Announcing my 2023 road meet hosting effort to be held on Saturday July 29, this time focusing on the city of Buffalo, NY, a city I lived in for a few years during my time at the University at Buffalo not so long ago. It's a city with a lot to explore and talk about, not just on the topic of roads & bridges, but also when it comes to its rich history of industry, architecture, and culture. It's also a short drive away from scenic destinations across southern Ontario, including the Welland Canal and Niagara Falls. Whether you're coming just for the day or for an extended trip in order to better explore the region as a whole, I hope to see you there and hope you enjoy!
An outline of the day's events (subject to change/alteration) is provided below. Updates will be provided over the coming weeks/months if necessary:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Pre-Meet Event: "Canalside" /Buffalo Waterfront walking tour --- 9:30 AM (bring your own coffee!)
Lunch Location: Pearl Street Grill & Brewery, 76 Pearl Street, Buffalo, NY 14202 --- 11:30 AM
Meet Tour Highlights:
Bridges of the Buffalo River & South Buffalo's Industrial Heritage
Buffalo's Outer Harbor Redevelopment & the beloved Skyway
The Shoreline Trail's Signature Pedestrian Bridge & Peace Bridge overlook
Broderick Park and the Black Rock Canal Drawbridge
Unity Island and the International Railway Bridge
Frederick Law Olmsted's Delaware Park and the Buffalo Parkway System
NY 33/Kensington Expressway and the plan to "Re-Connect" Humboldt Parkway
Downtown Buffalo's car-friendly Main Street
***Post-Meet Ballgame: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders @ Buffalo Bisons (6:05 PM ET, Sahlen Field); seating in reserved Luxury Suite - tickets are $25/each, not including food/catering options. RSVP now! (Deadline to RSVP is July 21)
Link to Facebook Event Page for the Meet:
https://www.facebook.com/events/734567128258670/?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[%7B%22mechanism%22%3A%22calendar_tab_event%22%2C%22surface%22%3A%22bookmark_calendar%22%7D]%2C%22ref_notif_type%22%3Anull%7D
Link to Facebook Event Page for the Post-Meet Ballgame/After Party:
https://www.facebook.com/events/3470577709887672
I guess the real question will be if there will be signs all over the city about the Bills finally winning a Super Bowl.
i won't lie, your last sentence is the single most likely thing to draw me in
Am ready and angery already.
Man, Steph and I will be coming back from Albuquerque NM earlier that week and will have to work that day so we are out, a good friend of ours (non road geek) lives in the area too
Sounds interesting! For me it will be dependent on what other meets I'm planning to attend, when the family picnic is (usually sometime around this time of year, which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how things shake out), and any other travel plans I might end up having. I probably won't be able to make a definitive decision until mid/late March at the very earliest.
i personally was hoping to gun for my usual seat at 106A2 for a SWB/BUF game. We shall see
Consider me interested in going! I definitely do want to explore Buffalo a bit more sometime this summer.
The MD Roads crew is in! I last visited Buffalo in 2018 when I was six weeks pregnant with Rainee and have wanted to go back for quite a while now. I think we'll need to look into getting Rainee her first passport so that she can clinch her first new country!
I guess I should ask now if we are planning to enter Canada so I can move forward with getting a passport.
Quote from: 74/171FAN on October 26, 2022, 09:16:56 AM
I guess I should ask now if we are planning to enter Canada so I can move forward with getting a passport.
I don't think that Dan has any intention on crossing the border as part of the official meet tour. The border crossing in and of itself and customs is a great way to get the group broken up (a car in the entourage is chosen for a secondary as an example). I'm certain that he tries to keep the potential of that happening to a minimum. Even if the group doesn't get broken up, the queue leading up to the crossing and customs can be a very time consuming endeavor.
Also keep in mind that we'd have to re-enter the United States and deal with US customs. Trying to explain why we spent 34 minutes in Canada is certain to raise red flags.
