretically, you can do online.

I don't know if this is the type of feedback you want but....it's what pops in my mind as a person who doesn't mind meeting folks offline....I've always tried to meet 1 or 100 if I'm in your neck of the woods. It's all about the quality of the experience I'm getting for what I'm putting out in time & money.

[Tastey]

I gotta agree with Brite. I honestly was considering Hushnic this year in Va Beach but NOTHING has been decided. Folks just keep hemming/hawing and for me that's a long way to travel, a large amount to spend without a PLAN.

I couldn't see booking a room at the hotel I found, if no one else was going to be staying there, I had no car to get around, didn't know who would have a car, and basically was on my own to just "be there".

Sorry that doesn't work for me.

For Orlando we at least knew we'd all be together in the house, who to pay, when to pay, and we had just a bit of "structure".

But I can't do fly by the seat of your pantyhose. I tried that with Atlanta the 2nd time, since it was close by and the board got shut down and I couldn't reach anybody neither did I know in advance where anybody was. So I totally missed it.

If there was something that said
Hushnic is X date

We are staying at X hotel. Room rates are X dollars.

Day one - we plan x...then you have free time

Day two - we plan X... then you have free time.

Day three - you have free time...then later we plan.

Then of course it's stated that plans are subject to change if neccessary.

To me a structure of some sort even if it's not planned down to the last detail would go over much better.

Like Brite, I've done offlines with other sites and in my opinion they work much better because of the structure and the ability to make plans.

[Admin]

Thanks Ladies. To respond to your wishes of structure and planning, we tried planning in the early years and it failed. We then switched to “Willie Nille” and it worked better, so we stuck to that.

Houses are nice, hell I prefer them over Hotels due to cost and freedom as far as how much noise we can make…LOL Yall know Hush Live can get pretty heated. LOL

Hell, even when I had it at my house, niggas was off the chain, so you know I feel ya on that.

Let’s keep talking.

Holla

[sistuhchey]

Is too late to change the location??

Why am I feeling only you and I and Tee and SinBad are going to be there???
(any surprise M.I.A guest???) showing up in Virginia Beach??

folks, pay and plan..a month out anywaysssssss

As far as activites..that's cool to sight see... you guys played minature golf, if I recall...beside that it's dining, and heeeennn and haaawwinnn..and relaxing...with each other... which is cool by me...

as far as the 10 year...a cruise or Hawaii would be nice:p

[Admin]

Thanks Chey,
Let's discuss location or if yall wanna skip this year. I'm hearing that folks need more participation? and planning? and with 2 months, I'm not sure (but have not given up) that we can do this and expect a larg turnout.

Holla

[rainy]

i stopped giving me input because i am building a house so i knew i wasnt going to make the trip this year and i didnt think it owuld be fair to have so much input into something i wasnt going to attend. but since you asked....

i personally liked the house format or orlando. i have met offline with others from other boards and it has always been in a format where we all stayed together. i kind of lost interest when it seemed it would be the hotel thing this time around. it is one thing to share a room with a stranger with a house full of people than to just go in with someone on a hotel room. then if not everyone is in the same hotel or the rooms are not near one another you've got one set of problems. where do we all gather and just shoot the breeze. it just seems too disjointed to me.

i understand the point of having it where a good portion of people live so that you can kind of expect a better turnout. i didnt realize VA, beach was so expensive rental wise. i know i did something similar with another board in myrtle beach. but we did it in november so we got a sweet on the beach rental super cheap.

[MndBdySoul]

. i didnt realize VA, beach was so expensive rental wise. i know i did something similar with another board in myrtle beach. but we did it in november so we got a sweet on the beach rental super cheap.

I haven't given any input because I'll get the

"How many HN's have you been too" remarks..

However, I'll give my opinion anyway. I think choosing popular vacation spots, during peak season is probably not the greatest thing to do when people are trying to budget to get there alone, plus have extra money to do things with. Orlando may be different(and probably explains why it's been done twice) because although it's a huge attraction, there are literally hundreds of lodging options to choose from, which contributes to the cost factor being reasonable. It's also a popular destination year-round, vs. somewhere like VA Beach... they've got to squeeze out every dollar they can during peak season because non-peak they aren't making Orlando kind of money.

