No I'm down with no car rental -- esp with Stoo's note that you *can* get around LA without one. If you can do that in LA, you can do it in the majority of cities, so let's stick to public transport.

Let the pricing begin!

ps Stoo did you want to PM me your email as well/vice versa? I can use excel to set up my NYC pricing.

OK, here is the excel: http://www.dietpizza.ch/stuff/bna-wccit.xls

You can email them to bna@dietpizza.ch. (I am a geek with his own server...i have the power...)

Maybe you all want to have a look and comment before we fill them out?

My recommendations (obviously easy for me to make since I am not doing the spreadsheet)

1. go back to individual pricing for items for determining an index. Then we can make a few different indices for different types of travelers by simply adjusting the numbers. We can come up with maybe a handful of travel types. We can make one for the chain smoking, sleeping on the park bench, alcoholic as well as the hostel hating, opera loving, well you get the idea.

2. arrange the spreadsheet into more of a tabular, columnar datatase. This will make it easier, to sort filter, run scripts on, import into a real database program (I know I am anal, but this could have some really useful benefits). Plus individuals would be able to manipulate this master database for their own pricing calculations.

3. make sure there is a field for the date the prices were recorded so people can adjust for inflation.

quote:

go back to individual pricing for items for determining an index. Then we can make a few different indices for different types of travelers by simply adjusting the numbers

that is still possible. if a beer is €7 for 7, then we know it is one euro each. i am dreaming up a later, more complex version...but getting to even this point has not ben easy..

point is, this first version is intentionally simple. if we get a good, solid response then we can expand.

and why are you not filling one of for sandy ego???

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2. arrange the spreadsheet into more of a tabular, columnar datatase.

as i am getting multiple spreadsheets from multiple people, it makes it easier for me to collate the data. i am not an excel god so i like to keep it simple.

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. make sure there is a field for the date the prices were recorded so people can adjust for inflation.

currency fluxations are an equally large if not greater problem. but again, too complex for this at the moment. inflation is a real issue and virtually impossible to deal with in our little, democratic index. some items prices increases disproportionately to others. there is just no simple way to do that here.

also, an index is traditionally a snapshot. i have never seen an index that changed dynamically to account for currency and inflation. and if you tell me they have such things at CME's world corn derivatives trading computers...then...well...you can take over the spreadsheet.


i'm followign the K.I.S.S. rule. Keep it Simple, Stupid!

quote:

Originally posted by Stoo:
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quote:

. make sure there is a field for the date the prices were recorded so people can adjust for inflation.

currency fluxations are an equally large if not greater problem. but again, too complex for this at the moment. inflation is a real issue and virtually impossible to deal with in our little, democratic index. some items prices increases disproportionately to others. there is just no simple way to do that here.

Which means .... Stoo volunteers to update them all manually next year for the 2007 BnA Guide to World Cities. What a guy.

Look at it this way Stoo: you now have an excuse for a RTW trip next year. And every year. For the rest of your life.

re: spreadsheet -- pricing for activities

Kuching (Sarawak, Malaysia) is not a hotbed for cultural activities and anyway while the galleries and museums that we have here are free, they're not the primary reason why travellers come to our city.

So for my particular city, I changed it to reflect the primary activities that people come here for -- to visit our national parks and the orang utan "rehab" (personal bias) center. That is, admission for national park entrance.

Thought I should let you know -- as well, for others who are working on smaller cities and may face the same conundrum.

p/s 1 return to/from airport -- means a taxi ride both ways right?

London and Toronto finished as far as I can estimate for them! I've emailed them to you, Stoo.

cayce: i think zoo/park is a fair swap. we should include it as an example for activity in new spreadsheets. even big cities have zoos that people like to go to as much as museums, etc.

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p/s 1 return to/from airport -- means a taxi ride both ways right?

yes not really...see below

Chris: Got it. You are the first and only so far. The 'master' spreadsheet is at home so I will update each evening as they come in and notify you all...same bat channel, same bat time.

cib: if you could help with the fund raising that would be great

I actually understood that transit to/from the airport was by cheapest means. Was I wrong in understanding that? In Vancouver, you can easily get from the airport to a hostel for $3.25 or by $40 cab ride.

I agree that airport transport should be the cheapest means. When I go back to Sydney this week to fill our my spreadsheet, I'll be putting in the cost of the train ride from the airport to Central station (which is very close to the main hostel), not a cab fare.

Yup, by cheapest.

In NYC, the cheapest possible is $2. A cab however can be $60 to JFK with toll + tip -- I'm putting in the $2 fare.

quote:

p/s 1 return to/from airport -- means a taxi ride both ways right?

yes, yes...my bad. i was thinking implicately 'if there is no other option' ...bad stoo bad.

Ok i might be having a blonde moment but i dont quite understand the spreadsheet - btw the currency wont open properly it says 9 errors.

Also another moment but what currency are we doing them in, euros, pounds or dollars?

Michelle

quote:

Originally posted by michey_b:
Ok i might be having a blonde moment but i dont quite understand the spreadsheet - btw the currency wont open properly it says 9 errors.

Also another moment but what currency are we doing them in, euros, pounds or dollars?

Michelle

what do you mean by 'the currency wont open properly it says 9 errors'? remember to only use one tab for one city. the first tab is the summary...which i include so people could see how i was calculating stuff.

enter your values in the local currency. then put the currency code and i will do the conversion to usd for you pm the summery page.

I've uploaded a new spreadsheet with chris (london, toronto) and my data (zurich) so you can see how we did it.

if you are still in the midst of a blonde attack after ten minutes, then just post the values and i'll do it for you.

I suppose that means I need to start calling the hostels + laundries downtown.....

Internet is EXPENSIVE here! Glad I never have to pay for it, Jaysus.