Boston, MA meetup(s?), July 28th - August 1st

July 11, 2010 8:14 AM

I'll be in the Boston area from July 28th - August 1st. Let's meetup and do fun things!
posted by iamkimiam to MetaFilter Gatherings at 8:14 AM (47 comments total)

I live in the "Boston Area" and I am pro-fun! July 31st is a Saturday, which is a day that I could ostensibly make it up to the actual Town of Beans, so I would like to nominate that day for meeting up.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 8:20 AM on July 11, 2010

Also, my schedule is wide open and I'm down for seeing and doing as much as I can while I'm in the area (which will actually be a month or so, until my VISA is ready and flights to the UK are cheap). What should we do?
posted by iamkimiam at 8:26 AM on July 11, 2010

I dunno if this particular activity has been done before, but it occured to me that summer + New England = The Beach.

There are some really nice beaches around Boston, if you're able to drive a bit out of the city. Even if a MeFi Beach MeetUp can't be arranged, I recommend checking out the Atlantic Ocean in all of its glory. (Near Boston - Plum Island to the north and Horseneck Beach to the south are my favorites - each are a little over an hour drive.)
posted by grapefruitmoon at 8:30 AM on July 11, 2010

Errgghh, I'm making no sense. I have no plans (or place to stay...Couchsurfing searching here we come!) until August 1st. After that, visiting a friend in MVY (woot!) for a week or so. Then, after that, I'm free again until the VISA and flight work out (probably September). Not sure if I should try to plan it all up now, or just see what happens or post another thread later or what. Just throwing it all out there.
posted by iamkimiam at 8:32 AM on July 11, 2010

HOLY CRAP BEACH YES. I'm having withdrawls and need beach.

Are there any surfing beaches nearby? Any east coast surfers on MeFi?
posted by iamkimiam at 8:34 AM on July 11, 2010

My schedule is pretty flexible, so I'm open for whatever. We have been to Crane Beach in Ispwich, which is really nice, although greenhead fly season is just starting and runs through your visit (I'm not sure if this affects all Mass. beaches or just the northern ones). Also, I expect the beaches on the weekend to be SUPER crowded, so I don't know how practical that would be for a Saturday.

I'm up for weekday sightseeing, eating, etc.
posted by DiscourseMarker at 9:20 AM on July 11, 2010

I can't drive anywhere, but if we end up at Crane Beach I might be down for it!
posted by danb at 10:06 AM on July 11, 2010

Greenheads are really only a problem in the northern beaches. And yeah, they'd be crowded on a Saturday... but beaches, with or without crowds, ARE AWESOME. :)

I'd be happy to help transport people to a beach, though I'm in PVD, which makes it slightly complicated.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 10:50 AM on July 11, 2010

i frigging wish i were going to be in Boston.

have fun, Kim!
posted by gursky at 11:15 AM on July 11, 2010

Waves are best on the south coast of MA, especially on Cape Cod, which is about an hour to two hours south of the city, depending on where you're going. Bonanza has a bus that runs down there somewhere, I think Barnstable? You can also take the T up to Gloucester, which has great beaches, but the waves on that side of Mass Bay are not strong at all, and the water's much colder there.
posted by not_on_display at 11:25 AM on July 11, 2010

grapefruitmoon...would you be able to make it to a beach on a non-weekend day? If not, let's do Saturday. Also...crowded beach...how shall we find each other? MeFi shirt on a stick? Can of beans on a blanket? Or the tried and true "Friend of Matt?" trick?

Also, whatever day we go, I would love to take grapefruitmoon up on the ride offer!

DiscourseMarker...weekday sightseeing and eating, definitely!

All...so how to Bostonians pronounce Gloucester?
posted by iamkimiam at 12:12 PM on July 11, 2010

Glowstah is how I always heard it said.

Wish I could be there.
posted by rtha at 2:05 PM on July 11, 2010

so how to Bostonians pronounce Gloucester?

GLOSS-ster. GLOSS-stah if you're a native speaker of New England dialect, but don't try it around strangers if you're not.
posted by Mayor Curley at 2:22 PM on July 11, 2010

"All...so how to Bostonians pronounce Gloucester"
posted by iamkimiam

Guide to pronouncing Massachusetts town names. One day I will FPP this an' it'll get a hunnid favorites.
posted by not_on_display at 4:02 PM on July 11, 2010 [2 favorites]

I will be on the North Shore of Boston, in Beverly, on Saturday, July 31 and I would love to attend a beach meetup! I will be very close to the Beverly commuter rail stop, and I could pick up a few people if anyone needs to take the train out of the city.

