So...
I posted a diary a few days ago looking for venue suggestions for this Thursday's meetup. This is our big summer meetup, and we'll be joined by out-of-town kossacks kath25 and captainlaser.
People came up with some wonderful suggestions, but the best of all came from lipris: an outdoor space in lower manhattan where people could eat, drink or just hang out. It sounded perfect...
Well, I went down to check it out on Friday at 6:00, and discovered that it is a MOB scene at happy hour. It is the hangout for the Wall Street crowd, and there wasn't a free table to be found. In fact, there weren't even a few empty seats at the tables. Bottom line, the location is not going to work for our party of 30+ kossacks.
Fortunately, some of my fellow nyc-kossack buddies started looking for other options. SuzeNYC discovered a perfect place at -- believe it or not -- South Street Seaport. There's an Irish pub on Pier 17 that has indoor and outdoor space, a good, basic menu, comfy atmosphere, full bar with lots of great beers and friendly management. Unfortunately, they have another large group coming Thursday night.
Mindoca had another suggestion: The NY Milkshake Company. It's an outdoor space in midtown (east), in a park, with milkshakes, burgers, etc. plus a full bar. Mindoca was kind enough to talk to them about our event, and then to return to follow up with the manager. (Thank you, mindoca!) And as of this afternoon, we are ALL SET!
So, maybe it's not perfect for everyone, but we'll be together, outside, in a park, with food and drink (but no pressure to buy something). It is wheelchair accessible and they'll set up tables and chairs in a special area for our group. There will be a band, so maybe it won't be as quiet as it could be, but we'll be set up around the side of the building, away from the music.
So here are the details:
Thursday, August 7, starting at 6:30 (going until whenever)
The NY Milkshake Company/Milkshake Lounge
342 East 47th Street, in Dag Hammarskjold Plaza (between 1st and 2nd, closer to 1st).
Right now the forecast looks good for Thursday. If that should change, and there's a chance of rain, I'll find a backup location near 47th and 2nd where we can go if we need to relocate. Hopefully it won't be necessary.
So that's the plan.