Saying goodbye to the old year, L.A. style. December 20, 2008 6:26 PM   Subscribe

L.A. folks: let's get together and bid farewell to '08.

I'm escaping the nasty New York weather to bask in the warm glow of the California sun either December 29th or 30th. If we can wrangle enough people together for dinner, drinks, and to begin the New Year's debauchery early, let's meet up!
posted by HotPatatta to MetaFilter Gatherings at 6:26 PM (82 comments total)

I noted this in the San Fran meetup thread, but I will either be in LA or San Jose that day. I'm gonna keep my eye on this and see how it ends up.
posted by piratebowling at 9:21 PM on December 20, 2008


I'm currently basking in the cold snow of northern Michigan, but if for some reason this doesn't happen until the 2nd (or later), I'll be around/up for it.
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 10:12 PM on December 20, 2008


say hello to LA folk for me and tell them to think of their crippled buddy in NYC. (I hope I'll be well enough by New Year's to use those Chuck berry tickets. *crosses fingers*)
posted by jonmc at 9:02 AM on December 21, 2008


If I didn't have relatives in town with other obligations on those days, I'd be in.
posted by SpacemanStix at 3:39 PM on December 21, 2008


I'll be around, and assuming I don't get laid low by the hideous flu that's knocked out my boyfriend, I'm up for it. Is this where the old East Side vs. West Side wrangle comes in? Because I'm always happy to make a case for the Valley (e.g., Studio City and environs) as a good compromise.
posted by scody at 4:26 PM on December 21, 2008


I should be in town & available.
posted by mogget at 6:07 PM on December 21, 2008


I'm free. What part of LA?
posted by Lillitatiana at 10:26 PM on December 21, 2008


Tell me more! We'll be just back from SF and about to leave for Slab City, so we might just be too drained.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 11:48 PM on December 21, 2008


I'll be back in town on the 30th, so here's a vote for that day.
posted by carsonb at 12:56 AM on December 22, 2008


I think we get back on the 30th, though we might be tired as hell then. Unless y'all wanna do it in the next day or two (we drive up on the 25th).
posted by klangklangston at 9:34 AM on December 22, 2008


tentative +1 for eastside.
posted by thedaniel at 10:30 AM on December 22, 2008


Add me to the pile of people who arrive back in town on the 30th and are therefore tentative in their commitment.
posted by Bookhouse at 10:43 AM on December 22, 2008


I'm around all festive season, so I should be able to make any meet-up that's called for (unless it's at Mr. Expensive's House of Priceyness) especially if said meet-up was like downtown...
posted by ob at 11:20 AM on December 22, 2008


I'm available both evenings, but the 30th is preferable. In the chance that this ends up being in the Valley (per scody's suggestion), I heartily recommend the Sportsmen's Lodge. It's supposedly closing after New Year's and this very well may be our last chance to pay tribute to a quiet legend. Seriously folks...remember how much fun we had last time? 'member? It was grand.
posted by dhammond at 5:55 PM on December 22, 2008


I'm free the 30th, and I like the Valley. Sponsored by the Valley Dwellers Association of America.
posted by katillathehun at 6:14 PM on December 22, 2008


dhammond writes "I heartily recommend the Sportsmen's Lodge. "

Make sure the lounge is actually open and all the noobs have proper directions. We tried this location for our last meetup, the lounge was closed, and we couldn't coordinate to quickly arrange a new meeting spot. The fail was epic.
posted by mullingitover at 6:40 PM on December 22, 2008


Good tip. I just spoke with the woman on the phone at the Lodge and she says that the Muddy Moose Lounge will be open on Tuesday the 30th. This is pretty much the second-to-last night at the Lodge ever (there's a special event on the 31st that costs $$$).

It's closing after New Year's Eve and that they don't know what's happening with the place because there's a new owner. Rumor has it that it might be turned into some sort of upscale shopping place. Yikes!
posted by dhammond at 7:15 PM on December 22, 2008


Because if there's one more thing L.A. needs, it's upscale shopping centers!

Okay, then I officially nominate the Muddy Moose Lounge on December 30. (They have food there too, right?) Say, starting at 7?
posted by scody at 9:23 PM on December 22, 2008


Say, I like this plan. It's snazzy!
posted by katillathehun at 10:18 PM on December 22, 2008


The fail was epic.

That it was. Although since the Lodge is down the street from where I live, on my end it was a very conveniently located fail.
posted by miss lynnster at 1:52 AM on December 23, 2008


And yes, the Moose has both a bar and a restaurant menu.
posted by miss lynnster at 1:53 AM on December 23, 2008


I'd say take over Machine Project if they're still around and BYOB.
posted by zengargoyle at 4:29 AM on December 23, 2008


It doesn't look like Machine Project has anything scheduled for the dates in question, but that does look like a cool thing to do in the future. The Muddy Moose, however, may not be around much longer, so now seems like the perfect time to crash the joint. (By "crashing" I mean "outnumber the old folks".) I'll miss that place!
posted by katillathehun at 9:08 AM on December 23, 2008


The fail was epic.