I understand ya'll have done this the same time of year pretty much since the beginning, but what about changing the time of year... September/October-ish

[Pamalicious]

Well MBS if you will get the how many have you been on - then I'm gonna get cussed straight out because (sorry) last hushnic was boring.

The vibe was this 'just chillin and maxing and relaxin' yet that's a vibe usually reserved for folks you are 100% comfortable and know well. In my opinion, bringing together a 'group' from someplace needs to be an organized affair.

Sure make it 'unorganized' but that should be a facade for 'organization'. Folks been saying for awhile that is a difficult time to go and it's like every year the vote of the group has been ignored.

From Atlanta to Orlando two very hot hang out spots - I felt like the actual city wasn't used. (ok I only came to hush live in Atlanta so sue me). But in Orlando - no paryting,we right there at Pleasure Island and nothing...reading, sleeping, cards, eating, computers, DVD's we've already seen - come on people!!! If you spending money and traveling, don't you wanna do something. It was screaming that misconception that folks who hang out on the internet are socially inept, lol

My suggestions are:

more towards the end of the summer season (maybe right after labor day)

Get a plan any plan other than one night is for hush live

Get some shirts or some kinda souvenior (something we can wear out)

and move as a group to a couple of locations

Now maybe these are things that have happen in the past and if so they need to be reinstitued.

I think that the fact this group meets is special and something, I personally had never experienced, but it needs a shot of adreline as well.

If it's local a house party with friends is fine - but if folks are traveling there should be a bit more.

[rainy]

not all of us sat around the house all day. i know my little posse did a lot. we had lunch, hit a couple of museums, played mini golf etc. of course i had no real need to explore the reall touristy stuff since i live 2 hours away. so i tend to do orlando to death. i did get the sense that those if us that went off on our own adventures were going against the grain, but that is why i really liked the house setup up. that way those who wanted to roll out could, and those that just wanted to relax by the pool, drink and socialize could do that too.

the orlando setup was cheap as hell. what was it 70 bucks for the weekend? i dont even remember cuz it was very inexpensive. the longer season of hot weather here allows for the house rentals to be relatively inexpensive. plus there are a million of them so competition is high, thus prices are low. i knew virginia would be more duckets than orlando, but i didnt realize it would be so much more expensive.

[Pamalicious]

not all of us sat around the house all day. i know my little posse did a lot. we had lunch, hit a couple of museums, played mini golf etc. of course i had no real need to explore the reall touristy stuff since i live 2 hours away. so i tend to do orlando to death. i did get the sense that those if us that went off on our own adventures were going against the grain, but that is why i really liked the house setup up. that way those who wanted to roll out could, and those that just wanted to relax by the pool, drink and socialize could do that too.

the orlando setup was cheap as hell. what was it 70 bucks for the weekend? i dont even remember cuz it was very inexpensive. the longer season of hot weather here allows for the house rentals to be relatively inexpensive. plus there are a million of them so competition is high, thus prices are low. i knew virginia would be more duckets than orlando, but i didnt realize it would be so much more expensive.

Then obviously I missed the group I should have been hanging with. I had not even arrived for the first set of activities and I think was at the store when the second set of activities went down. If I were to venture to one again, I definately will be more vocal to make sure I'm with the right group. So shame on me - that won't happen again.

[Admin]

Pam, why would you think youd be cussed out?
Holla:rolleyes:

[Pamalicious]

Pam, why would you think youd be cussed out?
Holla:rolleyes:

I don't but it added the necessary edge LOL

[Brightness]

Well, with all due respect....the folks that loved the "willy nilly" are no longer attending Hushnic....or are they? I could be mistaken. But with new blood comes new idea....you cannot be resistant to change in order for things to progress.

And I thought everyone was okay with the time of year because kids are out of school?

Another thought....how about you keep the locale the same?

