Wikipedia talk:Meetup/DC 7

Initial proposal[edit]

PROPOSED TIME & PLACE: Saturday, June 6th in the late afternoon/early evening at the pizzeria at Union Station.
--NBahn (talk) 20:36, 13 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

June 6th is probably okay with me. Is this date good with others? As for the location, Uno's is okay with me. Though, someone suggested Busboys & Poets for the last meetup, and perhaps people have other ideas? I would really love a place where we could sit outside (if the weather is good), or otherwise can sit inside if the weather is yucky. Or maybe some folks have allergies that make sitting outside not good. --Aude (talk) 23:31, 13 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Dunno what my job will be like, but no reason I prolly can't jump on Metro for the 6th. --Der Wohltempierte Fuchs^(talk) 23:42, 13 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I'm in that allergy crowd for a June meetup. Let's have a meetup indoors for June and spare those of us who would otherwise need to load up on antihistamines for the occasion. SchuminWeb (Talk) 01:39, 14 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

June 6th should be fine with me; outside or inside is ok; proposed Nationals game is fine also (see below). --FeanorStar7 (talk) 23:15, 19 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It's fine with me. I'll be here all summer. ⇒SWATJester ^{Son of the Defender} 17:36, 20 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Location options[edit]

Here are some suggested locations:

Pizzeria Uno's (Union Station)
Busboys & Poets (U Street)
Buca Di Beppo (Dupont Circle) - has outdoor seating, would be good for a group.
more ideas

--Aude (talk) 00:10, 14 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Pushing the envelope here, but would there be any interest in attending a Washington Nationals game? I haven't yet had an opportunity to see the new ballpark. (And while I would enjoy putting the New York group together for a trip to Citi Field or the new Yankee Stadium, tickets there are pretty much impossible these days.) Newyorkbrad (talk) 00:22, 14 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

That sounds like a fun idea. There is a home game at 7pm on June 6th. --Aude (talk) 01:44, 14 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It is a fun idea, but I suspect that the noise level and seating arrangements of a stadium wouldn't really be conductive to conversation. Kirill ^[pf] 03:07, 20 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Agreed. It seems an interesting idea, but it would definitely be a conversation-killer, and half the fun of the meetups is the great conversations. SchuminWeb (Talk) 03:36, 20 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Also would involve arranging tickets and part of the fun is that people don't need to spend money if they don't need to.

Traditionally they've been held at UNO's in Union Station, but it would be nice for a change. The Nationals game would be interesting (although I have little interest in baseball). Hersfold ^(t/a/c) 23:17, 19 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

UNO's in Union Station has worked because they aren't crowded on a Saturday night, presumably because they draw mostly from people using Union Station, which has a number of dining options. U Street and Dupont Circle eateries, on the other hand, probably do fill up on Saturdays. If we pick something like this, reservations are absolutely critical. -- John Broughton (♫♫) 00:26, 20 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I can probably only attend if it's at a very convenient location, like Union Station. But I don't want to be that guy that ruins everybody else's plans, so whatever. -- LightSpectra (talk) 02:39, 20 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I'm with you - I will definitely need a metro-accessible location (or a ride). bd2412 T 02:09, 23 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Is two blocks walk from the metro okay? I think some change from Uno's is due this time, but open to other suggestions. Our options are somewhat limited to places close to metro, that will take groups of our size (with reservations) on a Saturday evening, are not too noisy, good for all ages (since younger Wikipedians may come), and not too expensive. More places, like Teaism, would take our group on a weeknight, but won't work on the weekend. --Aude (talk) 02:39, 23 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Two blocks is fine for me, if the area is safe. bd2412 T 17:37, 23 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I'm for Buca DiBeppo -- they're a convenient location (only like 2 blocks from the Dupont Circle Metro Q st. North Exit), and very convenient seating. Plus, after the amount of times we've done Uno, I think we're due for a change of venue. It's still accessible for out of towners, since if you can get to Union Station, you can get to Dupont Circle (they're both on the Red Line, only a few stops away from each other). Alternatively, Uno will work fine too⇒SWATJester ^{Son of the Defender} 17:36, 20 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Reservations-wise, Buca is pretty easy to do since it's a chain. We could ask for the Pope table ;) ⇒SWATJester ^{Son of the Defender} 17:37, 20 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Proposed schedule[edit]

~~I think we will try Buca DiBeppo this time on Saturday, June 6th. This is to give some variety. It's two blocks from the Dupont Circle metro, and is a good place for groups. We can sit inside.~~ (see Update below)

If I can find a good place for us to meet beforehand that Saturday, we may do this time like the NYC meetup and have a meeting where we can talk and people can present stuff they are doing. (Newyorkbrad and I both have presentations that we would like to get feedback on) And, we can talk about chapter stuff (e.g. possibly working together with the NYC chapter, perhaps becoming part of a regional chapter with them).

Then, on Sunday, June 7 (~1pm), if anyone is up to it, we can get a small group together and go to a ball game. I think Newyorkbrad would really like to go, and I'm good with that, but it's completely optional.

