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[Brandon]

Why is everybody so against that part of the meet?

Because awesome hep cats.

Hep or otherwise, those cats were sketchy. That said, the sketchiness of a couple of the roads is really the overriding factor here, especially since my own Baltimore meet sent 32 prairie dogs into hep cat central at I-170.

It was a bit sketchy, and not because of the people.  It was the group of people there (mixed race, apparently teenagers) with the abandoned buildings.  I strongly suspect they were not there when the meet was scouted.  The road wasn't much worse then what I've found this winter in Chicago.  However, as they stayed in their group and left ours alone, all was cool.

We wound up trying to get through downtown.  My mad Chicago driving skillz came in very handy, especially when one of the other drivers tried to sideswipe us on Broadway!  I took Pine west to 7th only to find that the road was blocked a block south.  We then took Pine to Tucker and got out of there.

As for the bridge stubs, we actually got to them before getting on I-44 to go to Drewes.  Did not get a picture off fast enough (trying to catch up with everyone else).  We didn't make it to Drewes.  Instead, we got off a Hampton and went to the Shell there (been there before) and went up to I-64, out to I-170, and back across I-270 to the Chain of Rocks.  We, in my car, clinched I-170.  I used my rad Detroit driving skillz to pass people on I-170 and I-270.

Then, when we went north, we thought we were all going to the bridge and then back to the Golden Eagle Ferry.  Two of us went straight, three went into the ferry.  We turned around after consultation (it was getting late), and those three passed us in the other direction.  As a consequence, we missed the bridge (I've been there before) and rode the Brussels Ferry, across some county roads in Calhoun County (a first for two of my passengers - not me though), and across the Golden Eagle Ferry.

We heard about the epic U-turn at dinner after we drove I-270 at 10-15 over the limit. 

[Zeffy]

It was the group of people there (mixed race, apparently teenagers) with the abandoned buildings.

Smells like urban decay to me. One of the worst things to ever be by is an abandoned building in a city.

We wound up trying to get through downtown.  My mad Chicago driving skillz came in very handy, especially when one of the other drivers tried to sideswipe us on Broadway!  I took Pine west to 7th only to find that the road was blocked a block south.  We then took Pine to Tucker and got out of there.

What was the reason for such (aggressive? idk) driving?

Camden?  who knew?  I never have gotten nearly as weird a vibe from that place as I have from East St. Louis.

Camden is completely overshadowed by Philadelphia - what can you do in Camden that Philadelphia can't do 100x better? When all of that industrial manufacturing went away, Camden was left behind.

Who wants to do a roadmeet in Camden. At night. 

[SSOWorld]

PASSING DOUG AT 95MPH IN A TURBO SONATA LOL

So, Cullen, do you like my Sonata?  I'm sad no one mentioned the epic U-Turn I pulled over four lanes of Poplar St. Bridge traffic in said Sonata.

You did - As Gene said - it was good that you did that in Illinois because the Wait-a-minute cables would prevent that in Missouri.

[Alps]

camden roadmeet:
view of downtown skyline at ben franklin bridge. totally awesome at night
i-676 clinch. odd signs. get your flash ready
CR 537 EB at US 30, still button copy i think. stop and frame your photo
head through i-295/NJ 42 construction, this might be best done before dinner instead of after

totally doable. shall we?

[Crazy Volvo Guy]

PASSING DOUG AT 95MPH IN A TURBO SONATA LOL

So, Cullen, do you like my Sonata?  I'm sad no one mentioned the epic U-Turn I pulled over four lanes of Poplar St. Bridge traffic in said Sonata.

I should have mentioned that.  I have to bow to your prowess.  That was the move of the meet, and my high-speed pass certainly cannot hold a candle to its awesomeness.

I did enjoy the car though.

[Zeffy]

camden roadmeet:
view of downtown skyline at ben franklin bridge. totally awesome at night
i-676 clinch. odd signs. get your flash ready
CR 537 EB at US 30, still button copy i think. stop and frame your photo
head through i-295/NJ 42 construction, this might be best done before dinner instead of after

totally doable. shall we?

