Meets held at a private residence

[bugo]

At the Tulsa meet that I "hosted" back in 2010, we met at my apartment.  After we got back from the drive, most of the attendees met up at my tiny pad and had a few beers.  Has there been any other meets at private residences?

[rawmustard]

At the Tulsa meet that I "hosted" back in 2010, we met at my apartment.  After we got back from the drive, most of the attendees met up at my tiny pad and had a few beers.  Has there been any other meets at private residences?

I thought I had read about one in the Kansas City area where they all met up at a person's house, but whether attendees got invited in is unknown. The signal collector community regularly meets at private residences as that's where their collections are usually kept.

[getemngo]

The Grand Rapids meet in 2009 didn't start at anyone's residence, but it ended at bulldog1979's apartment, where we spent a while looking at maps and stuff. (And he wasn't even the host!)

We'd probably get more mileage out of a "meets not held at restaurants" thread.

[jpi]

I don't remember that at Grand Rapids but then I pealed off at the end to head to the Detroit area for a toy show the next day.

[vdeane]

We'd probably get more mileage out of a "meets not held at restaurants" thread.

Such a thread would be roughly equivalent to an "interstates that have two or more lanes on each carriageway" thread.

[getemngo]

We'd probably get more mileage out of a "meets not held at restaurants" thread.

Such a thread would be roughly equivalent to an "interstates that have two or more lanes on each carriageway" thread.

Really? Maybe it's different out east, but I've attended about 30 meets and I can't think of one that didn't start at a restaurant.

[vdeane]

We'd probably get more mileage out of a "meets not held at restaurants" thread.

Such a thread would be roughly equivalent to an "interstates that have two or more lanes on each carriageway" thread.

Really? Maybe it's different out east, but I've attended about 30 meets and I can't think of one that didn't start at a restaurant.

Exactly my point.  With the exception of Franconia Notch, the Thousand Islands Bridge, and TOTSO interchanges, all interstates have two or more lanes per carriageway

[Duke87]

I have been to the places of residence of three roadgeeks other than myself. One of them was the staging point for a highly impromptu invite-only road meet, so I suppose I technically can claim to have experienced this phenomenon.

There was also another occasion where I and another of attendee of a road meet left the road meet early and met up with a third roadgeek (who was not at the meet) at his place of residence for separate unrelated activities that night. This meet was also noteworthy for me because it started (by pure coincidence) ten minutes from where my then-girlfriend lived. Convenient? Highly!


For the broader question, I can think of several road meets I've been to which started at a park and ride facility rather than at a restaurant. Seems to have become more common ever since the infamous Six Brothers towing incident.

[Alps]

The second ICC meet happened before lunch, since it was on a Sunday. The Ottawa meet started in a Park and Ride lot.

[Dr Frankenstein]

All my meets start at Park & Rides due to the towing incident mentioned upthread. Montreal started at a restaurant, but we all moved our cars to a Park & Ride afterwards. Ottawa began directly at a Park & Ride because it started in the morning, before lunch. Upper/Middle St. Lawrence started at a residence but it was very on-the-fly and improvised. But a Park & Ride was involved at one point.

[froggie]

I was unaware of said towing incident (probably because I wasn't present at that meet), but I've both hosted meets and influenced others that did not begin at a restaurant.  Besides the ICC meet mentioned by Steve (which met at the Shady Grove Metro station), I hosted a DC meet that met at the Huntington Metro station.  And Val, how easily you forget that your own Burlington meet started at a park-and-ride...:o)

[SSOWorld]

I started a meet at a restaurant then had cars moved to a public free parking garage (the rest of downtown had paid parking) after lunch.

[Brandon]

I started a meet at a restaurant then had cars moved to a public free parking garage (the rest of downtown had paid parking) after lunch.

Similar to how I started one at a restaurant and had the cars moved to a mall for parking.

Then, the Starved Rock Meet (5/17) will be held at a restaurant in a state park (free entry, free parking).

[hbelkins]

At the Ashland meet, we gathered in a public parking area and walked down to the restaurant. Most recently, at Lebanon, Tenn., we moved our cars from the restaurant lot to a Walmart parking lot before the tour commenced.

If I do the western Kentucky meet I have in mind, it will begin at a parking lot somewhere and we'll eat along the route.

[vdeane]

I was unaware of said towing incident (probably because I wasn't present at that meet), but I've both hosted meets and influenced others that did not begin at a restaurant.  Besides the ICC meet mentioned by Steve (which met at the Shady Grove Metro station), I hosted a DC meet that met at the Huntington Metro station.  And Val, how easily you forget that your own Burlington meet started at a park-and-ride...)

It does seem that my meets tend to be exceptions to the "meet at the restaraunt" rule that still holds for the (admittedly less overwhelming than it used to be) majority of meets.  It's not even intentional on my part; it just works out as being the best way every time.

[jpi]

Like HB said, that was something Steph and I discussed since Demo's was next door to a Wal-Mart anchored shopping center, also on my meet tour, we came within 2 blocks of my house :-)

[Dr Frankenstein]

I was unaware of said towing incident (probably because I wasn't present at that meet)

In short, the Six Brothers Diner towed my car out of their parking lot on the evening of the Newark meet in 2011. Cost me $300 that I managed to negociate down to $250.

[hbelkins]

I was unaware of said towing incident (probably because I wasn't present at that meet)

In short, the Six Brothers Diner towed my car out of their parking lot on the evening of the Newark meet in 2011. Cost me $300 that I managed to negociate down to $250.

I don't know how you managed to be the one towed while the rest of us remained unscathed.

[froggie]

Out-of-country plate would be my theory...

[Duke87]

Also just an unfortunate circumstance with the establishment. Most places don't pay active attention to who's in their parking lot for how long and have no real reason to care.

The places you have to watch out for are the places where it might be tempting to a lot of people park there for some purpose other than what the lot is intended for. In the case of Six Brothers, they are directly adjacent to the campus for Montclair State University, which like a lot of colleges requires you have a permit to park in most lots on campus, and charges you to park in the other ones. So, Six Brothers has chronic problems with visitors to Montclair State parking in their lot to avoid paying or having to get a permit. Because of this, they get tough on people overstaying their welcome in their lot because they have to or they will be overrun by squatters, leaving no place in their lot for patrons to park. So, when they spotted a car that was parked there before lunch and was still in the same spot at dinner time, the towing company got called in.

I don't know how you managed to be the one towed while the rest of us remained unscathed.

Well, you all did intercept the tow truck as the guy was hooking Carl's car up. You might have been next had you not gotten there when you did.

[CanesFan27]

Spring 2001 meet in Fayetteville NC was held at my apartment.  Starting with that meet, I've also over the years had out of town folks stay at my apartment or home prior or afterwards.

[A.J. Bertin]

In March or April 2005, Brian Reynolds hosted an informal get-together of road geeks to hang out and look at maps in his place of business. There was no tour afterwards, and there were only a few of us (fewer than eight) but it was pretty cool.

[Dr Frankenstein]

Well, you all did intercept the tow truck as the guy was hooking Carl's car up. You might have been next had you not gotten there when you did.

More like about to pull out of the parking lot. That was a close call. Impounding lots aren't open on sundays, so I would've had to call in sick that Monday.