East Bay this time, Berkeley/N. Oakland area. But you can still zip conveniently over the bridge if you want to go to S.F.
Go Bears! 
Justine
Update: We’ve added David Quinn to the tionol program! He will be giving a digital slide show presentation on pipemaking entitled “Pipemaking in the 20th and 21st Centuries”. If you’re at all curious about how the pipes are constructed, you won’t want to miss this.
We’re also going to offer 1-day flute and whistle workshops at the tionol, with instructors to be announced later. Details on the website: http://www.sfpipersclub.org/tionol.html
For those of you who are planning to come and want to make hotel reservations, the website now includes a link to the nearest hotel (The Claremont Resort). If you want to combine the tionol experience with a luxurious California vacation, this is the place for you. Otherwise, there are lots of hotels in Berkeley, and you can use the location of the Claremont Resort to guide your choice. (The tionol will be held in a private residence and we’re not posting the exact address out of respect for the privacy of the hosts.)[/b]
Is there a BART station near the tionol location in the East bay?
Is there a BART station near the tionol location in the East bay?
I’m not very familiar with the area, but it appears that the nearest BART stations would be quite a long walk from the tionol. Judging from the BART map, you might want to go to either the Ashby station or the Rockridge station. There might be reasonable bus service from one of these stations – I don’t know.
I’m starting to worry about this tionol being held in a private residence as the crowds in SF can be quite large and boisterous. It works in So Cal because of the layout of the hosts home. The venue in SF/Oakland may work if spread out such that classes and pipers pipering in one area do not affect reedmaking or pipers piping in classes in another area. Seriously consider finding a public venue. Forty to sixty pipers in someone’s home for a whole weekend ? Keep in mind that we people come to tionols for many different reasons. There will be pipers at 5 or more different levels and each and every one will arrive with their own individual educational needs and hopes for the tionol. You need a locale that people can get to easily, that is within walking distance of foodstuffs, and that supports several impromptu sessions, a common area for mulling around, reedmaking, and space for several simultaneous classes that do not interfere with one another. Also, you’ll need ample parking for those arriving in their own or rented autos. One is less likely to find that commodity on a neighborhood street. In fact, the last time the tionol was in SF, I spent an entire hour looking to park to attend the Fri eve house party at P. Heelan’s home. Perhaps the venue will be perfect…but, give serious consideration to the requirements for a successful tionol.
Don’t discount my comments because you want to do it differently or don’t want to go to the trouble to do it properly. Fact of the matter is that I’ll take a day off work, buy a ticket on a jet airplane, rent an auto, and spend several nites in a hotel, as well as spend time away from family. I, for one, challenge you to make it worth my while to attend. I know that I speak for every single prospective attendee.
And, if you do not post the exact address out of respect for the privacy of the hosts…how am I supposed to get there? If privacy is an issue, why are you having it there in the first place?
Hi Lewis,
Thanks for all your suggestions. This year’s tionol will be a smaller, more intimate, gathering than in the past. You are right that there is no way we could fit 40-60 pipers in a house and still be able to walk around, much less keep the class sizes reasonable. If we could have found a bigger venue, you can bet that we would be using it! All the same, I think there will be some good things going on this year… at least for those who register in time to get a spot. (I really hope that we don’t have to turn anyone away, but that would be preferable to having such a big crowd that it spoils the event for everyone.)
As to your question about how to find the place, we’ll be sending out maps to everyone when they register. The tionol web page explains this and other details.
–Bob
I hope you guys aren’t having it at Peter’s house. While him and his wife are extremely hospitable and would do their best to accomodate everyone, his house is way too small for that many people, and parking is non-existent in that area. I’m with L.B. on this. A high school gym or church basement would be better.
jd
No, it’s not at Peter’s house. We were not able to find a school or church building that worked out this year. Like I said before, think: “smaller, more intimate”…and register early.
I haven’t seen the venue yet and I don’t know exactly where it is, so maybe I shouldn’t respond to this question, but I have to say that, in the Bay Area, I agree that parking is always an issue. Because parking can be difficult to find, I always make sure I arrive very early for any event…That said, parking is even harder in areas that are near restaurants and shopping. I LOVE Peter Heelan’s neighborhood, precisely because of the nice restaurants, bars, and shopping, but in the Bay Area, this means that parking is what we call an adventure. I know people from other areas are not used to this, but it is just part of life around here and I guess we are used to it. My suggestions? Either carpool to the party, arrive early, or just expect to spend a while looking for parking. If you are interested in carpooling, let me know and we may be able to help you out there…
I hope you don’t feel anyone is discounting your comments because we are definitely doing our best to make sure everyone’s questions get answered and any concerns get dealt with.
Sorry if I left anything out…very sleep deprived right now…must go to bed.
Justine
…exactly why I asked about riding the BART over to the tionol.
Why all the secrecy about the location? If other tionols did this, and I had to travel by plane to get there, I would seriously consider not attending. Saying it is in the East Bay Area is pretty vague.
Please post the location.
Why all the secrecy about the location? If other tionols did this, and I had to travel by plane to get there, I would seriously consider not attending. Saying it is in the East Bay Area is pretty vague.
Send in your registration and we’ll send you a map with the address. That’s easy enough, isn’t it?
I already explained that exact location is being withheld to respect the wishes of the hosts, who do not want their address posted on the internet. They are not members of the pipers’ club, only friends, and are opening their home as a favor, so we want to respect that.
If you want to find the closest hotel so you can make a reservation now, the web page explains that the location is within a few blocks (walking distance) of the Claremont Resort. If you need more information for some reason, send mail to tionol@sfpipersclub.org.
Hi Bob,
Fair enough. I may not have read into this enough. I understand respecting the privacy of the hosts. I just hope that they have a large residence.
Looking forward to it. Richard
Richard, how about if you guys just give us the nearest cross streets (or major cross streets) but not the exact address?
Did anyone answer you yet, Tom?
Umm…If it’s walking distance from the Claremont, I guess it’s probably near Claremont Ave.? I went to the Claremont Hotel site but found it hard to find the address.
Email Bob at our site if you still haven’t heard from anyone about the cross streets.
Justine
I just looked at the Claremont Resort web page and Justine is right – I hadn’t realized that it is so hard to find the address. So, here it is:
41 Tunnel Road, Berkeley, California 94705
That’s the address for the Claremont, not the tionol. I know that’s not quite the same as the cross streets that Tom requested, but it’s quite close – certainly close enough to help you locate nearby hotels, restaurants, etc.
Bump…so I don’t have to look too bloody long to find the topic next time…
Hey, ya’ll should attend this event!
Is this the official word that you’ll be there Lewis?
Patrick.
I’m countin’ down the days. Can’t wait. It’ll be a great event.
Hey Patrick! It’s official…I worked out the call schedule issues today…I’m on first part of Feb and off 15th and after for sure.
I’ll be arriving Thurs nite then painting landscapes somewhere scenic on Friday. Of course, will plan to paint if I can find an art supply place to purchase solvents as one cannot travel with flammables on jet air planes. It may not be worth the hassle for just a day of painting…maybe I’ll bring my camera and a sketchbook with pencils/pastels instead! Will be piping Fri nite and the rest of the weekend unless the house tionol is bustin’ at the seams in which case I may get in a few quick paintings/sketches on Sat and/or Sun as well.