Monday, October 27, 2008

Puttin' Out Feelers...

Okay, the reports of the Indy blogmeet, combined with the recent Gun Blogger Rendezvous III, has gotten me thinking again...

(As I said in my last post, be afraid. Be very afraid).

Who would be interested in a Northeast Blogger Meeting? I'm thinking we could make it a twice-yearly affair, with a shooting event in the summer months and a pub/brewery/eating establishment type meeting in the late fall/winter months. Depending on attendees, we could do something in Boston proper (as long as I can take the train in!) or southern NH.

Let me know if you're interested. I'll even take the hit for the team and coordinate the where, when, and why. (I must be a glutton for punishment...) Given sufficient planning, we should be able to plan a meeting for anyone who wants to attend - bloggers, commenters, and lurkers all welcome (well, only the good kind of lurkers, natch...)

That is all.

34 comments:

JD said...

I would be interested depending on where the meet was. . . Boston would be ok, but Nashua NH may be a good easy to get to alternative too . . . .

Probably easier to get to and park in Nashua but I could be wrong, I live south of Boston. . . Train into Boston would work too. . . .

Anonymous said...

Interested. But ... Boston? Dude.

If we can do South NH, I'm in. I don't expect a Nunavut Blogger Meet in my backyard any time soon.

I can hit Concord in about 1.5 hours. Any more than that ... probably not. I'd have to send a cardboard cut-out. Which is a bad idea considering the crowd. Cardboard cut-out + gun nuts = YouTube.

Unknown said...

I'm in.

Beantown is a PITA to get to and park in, as you know. North shore or southern NH would probably be easier/cheaper, but I'm game for anything.

Anonymous said...

Jay,
Let me suggest Martha's Exchange, Main ST, Nashua NH. Good food. GREAT beer. Fair prices. Easy access. Lots of on-street parking.

Jay G said...

One word for response so far: AWESOME!!!!

Guys, this is fantastic. My single biggest regret about the summer get-together is that I didn't get to spend anywhere near as much time talking with you all. This sort of event would go a long way to remedy that...

JD,

I'd prefer southern NH, just because it's a LOT cheaper than Boston and easier to get to...

Liberty,

We'll see what we can do. How would Manchester work? I'd wager there are some good places to eat, drink, and be merry in Manch-vegas...

Marko,

Excellent! I think so far the consensus is leaning away from Boston and into southern NH. We'll see.

Brad,

We'll see how it shakes out, but thanks for the tip!

MedicMatthew said...

Sign me up.

zeeke42 said...

How about Murphy's Taproom in Manchester? I've been meaning to make it up there for a while. It's owned by a free state project member, and open carry is welcome (no alcohol while open carrying).

Anonymous said...

Manchester would be a deep fried plate of awesome covered in awesome sauce. Just a few minutes outside Concord, so I can get the dogsled down there without issue.

Lissa said...

YES.

I vote for Boston 'cause I'm selfish :)

And I won't wear my boots, if you really object . . .

Jay G said...

medicmatthew,

EXCELLENT! I know you'd mentioned wanting to attend. Looks like this may be the chance!

zeeke42,

Murphy's! Now there's an idea. Although I'd wager with this crowd it wouldn't be much of an open-carry event.

HEY! Reminder: I don't drink. I am more than happy to be a designated driver...

Lissa,

Heh. That's one vote for Boston...

We'll see what the consensus brings, but right now I think it's sounding like southern NH might have more votes. You could always car-pool with someone, or I could meet you at the Commuter Line in Haverhill...

We'll work something out. This will happen.

And you can wear whatever boots you want. :)

Anonymous said...

Hmn, I'd definitely be up for that assuming 'peanut gallery' makes the cut.

I have a new toys with two tax stamps but it's not legal in MA.... so if the event is not in MA, I'll be happy to bring it along.

Southern Maine here, NH is fine too.

Unknown said...

Define "Northeast" ???

Are we speaking northeast, or New England? (Though I can always pass for the latter with my Connecticut roots.)

But is PA & NY also considered NE?

I might be game for gatherings in the southern half of the NE.

- N.U.G.U.N.

scotaku said...

Well, I'm a lurker trying to work my way up a little... I can make Boston/Southern NH no problem. Always had a soft spot for the Press Room in Portsmouth, but it is a bit cramped.

Regardless, I'm in if you'll have me.

Bruce said...

Murphy's and Martha's are both excellent suggestions.

Whatever...I'm in.

Paul, Dammit! said...

If I'm home from sea, I'd love to go. I'm at sea 'till New Years' Day, tho...

Anonymous said...

Well not to confuse things with too many choices but another alternative would be to have it at Harvard Sportsmans where I'm a member and we could actually do some shooting. I think those who have been there would say that Harvard is one of the nicer and most enjoyable ranges to shoot at in the region. Plus the all-steel pistol/sub gun range is lots of fun! After that there are plenty of places in the area to go to for socializing. As a bonus it's pretty centrally located for MA/NH residents. Just something to think about.

Weer'd Beard said...

I want in!

Weer'd Beard said...

BTW, Maybe I can get a second from Bruce, but how about Amigos in Portland, Maine!

We could even open carry and maybe get arrested by the latest fascist chief of police there!

In this Economy Early retirement via Police Negligence sound AWESOME!

Anonymous said...

