Čikagos Lietuvių
Jaunimo Sąjunga

Lithuanian-American Youth Association
Chicago chapter

New Year’s F.A.Q.s

Here is our best attempt at answering a bunch of questions about New Year’s that we’ve been getting. The questions are grouped by subject. Click on a question in order to see its answer.

  • Hotel (Hotel Info Page | Westin River North Page)
    1. What are the rooms like?

      As the Westin is a skyscraper, the rooms don’t have quite the same footprint as a typical suburban Holiday Inn; the rooms are long and narrow, with a giant bay window at one end. The lack of party space and storage space is sort of (?) ameliorated by the spacious bathroom, with the toilet hidden in a nook. When packing, take into consideration the lack of dresser space (four drawers below the tv only) and floor space. The rooms will be tight for four, and possibly unmanageable for more guests. The showers have double heads, and there is a coffee maker (with a bottle of merlot), GameCube, safe, and mini-bar in every room.

    2. I hear the hotel bar is open until 4am every night?

      The current best information is that the license is a 2am license. That means, however, that on Saturday the bar should be open until 3am. Don’t count on the bar’s being open later than these times, but it’s not an unreasonable possibility.

    3. How’s the hotel with bringing our own booze?

      No outside food or liquor is allowed in the hotel, and bellmen are authorised to confiscate any they see. Note the use of the word “see” there. The mini-bar cannot be emptied out, but the Westin does rent out fridges for $25/night.

    4. How do I get to the hotel from O’Hare or Midway airports?

      A cab will run about $40 or more, and though there is no direct shuttle from the airports, Continental Airport Express (available at the baggage claims) runs a shuttle that features the Westin River North on its route. The cost for this shuttle could be up to $25, and it runs between every 20 minutes and every half hour.

      However, the hotel is also only two blocks from the Clark/Lake el stop, serviced by both the Blue Line (from O’Hare) and the Orange Line (from Midway). We recommend taking the train to the hotel. You can find out more information about the el by going to the CTA webpage.

      The Westin’s unreliable transportation page provides this same info, with a more optimistic pricing structure.

    5. I’ve heard there are multiple Westins in Chicago. Is that true?

      Yes, and this may be a source of confusion. There is a Westin on Michigan Avenue. Ours is the Westin River North, on Dearborn. If the hotel’s not across the street from two corn-cob-looking buildings and beside a river, you’re at the wrong one.

    6. I have a general problem with the hotel. What am I supposed to do?

      Our point person for the hotel is Jody. She has told us to have anyone with trouble contact her. Her telephone number is: +1 312 321 7177. Her email is: jody.grossman < at > westin < dot > com.

  • Banketas (Banquet) (Banketas Info Page)
    1. Something came up, and I need a refund. What can I do?

      We’re extremely wary of giving refunds, and it is not our priority now—we’re trying to put on a party for everyone else. That said, if you know, for certain, that you need a refund, please email us and tell us how to get the money back to you, and we’ll see what we can do. Furthermore, a 100% refund will be simply impossible in all cases. The most we will refund is what you paid less $5, because of charges we incurred just processing your original payment.

    2. $100 is a lot of money. Why is banketas so expensive?

      Our salė is in one of the nicest hotels in Chicago, and that carries a price. Furthermore, we are providing live music and a high-quality open bar. This is not a fundraiser for CLJS, so we’re not pocketing any profits. If you consider that last year’s banketas in Boston was over $50 and had a cash bar, or that the boat cruise for LT Days this year was $70 with a cash bar, $100 with an open bar seems very reasonable. Of course, the cost is now $140, which, by downtown Chicago standards, is still very reasonable.

    3. Why does the price keep going up?

      When we drew up our contract with the hotel, they gave us a minimum cost, $M. CLJS had to pay $M whether there were 100 guests or 500. So we invented a $T, that was $M + incidentals (the band, decorations, etc.). Next, we took a starting ticket price of $98, divided $T by that, and figured out what our “minimum” number of guests would have to be in order for us to be able to pay everything off. All of our marketing, etc., has since been aimed at getting that number of guests to register. In other words, unlike in other banquet settings, the hotel is not charging us “per plate.”

