Volks NYC Dolpa 4, July 25 and 26th 2009 -updated, postponed.- FDQ Shizu

My friends and I are planning on making it into a road-trip and driving all the way to NYC then staying for about a week in the city before Dollpa. It's going to be so much fun!

 

Wheeeeeeee!!!!!!! This year I'm doing FCS for sure. Please please please Sato heads and suntan skin, please...

 

I KNOW! If they had Sato headmolds, my life would be perfeeeeeect!

 

I'm sure I can't go, but I'm subscribing to this thread anyway. Exciting!

 

I second this. Sunlight skin, sunlight skin, sunlight skin

 

Yes, I really do know all that, I just wanted to complain a little.....makes me feel better. I would really love for them to hold it in August, although NYC is would be brutal weatherwise. Come to think of it, the weather was pretty bad last year even if it was only June.
On the bright side, if the economy still sucks, I'll just think about all the money I'm saving by not going.

 

errrrrrgh...I'd love to go this year...but money's not been so good in this economy, and my job sucks at the moment so I need to work as many hours as they give me (though it's not much). Maybe I'll get lucky before the sign up date with a Georgia lottery ticket........yeah right....

But here's a happy thought...it's not online!!! And the dolls will be better protected this time.

 

Oooh I'm so excited! I'm really glad it's they're doing this again. I can't imagine how much work this is for Volks and FDQ. I hope the weather doesn't act up. Last year was freaky, even for a NYC summer. I should have Tebaldi finished by then(it's only taken a year). I hope I can save some monies for pretty things.

 

Oh, thank God!!! Here's a good excuse for me to go to the Big Apple, and my first Dolpa. I didn't get to go last year because I had to gain all the vacation time I lost back in 2007. :p Though, this time I'm all caught up, so yeah, I'm so going this time.

 

How does Volks membership work? I received a card (I can't remember with which doll), but at the time the thinking was the card was only good for one year. It seemed like it would only be useful if I went to LA (read: never ), so I didn't really pay it any mind. I know I never received another one, though I've bought more dolls and clothing since. I think I still have it (where is it? ), but is that what qualifies as "membership?"

 

I'd like to try to come to this, but i've got so many convention plans for the year i'm just not sure i'd be able to swing this... The conventions around it are going to be low cost ones to me, but I'm not sure if this would fit budget. I'd really love to go as it would be the first I would get to attend, but I'll have to see how the budget would work.... I've never been to NYC before either so I'm hoping I might squeeze this in somewhere.... I seem to have managed to squeeze a couple trips into the year already so we'll see

 

Oh yeah! I was all ready for them to start announcing stuff. ^_^V I'm definitely going.

So wickedstitchery, are we going to try to sit together again? Or do you think trying to pool our luck again would be pushing our luck? :p ( Table of Win was full of win! >_<)

I'm pretty sure I already know who I'm bringing, too. Probably Irvin and Saber Alter.

As for Otakon? Pish. Dolpa wins hands-down. Even if it doesn't end up being the same weekend, I want as much money for doll stuff as possible. This year is going to be much better money-wise. Limited, One-off, FCS... Hell yeah! (Well, maybe not all 3, but maybe 2... )

 

Eeee, dates! (well, sort of) Although I'm another one hoping not to have to choose between Dolpa and Otakon. The weekend before would be perfect for me. It would be a birthday Dolpa!

 

I have only an SD hybrid, Cristal head on the body from other company. A tall Cristal boy. Can I take my boy with me to be there? Hybrids are not welcome, right?

 

Hybrids are not welcome when it comes to things like the SD doctor and customization contests. I think you can still bring them in though.

 

It probably wouldn't be the best idea, no.

 

I'm totally going to try to attend this year. I'm from NJ and have never gone, and now I'm kicking myself for not going sooner. :P It's so easy for me because I don't need to worry about tickets or a place to stay, so why shouldn't I go? x__X;

ETA: I totally read the title as being that the Dolpa would be held on the 4th of July and got confused. xD

 

Ah, a fine reason to emerge from self-imposed DoA exile. This could be a fine chance to get one of the two FCS dolls I had in my mind (since F-34's part of Sumika now, hooray!). We'll see, I guess. I'd like to try to get a room in the city this time, ha ha ha. Aaah, that was funny when I said it last year. Most embarrassing was being a gross sweaty mess on both afternoons. Rather humiliating. I also wish they could do this during a more temperate time of year. Maybe we'll get lucky and it'll fall on one of those 70-degree-style weekends that happen in the summer. I also hope my luck continues, as I've won stuff at all three Volks events I've been to (knock on wood) - wigs, clothes, and more clothes. Four's my unlucky number, but you gotta get past four to get to other lucky numbers up the chain...

I wonder what changes, if any, will be made to things because of last year's thefts?

(also, sup paperbot?)

