San Fran Meetup

May 24, 2008 9:15 AM

I will be in San Francisco from the 7th to the 13th for WWDC. So how about a meetup?

I will be carless and staying at the Phoenix Inn. My knowledge of the cool hangouts is limited, so I defer to you regular meeter-uppers.

posted by mrzarquon to MetaFilter gatherings at 9:15 AM (63 comments total)

You'll be staying conveniently close to the Edinburgh Castle, on Geary, which has excellent collections of both beer and scotch, not to mention fish & chips and a decent jukebox.
posted by gingerbeer at 10:22 AM on May 24, 2008

I second the Castle. They also have pool tables and dartboards. They are on or near many buslines (19, 38, Van Ness buses), and are a ten-minuteish walk from BART.

Now, for the choosing of the date. I think I'm safe in saying that Saturday the 7th is out? Would Sunday work? They open at 5 pm.
posted by rtha at 10:31 AM on May 24, 2008

I'm jealous. I went to WWDC in 2005 and it was amazing. It really makes an impression being surrounded by so many brilliant people.
posted by Space Coyote at 1:24 PM on May 24, 2008

Psst. Super mega techno dance party at my place on the 7th. Live PA artists. Msg me for info.
posted by loquacious at 1:33 PM on May 24, 2008

I'm good for Sunday ... We could do an all nighter and be first in the keynote queue!
posted by bonaldi at 2:20 PM on May 24, 2008

Sunday sounds great. My colleague with whom I am crashing wont get in until later, so I have no problem holding down the fort at the Castle until then.
posted by mrzarquon at 2:49 PM on May 24, 2008

Edinburgh Castle. 950 Geary, between Polk and Larkin. Sunday starting 5ish?
posted by gingerbeer at 4:13 PM on May 24, 2008

I'm game. Depending on how late on Friday you're staying, you might be able to catch some of the RoboGames.

I might be up for taping audio & video of people just saying hello, if you're interested.
posted by Pronoiac at 8:31 PM on May 24, 2008

Ok. Here's the comment that's going to get linked on the front page of MeTa:

Sunday, June 8, 5pm until whenever (memail me for my cell phone #) at the Edinburgh Castle, 950 Geary, between Polk and Larkin. Gingerbeer and mrzarquon and I will get there on the early side (the bar opens at 5) so we can snag the big table.

Y'all come join us, now!
posted by rtha at 2:41 PM on May 25, 2008

Pronoiac: audio and video are intriguing possibilities. The Castle, however, is veryvery dark inside.
posted by rtha at 2:44 PM on May 25, 2008

Color me interested. I'll be around and try to make it up there!
(Not WWDCist, but am in the industry.)
posted by patr1ck at 11:14 AM on May 26, 2008

Perhaps I shall come. I live in the city now ... is much easier to get to things.
posted by R343L at 1:55 PM on May 26, 2008

Bollocks. I'm coming through on or around the 2nd. Any doings?

*doing* *doing* *sprrrroing!!*
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 5:57 PM on May 28, 2008

then again, maybe I'll just change my EFFING FLIGHT for you people.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 5:59 PM on May 28, 2008

Change your flight! Beer and whisk(e)y and fishnchips and mefites! Change your flight!
posted by rtha at 8:44 PM on May 28, 2008

GOOBLE GOBBLE, GOOBLE GOBBLE, ONE OF US, ONE OF US
posted by mrzarquon at 7:33 AM on May 29, 2008

I have full lineup and information for the dance party on the 7th if anyone else is interested.
posted by loquacious at 2:49 PM on May 29, 2008

Doh, garage sale day.
posted by jayCampbell at 5:59 PM on May 29, 2008

Yes, Ambrosia, change your flight! You know you want to...
posted by gingerbeer at 10:14 PM on May 29, 2008

;)

You got it, babe. See you Sunday!
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 11:44 AM on May 30, 2008

Fine then! I'll just sit down here in SoCal and eat fish 'n' chips all by myself. And they'll be better fish 'n chips, too! You people are fools for congregating in that foggy, overcrowded den of Sin!

Hmm, not working.