So now we just need to figure out which beach. I don't know the beaches in the area very well. I was at Signing Beach in Manchester a few weeks ago and it is just spectacular. The only problem is parking. I don't think they let non-Manchester residents park there on the weekends. We found parking in the center of town and walked somewhere around 3/4 of a mile.

Does anyone know of any beaches that might have better easy on/off access?


If there's any interest, you could convince me to bring a small grill if other people want to bring burgers/dogs/veggies/etc to cook up. This would also mean we need to find a beach that allows that sort of thing.

I'll also be traveling with a frisbee, a nerf football, and a paddle ball set.
posted by TurkishGolds at 5:32 PM on July 11, 2010

I'd be up for this.

I will throw a totally out-of-left-field option in here and suggest Lynn beach or Nahant (don't laugh!). There's a nice big sandy area on that little spit that connects the two, and a restaurant right there for refreshments afterwards. Surfing and swimming are probably not that great. We used to play volleyball there when I was at GE.
posted by backseatpilot at 5:49 PM on July 11, 2010

Dear Kim:

I owe you like 5000 MeMails. Would you like to go to the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum on me?

Best,
Chelsea
posted by pxe2000 at 6:05 PM on July 11, 2010

I am up for any beach within a 3 hour drive from PVD. Possibly including the Cape. Maybe.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 6:44 PM on July 11, 2010

de nada pxe2000! And yes, I would Love to go to the museum with you!
posted by iamkimiam at 6:46 PM on July 11, 2010

I could schlep people over to Horseneck or the town beach in Westport. I am potentially around and my dad lives in Westport [home to Horseneck].
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 7:57 PM on July 11, 2010

I'll be scootin' on up to Boston on the 29th to meet a West Coast friend who's passing through town, but I could to an evening meetup no problem. I might even be able to stay with a friend that night and meetup on the 30th, if that works better.
posted by Kattullus at 8:19 PM on July 11, 2010

Yes, let's! I would love to meet up with iamkim etc. There's an off chance that I'll have to travel to NJ that weekend for family stuff, but it could end up being the previous weekend instead. I'm a beach junkie and totally down for a beach meetup, if that happens. We're in the middle of our first greenhead season at Plum Island, but I was told it would be over within two weeks - was I misled?!?!
posted by Miko at 8:49 PM on July 11, 2010

....by the way...if it falls out that way...we could use our Newburyport house as the meetup coordinates. It's available. Like I said - we're near Plum Island beach, 45 minutes north of Boston, and have a decent handle on local eateries and watering holes, 1 guest bed and 1 small couch. So...that's 1 option.
posted by Miko at 8:56 PM on July 11, 2010

Horseneck would be PERFECT for me as it's about midway between PVD and Boston, so I'd like to officially put in my vote for Horseneck.

Although Miko's Newburyport house sounds awesome...it's a 3 hr drive for me. Don't get me wrong, I'd GLADLY do it, but I'd prefer Horseneck.

("Fun" fact: My mother and I spend a weekend on Plum Island every. single. year. We've done so every year of my life and it's one of my absolute favorite places in the history of places.)
posted by grapefruitmoon at 4:06 AM on July 12, 2010

(Maybe Newburyport is only 2+ hours from here? Anyway. It's far-ish.)
posted by grapefruitmoon at 4:07 AM on July 12, 2010

'Sok, I've never been to Horseneck and if it works out, would be very nice to go there!
posted by Miko at 5:01 AM on July 12, 2010

Shall we call a meet-up for Horseneck on the 31st? Time? Convenient meet-up point?
posted by grapefruitmoon at 7:20 AM on July 12, 2010

Sounds great to me! This is going to be fun...MeFi's second beach meetup ever, right?
posted by iamkimiam at 7:54 AM on July 12, 2010

Well, there was a MetaChat-based meetup on York Beach, ME a couple years ago. The weather wasn't too summery but we had a good time.
posted by Miko at 8:19 AM on July 12, 2010

I won't be able to make it to Horseneck. Have fun everyone!
posted by TurkishGolds at 11:19 AM on July 12, 2010

If people need a place to crash there that night, I can probably arrange it. We could also, if people want, meet at my Dad's [1/2 mile away] and carpool with the caveat that my dad is a bit of an unpredictable grump, though he likes company. My beloved boyfriend might also come but would need a ride in from bus/train [or from the Boston area]. Should we move this to IRL? This would get PVD and BOS people. Miko, is it too far for you guys?