Quote from: signalman on October 26, 2022, 09:27:00 AM
Quote from: 74/171FAN on October 26, 2022, 09:16:56 AM
I guess I should ask now if we are planning to enter Canada so I can move forward with getting a passport.
I don't think that Dan has any intention on crossing the border as part of the official meet tour. The border crossing in and of itself and customs is a great way to get the group broken up (a car in the entourage is chosen for a secondary as an example). I'm certain that he tries to keep the potential of that happening to a minimum. Even if the group doesn't get broken up, the queue leading up to the crossing and customs can be a very time consuming endeavor.
Also keep in mind that we'd have to re-enter the United States and deal with US customs. Trying to explain why we spent 34 minutes in Canada is certain to raise red flags.
I agree with you on that. Hence part of why I sight clinched the NY 384 and I-190 bridges up in Niagara Falls in August (and I probably would have even if I had a passport).
Quote from: 74/171FAN on October 26, 2022, 10:23:51 AM
Quote from: signalman on October 26, 2022, 09:27:00 AM
Quote from: 74/171FAN on October 26, 2022, 09:16:56 AM
I guess I should ask now if we are planning to enter Canada so I can move forward with getting a passport.
I don't think that Dan has any intention on crossing the border as part of the official meet tour. The border crossing in and of itself and customs is a great way to get the group broken up (a car in the entourage is chosen for a secondary as an example). I'm certain that he tries to keep the potential of that happening to a minimum. Even if the group doesn't get broken up, the queue leading up to the crossing and customs can be a very time consuming endeavor.
Also keep in mind that we'd have to re-enter the United States and deal with US customs. Trying to explain why we spent 34 minutes in Canada is certain to raise red flags.
I agree with you on that. Hence part of why I slight clinched the NY 384 and I-190 bridges up in Niagara Falls in August (and I probably would have even if I had a passport).
So based on what I'm reading, if you ride Maid of the Mist from Niagara Falls, NY, you cross briefly into Canadian waters and you don't need a passport. We will likely do this the Sunday after the meet, which could be a really fun post-meet activity for others who are staying longer than a day in the Buffalo/Niagara area!
Quote from: Laura on October 26, 2022, 03:16:30 PM
Quote from: 74/171FAN on October 26, 2022, 10:23:51 AM
Quote from: signalman on October 26, 2022, 09:27:00 AM
Quote from: 74/171FAN on October 26, 2022, 09:16:56 AM
I guess I should ask now if we are planning to enter Canada so I can move forward with getting a passport.
I don't think that Dan has any intention on crossing the border as part of the official meet tour. The border crossing in and of itself and customs is a great way to get the group broken up (a car in the entourage is chosen for a secondary as an example). I'm certain that he tries to keep the potential of that happening to a minimum. Even if the group doesn't get broken up, the queue leading up to the crossing and customs can be a very time consuming endeavor.
Also keep in mind that we'd have to re-enter the United States and deal with US customs. Trying to explain why we spent 34 minutes in Canada is certain to raise red flags.
I agree with you on that. Hence part of why I slight clinched the NY 384 and I-190 bridges up in Niagara Falls in August (and I probably would have even if I had a passport).
So based on what I'm reading, if you ride Maid of the Mist from Niagara Falls, NY, you cross briefly into Canadian waters and you don't need a passport. We will likely do this the Sunday after the meet, which could be a really fun post-meet activity for others who are staying longer than a day in the Buffalo/Niagara area!
Prepare for the sardine walk to the elevator... :D
Quote from: signalman on October 26, 2022, 09:27:00 AM
Quote from: 74/171FAN on October 26, 2022, 09:16:56 AM
I guess I should ask now if we are planning to enter Canada so I can move forward with getting a passport.
