Central New Jersey meetup??

August 3, 2007 9:58 AM

C'mon Mercer County! Let's show Philly and NYC a thing or two about a meetup. What say you? Central NJ Meetup?
posted by deejay jaydee to MetaFilter Gatherings at 9:58 AM (34 comments total)

Sure, I'd be up for that. Might I suggest Princeton as the location (and not just because I live there, of course)?
posted by amro at 10:02 AM on August 3, 2007

Oops, I didn't see your Trenton recommendation. That works, too.
posted by amro at 10:02 AM on August 3, 2007

I live in Burlington County, but went to school in Mercer (TCNJ) and would be into, y'know, coming to a meetup. What days are working for people? It's a busy month, at least for me.
posted by graymouser at 10:08 AM on August 3, 2007

DOH! I knew there was a reason why I was wondering about this. Like you, gm, this is a hella-busy month for me. So . . . let's see . . . what about Fri 17 Aug? Sat 18 Aug? Is that too far off in the future to be a realistic meetup plan?

I'm open to other dates, if those don't work. But yeah, this weekend and next weekend are right out, for me at least.

Oh, and one more thing, gm: Go Lions!
posted by deejay jaydee at 10:49 AM on August 3, 2007

Could a Bucks County boy (who worked in Chambersburg for awhile) attend, too?
posted by qldaddy at 10:55 AM on August 3, 2007

August 17th is out for me, I literally just made plans for that night an hour ago, but I think the 18th would work.
posted by graymouser at 10:59 AM on August 3, 2007

Bucks cty? Why not?

And the 18th works for me and gm. Anyone else?
posted by deejay jaydee at 11:05 AM on August 3, 2007

Wow a meet up that I could very well attend. I'm happy with Joe's Mill Hill as its two blocks away from my new place! The 18th is problematic as I'm meant to go to a bachelor party in NYC but the date might change... Fridays are out for me too. Anyway, I think this is a splendid idea.
posted by ob at 11:15 AM on August 3, 2007

Well, ob, since I was just talking academe with you all there the other night after the OMHS meeting, I figured you might show up to this one. (Nice website, btw.)

But if the 18th is no good, maybe we should move it back a week to the 25th? It seems to me that maybe out-of-towners, rather than locals like us, should set the date? I mean, I can almost always stumble down there, but if folks are coming from Burlington, N.B., or even Princeton, maybe they're not as flexible?

But what do I know? I mean, I've hosted my share of parties, but I've never hosted a MeFi meetup, before.
posted by deejay jaydee at 11:23 AM on August 3, 2007

The 18th doesn't work for me--the 25th would be better.
posted by null terminated at 12:30 PM on August 3, 2007

ahh! I just moved from chesterfield township (burlington county) waaaay out here to columbus, oh. wish i could be there!
posted by lohmannn at 12:52 PM on August 3, 2007

I'm clear for the 25th too, if that helps things along.
posted by graymouser at 12:56 PM on August 3, 2007

I'd love to spend my last night in Jersey at a meetup on the 25th.
posted by djb at 1:05 PM on August 3, 2007

Can we make it somewhere accessible without a car?
posted by oaf at 1:11 PM on August 3, 2007

deejay jaydee: Wow it's a small world! Nice to meet you on the innernets.

I'm not sure if I can make the 25th either, I think that's the date of the wedding that the previous week's bachelor party was for, but I'd better check that with my better half...

oaf: Joe's Mill Hill is easily accessible without a car if you take NJ Transit down to Trenton.
posted by ob at 3:48 PM on August 3, 2007

25th could work for me...any date after the 21st actually
posted by rbf1138 at 3:57 PM on August 3, 2007

OK, I wasn't aware that we'd finalized a location.
posted by oaf at 4:05 PM on August 3, 2007

I could only make it if it were the 31st or later. But I've got not so good memories of the Mill Hill.
posted by ludwig_van at 6:26 PM on August 3, 2007

[This is not actually skitchen. This is skitchen's wife, booksherpa. Didn't feel like logging him out, tracking down my password, and logging back in. We're on vacation, I'm on his laptop. Deal.]

Might I suggest the Princeton location of Triumph Brewing Company? Interesting food, good beer, great architecture, and Bent Spoon* nearby for ice cream, not to mention Princeton Record Exchange nearby. There's also Harvest Moon Brewery in New Brunswick. I'm not nearly as familiar with them. Yes, I like brewpubs. Also, not the 18th if possible.

