xkcd

by **headprogrammingczar** » Wed May 06, 2009 10:32 pm UTC

Here's a good spot for a meetup...
There is a movie theater in Reston with an Uno's right next to it. For those of you who don't know, Uno's makes the best pizza ever made in the history of pizza. A while back they expanded into the next lot around the corner, so they have this one room with about 3 tables and pretty much nothing else that would make a good place for a semi-big meetup. Also, during the summer there are events pretty much every weekend; the last one I remember going to was a group of Beatles impersonators that were very good. The address of the theater is 11940 Market Street, Reston, VA, and the Uno's is on the left corner, about 200 feet away.

by **NathanielK** » Thu May 07, 2009 9:41 am UTC

headprogrammingczar wrote:Uno's makes the best pizza ever made in the history of pizza.

I don't know what you've been smoking. Uno's isn't bad, but I can think of three better places off the top of my head. Of course, to be fair, I've never been to the one you're talking about.

by **paenian** » Thu May 07, 2009 12:14 pm UTC

How would people get to Reston? I think the idea is to make it accessible, as in by public transportation.

If you want it farther from DC, think of places on the outskirts but still near a Metro stop.

I submit Galaxy Hut (between the Clarendon and Court House metros) for an over-21 meetup - they have fancy beer on tap.

Paul

by **Kizyr** » Thu May 07, 2009 2:30 pm UTC

I'm always up for alternate suggestions! But like paenian said, in the interest of accessibility, we should try to stick to places accessible by mass transit (it's easy for me to get to Reston, but I can't speak for other people).

North Arlington (mostly along Wilson/Clarendon Blvd, anywhere between Rosslyn and Ballston) tends to work out, since there's a lot of stuff along that way and it's easily-accessible. There are other places like Bethesda, Silver Spring, etc., that are close enough to the city and may have a lot going on as well (not as familiar with those areas, though). Pentagon/Crystal City is good, too (that's where I live!) so I'm not averse to there/here either.

If it's a bar, bear in mind that not everyone drinks. So... while I'm not opposed to a meetup taking place there, it should be somewhere that has good non-alcoholic options as well. (Some of the places I've been to with friends will have good food or dessert options as well. Sports bars--sometimes--are pretty ok, though the only time I like going is during the World Cup season... unless you can find an Aussie bar that shows cricket matches.)

Anyway, still awaiting responses on the Otakon thread if anyone else is going. KF

by **sunami** » Thu May 07, 2009 6:11 pm UTC

Kizyr wrote:North Arlington (mostly along Wilson/Clarendon Blvd, anywhere between Rosslyn and Ballston) tends to work out, since there's a lot of stuff along that way and it's easily-accessible.

Having grown up about 5 blocks from the Clarendon Metro station, I can attest to this. Except that they've been slowly building up from Rosslyn and Ballston towards it, and buildings have been getting torn down, so I have no idea what places are gone there now.

by **Kizyr** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 1:21 pm UTC

Time to revive this thread!

So, Otakon went great, the last few meets went well. How about we try to get another one together?

Right now is Ramadan, so it's not a great time for me meeting up with anyone, but that's over around September 20th. How about something in October? How do folks' schedules look?

by **Vaniver** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 1:25 pm UTC

The 17th and 18th won't work for me. I've got the Physics GRE on the 10th, but I'll be free in the afternoon (which is when we normally have these, anyway!). UV Catastrophe is moving out of the region sometime soon, I don't know if an October 3rd meetup would be soon enough for him. I'll ask.

by **PatrickRsGhost** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 1:25 am UTC

How about some time in November or December? My mom and I will be up there around that time. She will be doing some testing at the U of Maryland for her condition, vestibulopathy, which will only take a day or two. She wants to turn it into a week-long Get-To-Know-Your-Nation's-Capital tour, with stops at the Smithsonian, Ripley's Odditorium, Walter Reed Medical Museum, perhaps the White House, and a few other places. She does want to do the Washington-by-Night tour one evening, since that's supposed to be fun. Hopefully within a week or two I should have the finer details (hotel we'll be staying at, dates, itinerary, etc.) and will be able to give more info.

One thing I do know is more than likely we'll be staying in a hotel in Maryland. Two that she's looked at are both fairly close to the Metro, rates are relatively the same, and both offer similar amenities. She's just waiting to hear back from the University to find out the exact dates, so I can put in a request for vacation, and we can begin planning everything out.

by **Vaniver** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 4:47 pm UTC

UV Catastrophe is going to be leaving the area on the 2nd, so we should plan without him.

I will be gone the weekend of the 21st of November; other than that I'm fine. I would somewhat prefer an October meetup, but we could do both!

by **Kizyr** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 8:42 pm UTC

Both October and December I think would work out pretty well, if you ask me.