 

Oh....I'm planning on going! Just need the final dates info.

From what Pat told me it may or may not be at the Fashion Institute, will be in Manhattan, and the final date choice is up to what works for Volks. With the world economy....there was a chance there was not going to be a Dolpa NYC this year. Volks and FDQ have decided to do it....so I'm going.
.

 

It probably wouldn't be a good idea to advertise that your Volks head is on a non-Volks body, and like Midori said, taking your boy to the dolly doctor probably isn't a good idea...but if he's fully dressed you'd be the only person who would know, right? I would have thought that it would only be a rude gesture if you told Mr Shigeta himself you hated Volks boy bodies or something.

 

Oh, I remember being all sweaty and icky last year because of the heat, but this year I'll try to be better prepared. I'll keep praying for mild weather!!!

Oh, I'm so glad that they decided to have a NY Dolpa this year!!! I'm really looking forward to it. I would have been sad if we had to skip this year, but even if we had, there's always next year!!!

I hope it will be in FIT again!! I've just gotten into the swing of going to NYC and knowing where my usual hotel and FIT is! I hope it won't be too far from the train station, but I'll make it somehow!!!

 

Oh you bet I'm up for it. I say it's my year to win something again anyway. Let's pool our Dolly karma. I haven't been able to take part in as many charity events this year due to the economy, but I should still have some good karma stocked up from last year. LOL Our table of Win was super the winning-est table there. Scaaaary stuff!
I think I will bring my brother & sister Yos and maybe Shayla (SD16 pearl) since she is begging to go out of the house.

OMG Cammy! I swear I was a sweaty, icky mess and had the worst hair day ever. Heat kills me, I thrive in the cold weather.

I also heard that it will likely not be held at FIT, but it's just rumor right now. I wouldn't blame them for being more cautious this year though. I really would LOVE to know who made off with those dolls.

 

I wonder if anyone would be up for carpooling from Virginia and maybe sharing a hotel room. I'd be sad to miss another Volks event!

 

Oh, I was such a mess! My bangs looked awful. I'm a big girl, so I don't do very well in intense heat. But God was looking out for me because I went through the whole trip without getting sunburned!!!

I couldn't blame them either. I wish that we could find those beautiful dolls. I feel so sad when I think about them hidden away somewhere.

And this time I'm not leaving early!! I'm going to enjoy every second of this Dolpa!!! Prepare yourselves to be hugged!!!

 

I am making a vow right now not to work Dolpa weekend. I'll tell them I have to have a kidney replacement or something.

 

Definately expect a hug missy! Do you know which of your girls will be going with you?

I'm so excited to see everyone and their lovelies again!

 

I'll take all the hugs you ladies can give.
My vow this year is to start designing something fabulous for my kids who will be attending so that they don't end up wearing things I dug up around the studio last minute. lol

 

(Yo, Mara~!)

I totally forgot about FCS. Oh dear. This could be very bad news for my wallet. I hope they'll bring a couple of Sato heads over for Sumika availability... they seem to every year, right?

 

You tell 'em Stella! Want me to write you a note? Try this...

"To Whom It May Concern,

Your dedicated employee will not be able to preform her job for the next several days due to an urgent need to have a major body part replaced and to recuperate by playing with dolls, while spending time with friends! We thank you for your understanding.

Sincerely yours,

Dr. Juli"

 

Woo hoo! Dolpa NY3 Table of Win returns! >_< Maybe Locutus (Irvin) will let you rub his tummy...

I'm all excited. I'll be glad if they have the event at a different location. I wasn't overly impressed by the staff at the school and the whole theft thing just doesn't put on a good image for FIT either.

I really hope the weather is cooler this time around.

 

Great. That will confirm thier suspiscions (justified) that I am nuts .

 

This year I think I may actually be able to go to the dolpa! I have already talked to my boss and I know I can get the time off. Now I just need to wait for the dates to be announced, get plane tickets, reserve a hotel, and figure out which lovely girl to bring with me! I am so excited!!! My friends have gone every year and this will be the first time I get to go too! YAY!!!!

 

I can't wait to see you again, chiqui-chan!!! Big hugs all around!!!

Since I brought Claudia and Virginie last time, I think I'll bring Adeline (MSD F-18) and Hana (YoSD Megu) this year!! They've always wanted to go to a Dolpa, and they'll be a lot more portable. My two big girls were heavy!! If I get another doll between now and then, it'll probably be coming too.

Please promise to bring your gorgeous Iulia!!! I want to see your dream girl in person so badly!!!

 

I can't wait^^ I hope to be a little more sociable this year =) I didn't really talk to many people last year.

I hope Ginarolo comes again! My purse got stolen last year and my gorgeous pair of Ginarolo eyes were in there ><! I hope to buy some more =)

And if they bring us the Sato heads, I'll just die X3!