Let me know if anyone really objects to this, or if you have ideas. But, it would be good to go ahead and make reservations soon. --Aude (talk) 02:04, 21 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

By all means, make the reservation at your discretion; but right now we don't have a firm number of the number of people who will attend. I, myself, am pretty sure that I will be able to attend, but I can't be certain until my college summer schedule is finalized (and even then, a family member might need my services -- literally with no advance notice). It's possible that I may have jumped the gun; maybe I should have waited until late April to start the planning process.
--NBahn (talk) 02:51, 21 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

What's the price range on Buca DiBeppo? I still remember how much we had to shell out for Skewers and don't want a repeat of that... SchuminWeb (Talk) 04:26, 21 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The menu with prices is here, but remember each dish is meant to be shared amongst ~4 people. So, we can order several choices and share. I would estimate ~$20-25/person depending on how much we pig out :), and if one orders beer then expect to chip in extra. Looking at my receipt from Uno's last time, I paid $33 (including one beer and appetizer). With just one entree and water, Uno's would have cost ~$15. --Aude (talk) 01:42, 23 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Looks great to me. Coming from NYC I doubt I'll be able to make the ball game the next day, but I would love to attend the presentations, chapter discussions, and dinner at Buca DiBeppo.--Pharos (talk) 14:33, 23 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

With two weeks to go, is it decided the meeting will be at Buca? If so, we need to specify the "place" in the DC7 article. —ADavidB 05:09, 25 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Update[edit]

I've been looking at options for meeting space, but then heard about an Apps for Democracy [1] event that is taking place the same day on June 6th. Ultimately, it's a tech-oriented event, but focus is on open source technology including wikis as a means of making data [2] available from the DC government in new applications, mashups, etc. I would be interested in if/how some of this data could be made useful for Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects.

I thought our group might be interested and it's an opportunity to give presentations, and reach out to others interested in open source technology. The event takes place all day at George Washington University (near the Foggy Bottom metro), though I think if you want to come for just part of the event, that's okay. I have signed up to give a short presentation at the event, and others can also signup. I can see about us getting a room to do wiki-related presentations together some time in the afternoon.

Anyway, here is the event information and RSVP link: [3] After the event (at 5pm), we can gather for dinner somewhere near GWU. I suggest the TGI Fridays at 21st St & Pennsylvania Avenue. Reservations still need to be made. I'm still open to going to a ball game on Sunday, but that would be completely optional. Let me know if this plan sounds good for people. --Aude (talk) 00:15, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Sounds good to me, as an out-of-towner.--Pharos (talk) 00:28, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Friday's works for me. Let's make some reservations, and I'll see you there. SchuminWeb (Talk) 00:44, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I filled in the details on the meetup page. In the next few days, I can provide more specifics on the Apps for Democracy event and what/when we might do there. If some people just want to join for dinner, that's okay. --Aude (talk) 00:59, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, I'm probably going to just do dinner, and hopefully I'll find something fun to photograph during the day... SchuminWeb (Talk) 01:11, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Future meetups[edit]

For future meetups, I (and anyone else) can continue looking for a good, regular meeting place. We need to find something that ideally would not cost much or anything, yet would allow us to do presentations and informal discussions. --Aude (talk) 00:15, 28 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

For What It's Worth, I Have Contacted User:Cbrown.....[edit]

...and asked him to send a notice to everyone on this list.
--NBahn (talk) 13:43, 14 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe a little early for that, perhaps we should wait till 2 weeks before. BTW, another good option that has opened up is the recent revival of the Wikipedia:Geonotice tool. With the ability to put notice out to more people, prospects may also brighten for arranging a complementary optional pre-dinner meeting for group discussion, like we've done in NYC, Philadelphia and Hartford.--Pharos (talk) 01:20, 15 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The list is here; I mention that because it was deleted from the page where the request was made. About 60 people were notified. -- John Broughton (♫♫) 00:23, 20 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I have created this page to hold the list.
--NBahn (talk) 01:02, 20 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Location change (final and reservations made)[edit]

I stopped by TGI Friday's and was less than impressed. They apparently don't take reservations, except perhaps if you call 24 hours ahead of time. The staff was not so helpful, and the menu has hardly anything vegetarian.

So, I checked out the Bertucci's pizza/Italian place across the street (21st & I St NW). Their staff couldn't have been more helpful, and think it will be fairly quiet so we will be able to hear each other. So, reservations are made for Bertucci's at 5pm on Saturday. --Aude (talk) 02:33, 2 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Final announcement[edit]

I've asked that the following be posted to the user talk pages of editors in these three categories:

-- John Broughton (♫♫) 15:58, 2 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Section heading for announcement:

D.C. Meetup, Saturday, June 6, 2009

Body of section (announcement):

The 7th DC Meetup dinner will be held this Saturday, June 6th, starting at 5 p.m. The event will be at Bertucci's, near George Washington University and the Foggy Bottom metro station. It will follow the Apps for Democracy open source event at GWU. For details or to RSVP if you haven't already, see Wikipedia:Meetup/DC 7. (You have received this announcement because your user page indicates that you live in Maryland, Virginia, or DC.)

Meetup 8[edit]

For those of you who don't already have the Meetup 8 page watchlisted, we are discussing the next meetup at Wikipedia talk:Meetup/DC 8, aiming for some weekend in September. SchuminWeb (Talk) 10:05, 6 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]