I still feel bad about this.
posted by brujita at 10:10 AM on December 23, 2008


OK, I'm going to sidebar it. I can't believe it's our last chance to go to the Lodge! (I fear we won't get to see JussTuss, though.) I'm hoping to drag scodyboy along for the ride.

Muddy Moose Lounge at the Sportsmen's Lodge in Studio City, Tuesday the 30th, starting at 7:00. Be there or be elsewhere!
posted by scody at 12:08 PM on December 23, 2008


You can bet your sweet socks there will be photos this time.
posted by katillathehun at 1:02 PM on December 23, 2008


Okay, this sucks. I just called the Lodge again to let them know to expect a medium-sized group and they are actually not open on the 30th. Even though I asked the girl on the phone twice last night and she said they were definitely open. Fuck.

Anyone know how to remove a sidebar? Sorry about this, but I'm glad I called again. I guess the floor is open to other suggestions.
posted by dhammond at 1:07 PM on December 23, 2008


I nixed the sidebar just to have it taken care of.
posted by cortex (staff) at 1:25 PM on December 23, 2008


Thanks cortex!
posted by dhammond at 1:33 PM on December 23, 2008


Koreaoke?
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 1:52 PM on December 23, 2008


In all honesty if this is in the valley I probably won't be able to make it, but downtown, k-town, hollywood etc are all fine. Not that my input means much, but I wanted to pin my colours to the mast.
posted by ob at 2:45 PM on December 23, 2008


brujita writes "I still feel bad about this."

It wasn't your fault, and we made the best of it anyway.


I'm going to bust this one out again: Canter's Deli.

Tons of space. Good food. Open until forever. Central location. Has bar/lounge.
posted by mullingitover at 3:16 PM on December 23, 2008


Oh and forgot to mention: I'd be heading there from the Valley in my car, and I have three seats available if any Valley peeps want to carpool.
posted by mullingitover at 3:21 PM on December 23, 2008


Canter's is OK, though a bit weirdly geriatric. On the other hand, if we're lucky, we'll get to meet Slash (that's his regular hang-out). Parking can be INSANE though.

I've wanted to have a meet-up out at The Daily Pint for a while, though it's in Santa Monica. It's an awesome Scotch bar, which also has great beer (including some hand-pulled) and is pretty reasonably cheap, has a pretty great shuffleboard table and a pretty good selection of board games. I've had quasi-meetups there before, and it can handle a crowd.
posted by klangklangston at 3:58 PM on December 23, 2008


Woo! Canter's is literally on my way home from work, and yet I've never thought of having a meetup there before. Work's for me. Parking on a Tuesday night might be all right, I think -- there's the restaurant lot, plus the pay lot a block north. Sadly I've never seen Slash there, though I have seen Rodney Bingenheimer.
posted by scody at 4:13 PM on December 23, 2008


grrr. WORKS for me. No apostrophe. /rhyming editor
posted by scody at 4:14 PM on December 23, 2008


Oh my, I'm the one who posted this thread and I forgot to check it for three days. I'm probably the worst person to get involved in the planning stage of anything needing...planning. I'm from LA, but embarrassingly unknowledgeable when it comes to good places that can host a group.

I'll be in the South Bay and southeast LA for most of my trip, so the Valley wouldn't be ideal. But if you guys think we'll have a better turnout in the Valley, I'm game.
posted by HotPatatta at 4:24 PM on December 23, 2008


Canter's is just up the street from me, so I'd be all for it. With the great exodus, parking should be ok. Daily Pint could be fun, too, though.
posted by mogget at 7:57 PM on December 23, 2008


Mmmm, Canter's pastrami...and cheesecake...oh, and MeFites, too!