I don't think that Dan has any intention on crossing the border as part of the official meet tour. The border crossing in and of itself and customs is a great way to get the group broken up (a car in the entourage is chosen for a secondary as an example). I'm certain that he tries to keep the potential of that happening to a minimum. Even if the group doesn't get broken up, the queue leading up to the crossing and customs can be a very time consuming endeavor.
Also keep in mind that we'd have to re-enter the United States and deal with US customs. Trying to explain why we spent 34 minutes in Canada is certain to raise red flags.
A two-day road meet could have a second day in Canada. If that's the case, it would probably start and end there so that this would become a non-issue - you cross each way independent of the meet.
Quote from: Alps on October 26, 2022, 08:51:30 PM
Quote from: signalman on October 26, 2022, 09:27:00 AM
Quote from: 74/171FAN on October 26, 2022, 09:16:56 AM
I guess I should ask now if we are planning to enter Canada so I can move forward with getting a passport.
I don't think that Dan has any intention on crossing the border as part of the official meet tour. The border crossing in and of itself and customs is a great way to get the group broken up (a car in the entourage is chosen for a secondary as an example). I'm certain that he tries to keep the potential of that happening to a minimum. Even if the group doesn't get broken up, the queue leading up to the crossing and customs can be a very time consuming endeavor.
Also keep in mind that we'd have to re-enter the United States and deal with US customs. Trying to explain why we spent 34 minutes in Canada is certain to raise red flags.
A two-day road meet could have a second day in Canada. If that's the case, it would probably start and end there so that this would become a non-issue - you cross each way independent of the meet.
or in my case continue west in Canada to M-
Quote from: roadwaywiz95 on October 23, 2022, 10:05:50 PM
Announcing my 2023 road meet hosting effort to be held on Saturday July 29, this time focusing on the city of Buffalo, NY...
Penciling it in on my calendar now.
Quote from: roadwaywiz95 on October 23, 2022, 10:05:50 PM
***Post-Meet Ballgame: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders @ Buffalo Bisons (TBD ET, Sahlen Field)
(*** - Ballgame start time will be announced at a future date. For this event, I'll be looking to reserve a Luxury Suite for the game when tickets go on sale; I'll provide more information on this when the time comes.)
As long as it doesn't fall on Star Wars Night (The last couple of years they've had it, it's been in early June). My brother-in-law usually rents a suite that night and the game itself is usually a sellout. The suite isn't a bad idea if you can get a hold of one.
Definitely interested!
Quote from: baugh17 on October 26, 2022, 11:36:35 PM
As long as it doesn't fall on Star Wars Night (The last couple of years they've had it, it's been in early June). My brother-in-law usually rents a suite that night and the game itself is usually a sellout. The suite isn't a bad idea if you can get a hold of one.
Star Wars night is Saturday 6/3 so that's one less thing to worry about.
Yay! Finally a meet that's super close to me haha
Quote from: baugh17 on October 26, 2022, 11:36:35 PM
Penciling it in on my calendar now.
Just learning that my high school class is having their 30 year reunion that weekend with the main event being planned for the 29th in the Rochester area. That said, I am still planning on attending the meet, however my presence will probably be limited to lunch and the first part of the tour. I'll know more in the coming weeks.
Small update here as we start to think about emerging from our winter slumber. A Facebook event page has been created and can be reached at the link below. The page itself is "public" so it can be viewed/shared by anyone who may/may not be interested in the event itself. As is typical, I'll do the best I can to keep the updates current both here and on that page so that folks are kept in the loop as well as possible. Lastly, I did invite a lot of people myself but its likely I missed a fair number of folks I'm not in contact with over there so please feel free to invite others or invite yourself if I didn't catch you.
https://www.facebook.com/events/734567128258670?active_tab=about (https://www.facebook.com/events/734567128258670?active_tab=about)
If the demand is there, I'm open to hosting a Friday night event downtown Buffalo for dinner.
It's a *remote* possibility for me.
