TTE Experience by Sean Conner (long)
04-08-2004, 08:48 AM
#1
TTE Experience by Sean Conner (long)
August 31st 2000....I purchased a TTR on a whim, I was one of few (at the time) that were able to get a TT Roadster off the dealer lot and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I came from the VW world and while there is a lot of similarities between the cars in terms of parts, the owners of the cars at the time were completely different.
I was a regular on VWVortex and had been around since the early days, I was well versed in the ways of the VR6 but had no clue what this relatively new motor (in the US anyway) was capable and better yet, this was my first Audi and I knew nothing about them.
I struggled on the Vortex from a lack of knowledge and was posting questions that no one knew the answer to, luckily a wandering Audiworlder (LarryTT) found me and directed me to Audiworld. I found a place full of people that were excited new owners wanting to learn as much as they could about this little car called the TT. I found that even though a lot of these people had been around and knew each other, they were very welcoming to nOoBz!
Later the following year, there was a plan to get together at a little place called Fallingwater, home of a couple Frank Loyd Wright homes. I only knew a few of these people from the internet and felt a little intimidated by the relationships that many had already built, they seemed like a very tight knit group. I hedged about going to the 1st annual TT East and registration had come and passed. For some reason, as the event was coming around the corner, I had a change of heart, I asked my wife if she wanted to go and we got a hotel reservation but we did not get to go on any of the planned activities.
We arrived in Fallingwater and I saw the most glorious sight ever, tons of other TT's (keep in mind they were still relatively exotic) and tons of TT owners. It wasn't long before I started recognizing some names that I knew from the forums and I started forming a few friendships....GODDAMNAFGHANISTAN was this fun!!!!! WOOOHOO!!!
Coming back from the 1st TTE was a very enlightening experience, I had made some new friends, I was able to put faces to the names that I had been talking to for months. It was completely different to any of the car gatherings I had ever attended. VW stuff was mostly younger and all about racing, flexing testosterone and drinking, this was more about the social part although drinking was the constant ;-)
Go through another year of making new friends and hanging out on the forums, the 2nd event at Asheville that centered around the Biltmore Estate and the drive through the Tail of the Dragon which was the coolest. We partied like there was no tomorrow, late night shenanigans, causing general mayhem and fun. My wife and I were able to get some culture but more importantly, again I got to meet some new faces and have fun while being centered around the Audi TT. It is always fun and you get to see so much more in person when it comes to people modding their TT's. All of the things you read / talk and see online comes to life and you actually get to talk to the owners of the cars and ask questions in person. I really thought that things could not get better.
Fast forward to last year and the trip to Canadagua(sp) screw it, I will just call it Can-O-Dogfood and visiting the wineries in upstate NY. While TTE has been plagued with rain on the events, we always seem to get at least one good day of drives and fun and you really get to hang out and do as little or as much as you want to...last year at TTE was maybe the most fun of all, not because of the drives, not because of the tours to the wineries, because of the people and the fun we had. I have never had so much fun partying in a hotel (ok well maybe a few times but nothing we can talk about here) ;-)
I so look forward to doing the same thing this year, I have a feeling that experience will get even better.
The activities that are planned by the TTE organizers are second to none, for those that have attended past events, you know that there is probably not any other events IMHO that come close to what they put together. The raffles (for some nice prizes I might add) the dinners, the trinkets and the planned activities are a blast and of course, I cant wait to meet some new people, see some new cars and look at some new mods.
I look forward to this year, I hope that those sitting on the fence about coming because they are not sure if they will have a good time will read this post and take the plunge, I can tell you that it will be worth it and you will have a great time.
If you have been to TTE before, drop some of your thoughts here and convince some people to go, as I always say, the more the merrier.
I was a regular on VWVortex and had been around since the early days, I was well versed in the ways of the VR6 but had no clue what this relatively new motor (in the US anyway) was capable and better yet, this was my first Audi and I knew nothing about them.