Gee, I'm afraid of Eastern Massachusetts. What if I get stuck in a car that's going off a bridge, and I end up drowning?

How about a field trip to Springfield? I hear there's interesting stuff out that a-way.

Borepatch said...

I'm all over this like stink on a dawg.

Manchester would be fine. I know that not everyone is a huge fan of the Manchester Firing Line, but it's there if folks have an itchy trigger finger.

Jay G said...

Hoo boy. This has taken on a life of its own.

EXCELLENT!!!

Let's tally the "IN" folks:

JD
Liberty
Marko
MedicMatthew
wally
the saj (dependent on location)
scotaku (of course we'll have you!)
Bruce
Paul (dependent on time)
weer'd beard (could we have *TWO* pirates?)
Ted

Have chimed in, but not explicitly said "IN":
brad_in_ma
zeeke41
thefaz
tjp

I'd prefer to keep this as a social event only (no shooting), because the last event was a shootin' event and, even though I had more fun than the law allows, I'd like a chance to sit and chat. There's also a lot less planning that needs to be done if the longarms are staying home...

Right now we've got close to 20 people possible, and this is just the preliminary stages of planning.

Murphy's sounds like a good idea; Manchester is only about an hour north of Boston for those coming north and the directions look like it's only about 4 miles off 93, the first exit off 293.

Take a look at the link and we can discuss if we've found our destination...

Another thought would be the Brewery Exchange in Lowell. I've been there; the place is HUUUGE; they have pool tables; *AND* free wi-fi. We could live-blog the meet...

Or there's always Hooters in Salem, NH...

;)

Now... The hard part... WHEN do we want to do this?

Before Thanksgiving? Christmas? After New Year's?

Let's see what times and places work for the largest number and go from there.

Jay G said...

Oops! Forgot Lissa on the "IN" list. Sorry Lissa!!!

TOTWTYTR said...

Manchester would be a bit more north than I'd like, but Nashua would be good.

Even though Boston is a close drive for me, prices are high and parking is a pain.

Anywhere within 2 hours of Boston is fine, though.

Jay G said...

Manchester's like an hour north of Boston (assuming non-peak-traffic). I can make it to BU from my house in 45 minutes. I can make it to Manchester HD in 35 minutes.

C'mon... ;)

TOTWTYTR said...

OK, fine. As I said, Manchester is a bit more north than I'd like, but it's not undoable. :)

doubletrouble said...

I'll give a vote for Martha's Exchange (in Nashua) as well. Home grown beer, good eats, fairly close to me (not as close as the last blogmeet).
I'm in, unless it's in BOSTON!

Anonymous said...

Depending on date, time, & location, I might be able to make it. Manchester, Nashua, Concord all doable for me. I also wonder if there's a suitable place in Exeter -- you know, near the SigArms HQ and firearms academy?

I have one practical request: whatever place is selected, please make sure it has plenty of parking. You're gonna get a lot of people, even if one of them isn't me, and there's few things more annoying than a big group trying to meet in a place with a small parking lot.

Anonymous said...

Jay, you can also count me in. Southern NH works fine for me, that way I won't have to disarm before crossing over the border into the Commonwealth territories. I'm looking foreward to meeting like minded Americans for a change.

Lissa said...

Thanks, Jay, I was about to cry there :)

zeeke42 said...

I'm in if it's anywhere within an hours drive of the Nashua/Lowell area and has parking. Lowell Brewery Exchange, now Lowell Beer Works is 15 minutes from my house. I've never been to Martha's or Murphys and both are on my list of places to check out.

Jay G said...

DT,

I'm leaning towards Murphy's in Manch-vegas, actually.

I figure that's an easier ride for folks coming from the metro Boston area and all...

wolfwalker,

Sig Academy is only like 35 minutes from my house, actually.

I'd like this get-together to be a purely social event, though - I'd like to get a chance to talk to some of the folks more than just the 10 minutes we huddled under the tarp waiting for the downpour to pass... :)

Good point on the parking. To that effect, if we do settle on Manchester, and anyone coming from Southern NH/MA wants to carpool, I don't mind driving. I also don't drink, and have plenty of couch/floor space available should others wish to indulge...

angus,

Like I said, I'm leaning towards Manchester.

Lissa,

I don't know how you got missed; a thousand mea culpas!

Zeeke42,

It sounds like we've got a pretty good consensus going for southern NH.

I've been to the Beer Works, that place is HUGE. It is a pain in the behind to get to, though... Plenty of parking, on the plus side. And it's only ~ half hour from me.

Hmmm...

Will need more input on this.

JD said...

Lissa (and others south of Boston). . . I will be going past you if you want to car pool, I am on the south shore too. . .

Jay
Can I request we do this on a Saturday so we (well I) don't have to worry about late nights and work the next day???

MeatAxe said...

Hi Everyone, Hi Jay --

I'm interested. NH works pretty well for me, as well. My in laws live in Nashua, and my wife's cousins are around, so I could park the kids somewhere...

BTW, my buddy Dale and I blog at this URL: http://menrnotspuds.blogspot.com/

MedicMatthew said...

so, did we ever settle on a date?
I'm guessing I'm about the northern most of the bloggers considering I'm about a three hour drive north of Boston so it'll take me a while to reach civilization no matter where we decide to meet. The work schedule is a bit wonky right now but if all goes as planned I'll only be working Sundays & Wednesdays soon (gotta love 24 hour shifts).