      Furthermore, we have had to pay $M to the hotel in installments, so we needed to provide incentives for people to pay early. The best incentive is to offer a lower price (it works better even than the promise of a free room lottery ticket). Sadly, if you offer a lower price at one point, that means you have to offer a higher price later, and that’s where we are now. Renegging on a price increase is unfair to those who hustled to get their payments together in time. The higher cost is also a way for us to reach $T in the high-stakes time right before the banketas. At $140/, we have to target a smaller group of people. We are nearly at $T now, and any further payments we get will all be funnelled right back into the hotel to raise the quality of service level for everyone at banketas.

    4. Is there a “Šokiai Only” price for banketas?

      No.

    5. How old do I have to be to go to banketas?

      Eighteen years old, and twenty-one to participate in the open bar. We will be carding for people who are 21 or over when they pick up their tickets at distribution.

    6. What’s the oldest I can be and come to banketas?

      This is an event open to people of all ages. We have teenagers as well as those teenagers’ parents registered already.

    7. Can non-lietuviai come?

      Of course. New Year’s is most fun if you spend it with your friends. Not all of your friends are lucky enough to be lietuviai. Please invite them along.

    8. When do I get my ticket for banketas?

      We will have tables set up for ticket distribution on Dec. 29, 30, and 31 at the Westin. More information will be given in our pre-event final email.

  • Registration (Registration Form)
    1. Do I have to pay when I register?

      There is no such requirement, but we encourage people to pay as soon as possible. Simply put, paying now means having less to worry about later in December, when you may want the cash for Christmas presents or for bars and the like.

    2. How do I pay if I’ve already registered?

      If you’re paying via PayPal or credit card, further instructions are here. If you would like to pay by check (unavailable to Canadians), further instructions are here.

    3. I don’t know who else is going. What should I write for my table mates?

      You can leave it blank for now, and leave it up to us.

    4. I want to sit with all my friends, but we don’t have a table set up, or think we even can. What can we do?

      First, a table is ten guests. There is no discount for setting one up, but, clearly, you want to sit with your nine best friends. If you like, you can include all nine on your form. Otherwise, we’ll try to be intelligent about placement. Of course, if you have nine friends all lined up, try to find ten more for another table!

  • General Program / Issues (Program Info Page)
    1. What day should I come? When should I leave?

      Our programa begins with a low-key evening at a bar on Wednesday, the 28th. The hotel becomes available on the 29th, and we have activities planned all the way into the wee hours of the 2nd. For maximum exposure, hence, we recommend using the 28th and 2nd as your travel days.

    2. I have no documentation attesting to my being 21+. What will I be able to do?

      Nearly everything we’ve planned has been with an eye toward the next generation of partyers. Hence, as far as we know, everything is 18+ except for the activities Wednesday and Friday night, although we anticipate that whatever crowd remains will make good use of the Westin in the meantime.

    3. I’m planning on staying out in the burbs instead of at the hotel. Can I still participate in everything?

      Obviously, but anticipate a lot of driving. Everything we’ve arranged is literally walking distance from the hotel, except for the Wednesday and Sunday night activities, which are short cab rides away. This is a Chicago new years. That means no Lemont and no Rosemont. Everything is right in downtown.

    4. This is a great idea, and I want to help you guys out by spreading the word or sponsoring something. Is there anything I can do?

      For now, the two biggest ways you can help is by getting your friends to register/pay and, if you’re philanthropically inclined, to consider making a tax-deductible donation. We’ve established a set of sponsorship criteria for people interested in spending more money. Additionally, if you’d like to print out promotional materials, we have letter-sized posters available for download here. If you’d like to volunteer some time during the event, then please email us at ljs.cikaga < at > gmail < dot > com

    5. What the hell is “CLJS,” anyway?

      CLJS is the Čikagos Lietuvių Jaunimo Sąjunga. We are part of Čikagos Lietuvių Bendruomenė and the JAV Lietuvių Jaunimo Sąjunga. We are the people who throw Turkey Dance and send atstovai to Jaunimo Kongresai. A slightly less glib (but still glib) description is available here.