Comments on: MeFi Meetup in Ottawa?

MeFi Meetup in Ottawa?

sindark — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 12:10:26 -0800

When I used Ask Metafilter to learn about the housing situation in Ottawa, several people proposed a gathering of MeFites in this most bureaucratic of cities. Now that I am here, I would definitely be up for it. Is anyone else interested?

By: kmennie

kmennie — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 13:42:21 -0800

Sure, sign me up.

By: amberglow

amberglow — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 15:04:33 -0800

contact these great people--we had a meetup when i went up there in the winter. : >

By: SassHat

SassHat — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 15:54:02 -0800

I'll keep an eye out, I'm in TO but go to Ottawa every 2 months or so.

By: St Urbain's Horseman

St Urbain's Horseman — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 19:35:27 -0800

Haha. amberglow and I had some great (if tiring) fun skating on the canal. I still owe him a lunch. I'm in Ottawa for all of August so depending on work and where and when count me in.

By: mcwetboy

mcwetboy — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 20:02:33 -0800

It'd be nice to have one that -- for once -- wasn't in the dead of winter.

By: Phire

Phire — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 22:29:56 -0800

Sweet. I was all upset about discovering Metatalk about two days after the last Ottawa meet, too. 3rd-10th August would be ideal?

By: Phire

Phire — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 22:30:54 -0800

Actually, make that 6th-10th. Forgot I had plans.

By: BozoBurgerBonanza

BozoBurgerBonanza — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 05:34:17 -0800

Sounds great (except for Aug 17-23)...looking forward to it.

By: sindark

sindark — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 10:17:34 -0800

Can anyone suggest a venue? I don't know the city very well yet.

By: Phire

Phire — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 11:21:32 -0800

Lots of good places downtown/Bank street. I remember NaNoWriMo did a meetup at the Royal Oak on Bank once, that could work?

By: kmennie

kmennie — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 17:11:58 -0800

Oh, god. Not the 'Dirty Oak'...!

Can I suggest Pub Italia? A wee hike out of downtown, but well worth it, I'd say.

By: St Urbain's Horseman

St Urbain's Horseman — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 18:42:34 -0800

The last meetup was on Preston as well, if I remember correctly. How about the Market this time around? I'll suggest a real tavern environment: The Dominion Tavern on York, particularly fun if it is a weekend night. Cheap beer and pool tables (unless there is a band) and darts. And if folks aren't into it there are any number of clubs/bars/pubs within spitting distance. Let's put this "bureaucratic" capital rumour to rest for good. ;-)

I'm open to any other suggestions but you'll have to talk to my people first.

By: St Urbain's Horseman

St Urbain's Horseman — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 18:46:15 -0800

Here's "The Dom's" website.

By: Phire

Phire — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 19:06:27 -0800

Heh. Would people be terribly opposed to somewhere open to an 18-year old? :P Clubs/bars/pubs tend to require ID.

By: kmennie

kmennie — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 14:07:50 -0800

Would people be terribly opposed to somewhere open to an 18-year old?

Not at all, and let me top this up with 'non-dive, please.' I'm enormously pregnant (so, forgive any last-minute no-showing) and it's one thing to go sip wine in a restaurant, another to belly up -- har har! christ -- to a slummy bar. I shouldn't worry about appearances like that, but.

I recommend ottawafoodies.com as a place to browse for venues.

By: aclevername

aclevername — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 20:53:53 -0800

This sounds like fun. I'm going away on holidays soon, but if I'm in town when it happens I just might join you!

By: Phire

Phire — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 21:50:31 -0800

So how does Tuesday Night (the 7th) sound?

By: sindark

sindark — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 10:38:02 -0800

So how does Tuesday Night (the 7th) sound?

That works for me. I will leave venue selection to people who know the city better.

By: amberglow

amberglow — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 16:29:14 -0800

have fun you guys--and shout me out! : >

By: Phire

Phire — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 20:57:16 -0800

The thread is ded! DED! But I'm reluctant to email the people here who expressed interest in addition to the people from the previous Ottawa thread. Dilemma?

By: amberglow

amberglow — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 10:30:32 -0800

don't be silly--email them all!

By: sindark

sindark — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 10:50:41 -0800

don't be silly--email them all!

I concur.

By: bonehead

bonehead — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 19:31:36 -0800

Thanks for the mail, Phire. I'd have missed this otherwise. It really needs to be sidebarred on the metatalk main page too.

By: St Urbain's Horseman

St Urbain's Horseman — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 22:03:18 -0800

For sure and thanks for the email reminder, Phire. The Dom is not such a great idea given comments above but there is a great (all ages) wine bar/restaurant on the Market called Vineyards and they have free live jazz every night, usually a duo or trio. It is a clean, cool (in a basement with stone walls) and family-friendly atmosphere with good food and a great selection of wine and beer.

For me the Market is closer, but I'll grab a bus just to meet a few fellow MeFites even in Little Italy... Tusesday, August 7 is fine for me, wherever.

By: sindark

sindark — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 06:21:40 -0800

Vineyards sounds enjoyable and accessible.

By: kmennie

kmennie — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 06:54:47 -0800

I'm pro-Vineyards...

By: bonehead

bonehead — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 07:05:15 -0800

I've never been there, but it looks like they have decent food.

What time? 7ish?

