Who lives in that quiet area between LA and SF?

March 13, 2009 5:15 PM

Are there enough MeFites in coastal Central/Southern California for a Meetup?

From prowling the archives, there were a few MeFites in the Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties for a Meetup or two, but the last one may have been 5 to 6 years ago. Has this area been abandoned for more lively places? Do folks from this area head north or south to LA or SF for Meetups? I'd go to one in either location, but being a working stiff means I'm stuck with Saturday or earlier Sunday times.

posted by filthy light thief to MetaFilter gatherings at 5:15 PM (64 comments total)

I'm down in SLO occasionally, and I suckered Hortense into meeting me at Linnaea's Café, but aside from that there weren't many responses.
posted by lekvar at 5:39 PM on March 13

Hello Darling. There's a few of us in Ventura these days. Santa Barbara would certainly work for me, and I have family up in Santa Maria, so I'm available to jog up thataway too.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 5:55 PM on March 13

There have been a couple tries in the past few years! Doug and I are in Santa Barbara.
posted by dreamyshade at 1:10 AM on March 14

I'm in my secret lair halfway between SLO and Pismo, just off the 101 near the sign that says "Hillcrest Ranch" (D'oh! I let the secret out!) where I have been somewhat hermit-like for a couple years. I've had to go down to L.A. (Van Nuys specifically) to visit my father during his ongoing medical 'situation' (not a crisis, except to him), and at the right day and time can be lured out if the location is really convenient with easy parking (I have limited mobility myself but never got a handicapped parking permit). With perfect timing (the same day I'm going down or coming back up), I could even make it to something in Santa Mario or Santa Barbie or Ventutu.

There is also a group of SLO-area Twitter users I follow who organized a "tweetup" that attracted a dozen people and which I might have crashed if I weren't in L.A. at the time, so it is possible to gather people up here.

I will monitor this thread for further details on any meetup that, just maybe, I WON'T miss this time.
posted by wendell at 10:24 AM on March 14

I live in Camarillo, in Ventura County. Santa Barbara is no problem and I have friends up in SLO I visit every now and then. The weekend is generally good for me.
posted by Korou at 11:15 AM on March 14

Yup, still here. Spring break's coming up, though, at which point I will be high-tailin' it for a week or two. I guess it depends on how far I'd have to drive, and the date of the occasion.
posted by spiderskull at 12:51 PM on March 14

You know, I've lived all my live between Santa Cruz and Ventura, and I always like to do the old classic family style meetups. So something at Andersen's or McClintock's would be a freaking treat!! Or Abelskivers! Or Mattei's Tavern! (dude. it's E-I? I never knew that!!)
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 1:31 PM on March 14

I lived in Camarillo from 2003-7 (hi Ventura County people). We get back once or twice a year to visit family. There's a very small chance those times would ever overlap with a meet, I guess, but if it ever does we're so there. Especially in SLO, actually, I love the drive up there.
posted by empyrean at 9:33 PM on March 14

I'm up for a meetup. I live in Santa Barbara but will be in SLO on Monday and unfortunately will be stuck in flashy and luxurious Bakersfield during most of the week of the 22nd.
posted by cgomez at 10:38 AM on March 15

argh! i just moved away from ventura! :(
posted by sergeant sandwich at 10:53 PM on March 15

I'm in Santa Barbara and would definitely be up for something. Not the 28th-29th, though.
posted by The Pusher Robot at 12:18 AM on March 16

Fantastic - we could do it, but it'll take more planning than other meetups. The tally so far (north to south):

SF - lekvar
SLO area - wendell, spiderskull, filthy light thief
SB - cgomez, The Pusher Robot, dreamyshade, douglaswth
Ventura - Ambrosia Voyeur
Camarillo - Korou

There's a general lean towards the south, so Mattei's Tavern sounds like a good location. Now, the date ... I see scattered bad dates, so I'll assume the others are OK. Should we go a few weeks out, to give others a time to stumble across this thread?
posted by filthy light thief at 7:01 AM on March 16

You can count contraption in, too.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 12:56 PM on March 16

Yeah, I don't say much but I'm here. Weekends are best for me, but I take the bus to Santa Barbara daily for work and could always have AV pick me up on the way north if a weekday wins out.
posted by contraption at 2:29 PM on March 16

Mattei's Tavern? Funny, I went to school just outside of Los Olivos - I haven't been back in ages. I might have to make it just for that.
posted by lekvar at 4:59 PM on March 16

To be honest, I've never been to Mattei's Tavern. Driven by it hundreds of times, but never stopped there. But I have been to that place which serves/served lion meat (I went over a decade ago with my dad, before they started offering lion on the menu - I had venison). At least, I think that was the place where lion was once served, causing much local uproar. (heh.)

