Daily Kos meetups are one of my favorite things about this community. Meeting with members in person has deepened my connection to Daily Kos, and I've made many friends talking politics over brunch and happy hour.
The first Daily Kos meetup group I became involved with was the NYC Kossacks group (since incorporated into the New York City group). The NYC Kossacks meetup group, graciously hosted by sidnora (plus MANY other helping individuals) has been up and running for over five years and is one of the first meetup groups to exist. Bolstered by the superb efforts of navajo and many others, the New Day diary series has led to the formation of over 25 meetup groups across America (and even the world!)
Now that I'm down in Philly I helped co-found the Philly Kos group. Admittedly we haven't had as many meetups as I've hoped, but the first meetup we did have was very fun!
So in this spirit, I want to announce initial plans for a MEGA Philly/NJ/NYC meetup! Follow below the fold for the details.
For logistical purposes, a MEGA meetup location for Philly/NJ/NYC people has to be equidistant from Philadelphia and NYC, easily accessible by public transportation, and big enough to host a potentially large group of people. After some discussions with sidnora and belinda ridgewood, and using my own knowledge, I think we've found the perfect spot. Here's the details:
Where: New Brunswick, NJ. A bar/restaurant called Stuff Yer Face.
When: Sunday, ~12:00 - 4:00pm (tentative). Looking at Sept. 22nd, Oct. 6th (preferred date), Oct. 20th.
Who: Any and all local Kossacks who want to get together over "Boli's and Beer!"
Why Stuff Yer Face? First, it's a fantastic restaurant of Rutgers University fame. Second, Food Network star chef Mario Batali had his first cooking job at Stuff Yer Face many years ago. It's located in a college town, so there are certain idiosyncrasies that come along with that, but by going on a Sunday afternoon we should be able to avoid this type of crowd (trust me, as someone who went to Rutgers University for undergrad, we're too hungover to be up that early on a Sunday!). Third, they have
75 beers. And last, it's really easy to get to via public transportation (or otherwise).
Public Transportation Directions:
From Philadelphia: From 30th Street Station (or Suburban or Market East for Center City residents), take the SEPTA R7 Trenton regional rail line to Trenton. Switch to the NJ Transit North East Corridor line and go to New Brunswick. Sunday SEPTA R7 trains leave every hour on Sundays from 30th St. Station. Total travel time on train is about 95 minutes (does not count time needed to get to 30th St. Station).
From NYC: From NY Penn Station, take the NJ Transit Northeast Corridor line to New Brunswick, NJ. Trains leave every hour in the morning and every 30 minutes in the afternoon. Total travel time on train is about 55 minutes (does not count time needed to get to NY Penn Station).
From the New Brunswick, NJ train station, Stuff Yer Face is a quick five minute walk away.
This diary is meant as the first announcement of this MEGA meetup. I want to gauge interest in order to give the restaurant a good estimate of attendees. I called Stuff Yer Face on Saturday and as of right now, there are no reservations in the upstairs area for the weekends I listed above (Sept. 22nd, Oct. 6th, Oct. 20th). If we get one of the upstairs rooms we can do ~20, if we get both we could do ~40 (or maybe a few more). As long as we're ordering lots of beer and food, I think reserving the entire upstairs is possible.
Please respond in the poll your level of interest. Also, if you can identify yourself in the comments that would be very much appreciated, as I want to compile a list of members for future diaries and to be able to answer any individual questions that may arise.
That's it for now! Hopefully we can make this a reality sometime in the fall!