Really, really wish I could make this one. Please do your best to have a good time without me. AV will bring my love, as only she can. rtha and gingerbeer, don't let her forget we owe you a round.

note: I need a hug.
posted by contraption at 7:15 PM on May 30, 2008

*hugs contraption*

I'm really sorry you can't be with us. Next time!

If it'll make you feel any better, I can tell you that the fishnchips are soggy, the beer is served way too warm, and the whisk(e)y is all counterfeit. this is all a lie. sorry.

Also - jayCampbell: garage sales end at what, 3 o'clock? Four? Come on down! Y'ain't gonna still be selling stuff at 5 o'clock because all your buyers will be drinking by then!
posted by rtha at 8:25 PM on May 30, 2008

we'll miss ya, contraption, and do our best to make AV buy all the drinks!
posted by gingerbeer at 4:27 PM on May 31, 2008

Anybody in the east bay want to carpool? MeFi Mail me
posted by iamkimiam at 8:04 PM on June 1, 2008

Also, if anyone is in the North Bay and wants to carpool, I'm going. Haven't been to the castle in years!
posted by wzcx at 8:26 AM on June 4, 2008

Bringing this back up in your recent activities: Meetup! Tomorrow (Sunday June 8)! 5 pm-ish! Edinburgh Castle! Be there!
posted by rtha at 7:40 AM on June 7, 2008

Wife and I might be there, waiting on hearing from father in law on plans for a pre-fathers day thing.
posted by iamabot at 3:28 PM on June 7, 2008

There is a strong possibility that I will be there.
posted by zsazsa at 11:23 PM on June 7, 2008

Excellent, zsazsa, and bring your lovely wife as well!
posted by gingerbeer at 9:12 AM on June 8, 2008

Think it'll still be happening around 7/8ish? Bolinas is calling me and I don't think I'll be able to make it back by 5/6.
posted by iamkimiam at 10:04 AM on June 8, 2008

I can drink beer for two hours easily, and they've lasted that long in the past... Also I'm going to be heading out to the grand opening of the Contemporary Jewish Museum beforehand, if anyone wants to meet up there send me a MefiMail.
posted by whir at 10:48 AM on June 8, 2008

I am staying at the hotel near by (the Phoenix) so I'll probably be there until 10 or so, but I will have to get up early monday so I can see the Great Prophet Jobs do his sermon in the morning.
posted by mrzarquon at 12:20 PM on June 8, 2008

Damn, don't think I'm going to make it to this, sorry, I have to get some friends who're running late. mrzarquon: I'm at WWDC all week as well, and I'll be using the secret MeFi handshake*, so maybe catch you through the week

* uh we really need to get one of these, guys
posted by bonaldi at 4:57 PM on June 8, 2008

Need to finish uploading photos from a friend's wedding and then I'll be heading to the Castle.
posted by junesix at 5:48 PM on June 8, 2008

I went, I drank, I ate, I had fun, then I felt a little sick from eating fried fish, then I remembered all the stuff I had to do, then I went home. The end.
posted by ClaudiaCenter at 8:28 PM on June 8, 2008

Photos are up. The Castle is dark, and I hate the flash on my camera, so lots of these are...dark.
posted by rtha at 10:19 PM on June 8, 2008

Yeah, worlds darkest bar, photos are suboptimal. 1.8 lens not fast enough w/o flash.
posted by iamabot at 10:40 PM on June 8, 2008

rtha: link?

Somehow, the process of putting bleeps in the Silence of the Lambs quote just feels filthy. Posting (briefly) NSFW video doesn't feel right either. What a dilemma.
posted by Pronoiac at 11:17 PM on June 8, 2008

Egads was that place dark (and red)! Pictures linked above. And they're all black-and-white, since color is meaningless when it's that damn dark.
posted by zsazsa at 12:06 AM on June 9, 2008

Well, that looks like it was blast! Thanks for my first shoutout (loquacious? guessing based on the script.) Really makes me wanna get to the next one. I wound up having a lovely evening going to the beach to watch the International Space Station streak past the moon, followed by board games at the Chinese restaurant/karaoke bar (with a wayward SF resident, no less.)

No fish 'n' chips, though, and a distinct lack of mefites and mathowie masks. See ya next time.
posted by contraption at 12:33 AM on June 9, 2008

Video.