 

I usually come from Richmond, VA too. I just take the train. I catch Amtrack over on Staples Mill. It's a very pleasant commute and takes ya right to Penn Station.

Me neither. I think of myself as a fairly outgoing person, but I had an awkward time trying to join a group. I ended up playing patty-cake with my doll most of the con. Sigh... This time I am DRAGGING some LV people with me.

This is my formal invite. Anyone who ends up at the same table as I, let's be friends (in that "I am not hitting on you" way).

 

I know I can't wait to see all of you again! It's been a rough, rough year so far (St. Louis folks know the details, but it's safe to just say that I've been a bit down for the month of February), and I was worried I'd have a work trip that prevented me from going in June. With the move to July, I know I'll be safe to come Here's hoping I'll be bringing one of my sweetest friends with me for the first time, too!!!!

 

Awesome! But being totally new to Dollfie, I don't even have one yet... and looking at the requirements to apply from last year, I'm not sure if I meet them? D: I really want to go though...

 

If they follow the same requirements as last year, it'll be easy. All you'd have to do is subscribe to FDQ magazine, and I think it's only about $36 for a year. That's what I did. ^_^ You can do that from their website.

 

Any order from Volks gets you a Volks Membership right?

 

Yes, it does. So long as it comes from one of the official online/real live shops. If you didn't receive an actual card, or you lost it, you can email Volks and ask them what your member # is. ^_^

 

That's what I though. I made an order of something small this morning just to get the card. I already have Volks dolls but I've just never ordered from the website.

 

Okay, this may sound silly, but coming from a very small city in NW Montana, the idea of New York City is very scary. Is it easy to get from the hotel to the show or is it in the hotel? What about the airport there? We hear such scary stories of New York. Please ease my mind. I want to go but want to be reassured that all will be well!!!

 

Dolpa is held at FIT not at a hotel. I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express which was only a few blocks away. Probably the closest hotel but not inexpensive!

 

Your purse was stolen?? D: How horrible! Was it at the event?

 

My personal experience in NYC was great. We flew into JFK and got on the subway to go to our hotel then took the subway or walked everywhere. If you are afraid of the subway you can always take cabs but it gets expensive. Since all of Manhattan is on a block system if you have a map it's pretty easy to get around. I found most people there to be friendly and every time we looked lost somewhere somebody stopped and helped us figure out where we were going. I even got really sick on the subway (food poisoning) and somebody was nice enough to give me a pack of tissues.

 

Actually, we're not 100% sure it'll be at FIT this time, but we'll know for sure very soon.

I'm from St. Louis, so I can appreciate being from the mid-West and hearing about NYC, but the truth is that the Dolpa is in Manhattan--the absolute nicest part of NYC, full of high end stores and office buildings and nice, nice appartments. Even the "bad" parts of Manhattan are nicer than some of the nice parts of St. Louis Things are well-lit and people feel comfortable walking at all hours of the night. Cabs are *everywhere*. On top of that, they have some of the best public transportation anywhere in the US. For a few dollars, you can hop on the subway and get just about anywhere in the city.

It's a safe bet that you'll be able to find a hotel within 10 minutes of walking from the final location of the event. If it is at FIT again, there's a nice hotel across the street (Sheraton 4 Points), a fun, funky cheap hotel 3 blocks over (Gershwin), and something in the middle 3.5 blocks away (Chelsea Savoy).

The two airports in NYC are both pretty accessible to Manhattan, but both require a taxi/bus/subway ride in. For a first time NYC visit, I'd recommend taking a cab. It's more expensive at ~$40 with tip, but it's easy and stress free.

Oh! And jerrysugarav is absolutely right: Manhattan is laid out on a grid with numbered streets going one way (East-West) and avenues going the other way (North-South). It's super-easy to find where you are on a map and figure out where you're going

 

While NYC is a massive city, it's actually one of the safest cities, and very easy to navigate. What I suggest doing is once you find out which airport you're flying into, and which hotel you are staying at, visit NYC's mass transit website for suggestions on how to get from the airport to the city, and print out the subway map. You can use the subway map along with Google Maps, which tells you which Subway stops are near a location, and you can figure out how to get to your destination very easily.

For me, figuring out where you are, where you're going, and how you're going to get there is the first step in easing my fears when travelling by myself to a new place. I had to go to Brooklyn (one of NYC's burroughs) and get to a friend's place at 2:30am and made it there without any problems.

New Yorkers can be pretty rude about giving directions, and helping you. Taxi drivers can be awful too... So I really stress using map skills!

(And please note that I said "can be." Good people are every where.)

 

Awww, I didn't know you felt that way, Lima-chan! You are always welcome to sit with me again so I can oogle your beautiful dolls and enjoy your great sense of humor!!! I hope to at least give you a big hug!!