I am so there. I will endeavor to drag the Mister along too -- assuming we can find a babysitter.
posted by Asparagirl at 11:52 PM on December 23, 2008


Yay! Asparagirl!
posted by scody at 12:14 AM on December 24, 2008


Canter's is about 5 minutes from me so if I'm in town I am so there. But I'm out of town for a bit so I'll just cross my fingers.
posted by Justinian at 12:19 PM on December 24, 2008


Kiss is one of the few bands we listened to ironically in high school that I never learned to like non-ironically (unlike, say, AC/DC).
posted by scody at 1:02 PM on December 24, 2008


Whoa, this is TOTALLY the wrong thread for that observation.
posted by scody at 1:02 PM on December 24, 2008


(hee.) So, should we sidebar Canter's?
posted by scody at 1:03 PM on December 24, 2008


Yeah, let's make it official, scody. I need time to look up the menu and determine which items have the highest sodium and saturated fat content. I have to squeeze in as much as possible before the new year begins and my resolutions come into effect.
posted by HotPatatta at 1:47 PM on December 26, 2008


OK: Canter's, Tues. 12/30, starting around 7:00. Maybe we should get a (rough) RSVP count so we know how large a table to ask for when we get there? (Unless we just want to meet in the Kibbutz Room. But if we're planning on nosh, getting one of the big tables is probably better.)
posted by scody at 2:49 PM on December 26, 2008


Whoops, forgot the link to Canter's for address/menu/etc. (Also, I should correct my spelling: Kibitz Room. My Yiddish leaves something to be desired.)
posted by scody at 2:51 PM on December 26, 2008


Kibbutz->Kibitz. So we don't need to bring hoes in order to eat french fries? Good.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 9:18 AM on December 27, 2008 [1 favorite]


Sadly can't make it after all. Have a fun tie, though!
posted by piratebowling at 9:38 AM on December 27, 2008


Well, I was totally up for it but my presence has been commanded in San Diego on Tuesday morning... gotta continue to clean out my father's house so we can rent it out. Not sure I can make it back up by 7pm. :(

If things change, I'll letcha know. If not, have a drink in the Kibbitz Room for me! :)
posted by miss lynnster at 4:27 PM on December 27, 2008


If we get back from the desert in time, we're in. Can somebody tell me what to order at Canter's though? I've never managed to have a good meal there.
posted by Space Kitty at 4:35 PM on December 27, 2008


Work gets out at 7 for both me and Mr. F; we'd be coming up from Santa Monica way. However, it is right near our place, so we might make it.

Space Kitty, I'm a fan of the corned beef hash, m'self.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 6:17 PM on December 27, 2008


oh man, I JUST scheduled dinner and a movie for that exact time on Tues. Maybe I'll flake on those plans and come to meetup, maybe not. :/
posted by thedaniel at 6:44 PM on December 27, 2008


GAH! Their website doesn't list the complete menu.....nthing the corned beef hash, lox- eggs-onions, beef product sandwiches, matzo ball soup. If other things come to mind I'll post them.
posted by brujita at 10:01 PM on December 27, 2008


Yep, probably my favorite matzo ball soup in L.A. I also love their blintzes!
posted by scody at 10:34 PM on December 27, 2008


I just changed my plane ticket to leave me in LA instead of the bay area upon my return from holiday, clicked over to metatalk to check on that tahoe thread (which I'll get to next) and bam, delicious LA meetup.
Tentative +2 for me and the girl. Looking forward to meeting some socal mefites for the first time!
posted by baserunner73 at 2:41 AM on December 28, 2008


Ack, will probably not be able to come after all -- dear hubby has a work-related party to go to that night. Sorry, will try to make it next time!
posted by Asparagirl at 9:18 AM on December 28, 2008


From the L.A. Times: The Last Days of the Sportsmen's Lodge.
posted by miss lynnster at 6:06 PM on December 28, 2008


SHOPPING CENTER!!! NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

This makes me feel worse that what I tried to organize in October didn't work. I celebrated birthdays here when I was little.
posted by brujita at 11:25 PM on December 28, 2008


Well, whether I can make it or not... I'm thinkin' the next meetup should be here. Because I really do need to find an excuse to go to a bar where there are anamatronic skunks spewing steam over its patrons!

(Seriously... anyone been there?)
posted by miss lynnster at 10:21 AM on December 29, 2008


I'm gonna have to stay a maybe/hope so, depending on what time I roll into town.
posted by carsonb at 4:12 PM on December 29, 2008


I don't get back until the 1st. :( :( :(
posted by speicus at 8:48 PM on December 29, 2008


Since I, like most of the masses, will be out of town until next year i'm putting it out there that we'll need to have a valley meetup in January! The Sportsman's Lodge may be closed, but there are many other bars that we must conquer!
posted by Derek at 11:11 PM on December 29, 2008


OK, is anyone else in for sure? HotPatatta? Because if it's just going to wind up being me having soup alone on my way home from work, I'm afraid I'm going to have to pass.
posted by scody at 11:25 PM on December 29, 2008


I just checked with my lady friend, and we're both going to be there. We might arrive a little bit after 7, though.