If everyone loves Orlando then let that be the OFFICIAL hushnic city from here on out (lol...love when I attach official to something, it gets folks attention)

The main point being that there has to be some type of consistency & continuity to add credibility to the whole affair. Otherwise, it's not going to get the draw, period.

The idea of voting on different cities was good initially but without mass support and reliability....you will get the waning & drifting numbers.

[FoxEMomma]

I've never been to hushnic because for one I'm saving like crazy for school stuff for my kids to begin school. So the time ya'll wanna hold it has always been an issue for me.
Also, it just don't look fun enough to me to pick up and attend.

[shtalker]

Well I can say this,
This years seemed like noone was really going so I really hadn't thought about making arrangement to come but fir Hushnic overall I had mixed emotions about Hushnic before I attended on, and I can say I haven't had a bad experience with any after the first one. I love the idea of meeting the folks that I have interacted with on the Hush. You get to really put the name with the faces. I did like the part about the location changing. It gives folks a chance to see different place. Like Foxe said during this time it is almost time for school to begin, so the ones that I have been to were the cheap trips for me.

[ERinger]

I liked the house set up because like folks have already said, it's a good price. I am paying for school next year, so my funds are limited. I would love if we had it in Atlanta, since I missed the first go round. I don't know how folks feel about that, but at least there are plenty of Hushers here who would be willing to plan things for everyone once here. VA isn't a problem for me, but the price might be.

Are there Vacation houses in Atlanta? Someone might be able to answer that.

I like the idea of moving it to a different month, perhpaps off season. I'd love to leave the cold for somewhere warm. Hell it was down right toasty in Orlando. Couldn't wait to get back to the coolness of Atlanta, lol.

[Admin]

So, what I am hearing is that folks love the house set up due to the Low cost.

I am also hearing that if we take this year off, no one will be too upset?

Holla

PS: I love the house set up as well. Part of it is because of the cost and the other part is for the closeness to fam member. I mean , If I wanna talk shyt or get a hug....fam members are right there.

[HulaSista]

i'm a nostalgic kinda gal. i came for one eve last year and was glad i met new people. at the same time i missed my og hush friends. :(

if i believed we all could do it with the older crowd and the newer again like vegas or atl2 or orlando1, i'd be more willing to go. i've no problem with locations (just don't come back to northern cali lol i get to stressed out). i'd probably prefer places where my relatives don't live :rolleyes:

but i've learned my lesson from hushnics: rent my own car and get up and go when i want to! plus, i like hotel style because i want my own room alone.

adding: a different time of year would be nice. i rarely travel in oct. february. etc. miami in feb sounds fun. or colorado in march.

[PecanTan]

Have you guys ever thought about going to a resort or renting a villa in Jamaica. Check out this place called http://silver-sands.com/ You only pay for the room that you rent, they have some large villas with lots of rooms. Went one year with two of my friends, we were not out of pocket that much. You have a maid who fixes your food if you want, and also washes your clothes. You pay for the food they buy it, let them know what meals you want when and they hook it up. At the end of the trip you tally up what you owe with a tip. We stayed for a week, may be a bit long of a trip for some. Anyway just throwing it out there for Hushnic or a vacation on your own.

[Admin]

Hula, so you prefer a hotel with your own room?

I know a change of month/dates were mentioned in previous years, but we never really got a definite alternate month....so what do yall think? Switch august with?

Holla

[HulaSista]

It appears I am the only one who, in this conversation, likes a room of my own. I don't mind the cost of doing that. If I can't afford it, I lean towards not going.

I think good alternate months would be:

October
February

2nd runner up:
March - spring break happens, so, vacations tend to have peak prices
April - spring break happens, so, vacations tend to have peak prices

Months that may not be good:
January = fresh off christmas
May = School testings and Graduations
June = Graduations and Weddings, start of Peak season
July = Peak season
August = Peak season, Start of school year
September = Start of school year
November = Thanksgiving
December = Religious Holidays'


Just my thoughts.