Are you planning to enter Canada during this meetup? I have a passport, BUT I would need to notify my security office of any planned foreign travel at least 30 days ahead of the trip.
Quote from: tckma on March 13, 2023, 03:45:28 PM
It's a *remote* possibility for me.
Are you planning to enter Canada during this meetup? I have a passport, BUT I would need to notify my security office of any planned foreign travel at least 30 days ahead of the trip.
There's no plan to enter Canada during the meet event itself.
Quote from: tckma on March 13, 2023, 03:45:28 PM
It's a *remote* possibility for me.
Are you planning to enter Canada during this meetup? I have a passport, BUT I would need to notify my security office of any planned foreign travel at least 30 days ahead of the trip.
It's a nice thought to do a Sunday Morning West Coast outing on that side tho.
Couple of quick comments:
The official meet tour and all other events taking place on the day of the meet (7/29) will take place entirely within the United States of America and will not require cross-border travel. Folks are welcome to explore the Canadian side of the Niagara River on their own time while in the area but for the benefit of everyone involved in the meet, I won't be taking the official tour across the river at any point.
The luxury suite for the ballgame in the evening has been reserved, so we're good to go there. The suite comes with 25 tickets, but there's an option to add more tickets to our package should we sell out of the initial allotment. (I'll work out pricing for folks at a future date.) Hope y'all will stick around after the meet for this special post-meet event!
UPDATE ON THE MEET:
I wanted to post a quick update here since its been about a month since my last post. All is well on the planning side. I'll be spending a weekend in early June in the Buffalo area to complete a few scouting/documentation items before I start to sit down and write out the itinerary for the day. The mix of road-related landmarks and industrial/historical landmarks along the course of the day is something I'm excited about showcasing and hopefully it's the kind of thing you folks will find intriguing!
UPDATE ON THE GAME, TICKETS, AND MENU OPTIONS:
The tickets for the game are in hand and will be stored in an "undisclosed location" between now and meet weekend. This suite comes with a set of 25 tickets and folks can claim theirs for themselves & their guests on a first come-first served basis. In addition to the base package of 25 tickets, we have the option to purchase additional tickets for a flat rate per ticket, though I won't consider doing so until we exhaust the initial set of 25.
There are two reasons I'd like to have a pretty good head count for this as much as 7 days prior to the game. The first is that the deadline to purchase those additional tickets described above is 5 days prior to gameday. The second is that the deadline to order catering for our suite and reserve any items for us is also 5 days before gameday. The 2023 Suite Menu was released recently and can be viewed at the link below.
There's no need to rush into reserving anything on the menu front at this point, but just know that the menu and ticket options both exist and we'll have to figure out the particulars of them in the next couple months. Thank you in advance for your consideration. If anyone has any questions about either of these topics, feel free to drop them below; I'm in contact with a Bisons representative who I can relay them to if I don't have the answer already.
Link to Suite Menu:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/zhrz2zwxjq2hc3h/2023%20Bisons%20Suite%20Menu.pdf?dl=0
Quote from: roadwaywiz95 on May 15, 2023, 05:27:21 PM
UPDATE ON THE MEET:
I wanted to post a quick update here since its been about a month since my last post. All is well on the planning side. I'll be spending a weekend in early June in the Buffalo area to complete a few scouting/documentation items before I start to sit down and write out the itinerary for the day. The mix of road-related landmarks and industrial/historical landmarks along the course of the day is something I'm excited about showcasing and hopefully it's the kind of thing you folks will find intriguing!
UPDATE ON THE GAME, TICKETS, AND MENU OPTIONS:
The tickets for the game are in hand and will be stored in an "undisclosed location" between now and meet weekend. This suite comes with a set of 25 tickets and folks can claim theirs for themselves & their guests on a first come-first served basis. In addition to the base package of 25 tickets, we have the option to purchase additional tickets for a flat rate per ticket, though I won't consider doing so until we exhaust the initial set of 25.