Also, and we don't need to decide this now, we could move to the "locals only" beach [link, no the name has nothing to do with mine] if Horseneck is a mob scene. You need a parking permit but we could shuttle folks from my Dad's or elsewhere.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 11:53 AM on July 12, 2010

I'll be at a wedding in CT that weekend. I might be able to swing Sunday, otherwise I'll have to wait for the next one.
posted by KevCed at 12:15 PM on July 12, 2010

Meeting at jessamyn's dad's sounds like the best plan for actually being able to *find* people. I vote to move it to IRL!

(And I'm happy to carpool anyone from PVD!)
posted by grapefruitmoon at 12:15 PM on July 12, 2010

Beachy fun! I would love to come, but it depends on the reliability of my poor car and/or public transportation. Though, if my car is up for it, I'd be happy to haul people (*peers at Jessamyn's beloved boyfriend*).
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 12:28 PM on July 12, 2010

Yeah, let's move it over to IRL! Is that something I'm supposed to do? (looks around)
posted by iamkimiam at 12:29 PM on July 12, 2010

Also, can't tell you how stoked I am about this plan and I can't wait meet all of you!
posted by iamkimiam at 12:30 PM on July 12, 2010

Ha! I'm such a dork...can't move it to IRL, as I do not know where Jessamyn's dad lives (nor the location of Horseneck beach).

Or the time.
posted by iamkimiam at 12:42 PM on July 12, 2010

I like to pretend that Horseneck Beach is a bit south of the Horsehead Nebula. Then again, I'm a huge dork.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 1:01 PM on July 12, 2010

Miko, is it too far for you guys?

Not too far, but the jury is still out until I figure out which of two weekends I'm going to NJ to visit family. I'll keep tracking it. If we can indeed come, we can bring the beloved boyfriend, but he might want to locate other resources too in case I end up doing the family thing that weekend.
posted by Miko at 1:06 PM on July 12, 2010

As someone who grew up on the "SouthCoast" of Mass, a MeFi meetup at Horseneck is something I never would have imagined happening. If you're not full of beer and beach food and are looking for some great seafood in the area you gotta check out the Back Eddy. Mmm. Have fun!
posted by lazywhinerkid at 1:18 PM on July 12, 2010

So Horseneck doesn't look super far, and it looks like I wouldn't have to deal with 495 Cape traffic, so I guess I'm in. I could take up to 3 other people from the W. Cambridge/Watertown/Waltham area if people want to carpool (or I could pick people up from the Alewife T station). I drive a Jetta, though, so if you're over 6 feet tall I can't promise you'll be comfortable.
posted by DiscourseMarker at 5:04 PM on July 12, 2010

I will check in with my dad to make sure meeting up there for a beachbound trip is feasible and will check in sometime Tuesday with final "let's meet here" sort of stuff.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:38 PM on July 12, 2010

Just noticed this conversation and would love to join the fun. I'm in the Boston area, also; moved here last year, still trying to get socially connected; would be delighted to meet some MeFites in person, and hang out at the beach!
posted by Sublimity at 3:59 AM on July 13, 2010

Okay some nitty gritty before final plans. Beach day is Saturday yes? Do people want to get there early or get there like normal mid-day times? Bayside for dinner would actually be nice. Dad says parking at his place is fine, but I'll put Horseneck as the location in IRL and a link to the locale in the thread. Anything else we need to nail down?
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 10:57 AM on July 13, 2010

Mid-day would be best for me, depending on what the definition of "early" is.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 11:32 AM on July 13, 2010

Okay I'll call it for noon and if we have to rejigger it over at IRL that's fine too. This is the post, let's take RSVPs and whatnot over there?
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 4:27 PM on July 14, 2010

Awesome! Sorry I've been MIA. Yesterday was 13+ hours of travel and today was culture shock. I went from six weeks in a third world country, the last of which was spent wading in a flood, to hearing and reading English from behind the wheel of a rental car on the 405, in the middle of a heat wave...yikes.
posted by iamkimiam at 11:14 PM on July 14, 2010