Which downtown skyline? Camden or Philadelphia's?    Wish we could do Trenton though - there are nice places to eat in Downtown Trenton that I've been to. (Plus, the Trenton Makes bridge is a great nighttime attraction) I mean, maybe when the I-95 gap gets closed that would be ideal, but that's so far away still.

However, I think I may be getting a personal vehicle soon (YAY!!) and if that's the case and we're serious about meeting in Camden, I'm all for it. Or Trenton.

I would aim for maybe autumn of 2014 and I should be good-to-go. I would plan the meet... but... uh... South Jersey isn't my cup of tea. 

[SSOWorld]

camden roadmeet:
view of downtown skyline at ben franklin bridge. totally awesome at night
i-676 clinch. odd signs. get your flash ready
CR 537 EB at US 30, still button copy i think. stop and frame your photo
head through i-295/NJ 42 construction, this might be best done before dinner instead of after

totally doable. shall we?

Which downtown skyline? Camden or Philadelphia's?    Wish we could do Trenton though - there are nice places to eat in Downtown Trenton that I've been to. (Plus, the Trenton Makes bridge is a great nighttime attraction) I mean, maybe when the I-95 gap gets closed that would be ideal, but that's so far away still.

However, I think I may be getting a personal vehicle soon (YAY!!) and if that's the case and we're serious about meeting in Camden, I'm all for it. Or Trenton.

I would aim for maybe autumn of 2014 and I should be good-to-go. I would plan the meet... but... uh... South Jersey isn't my cup of tea. 

not to mention the increased chance of being mauled and robbed - and perhaps being killed...

[Zeffy]

not to mention the increased chance of being mauled and robbed - and perhaps being killed...

St. Louis has areas that are just as dangerous as Camden. The reason Camden is so high up is because of the crime numbers for the size of the city. Mind you that crime statistics are skewed - there is no % of targetted vs untargetted (random) incidents. In Camden, I would believe that most incidents are targetted, because of the heavy gang presence and the drug market. Don't buy drugs or stare at people and nothing bad will happen.

If a meet were to happen, I would propose meeting on the Camden Waterfront (I was jk'ing about the whole night trip thing) This is the safest area in the city, and I've been here myself to know that there is no reason to be afraid while in the waterfront sections of the city. Plus you can easily get to I-676 from the waterfront by driving a few blocks east.

If the mods feel it's applicable - these posts should probably be split into it's own topic in this forum.

[PHLBOS]

If a meet were to happen, I would propose meeting on the Camden Waterfront (I was jk'ing about the whole night trip thing) This is the safest area in the city, and I've been here myself to know that there is no reason to be afraid while in the waterfront sections of the city. Plus you can easily get to I-676 from the waterfront by driving a few blocks east.

It's worth noting that most of the public activity at the Camden Waterfront typically takes place during the warmer months; Camden Riversharks baseball and outdoor concerts at the neighboring Susquehannah Bank Center (formerly the Tweeter Center and formerly the E-Center) being two of the outdoor venues.  So if one were to indeed plan a meet focusing on the Jersey-side of the Delaware Valley; an event at one of the above-venues could be a post-meet event. 

Similar worked for last year's Brick, NJ meet when most if not all who attended went to the Lakewood Blueclaws game later that evening.

[brianreynolds]

Kim did a fine job of scouting and compiling the itinerary. 

I did not feel at all uncomfortable or threatened on First Street, but the street was kinda like driving across the moon.  But, hey, we're roadgeeks, right?  Terrain like this, urban or rural, no sweat for old cats like us.

The curve ball was thrown by the St. Louis city fathers.  They seem to have taken their crowd-and-traffic control lessons from the same folks who planned the ice storm evacuation event in Atlanta.  This was not Kim's doing.

When faced with an hour delay downtown, some of us pressed ahead at ever greater velocity bent and intent on squeezing it all in.