There are two reasons I'd like to have a pretty good head count for this as much as 7 days prior to the game. The first is that the deadline to purchase those additional tickets described above is 5 days prior to gameday. The second is that the deadline to order catering for our suite and reserve any items for us is also 5 days before gameday. The 2023 Suite Menu was released recently and can be viewed at the link below.
There's no need to rush into reserving anything on the menu front at this point, but just know that the menu and ticket options both exist and we'll have to figure out the particulars of them in the next couple months. Thank you in advance for your consideration. If anyone has any questions about either of these topics, feel free to drop them below; I'm in contact with a Bisons representative who I can relay them to if I don't have the answer already.
Link to Suite Menu:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/zhrz2zwxjq2hc3h/2023%20Bisons%20Suite%20Menu.pdf?dl=0
And depending on what is ultimately chosen, we can buy food at the regular concession stands and bring it into the suite as well, correct?
Quote from: jeffandnicole on May 15, 2023, 06:30:51 PM
And depending on what is ultimately chosen, we can buy food at the regular concession stands and bring it into the suite as well, correct?
Speaking from experience on this one, yes.
Quote from: baugh17 on May 16, 2023, 08:18:48 PM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on May 15, 2023, 06:30:51 PM
And depending on what is ultimately chosen, we can buy food at the regular concession stands and bring it into the suite as well, correct?
Speaking from experience on this one, yes.
Right, but then you're not eating what other people are bringing to the suite. So let's confirm these can be separate (you can choose to be part of the food separately from the suite).
Quote from: jeffandnicole on May 15, 2023, 06:30:51 PM
And depending on what is ultimately chosen, we can buy food at the regular concession stands and bring it into the suite as well, correct?
Yeah, just to clarify: everyone who attends WILL have access to the rest of the ballpark and the other concessions/shops that the park has to offer. It just may be easier to some extent to agree to have some stuff in the suite so we can limit the amount of people coming/going just to grab food during the course of the game.
I also want to add that for those of you who would be looking for gluten-free menu options, I received the following response from the Bisons representative I've been working with. Hopefully this is helpful for those with that limitation:
"We don't have a gluten free menu, but we do have gluten free rolls for all items listed, which can be noted when the order is placed. None of our beer options are gluten free, but we do have the black cherry seltzers that are. Things like pizzas, pretzels, etc would need to be avoided. We can avoid croutons on salads or have them on the sides."
The tickets for the suite will be available starting now at a price of $25 per ticket (obviously this does not include any food/catering options you wish to add later). I would prefer to see people pay me directly via Venmo (reach out to me privately and I'll send you my contact info for that) but will also accept cash if that's not an option. Please do your best to claim your spot as soon as possible as they will be taken first come, first served. (If you have not RSVPed on the Facebook event for the game (the link to which is above on the thread) or contacted me otherwise to confirm your attendance, I'm not going to be including you in the count for the game.) Looking forward to seeing you folks at the after-party - should be a fun cap to the day!
It was wonderful to be back in western New York for a good part of last weekend. The tour route for the day was finalized and I'm now at work writing up the final itinerary for the day. Be prepared for there to be two different documents worth possessing on the day of the meet - one will be a standard itinerary with directions and other information while the other will be a supplemental guide that will deal more with Buffalo's industrial heritage and associated landmarks we'll be passing by on the driving tour. We did something similar in concept to this on the 2nd day of the Philadelphia National Meet one year ago and it worked really well, so I think we should apply something similar for this day as well.
I continue to take RSVPs for each of the main events of the day, either the meet tour itself, or the after-party ballgame. I think we'll have a nice crowd and hopefully the weather will be just as nice. (But let's not worry too much about things that are out of our control :-|)
Hoping to make it to some extent. I'll know for sure later this month.