Are we going to have some way of recognizing who's a MeFite?
posted by Parasite Unseen at 9:04 AM on December 30, 2008


We're driving back from SF today and have to check in on neighbor's cats, and then we may roll on by, but we may be totally fucking beat. Depends on the drive, really.
posted by klangklangston at 10:19 AM on December 30, 2008


I can decisively say "yeah, no" at this point. I'm too sick, and I'm not talking about contagious loxaphilia, neither.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 11:14 AM on December 30, 2008


OK, so at least 4 of us, possibly 6. Any others?
posted by scody at 1:52 PM on December 30, 2008


(I'm only being naggy about it in case it's busy and we need to get a table for a fairly specific number.)
posted by scody at 1:53 PM on December 30, 2008


Not me or the spouse, scody, sorry. Woke up with a stomach bug, had to blow off work, etc. Just now managed to get online to tender my regrets.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 3:12 PM on December 30, 2008


Cool, so 6 for sure (everyone who's sick: feel better!). I'll see about getting a table for 8 or so (in the event klang or a few other folks show up), probably in the room between the main dining room and the Kibitz Room.

I'll get there around 7 and will hover by the bakery for a bit to see if I see any other people flashing the super-secret-LA-mefi-cabal signal. For those of you who don't know the signal (I am not at liberty to say what it is), I'll be the tall woman in a black skirt and red sweater and long-ish hair, possibly in a ponytail. Otherwise, ask for our table under my name (Sara).

HotPatatta: are you really not showing up at the meetup you proposed? ;)
posted by scody at 4:30 PM on December 30, 2008


Oh hey, I'm gonna be late but I'm coming =]
posted by mullingitover at 7:10 PM on December 30, 2008


Just got home. Missing out AGAIN. HAPPY 2009 ALL!
posted by Space Kitty at 8:01 PM on December 30, 2008


Sorry I couldn't make it, gang! I wasn't sure I could make it at all, but it turns out I solved that problem by just plum forgetting. Yikes.

The Sportsman's Lodge may be closed, but there are many other bars that we must conquer!

I'm partial to the Tonga Hut in North Hollywood if we're talking future valley meetups.

posted by dhammond at 8:16 PM on December 30, 2008


HotPatatta: are you really not showing up at the meetup you proposed?

I'm ashamed of myself.
In all seriousness, I was totally going to come but I caught something awful and have been hacking and blowing my nose uncontrollably for two days now. And my girl friend, whom I had planned to introduce to the MeFiverse, is feeling equally gross. In fact, we were driving up Fairfax on the way to the deli, both making miserable company for each other, when we just decided to do ourselves and everyone else a favor and turn around.

I've been trying to sleep for two hours but the guilt is keeping me awake. Sorrrry everyone! Hope you all had a grand time.
posted by HotPatatta at 10:19 PM on December 30, 2008


Hey! It was a fun meetup -- including a couple of awesome lurkers who should totally get accounts and hang out at mefi for real. Good times, good pastrami.

Sorry you're feeling poorly, HotPatatta -- there has definitely been a couple of rotten bugs going around lately. Hope everyone's feeling better.

dhammond, I had completely forgotten about the Tonga Hut -- that's a great suggestion. My boyfriend almost started a fight there once when he played Herb Alpert's Whipped Cream and Other Delights on the jukebox. In its entirety.
posted by scody at 10:39 PM on December 30, 2008


Breaking down in Yuma is a good way to fuck up your timetable. Hope y'all had fun. Next time.
posted by carsonb at 9:58 AM on December 31, 2008


We didn't get back in town until about 11pm and then had to check on neighbor's cats (since she was leaving as we were getting home).

We got to wait an extra 45 minutes because we were, like, 20 cars back from a totally stupid looking accident on the 405.

Sorry folks. What are y'all doing tonight?
posted by klangklangston at 10:53 AM on December 31, 2008


Tonga Hut is badass. Hope y'all had fun!
posted by infinitewindow at 1:55 PM on December 31, 2008


The Tonga Hut!? Wow, the meetups are getting closer and closer to where I live. Pretty soon they'll be in my garage! Awesome!

Seriously, that's the closest bar to my house. Well, not counting the Tejano bar that's conveniently located right next to the makeshift pentacostal Jesucristo church in the Circuit City mall. (That could be an interesting meetup too... first drink too much, then stagger next door, get saved by Jesucristo, and stagger back for a post-salvation tequila shot.)
posted by miss lynnster at 10:35 PM on January 1, 2009


Damn you, Canter's Deli. I got the worst case of food poisoning ever after eating that reuben sandwich at the meetup, and two days later I'm still feeling like crap. I hope everyone else dodged the bullet, that'll be the last time I go back there.

Anyway, pics are up, enjoy :)
posted by mullingitover at 10:41 AM on January 2, 2009


I wanted to come but couldn't make it but I'm totally up for a meetup soon. Especially if folks want to come downtown...
posted by ob at 3:04 PM on January 3, 2009


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