Others simply lowered our expectations (and anxiety) and enjoyed the ride.  Learn to roll with it.  Life can be so much more pleasant.

[Alps]

Kim did a fine job of scouting and compiling the itinerary. 

I did not feel at all uncomfortable or threatened on First Street, but the street was kinda like driving across the moon.  But, hey, we're roadgeeks, right?  Terrain like this, urban or rural, no sweat for old cats like us.

The curve ball was thrown by the St. Louis city fathers.  They seem to have taken their crowd-and-traffic control lessons from the same folks who planned the ice storm evacuation event in Atlanta.  This was not Kim's doing.

When faced with an hour delay downtown, some of us pressed ahead at ever greater velocity bent and intent on squeezing it all in.

Others simply lowered our expectations (and anxiety) and enjoyed the ride.  Learn to roll with it.  Life can be so much more pleasant.

I lowered my anxiety by meeting my expectations.

[bugo]

Kim did a fine job of scouting and compiling the itinerary. 

I did not feel at all uncomfortable or threatened on First Street, but the street was kinda like driving across the moon.  But, hey, we're roadgeeks, right?  Terrain like this, urban or rural, no sweat for old cats like us.

Did anybody start walking towards your car?  That was what made me want to leave.  I wasn't scared, I just didn't want a confrontation.

[getemngo]

That was a great meet. Good choice of restaurant, good people, and really the only bad part was getting out of downtown. (Brian suggested just heading west until we reached Wyoming!) Wish I'd been in one of the ferry groups after we all got separated, but you can't have everything.

We should really all stay in the same hotel more often! Who knew roadgeeks could party?

On my way to and from, I picked up 24 counties and clinched US 41 in Michigan, US 41 in Wisconsin minus the surface street portions in Milwaukee, I-43, and I-39. But St. Louis to Sault Ste. Marie in one day was a mistake. Took over 15 hours.

Who's between Steve and Gene (behind Sam)? Oh wait, that IS Sam. So who's in the front row wearing the shorts and glasses?

I'm not that short, H.B. Nobody remembers I'm over 6 feet tall.    But I was fighting to not be blocked by Gene. Every time I moved left, he moved left, and every time I moved right, he moved right.

Guy in front of me was Scott something. The Scott who isn't named Onson.

In that pic I was hiding behind Kim and standing on my toes.

Brandon was cheating with his height too!

[bugo]

The Christian prayer was.....weird and I felt out of place, being an atheist.  I didn't close my eyes and I saw several guys looking around uncomfortably.  I would have preferred to have been warned so I could have stepped outside.

[getemngo]

I will agree with that, and I know there were some Christian roadgeeks who weren't comfortable with it either, mostly because it was so unexpected.

[bugo]

I know for a fact that several atheists were at the meet, and several other non-Christians.  At least you could tell who were unbelievers by the fact that they didn't bow their heads and close their eyes.

[Laura]

We should really all stay in the same hotel more often! Who knew roadgeeks could party?

Agreed!! I suspect this is a trend that will stick around for good reasons.

Also, I think we'll see more personal events surrounding meets that go beyond dinner. I know that when I host my upcoming Baltimore meet (see 2014 meets thread), I want to host something at my apartment afterwards. I've heard talk of similar things for other potential future meets.


iPhone

[bugo]

We should really all stay in the same hotel more often! Who knew roadgeeks could party?

Agreed!! I suspect this is a trend that will stick around for good reasons.

This trend was started at the Tulsa meet a few years ago.

Besides, there were no geeks in that room.

[Laura]

We should really all stay in the same hotel more often! Who knew roadgeeks could party?

Agreed!! I suspect this is a trend that will stick around for good reasons.

This trend was started at the Tulsa meet a few years ago.

Besides, there were no geeks in that room.

Fair enough and yes. I just haven't participated in it until now because I don't usually travel that far from home for meets


iPhone

[hbelkins]

Guy in front of me was Scott something. The Scott who isn't named Onson.