As of right now, I'm free all weekends of October. Middle of the month might be optimal, before it starts getting chilly.

Any thoughts on a place? There's the usual Teaism, but last time when we ventured out to Dupont thereafter it was pretty good. There are also some places in, say, Clarendon that might work out nicely. KF

by **paenian** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 1:20 pm UTC

It never gets cold in DC! Sorry, I'm originally from Chicago.

October 10th! Too soon? Vaniver needs to get out and celebrate his newfound lack of GRE. There can always be more meetups.

Teaism is good and standard; they have another location on 8th street near the mall - maybe an afternoon meetup with some museum wandering before/after?

Paul

by **Vaniver** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 1:30 pm UTC

A 10th meetup at a Teaism would work well.

by **Kizyr** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 1:38 pm UTC

Man, I should really get back to this more often... sorry for dropping the ball and all.

Yeah, let's do one on the 10th. I know it's only a week and a half away, but hey, whoever can show up, great!

paenian wrote:Teaism is good and standard; they have another location on 8th street near the mall - maybe an afternoon meetup with some museum wandering before/after?

The one on 8th street is the one we usually go to {^^} (the one on Dupont Circle is nice, too, but smaller). I'm up for this idea.

What time sounds good? 2PM is what we usually do, but if you want to do, like, museum wandering beforehand then we can push that earlier. I'll check later what exhibits are going through that weekend. KF

by **rrwoods** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 2:37 pm UTC

Hmmm... I've only been to one of these so far, and it would seem I have this date free...

by **Kizyr** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 8:59 pm UTC

Excellent!

You know, even if there're only a handful of us here, we should try to have these more often. I mean, if someone can't make it one time, they can make it the next.

I already updated the thread title and first post, by the way. Open to any further suggestions. KF

by **notSpawn** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 2:12 am UTC

I just registered to say I will try to attend this meeting. I also just decided to view this forum and saw the meetup thread for somewhere near myself. Huzzah!
And registration only took two tries, maybe I've drank too much...

by **rrwoods** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 2:03 pm UTC

For us geographically challenged, can someone post a Google Map link to where the Teaism is?

by **Kizyr** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 8:32 pm UTC

Here we go!
It's at the corner of 8th & D St., NW, near the Archives/Navy Memorial metro.
You go up the escalators, and go right through the two buildings. KF

by **rrwoods** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 4:15 pm UTC

Thanks! I'll definitely be there ^_^

by **Briareos** » Wed Oct 07, 2009 11:38 pm UTC

As far as I know I'm free, and it'll be easy to take Amtrak from Baltimore. Are these meetups fun? ^__^

by **Kizyr** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 2:03 am UTC

Attention! There's going to be track work at L'Enfant Plaza over the weekend, so trains won't be stopping there. Teaism is closest to Archives/Navy Memorial, however, which should be still open. If for some reason you can't get there, the Gallery Place (Yellow/Green/Red) and Metro Center (Red/Blue/Orange) stations are also within walkable distance. (See following post for track maintenance issues)

rrwoods wrote:Thanks! I'll definitely be there ^_^

I just realized, for some reason that Google link places the pins in the wrong spot... It's at 8th & D streets, here: link (there's even a little icon on the corner for it).

Also, we're usually on the lower level of the cafe, near the koi pond.

Briareos wrote:As far as I know I'm free, and it'll be easy to take Amtrak from Baltimore. Are these meetups fun? ^__^

Well, I like to think so... They're a bit nerdy, I mean we're talking like card games/board strategy games and stuff kind of level.

Unfortunately I kinda don't have anything to bring at the moment... Usually someone else brings by stuff like that. KF

by **Kizyr** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 11:02 pm UTC

Ok, updates!

Station Closures:
Archives/Navy Memorial will be closed, and L'Enfant Plaza will be closed to Yellow/Green (but open to Blue/Orange). (More info here)

I recommend going to Gallery Place/Chinatown if you're taking the Red Line or Green Line (from the north), or L'Enfant Plaza if you're taking the Orange or Blue Line. From there, you can walk to 8th & D St.

Who's there?
So far, I think it's
- Me
- Vaniver
- paenian
- rrwoods
- sunami
- notSpawn (possibly?)
- ~~Briareos~~ (edit: aw)

Um, not sure yet how to recognize one another. I know Vaniver, and I'm not sure if I'll recognize rrwoods still (sorry...). I'm South Asian and I'll probably be wearing a brown shirt/blue jacket, if that helps. I'll have my netbook with me, so if you see someone on an MSI Wind then that's probably me.