[Admin]

Hula,
Thanks for the breakdown. I'm thinking October would be better, February is a lean time as foks are repaying for Holiday gifts and waiting for tax refunds to start spending.

Holla

[Tastey]

If we are voting I vote for October as well.

[lovely]

let me give my five cents as well.

i liked the house set up. but i like plans as well. i loved the ONE hushnic i went too. loved meeting people. YET..i dispise waiting around for something to jump off. id rather have stuff set in stone to do.

a change in months might be pleasant. and i even like the idea of having Orlando being the set destination. Orlando in October might be pleasant. probably still pleasant enough to use the backyard pools, right?

[sistuhchey]

Brite...I too like adding official to shit..lol,lol

This is going to come...off the cuff..as I do..but here goes....

Orlando...was the shit!!!...comfortable, and very relaxing....hell, cooking any time, breakfast,lunch and dinner.. pools, lounging....sorry but that's a good wind down for me.....When I vacation with children, family, or s/o...we can schedule all outside activites needed..to keep the "kiddies" entertained..

The only activity I would like..is to get a massuese (sp) to come in and give massages...

besides, that who the hell, wanna pass out and drive around in some burning azz heat....

Kid you not, I've yet to do an Atlanta Hushnic...but if a rental home is available...I'm in.....to make it "official"....maybe these things should be voted on...."Officially".......I'm certain Admin can set up something electronically...

Here's my suggestion....(rental home) locations must be picked & rotated..whether it be Orlando, Jamaica,Hawaii, Atlanta, NY, or Lake Tahoe...(Lake Tahoe has rentals up the yang!!!)

I'm not that shy/introvert of a woman...where I need some 24/7 privacy..for 2-3 days...and I'm definitely open to hanging and socializing with every one..for a minute....hell, waking up..to breakfast, laughter and cocktails....is as real as it gets......Even going to Walmart? Costco??..was an adventure...and a pleasant one....so why must we take this attitude that we need a certified list of scheduled activities??? TO HAVE A GOOD TIME....even the cruise lines...let you do what you want to now???

We went sight seeing in Cali, New Orleans, and Orlando...

and the vibing..thing.....well..as adults...we speak our minds..on the board...and IRL...it's not going to stop my world...nor rock it...

I'm trying to get past this visualization..of my hush sistuhs, sucking their teeth..and turning their noses up....

All I ask..is next time..dinner conversation...turns to butts & ass...forewarn a sistuh...and I'll be sure to say...he ya'll I'm going to the ladies room save me a seat!!!:p

Besides...that Hushnics...are a BLAST!!!

and to further add...although I missed one day of activites in New Orleans...people were up down..and all around....which was cool

[HulaSista]

more thoughts - if i'm going to florida every year for hushnics, can it be a different city in florida? Maybe, like, rotate between Miami and Orlando?

Is the only thing keeping us from having hushnic in different cities cost and availability of rental homes, why not just go to spots with rental homes and rotate those cities?

Why not set up a lodging research team of no more than 3 or 4 people. I'd like to be a part of that team. All we do every year is research rental home places for hushnic.

BUT... what still need to be hammered out is WHO WILL PAY THE DEPOSITS EVERY YEAR?

and after i said all of that: october... that's the tail end of hurricane season in the south/carib isn't it? will we just barely miss it? we can do vegas in october :D

[Tastey]

I don't think anyone is saying every minute of every day has to be planned out or that anyone has to adhere to the plan.

But it does need some structure as to the when/where.

Even if a house is not the option, picking one hotel and getting group rates based on a certain number could help with planning and finances.

Also having plans for those who want them is not a bad idea either.

When my choir travels we always stay at the same hotel. If a person wants a room alone or with people they know all of the prices upfront so they can choose and pay accordingly.

Group rates save everyone money.

For performances we know what time to meet where in order to be there.

We also may have a list of those who want to sight-see, shop, or chill. It's your choice but the options are there.

For example: A shopping trip to Times Square (when we were in NY) if you want to go be in the lobby at 11am.

For sight seeing at Ground Zero be in the lobby at noon.