Looks like Scott Davis, but I didn't know he was coming to St. Louis.

The Christian prayer was.....weird and I felt out of place, being an atheist.  I didn't close my eyes and I saw several guys looking around uncomfortably.  I would have preferred to have been warned so I could have stepped outside.

Who initiated a prayer? It's routine for me to attend various work luncheons where a prayer is said, and most often they are somewhere between moderate Christian and non-denominational. One of my co-workers is pretty devout, and if we are at a function where no blessing is said, she will usually bow her head and say a brief silent prayer by herself before we eat. I don't ever remember a blessing being said at a road meet luncheon.

We should really all stay in the same hotel more often! Who knew roadgeeks could party?

Agreed!! I suspect this is a trend that will stick around for good reasons.

Also, I think we'll see more personal events surrounding meets that go beyond dinner. I know that when I host my upcoming Baltimore meet (see 2014 meets thread), I want to host something at my apartment afterwards. I've heard talk of similar things for other potential future meets.

I tend to stay at hotels that work more within my travel schedule, or are inexpensive or are offering certain loyalty program rewards. This is the first time I remember their being an "official" motel/hotel for a meet, although several of us stayed at the same place during the two-day Indy meet a few years ago.

I also don't often stick around for any post-meet activities, for a couple of reasons. One is that I'm usually trying to get started toward home after the meet and hope to make some time before it gets dark. (My dislike for driving on high-speed highways after dark because of the fear of hitting a deer has almost become a phobia or paranoia for me). The other is that, in general, I'm not really a social person and I'm getting more anti-social as I get older. It's not that I don't like everyone, because I do. I can see Jeremy and me sitting down and talking about college basketball for an hour or more. I'm just not big on a lot of socializing and I generally avoid crowded events such as ballgames. I guess I am a geek because I'd rather be reading than socializing.

[NE2]

The Christian prayer was.....weird and I felt out of place, being an atheist.  I didn't close my eyes and I saw several guys looking around uncomfortably.  I would have preferred to have been warned so I could have stepped outside.

The correct thing to do when someone initiates a prayer is to find the nearest person of the same sex and start fucking. Maybe kissing if you don't want to offend anyone.

[agentsteel53]

Who initiated a prayer? It's routine for me to attend various work luncheons where a prayer is said, and most often they are somewhere between moderate Christian and non-denominational.

such a difference in culture.  I've never, not once, had a prayer at a work function.

[Zeffy]

The correct thing to do when someone initiates a prayer is to find the nearest person of the same sex and start fucking. Maybe kissing if you don't want to offend anyone.

what

I know for a fact that several atheists were at the meet, and several other non-Christians.  At least you could tell who were unbelievers by the fact that they didn't bow their heads and close their eyes.

As an atheist, I just look around awkwardly while everyone else does their thing. This was especially noticeable when I was dragged to a church in Brooklyn for...something, and everyone knew what they were doing and I was like "what's going on here?". Evidently I'm the only atheist in my entire family. Who knew.

[corco]

I tend to stay at hotels that work more within my travel schedule, or are inexpensive or are offering certain loyalty program rewards. This is the first time I remember their being an "official" motel/hotel for a meet, although several of us stayed at the same place during the two-day Indy meet a few years ago.

We got really lucky this time- the hotel was a Wyndham, which a lot of us collect points for, was cheap (<$70/night), and was actually quite nice (I would have been comfortable paying $20 more for a room of its quality), and we were quite loud I think on Saturday night without disturbing anybody. It really couldn't have worked out any better.

[jpi]

I probably would have stayed at the same hotel as you guys but since my other event was on the southwest end of St Louis I opted to stay ion that area Saturday night but had a good time as always hanging out with everyone at Steak N' Shake and that was one of the better ones I have ate at recently. Kim was the one who started the prayer and I was a little suprised at this but I think it was mainly for Rich Piehl whos is not in great health (he was the one who hosted the first STL meet in the spring of 08) Still over all it was a fun weekend :-)