Hi curious jerry-
Well, your requirements were certainly a lot more difficult to meet
than I expected.
Most conference centers, as you probably know, are very business
oriented -- sterile and high-tech. Their meeting rooms are full of
gadgets but lack any character while those accomodations in more
bucolic settings cannot accomodate 65 people.
After searching extensively in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and
Mass.
I've found two possibilities for you to review.
The first and most promising is The Edith Macy Conference Center
located in Briarcliff Manor, New York, just 45 minutes from Manhattan.
It is situated among 405 wooded acres on a mountainside overlooking
the heart of Westchester County.
"Inside and out, the architectural and interior designs blend
naturally with our extraordinary hilltop setting. Vaulted ceilings and
expansive windows bring in pools of natural light, while rough-hewn
stone fireplaces and cedar beams add rustic elegance to the design."
It has seven meeting rooms in addition to a 200-seat amphitheater.
There are 11 breakout areas.
The center has 46 Guest Rooms and on-site dining. An after-hours
menu is available in the Commons from 8:00pm to 10:00pm.
http://www.edithmacy.com/The second facility is The Warren Conference
Center in Ashland, Massachusetts.
It is less rustic than the Macy center and more "commercial."
"The Warren Conference Center & Inn a full-service conference center
located on over 200 acres of lakefront woodland features a classic New
England setting for meetings, training, outings, weddings, and special
events. The Metrowest Business Journal ranks our fabulous property as
"a world-class facility.
Meeting rooms feature natural light, state of the art audio visual,
and ergonomically designed chairs for maximum comfort. In addition,
many of our meeting rooms have working fireplaces and Bose sound
systems."
Meals can be provided.
http://www.warrencenter.com/index.html
Neither facility posts its rates on the website.
There may be more options available further away from New York City,
for instance in the Philadelphia area. Ninety minutes from
Philadelphia airport covers not only PA, but also New Jersey, Delaware
and Maryland.
Search strategy: "conference center" and New Jersey, New York,
Massachusetts, Pennsylvania. Meeting facility and states; small
conference centers; conference center directory
Nellie Bly
Google Answers Researcher |
Request for Answer Clarification by
curiousjerry-ga
on
05 Sep 2003 15:15 PDT
Very nice to have an answer from the original investigative reporter!
I'm torn. Both the sites you recommend are in calm, woodsy settings,
which is nice, though I'd be just as happy with a place on a craggy
shore or an inner city. Both are upscale, maybe too much so. I've
sent e-mails to both requesting some rate info.
But they both seem like normal, corporate places, and their meeting
rooms seem like the usual fare. The amphitheater at Edith Macy, while
nice, is too large: 65 people in a 200-seat amphitheater won't work
well. I'm looking for something smaller, like a classroom, but not
pitched as steeply as many lecture halls are. The other facility
there (Creedon) sleeps only 40, and the meeting room looks like two
rooms shared through a partition. Hm.
Maybe I need a site that can't hold more than 80 people, so we're the
only occupants for the weekend.
I'm missing the uniqueness or specialness of place I was seeking.
I'm sort of hoping for an insider angle on a converted monastery, mill
or something.
Hope this detail helps.
Thanks, Nellie
Jerry
|
Clarification of Answer by
nellie_bly-ga
on
05 Sep 2003 21:44 PDT
Hi Jerry-
I share your lack of enthusiasm for the two sites I posted. However,
they seem to be the least "corporate" of many extremely corporate
meeting places.
I searched extensively and reviewed well over 100 listings to find
those two.
Among several lesser known centers such as a couple of Quaker and
Unitarian and Zen retreats the problem was they can't accomodate more
than about 50 or have dormitory/hostel type accomodations.
Here's one more:
MIT Endicott House in Dedham, Mass
An estate on 25 secluded acres
http://www.mitendicotthouse.org/
This is beyond 90 mins.
The Rensselaerville Institute 25 miles south of Albany is a secluded,
discreet, secure international conference center with 55 executive
guestrooms located on a manicured 100-acre estate.
http://www.innandmeetingplace.com/guggenheimpavilion.html
I've just spent another hour or so looking for a suitable location
on-line but have been unable to find a suitable location within the
geographic area you specified.
I can only suggest expanding that area or changing it to include areas
around other major airports perhaps.
Since you are willing to consider an inner city, perhaps we could find
a combination of hotel and interesting meeting site, for instance a
Quaker meetinghouse or historic church?
I've looked at some Catholic retreat houses but most either accomodate
too few people or have spartan accomodations.
Also, do you have a particular date/time of year in mind? Some venues
are available "off season." There are places on the Jersey shore
where you might combine a hotel with a local little theater at a
reasonable rate.
Nelle Bly
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