Personally I had friends in the city so I didn't do either.

Me and my fam struck out on our own for what we wanted to do. And my Mom stayed in the hotel and enjoyed room service and TV. She left only when we were singing cus she didn't wanna leave the room.

It made it easy to enjoy whatever you wanted to do, and easy to plan, easy to give your friends a heads-up.

And it's makes so everyone has the opportunity to not only meet/chill but to also enjoy thier time away from home.

[aintnojoke]

As I've only been to one Hushnic and didn't get to spend as much time as I would have liked....I'll put my $.05 worth.

I really like the house idea. I agree with Hula's suggestions for October or February. Those month would make it easier to buy a ticket and come out to another Hushnic.

[aintnojoke]

Why not set up a Pay Pal account that we all contribute to when it comes to making the house deposits.

[HulaSista]

that is a good idea aintno...

[Babygirl]

Admin, I got your email....Hi there..haven't chatted w/ you since last year. Anyoo...I had fun @ Atlanta Hunshnic 2....the like time I spent with you guys was very enjoyable. I can't say I will ever attend another or not only because I got alot going on here, but I liked the different time of year idea, and the house rental. But I do have a suggestion, outside of Atlanta is a little town called Helen, Ga. It's a quaint town, and during October they have Octoberfest...anywhoo thaey have cabin rentals that come with hot tubs, fenced porches, ect...they have really big ones and little small ones...just another option for consideration.

[davinci]

i think october is a perfect month. i like having a house. i like semi-plans. i would likely only do 50% of the stuff in the summer (d no like hot), but in autumn, i could site see.

has "every other year" been suggested?

[novelty]

I attended the 2nd Hushnic in Orlando and Atlanta. I like having the house rental because everyone is in the same location and it cuts down the cost. I would have liked to had the opportunity to do something other then hangout at the house or hotel. I have been to Atlanta and I am from Orlando so there wasn't anything specific I wanted to do. I just enjoy going out doing things when I go away anywhere. I missed Hushlive at both Hushnic's that I attended because I had the opportunity to go out and do something. I don't think every minute has to be planned out, but the structure of having some planned activites would be nice.

[Brightness]

So, it's looking like some polling threads need to come about?

One addressing the changing of the month?

One addressing a permanent host city or keeping the rotation going?

I'm not quite sure how to address any handling of monies for a house deposit....that is something that needs to be done early at least 6-8 mos. prior generally? And since folks wait for 30 or 60 days to pull rabbits out of hats....don't know how realistic that would be. Once again the planning is the factor.

[seductive_tee]

Ya'll already know my stance on it.......and my one request.

But i do think the paypal account would be a good thing because we could send money in minutes on our paydays or whatever.

[Juicey1]

I like the idea of having Hushnic in October.

August has been a stretch for me. I have only attended two Hushnics and didn't really have the money I would have liked to have had when I went.

Hula, you are not alone.........I like having a room to myself also........but, I am also cheap and if the house thing is cheaper, then thats what I will go with.

I think there needs to be some plans made for activities also. We had a nice time at the two Hushnics I attended, but I think it would have been better with some structure.

October will be better for me. August is the beginning of school and in past years, lil Honeyboo had band camp and they had me hopping. He isn't playing in the band this coming school season, so it will be better AND this is his last year of school.

The cruise idea sounds good Chey. I just got back from a cruise and me and Honeyboo had a great time. We went to Nassau Bahamas. Anywho, while on the ship, there were a couple family reunions going on. One day they had one of the clubs closed for a private party. At 9pm they opened the club up to everyone and this DAMNED GOOD band from Atlanta called AZZ-IZ played. They were great. We had a good time dancing, drinking and listening to them.

I think we should rotate cities and states. I like the idea of visiting a city and state I have never been to before.

This can be done ya'll............we just gotta get it together and plan it with no bickering back and forth. It can be done.

If you do it in October this year, I will most likely be able to attend. But August.....I don't think I will be able to. Just got back from vacation today and I need to recover, plus school will be starting that same week as the scheduled Hushnic.