I struggled on the Vortex from a lack of knowledge and was posting questions that no one knew the answer to, luckily a wandering Audiworlder (LarryTT) found me and directed me to Audiworld. I found a place full of people that were excited new owners wanting to learn as much as they could about this little car called the TT. I found that even though a lot of these people had been around and knew each other, they were very welcoming to nOoBz!
Later the following year, there was a plan to get together at a little place called Fallingwater, home of a couple Frank Loyd Wright homes. I only knew a few of these people from the internet and felt a little intimidated by the relationships that many had already built, they seemed like a very tight knit group. I hedged about going to the 1st annual TT East and registration had come and passed. For some reason, as the event was coming around the corner, I had a change of heart, I asked my wife if she wanted to go and we got a hotel reservation but we did not get to go on any of the planned activities.
We arrived in Fallingwater and I saw the most glorious sight ever, tons of other TT's (keep in mind they were still relatively exotic) and tons of TT owners. It wasn't long before I started recognizing some names that I knew from the forums and I started forming a few friendships....GODDAMNAFGHANISTAN was this fun!!!!! WOOOHOO!!!
Coming back from the 1st TTE was a very enlightening experience, I had made some new friends, I was able to put faces to the names that I had been talking to for months. It was completely different to any of the car gatherings I had ever attended. VW stuff was mostly younger and all about racing, flexing testosterone and drinking, this was more about the social part although drinking was the constant ;-)
Go through another year of making new friends and hanging out on the forums, the 2nd event at Asheville that centered around the Biltmore Estate and the drive through the Tail of the Dragon which was the coolest. We partied like there was no tomorrow, late night shenanigans, causing general mayhem and fun. My wife and I were able to get some culture but more importantly, again I got to meet some new faces and have fun while being centered around the Audi TT. It is always fun and you get to see so much more in person when it comes to people modding their TT's. All of the things you read / talk and see online comes to life and you actually get to talk to the owners of the cars and ask questions in person. I really thought that things could not get better.
Fast forward to last year and the trip to Canadagua(sp) screw it, I will just call it Can-O-Dogfood and visiting the wineries in upstate NY. While TTE has been plagued with rain on the events, we always seem to get at least one good day of drives and fun and you really get to hang out and do as little or as much as you want to...last year at TTE was maybe the most fun of all, not because of the drives, not because of the tours to the wineries, because of the people and the fun we had. I have never had so much fun partying in a hotel (ok well maybe a few times but nothing we can talk about here) ;-)
I so look forward to doing the same thing this year, I have a feeling that experience will get even better.
The activities that are planned by the TTE organizers are second to none, for those that have attended past events, you know that there is probably not any other events IMHO that come close to what they put together. The raffles (for some nice prizes I might add) the dinners, the trinkets and the planned activities are a blast and of course, I cant wait to meet some new people, see some new cars and look at some new mods.
I look forward to this year, I hope that those sitting on the fence about coming because they are not sure if they will have a good time will read this post and take the plunge, I can tell you that it will be worth it and you will have a great time.
If you have been to TTE before, drop some of your thoughts here and convince some people to go, as I always say, the more the merrier.
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04-08-2004, 09:56 AM
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Hey Sean, that's a great story...Last year was my first TTE..I missed the first two because of..
business trips.. never again will I miss one as long as I have the TT. My wife and I had such a great time meeting people...screaming along the lakeside roads in a snake of TT's as far as the eye could see (a couple of miles anyway)...Racing around the old Watkins glen Grand Prix circuit with Doug (ArchitecTT) and Sal (ITALSKIER)...Winning an O.ct chip from Stratmosphere, a gift certificate and TTmodels from TT Stuff...Beer exchange...sing alongs round the fireplace...washing the TT's in the rain...the convoy out to NY and back to Boston...Too much fun to put into words. I'm so looking forward to this year cause I've added a few more mods and want to see other's too!!!