* Yes, I know about Thomas Sweet and Halo Pub. They're both very good, but Bent Spoon is fairly unique. C'mon, Sweet Jersey basil ice cream? You gotta go to a place that would do that. They have normalish flavors as well.
posted by skitchen at 7:03 PM on August 3, 2007

I'm a big fan of both Triumph & Bent Spoon.
posted by null terminated at 10:34 PM on August 3, 2007

Triumph is OK, but they do charge cover at the weekends. I also have an issue with them as in the last few months they seem to have smaller glasses whilst still charging the same for beer (I'm not the only person to have noticed this.) Still they do have good beer and good food. I'm not opposed to meeting in Princeton, it's just that having lived there for four years, I'm a little bored of the place.
posted by ob at 7:17 AM on August 4, 2007

I'm not seeing any arguments against deejay jaydee's original suggestion of Joe's Old Mill Hill, so I sugest that we just settle on it as the location and move on to choosing a date.

As far as I know, any date but the 17th works for me.
posted by amro at 7:27 AM on August 4, 2007

Miagaille and I are gone 11-19. Anything else works.
posted by dmd at 8:00 AM on August 4, 2007

wow, thanks, amro! i was just starting to get worried.

the general consensus seems to be the 25th? like i said, i'm flexible. but, personally speaking, i'd like it if my new neighbors ob and ob's better half could join us. that said, if the 25th is the consensus, well, i'm not one to upend the consensus. (nor am i one to arrive at decisions in a rapid manner, apparently . . .)

and the mill hill saloon is very easy to get to via njt: take a train (or light rail) to trenton station, look for the wallenberg ave. exit, and walk down market (going underneath the route one overpass) for maybe ten minutes. the mill hill saloon is right at the corner of broad (206) and market. (but if you want to cab it from the station, it's like four bucks and five minutes. cabs are at the back end of the train station.)

and aside from a fine selection of brews (on tap and in the bottle) and a small but hearty menu, they also have a meet-up-ready back room, perfect for a crowd of hungry, thirsty, and garrulous mefites!

so, um, what else can i say? let mercer county represent!
posted by deejay jaydee at 8:12 AM on August 4, 2007

oh, and, um, time? i just realized that i'll be working all day on saturday the 25th, but i can make a meetup at 6.30 p.m. that day. in fact, i could probably use a good meetup at 6.30 p.m. (or sometime thereafter) on that day. should i go ahead and post it in the "add a meetup section?" or does someone want to beat me to the proverbial punch?
posted by deejay jaydee at 9:25 AM on August 4, 2007

Damn! As I suspected we are going to a wedding on the 25th.
posted by ob at 9:59 AM on August 4, 2007

well, great googly moogly . . . what about friday the 24th? the other thing that i just realized; well, okay there are two other things i just realized.

first: the mill hill saloon may not be open on saturdays in august. they may get all vacation-y.

second: i may not be so great at organizing a meetup.

so third (after all, nobody expects the spanish inquisition!), maybe there are better spots/times?

what say you, mercer county (and adjoining regions) hive mind: shall we call this one off? or just move it to friday night? . . . yeeesh . . . amro? oaf? gm? dmd? ob??
posted by deejay jaydee at 10:55 AM on August 4, 2007

How does Sunday the 26th work for people?
posted by amro at 11:32 AM on August 4, 2007

Also, I'd be very surprised if they closed for any length of time in the summer, but if you're concerned than I'm certain a quick call to the bar would allay or confirm your fears.
posted by amro at 11:41 AM on August 4, 2007

Sunday the 26th works for me...
posted by ob at 1:17 PM on August 4, 2007

I think I can swing the 26th, personally.
posted by graymouser at 7:03 PM on August 4, 2007

Sunday the 26 works for me.
posted by null terminated at 1:59 AM on August 5, 2007

hokay . . . they are open on saturday nights in the summer (i went and checked last night), but they're *not* open on sundays. so maybe we *should* meet up at triumph instead?

or . . . maybe we should move it to september??

cons of moving back to september . . . it starts to resemble "the great central nj meetup that never happened"

pros of moving back to september . . . more chance to build a critical meetup mass?

i got nothing aganist triumph or against princeton . . . but as a relatively new trentonian, it'd be nice to get something 21st century going on here. and that's the limit of my soapboxing.
posted by deejay jaydee at 8:02 AM on August 5, 2007

I may not be able to make the 26th.
posted by oaf at 3:56 PM on August 5, 2007