Rob, thanks for the offer of a lift, but having talked to our folks in LA I'm going to fly into Boston (via Washington) and rent a car. This makes the next part of the trip (LA) very easy as there are several direct flights from BOS to LAX.

I'll be in RI for a couple of days around Feb 6th, and also hope to get in a day visit to Boston. If anyone's up for a pint let me know.

Rob