This weekend is too soon, next weekend is no good for me or The Pusher Robot, so maybe the first weekend in April?
posted by filthy light thief at 10:07 AM on March 17

How would Saturday the 11th work?
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 10:52 AM on March 17

Yeah, Cold Spring Tavern served lion for a few months back in the day. It's a cool place, but I'm vegetarian so when I went I ordered cheese ravioli instead of the elk leg.

Any weekend in April should be fine for douglaswth and me.
posted by dreamyshade at 12:39 PM on March 17

The 11th (or 18th) would be good for me.
posted by The Pusher Robot at 1:56 PM on March 17

I'll be figuring out how the 11th and 18th is for me in the near future.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:27 PM on March 19

So, what's the plan?
posted by The Pusher Robot at 3:08 PM on March 24

I say Saturday April 11th, Mattei's Tavern. 6 pm?

Other UCSB/IV people: we all should probably consider carpooling.
posted by dreamyshade at 4:11 PM on March 25

Seconded. We've got a Buick that can comfortably seat 2 additional riders, or squeeze in 4 (still all legal and seatbelted, but that front middle spot is pretty cozy.)
posted by contraption at 7:36 PM on March 25

douglaswth pointed out to me that April 12th is Easter...so let's do the 18th instead.
posted by dreamyshade at 11:53 PM on March 25

Okay, sounds good.
posted by The Pusher Robot at 4:36 PM on March 26

Oh, and if anyone needs a ride up from SB, I've got plenty of room.
posted by The Pusher Robot at 4:38 PM on March 26

Oh bother, I was going to pop in and say the 11th is great for me, so I can visit my parents the next day.

Shouldn't this be on the MeTa sidebar?
posted by filthy light thief at 4:06 PM on March 31

There's a little add meetup thingy linked from the sidebar. I put it there!
posted by dreamyshade at 9:46 PM on March 31

Danke!
posted by filthy light thief at 8:51 AM on April 1

Hey, I'm in! I'm going to MeMail you, The Pusher Robot, for carpooling details.
posted by spiderskull at 4:00 PM on April 5

I'm in, with Mrs. flt along for the ride.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:16 PM on April 6

Yay!!!!!
posted by k8t at 1:27 PM on April 10

So, I am still planning on the 18th, 6pm? Who's with me? Let's get a head count and a reservation.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 10:01 AM on April 13

I'm in. Could we setup a carpool with people from Ventura County? I'm in Camarillo and can drive.
posted by Korou at 4:20 PM on April 13

Douglaswth and I are in.
posted by dreamyshade at 8:49 AM on April 14

Headcount (by my count): The Pusher Robot, dreamyshade, Douglaswth, filthy light thief + 1, k8t, Ambrosia Voyeur, Korou = 8

Have shown interest: lekvar, cgomez, empyrean, spiderskull (on spring break?), and Wendel. Hortense favorited the thread, so I'll count that as 6 maybes / showed interest.
posted by filthy light thief at 4:45 PM on April 14

Fiddlesticks. I unfortunately can't make it on the 18th, but I hope it all comes together logistically on Saturday. Take pictures and hopefully I can get in on the next one.
posted by cgomez at 8:23 AM on April 15

Hey, I'm still in too!
posted by contraption at 9:30 AM on April 15

Spiderskull is going to be there.
posted by The Pusher Robot at 12:13 PM on April 15

CHANCES OF WENDELL BEING THERE ARE UP TO 51%

Looks like I may be enroute from L.A. to S.L.O. Saturday Afternoon the 18th... and after two days with my crazy dad, I will be so ready for good companionship and wine...

So I'm timing it to be there 6-ish, right? (And I'm usually annoyingly punctual)
posted by wendell at 8:02 PM on April 15

So we're up to 10.51 in attendance. I'll be in SB before the meetup, and Google says it's about 30 miles from SB to Mattei's Tavern (almost 30 miles exactly from La Cumbre and State), with a claimed 48 minutes for those 30 miles. Should we make a reservation, or wing it and the first one there claims a table for 11 (not sure how Mattei's deals with fractional people)? And 6pm sounds good to me.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:05 AM on April 16

I'll call and reserve a table. I'm dubious all ten people will show, I ONLY BELIEVE IN ME.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 10:30 AM on April 16

Okay, table for 10 for Metafilter at 6pm. I will likely not be the first there, so.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 1:51 PM on April 16

I'm up to 68% there... since I'm a fat guy, 68% is enough to fill a chair. First one over #10 has to sit on my lap (that'll keep attendence DOWN)...
posted by wendell at 3:49 PM on April 16

I'll bring some silly hats, so this could be a silly hat party, if nothing else. Note: no bashing of those without silly hats. I'll bring some extras, just because.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:22 PM on April 16

Awwww, I'm so sad I won't be around. I grew up in SYV, and come home every now and then. Maybe I'll try to rally y'all again on a hometown visit. Be sure to get the mud pie from Mattei's. Otherwise your trip will be squandered. lekvar - Dunn School?
posted by ikahime at 9:54 PM on April 16

ikahime - thanks for the tip, I've never been to Mattei's, just seen it all those times I've passed on by.