By: BozoBurgerBonanza

BozoBurgerBonanza — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 08:02:20 -0800

The 7th is ok with me

By: Phire

Phire — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 10:30:21 -0800

Vineyards it is! :D 7 PM, August 7th. *sidebars*

By: sindark

sindark — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 14:26:03 -0800

7:00pm on the 7th works for me.

Here is Vineyards on a Google Map.

By: St Urbain's Horseman

St Urbain's Horseman — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 19:58:42 -0800

Great! I'll see y'all next Tuesday for some fine wine and jazz. I'll keep an eye on this thread in case things change. I hope we get a good turnout and that somebody brings a digital camera. :-)

By: aclevername

aclevername — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 16:55:42 -0800

I'm sad I'll miss it, as I'll be out of town. But hopefully we have another relatively soon (hint).

By: St Urbain's Horseman

St Urbain's Horseman — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 19:29:04 -0800

I won't be able to make it until 9pm, but i'll be there.

By: Phire

Phire — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 09:47:11 -0800

What?! =\ is anyone else even coming? (Sindark, you'll be there, right? *mildly desperate*)

By: sindark

sindark — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 06:09:34 -0800

I will be there.

By: BozoBurgerBonanza

BozoBurgerBonanza — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 19:19:45 -0800

I will be there, at about 9:30.

By: St Urbain's Horseman

St Urbain's Horseman — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 20:01:53 -0800

I'm working until 9 but I will be close by so I'll be there just a little after the hour. See y'all tomorrow night! :-)

By: sindark

sindark — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 21:31:45 -0800

For the benefit of anyone struggling to pick me out at Vineyards, here is a photo.

By: Phire

Phire — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 22:35:03 -0800

I don't have a recent picture of myself, this is the only one I could find where I wasn't in a prom dress or graduation gear. My hair is way short now, mind you.

By: kmennie

kmennie — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 09:47:18 -0800

Given current condition (qv 'enormously' etc), I'm being a jerk and bowing out at the last second.

Somebody please mail me when this happens again?

:-/

By: Binliner

Binliner — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 09:49:05 -0800

Awesome! Ill be there for 7.

By: Binliner

Binliner — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 10:13:58 -0800

Hmm... should have checked the calendar first. Ill try to be there but its 50/50.

By: Meagan

Meagan — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 12:01:53 -0800

I can't make this one, but I'm so up for the next!

By: bonehead

bonehead — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 13:08:05 -0800

I'm iffy. A work thing has come up.

By: Phire

Phire — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 14:20:09 -0800

*mumbles mutinously*

By: St Urbain's Horseman

St Urbain's Horseman — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 14:41:11 -0800

I'm gonna knock off work early so I'll be there at 8.

By: sindark

sindark — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 14:57:03 -0800

I am just making dinner now and will head over afterwards (walking from Lebreton).

Perhaps this should be posted again, to catch anyone from Ottawa who missed the thread the first time?

By: Phire

Phire — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 15:11:35 -0800

Technically we're not supposed to post reminder threads, since there's the sidebar.

Should I hold up a sign saying MeFi? (Might be 5 min late)

By: Phire

Phire — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 15:13:48 -0800

(The Signage question in snark, FYI. Will wear sarcastic T-shirt.)

By: St Urbain's Horseman

St Urbain's Horseman — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 20:36:52 -0800

I hope you are OK, sindark, and I'm glad that Phire is the patient type: I was a bit late and it was just she and I.

We had some excellent mussels and interesting conversation backed up by a fine guitar duo (coincidentally featuring an old friend of mine). Sorry y'all couldn't join us, and thanks for a very pleasant evening, Phire!

By: sindark

sindark — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 20:43:03 -0800

Most people seemed to be aiming to arrive at 9:00pm to 9:30pm. I was originally aiming to show up earlier, but there was a family issue.

I got there at about 9:45 and missed the party. Had I known things would wrap up earlier, I would have been more determined to arrive sooner.

By: St Urbain's Horseman

St Urbain's Horseman — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 21:06:51 -0800

Well, you missed us two, anyway: Phire was there just after 7 and I got there after 8 and we didn't leave until after 11. That's too bad, and I hope your family issue is OK.

By: Phire

Phire — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 21:34:44 -0800

Too bad you missed us, sindark, it would've been fun to have you there. I will upload the photo tomorrow, I'm mostly posting to say that despite the ineptitudes of OC Transpo, I'm home, and heading straight for bed. After checking AskMe.

By: sindark

sindark — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 05:18:35 -0800

"we didn't leave until after 11"

I must have walked right past you several times. I was in a bright orange shirt and circled the restaurant awkwardly several times before deciding that everyone must have already left.

The family issue was just the sudden discovery that today is a relative's fiftieth birthday and that nothing was planned. With some suitable scrambling, that seems to have been rectified.

By: Phire

Phire — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 09:20:56 -0800

We were the 18-year old girl + 37 year old guy duo sitting near the live Jazz setup. I do seem to remember someone who looked like they were looking for something, and I remember wondering if that was another MeFite... that's really too bad sindark. We should try and have another one, soon. It really was delightful.

By: aclevername

aclevername — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 19:17:42 -0800

This time in August seems to be bad for planning anything, I've discovered. I definitely hope we try again, because I'd love to go to one!