See y'all there? KF

by **Briareos** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 11:28 pm UTC

Unfortunately it is now more likely than not that I won't be able to make it. I forgot that the Baltimore Marathon is tomorrow, and in addition to messing up traffic, one of my friends is running in it, so I probably have to be supportive and stuff. Next time I'll make a better-than-last-minute effort, so I'll see you all then!

by **sunami** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 1:13 am UTC

Thanks for the PM, I'd forgotten to post; I will definitely be there.

by **Kizyr** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 4:42 pm UTC

@Briareos
Ah, sorry you can't make it. Hope your friend does well in the marathon!

Anyway, see y'all in a little over an hour I suppose? KF

by **Situational Iron** » Thu Jan 14, 2010 7:29 am UTC

I'm going to necro this in the hopes that nova comes up with another meetup. Or would that be pertinent in another thread?

by **Kizyr** » Thu Jan 14, 2010 5:05 pm UTC

I was just thinking of this thread this morning. It's been a while since we all got together, hasn't it? (I don't think I even saw anyone over at MAGFest this year from XKCD.)

Reviving this thread seems great by me. If there is interest in another meetup, what do folks' schedules look like? It's a bit uncertain for me since I started school last year, but I usually can make time free on Saturdays/Sundays.

Any and all suggestions welcome, of course, and I'll update the first post and title of the thread as needed. KF

by **rrwoods** » Thu Jan 14, 2010 5:59 pm UTC

Kizyr wrote:MAGFest

Oh dammit, I didn't even think of doing an xkcd meetup at MAGfest. I was definitely there. (Illusions Thai would have been a perfect meetup spot...)

by **Vaniver** » Thu Jan 14, 2010 9:28 pm UTC

I'm open most Saturdays; I think same place / same time will work well.

by **Kizyr** » Tue Jan 26, 2010 3:23 am UTC

rrwoods wrote:
Kizyr wrote:MAGFest

Oh dammit, I didn't even think of doing an xkcd meetup at MAGfest. I was definitely there. (Illusions Thai would have been a perfect meetup spot...)

I went there on one night... the walk there was so damned cold that the heat was the best part. Restaurant itself was a tad on the pricey side, though, so if there's another spot then that might work out better. But, that's next year.

So... how far off do y'all want to set this thing to give some time to set schedules or plan? Like, February 20th?

And, while our default is cool and all, I'd really like to try someplace new maybe... KF

by **Vaniver** » Tue Jan 26, 2010 7:50 pm UTC

Kizyr wrote:So... how far off do y'all want to set this thing to give some time to set schedules or plan? Like, February 20th?

And, while our default is cool and all, I'd really like to try someplace new maybe... KF

The 20th works, and if you have another suggestion I'd most likely be willing to try it.

by **Vaniver** » Mon Feb 15, 2010 2:04 am UTC

So, we're looking at a week from now and apparently interest from 2 people. Plan?

by **Kizyr** » Mon Feb 15, 2010 9:12 pm UTC

Er... some plans came up on the 20th for me (nighttime; daytime I may still be free).

But I sort of hit a rut with the snowstorm and all, and it'll take a while to get back on track.

...anyone else up for another date? Maybe early March? KF

by **Silas** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 12:18 am UTC

Kizyr wrote:...anyone else up for another date? Maybe early March? KF

Just noticed this thread had started back up. I'd be game for a meet some time in March. I just need a week-plus heads up to make sure I have the day off work.

Website · by **mutestorm** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 1:07 am UTC

So where exactly is "the usual place?" A few are mentioned...

by **Vaniver** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 3:46 am UTC

Silas wrote:Just noticed this thread had started back up.

I strongly recommend subscribing to the thread. You'll get emails when someone replies.

mutestorm wrote:So where exactly is "the usual place?" A few are mentioned...

All of them are the Teaism at 400 8th Street NW (8th & D St., NW).

by **0rm** » Mon Feb 22, 2010 2:48 pm UTC

Just thought I'd throw it out there that I'm up for a meetup anytime. I'm around Rosslyn almost every day and have abso-fucking-lutely nothing to do in the afternoons.

by **Kizyr** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 9:29 pm UTC

How does March 13th (Saturday) afternoon, say around 2pm (as usual) sound to people? That's in about 2½ weeks from now.

We could stick with Teaism, but I keep trying to find other places that are amenable to folks hanging out there for like 2+ hours. As always, I'm open to suggestions. KF

by **Vaniver** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 10:06 pm UTC

Works for me.

by **Kizyr** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 7:08 pm UTC

So... that didn't work out so well. I plumb forgot about it, it was raining that day, and Vaniver was the only other one to respond in the affirmative...

Anywho... Is there still interest in another meetup? At this rate I'm thinking, like, April-ish? Maybe one weekend of the Cherry Blossom Festival? KF

Who is online