I kept it simple - editing for bleeps or increasing the brightness caused audio sync & noise, somehow... and I don't want to face this while sober, so...

Oh, the pix are at the top. Cool!
posted by Pronoiac at 12:48 AM on June 9, 2008

You guys are NERDS!
posted by contraption at 12:53 AM on June 9, 2008

btw AV, your Silence of the Lambs DVD came in the mail yesterday.
posted by contraption at 12:54 AM on June 9, 2008

Shout out back at ya. This one looks like some kind of weird Santeria altar.
posted by Burhanistan at 1:36 AM on June 9, 2008

Pronoiac - links to photos up at the top right-hand of the page.

The video is....surreal!
posted by rtha at 5:42 AM on June 9, 2008

Thanks for the shoutout! Longboat forever!
posted by languagehat at 7:07 AM on June 9, 2008

*views video*

I'd swear we weren't at some cheesy rave, but rather the world's darkest tavern and most overwhelmed (but very well stocked) jukebox, but apparently the video argues otherwise.
posted by loquacious at 9:25 AM on June 9, 2008

That mattmask moment is actually my shoutout to ColdChef, who sent me a CD of deadly earworms: Silence! The Musical.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 9:25 AM on June 9, 2008

Not only were you at a cheezy rave, the whole lot of you were hepped up on N-balls from the look of it.
posted by contraption at 9:51 AM on June 9, 2008

Argh, still recovering from deep-fried mushrooms this a.m. I can't eat fried food. I know I can't eat fried food. Ten out of ten times deep fried food makes me sick. But it TASTES SO GOOD. Mmmm, damn those mushrooms were good. I'd better remember how good they tasted because it will be at least a year before I forget how sick I felt one hour later.
posted by ClaudiaCenter at 10:04 AM on June 9, 2008

I've posted the video link under the pictures.

The video is....surreal!

Oh, that's good. I was worried it didn't capture the moment. At one point, I was shooting blind from behind a mask.
posted by Pronoiac at 11:15 AM on June 9, 2008

I just added people as contacts, but I'm sure I'm missing some...
Check out whir's new profile picture.
posted by Pronoiac at 11:20 AM on June 9, 2008

What the mathowie is an n-ball?
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 11:49 AM on June 9, 2008

What the mathowie is an n-ball?

1 part amphetamine, 3 parts unadulterated nth. Y'all looked like you were pretty far downthread on 'em in that video; sorry if I'm mistaken.
posted by contraption at 11:55 AM on June 9, 2008

WE DON'T SPEAK YOUR CRAZY MOONMAN LANGUAGE

But seriously, that was fun. Maybe next time we should go to a scientology protest and get into a rumble with Anonymous.
posted by whir at 12:05 PM on June 9, 2008

Wooo Hoooo! I got a shoutout!!! Thanks guys :) I'm really sorry I couldn't make it, I had a birthday shindig to attend - it looks like it was a lot of fun.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 1:39 PM on June 9, 2008

My first meetup! Yay, it was fun!

Here's one with me in the background, looking kind of scared (no, I wasn't frightened by Ambrosia Voyeur -- I'd hardly made any progress on my first beer when the cameras started flashing -- yikes!)
posted by treepour at 2:26 PM on June 9, 2008

Added some more photos to the top there
posted by sambosambo at 9:40 PM on June 9, 2008

hey, i've been running around at the WWDC, i'll be posting photos sometime when I have a chance to sober up (which may not be until saturday).
posted by mrzarquon at 11:57 PM on June 9, 2008

Thanks for the Pawbreaker, mrzarquon!!! Video!
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 12:01 AM on June 10, 2008

Oof, I checked on the video, the reencoding is really muddy, & I'll brighten it up. I'm not so worried about it because...

The pictures came out really great. (Thanks for pointing me out, sambosambo. Heh.)
posted by Pronoiac at 11:35 PM on June 10, 2008

Okay, I finally tried again, & I think the video turned out much better after some contrast tweaking.
posted by Pronoiac at 11:22 PM on July 2, 2008

I only have 5 worth posting, but I finally got them off my camera.
posted by mrzarquon at 7:00 PM on July 26, 2008