Random question to those planning to attend: would anyone like a bag of starter for Amish Friendship Bread? It's a cake-like fermenting bread, which takes 9 days of little more than mushing it around, and is easy to bake. I'd bring some completed product to lure y'all into this delicious trap, but it won't be ready for another few days. The bags I have are currently on Day 5, and I could add the Day 6 ingredients to them to further entice people, if that helps.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:03 AM on April 17

I would love some starter, filthy light thief. You didn't get any filth in there, right?
posted by contraption at 8:08 PM on April 17

AARRGGHH... Travel plans borked; stuck in HOT Van Nuys with Dad until at least Tuesday. Was hoping for starter, turned out a non-starter. Sorry.
posted by wendell at 3:42 PM on April 18

Exhausted. Putting baby to bed early. Will fall asleep with him. :( My thoughts are with you.
posted by k8t at 7:42 PM on April 18

One of the very best meetups evarrrrr !!! That saloon was the SHIT.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 11:45 PM on April 18

That was quite a lot of fun! I'm going to try to get my friends to sign up today.
posted by spiderskull at 8:34 AM on April 19

Do it! Come on Will! Come on Eva Amber!
posted by contraption at 8:47 AM on April 19

I think this thread requires both the "lacansuckit" and the "bayareacansuckit" tags.
posted by contraption at 8:49 AM on April 19

I opted with the less confrontational "AintNoPartyLikeACenCalParty" tag, though I'm not sure how Central any of us really are. Geographically speaking, I think Merced or Madera Counties are more central. Maybe we're more of a Coastal South-Central California thing, but that makes for a very long tag.

I owe y'all bags of starter goo at the next meetup, and there will be a next! I should also have a few loaves, as a sampler of what you can make at home with ingredients from around your kitchen! It's fun and safe!

I'll get my photos up later today, because I need to spend some time adjusting them (no flash for most, so they're a couple shades dark). I'd be working on them now, but I have to prepare weird mix of electronic music for the local college station, 91.3fm KCPR. You can listen online if your not in San Luis Obispo county, or you happen to live behind some hills that obstruct our signal.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:23 AM on April 19

Hmm, looking more closely at the recipe I see that it calls for oil and low temperature baking, an ideal situation for making it extra-friendly.
posted by contraption at 10:30 AM on April 19

Added the tags myself, since I can now! Anybody wants to step up, you step to me, not flt.
posted by contraption at 10:31 AM on April 19

I would call it a Central Coast party! [Nothing above San Francisco counts, you know.] And it was great. Most of my pictures didn't turn out very flattering, but here's one.

Links as promised:

Guy with crazy house in forest: The Last Man in Paradise, "Long overlooked by the Forest Service, which Merkel says has been very kind up to the point of eviction, the cabin breaks countless building codes..."

Santa Barbara firefighter Twitter account: SBCFireDispatch. Example interesting message from eight hours ago: "431 Ellwood Beach Dr *** Goleta *** Medical Emergency".

My friend's radio show is on Saturdays from 10 to 12 pm on KCSB 91.9 FM — see "Mixtape Mojo" on the schedule (PDF).

And here are my Delicious bookmarks, along with the old Metatalk thread where people listed their Delicious usernames, in case anybody would like to check out Delicious or revive old accounts. Yessss. See also the very nice (unofficial) Social Bookmarking in Plain English video.
posted by dreamyshade at 11:29 AM on April 19

Sweet! Thanks for the twitter link.

Example interesting message from eight hours ago
Did Doug get a severely stubbed toe?
posted by spiderskull at 2:36 PM on April 19

My toe is doing fine, but you should have seen the other guy...
posted by douglaswth at 3:42 PM on April 19

Well, that was pretty awesome for a first meet-up.
posted by Korou at 9:03 AM on April 20

Yeah it was. you forgot your hat at our house.
posted by contraption at 11:15 AM on April 20

I made a set on Flickr, but I'm fighting it a bit. I'll clean up and organize it later.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:08 AM on April 21

The series is fixed and complete (25 images). Now with image titles, some subtitles, and a few more comments.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:32 AM on April 22