Oh, that's horrible!!! I'm so sorry. Did it happen in the Dolpa, or in NYC?

And you are always welcome to come and sit with me!! I love making new friends!!!

 

*raises hands* I'll take you up on your offer! This is my first Dolpa and I don't really know that many doll collector's and DoA members except for the few that I've met at local doll meetups. I was expecting to be a loner until I could meet somebody I knew or was friendly and latch onto them like a leech -__-;

Also if Dolpa were to be held at FIT where would the nearest hotel be located or do you think it'd better to travel by car (I'm about 30 min. by car to that area). I live in NY/NJ area for half of the week every week for the past year and I've never really been to Manhattan except to go eat usually in the middle of the night so I apologize for my ignorance.

 

Parking can be a PITA and costly. I'd recommend taking public transportation if you can take the time to. As a person coming from out of town, the Manhattan parking prices are quite staggering, IMHO, more expensive than downtown Chicago.

We stayed in the Chelsea area last time. Just about 4-5 blocks away. There were many hotels within 4-6 blocks from FIT. Most people were just complaining about the humidity moreso than the walk.

 

I'm not sure about hotels (because I live in Queens) but, I definately agree with taking public transportation rather then going by car. If you are in NJ I think you can take the train into Penn Station and get on the subway from there. Traffic can be horrendous at times in Manhattan and finding parking can be expensive and sometimes take forever to find. I know my hubby and I will be leaving the car home and hopping on the train if we are able to go to Dolpa.

 

If you live close enough, why get a hotel? Just hop on a NJTransit train and come into Penn Station if you don't want to drive or deal with parking, then walk or take a cab to wherever it'll be held this year. (ETA: Or drive to Weehawken and take a ferry over; I believe tickets are relatively inexpensive.)

Speaking of parking, some (most? all?) parking garages in Manhattan have a reservation system where you can make sure they'll have a space for you if you arrive within a certain time frame. It's really not a big deal at all. :]

And as far as people "being rude" (as someone else said), they're about as rude as any other city anywhere else. I've never had a problem asking for directions if I needed them.

 

Cammy - I can't wait to see Adeline and Hana!!! I am definately bringing Iulia and Marie is sure to tag along!

---
I hope it's not as hot this year! Although middle of July...chances of that are low! Even if it is super hot, it'll still be fun!

 

Wow! It sounds like so many people are going to attend!

I really hope that I can finally meet some DoAers!

 

I wanted to go to a doll con in California (I live in Maryland) but she said we could go to a con or a Dolpa in New York so yea maybe ill see if she wants to go!

 

Sounds like I am a definite there! My good friend decided to put me and my friend up for the night! I am so looking forward to bringing my Luna and Miruku. My Jun will probably find her way along.

 

I've lived outside of NYC almost my entire life and overall NY is very very safe. ^^ Like many others have said its very easy to navigate because of the grid system and if you still have a problem, you could look into getting a map or checking out googlemaps ahead of time.

As for the airports, I know there are shuttles from the airport to various locations at a decent price. I'd recommend not renting a car since trying to park in NYC overnight can be a hassle. I'm not sure how one gets into Manhattan from Newark since I tend to not use it as I live in the NY-side of suburbia, but I believe they have some type of NJ transit hub there. I would try to fly into LGA (LaGuardia), Newark (in NJ) or JFK if you can. I think Stewart or Islip in Long Island get Jet Blue flights but I would not fly into there unless you are planning on staying in Long Island as the airports are less convenient to trying to get into NYC.

Many NYers are friendly and willing to help. I know I've been stopped by people asking directions and I always do my best.


One thing someone trying to save money could consider is staying in a hotel near a commuter line in NJ, Westchester, CT, or Long Island.

If you decide to drive, depending on when you arrive in NYC you might be able to actually get free parking. I ended up driving in both mornings and was able to find free parking in Chelsea only about a 10 or 15 minute walk from FIT. I'd actually consider driving again depending on when I needed to be there.

I should note, I was getting there around 8 am. I imagine parking gets more difficult as the morning progresses. The parking was free but I'm pretty sure not overnight so it won't work for people staying in hotels.

The year before I mostly took public transportation and just used Metro North to get to Grand Central.

I look forward to seeing everyone!

 

I've driven in two years in a row and haven't had a problem finding safe street parking. Sometimes you have to take a few circles around the block, but I have parked right in front of the Gershwin both Dolpas and moved my car down to FIT on Sunday morning without issue. Easy in, easy out. When we find out where it is being held I will likely figure out a similar plan of attack.
rkold is right. I go into the city fairly often and I have yet to have a problem with anyone there. Most everyone is very friendly and helpful, especially if you take the time to smile.

 

Birju_Lachi, NY_Kitty, paperbot, rkold, wickedstitchery- Thank you, you guys for your advice.

I'm already really excited about going and meeting everyone!