Ever Been To A Road Meet??

[english si]

While the typical format of a SABRE Awayday is a pub gathering, where you can unwind with a pint in your hand, in my limited experience American roadgeek gatherings have been dry.  This means people are on their guard and cautious about opening up to others they know only from the Internet.

I think there are other factors at play than just the availability of alcohol, and you touch on some of them.

• There's the informality of the setting - British pubs are rather unique and that aspect of our culture has helped. In the US (as you know) there's a different culture surrounding alcohol and pubs and stuff compared to the UK. Tee-totalers don't seem to mind going to the pub and having something else, and we've only had one problem with under-18s being in the pub (at the very first, where the pub had a problem, so they went to a different one that didn't and thus gained years of commerce out of us) and one problem, AFAIK, with someone getting noticeably massively tipsy (at the same event).
  
• Car-sharing (including to and from the event) make the occasions more sociable, especially with two-ways between the two or three cars and the banter coming out of that.
  
• There's the strong sense of community among the core of SABRE members - partially due to a lot of off-topic discussion on the forum, partially links via elsewhere (eg working in the industry, which is rather small in the UK). This is helped on by smaller gatherings/trips occurring, where you get to know people better (and car-sharing between events), as well as things like the several-day Scotland trips.
  
• Geography makes it helpful - 4 awaydays a year, of which at least two of them are going to be fairly easy day trips from most of the country, plus some road trips as well.

[CanesFan27]

To Steve's point: It's been more fun for me over the years to do things outside of the meet with friends in the hobby.  Usually, we will go to a ball game, hockey game (sometimes including tailgating), or something similar the day before or evening after the meet.  I've grown to enjoy that a lot more than just the meet itself.

The recent DC meet - my fiance and I went up a day early met up with Doug Kerr and Adam Froehlig - walked around The Mall, checked out a number of monuments and hit a restaurant afterwards. 

Last year's Philly meet, Maggie and I toured Philly in the morning , then instead of doing ghe side tour, we hit Valley Forge, and then a group of us from the meet went to the Reading Phillies game that night.

Plus, as a result there are small trips we've taken over the years.  Steve has come down to NC for a photo tour and went to the hockey game the day before...and we're still trying to get him that T-Shirt. :-p  Doug, Jeff Kitsko, Froggie, and others have been down here in Raleigh outside of the meet for hockey or just about anything else, and sometimes our roadtrips, meets, or pseudo-meets occur more as a result of or for a hockey game, an event, or something odd like the (in)famous Flea Market Montgomery Trip that Billy Riddle joined in on.

Then again, that's just me and I tend to be more outgoing than a lot of folks within the hobby.

[froggie]

I am far too specific in my interests.  Whenever a new freeway opens up, I tell people "I'll find it interesting in 30 years."

Still, given what I've observed of your interests, you'd have appreciated most of the stops made at the 2009 DC gathering...

[agentsteel53]

Still, given what I've observed of your interests, you'd have appreciated most of the stops made at the 2009 DC gathering...

"most" being the operative term.  I could just grab a list of sights to see and cherry-pick them to my heart's content.

I think in general, I dislike large group settings.  I prefer to interact with people one at a time.

[PAHighways]

There was a lot more imbibing at the last meet I held compared to others I've held, probably due to the fact that where it was held brews the perfect ale for a road enthusiast meet.

[PAHighways]

Doug, Jeff Kitsko, Froggie, and others have been down here in Raleigh outside of the meet for hockey or just about anything else, and sometimes our roadtrips, meets, or pseudo-meets occur more as a result of or for a hockey game, an event, or something odd like the (in)famous Flea Market Montgomery Trip that Billy Riddle joined in on.

One of these times I will see a Penguins' victory on RBC Center ice.

[agentsteel53]

holy hell, a completely MUTCD-compliant beer label.

beats the Hell out of Rolling Rock, which has some pretty badly done US-33 shields.

[hbelkins]

I'm just not a big fan of driving around in large groups.  the ideal vehicle occupancy is one driver and one navigator, and if those two are the same person, that is not a problem for me.

You can always drive solo on the tour.

[hbelkins]

There was a lot more imbibing at the last meet I held compared to others I've held, probably due to the fact that where it was held brews the perfect ale for a road enthusiast meet.

I think the restaurant employees who were trying to figure out the checks had been doing a great deal of consumption of adult beverages that day.

[oscar]

I'm just not a big fan of driving around in large groups.  the ideal vehicle occupancy is one driver and one navigator, and if those two are the same person, that is not a problem for me.

You can always drive solo on the tour.

Not always, when parking is limited at some of the stops along the way and so we need to consolidate into as few cars as possible.  Also, the more cars in the group, the more likely someone will lose the way.

Besides, when you go solo, you miss much of the commentary from people familiar with the area, especially about places we pass by but don't stop at.  That was a problem when I drove solo at last year's Kansas City meet (had to drive separately since I couldn't stay for the whole meet).

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

I'm just not a big fan of driving around in large groups.  the ideal vehicle occupancy is one driver and one navigator, and if those two are the same person, that is not a problem for me.

You can always drive solo on the tour.

Not always, when parking is limited at some of the stops along the way and so we need to consolidate into as few cars as possible.  Also, the more cars in the group, the more likely someone will lose the way.

Besides, when you go solo, you miss much of the commentary from people familiar with the area, especially about places we pass by but don't stop at.  That was a problem when I drove solo at last year's Kansas City meet (had to drive separately since I couldn't stay for the whole meet).

AgentSteel is a special case. Letting him continue his one man show by his lonesome would be best for all involved.

[agentsteel53]

AgentSteel is a special case. Letting him continue his one man show by his lonesome would be best for all involved.

it's a show now?

[Dougtone]

There was a lot more imbibing at the last meet I held compared to others I've held, probably due to the fact that where it was held brews the perfect ale for a road enthusiast meet.

I will take some of the blame for that, as I had discovered Route 113 IPA at a local beer store.