I'm having to downgrade myself from going to possible. Have to spend money on brakes (f-ed up my parking brake during the C-bus meet), and then had the unpleasant surprise of another medical bill, 10 months after the fact, showing up yesterday. :banghead:
Still not fun being an adult. :thumbdown:
Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on June 10, 2023, 12:40:29 AM
I'm having to downgrade myself from going to possible. Have to spend money on brakes (f-ed up my parking brake during the C-bus meet), and then had the unpleasant surprise of another medical bill, 10 months after the fact, showing up yesterday. :banghead:
Still not fun being an adult. :thumbdown:
:(
I could come by you a day or two after the meet and say hi
Quote from: Alps on June 10, 2023, 10:46:55 PM
Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on June 10, 2023, 12:40:29 AM
I'm having to downgrade myself from going to possible. Have to spend money on brakes (f-ed up my parking brake during the C-bus meet), and then had the unpleasant surprise of another medical bill, 10 months after the fact, showing up yesterday. :banghead:
Still not fun being an adult. :thumbdown:
:(
I could come by you a day or two after the meet and say hi
My original plans (before money intervened) was to come to your place, 4 days after the meet.
Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on June 10, 2023, 10:58:07 PM
Quote from: Alps on June 10, 2023, 10:46:55 PM
Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on June 10, 2023, 12:40:29 AM
I'm having to downgrade myself from going to possible. Have to spend money on brakes (f-ed up my parking brake during the C-bus meet), and then had the unpleasant surprise of another medical bill, 10 months after the fact, showing up yesterday. :banghead:
Still not fun being an adult. :thumbdown:
:(
I could come by you a day or two after the meet and say hi
My original plans (before money intervened) was to come to your place, 4 days after the meet.
I would not have been here, so I think we're onto something.
This weekend will feature a special "Meet Preview" *live* webinar that will profile the Buffalo, NY metro area in preparation for the meet that will be held there on July 29. This presentation will be hosted by yours truly and will feature contributions from folks across the AARoads Forum spectrum, many of whom will be in attendance for portions/all of the meet itself.
This presentation will be broadcast *live* on the 'roadwaywiz' YouTube channel on Saturday 6/17 at 6 PM ET. Whether you're on the fence about attending the meet, or are already looking forward to it, we hope that this will give you folks a good idea of what to expect and what to look for during your visit. We may also have some time for a *live* Q&A session regarding the meet itself if there is demand for it.
Lastly, during the opening of this program, I'll be taking the opportunity to reveal the host city & dates for the 2024 Meet I'll be putting together for you folks so if that bit of news appeals to you folks out there, we'll be taking care of that item of business during the show as well.
Link to YouTube Webinar:
We're down to the last month before the big day and with that I have a few topics I'd like to address:
First things first — the itineraries are now complete and available at the links below. The only thing that remains incomplete at this time is the industrial Heritage Supplemental Guide, which I'll continue working on through July and will be made available at least 7 days before the meet. A "˜teaser' sample of this document is included in the links below so you can get an idea of how the document will be formatted and what landmarks it will cover.
Pre-Meet Itinerary:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/pxob520cjw3gy2u/Buffalo%20Road%20Meet%20Pre-Meet.docx?dl=0
Pre-Meet Itinerary (Printer-Friendly Version):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2voxvccyeovhb1t/Buffalo%20Road%20Meet%20Pre-Meet%20-%20Printer%20Friendly.docx?dl=0
Road Meet Itinerary:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/rpv1e0wbixoc3qy/Buffalo%20Road%20Meet%20-%20FINAL.docx?dl=0
Road Meet Itinerary (Printer-Friendly Version):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/know2cy3jssdhd0/Buffalo%20Road%20Meet%20-%20Printer%20Friendly.docx?dl=0
Industrial Heritage Supplemental Guide Teaser:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ee1v46r9t5ki8an/Buffalo%20Road%20Meet%20-%20Appendix%20-%20DRAFT.docx?dl=0
Please feel free to print out your own copies ahead of the meet; I'll have some supply on the day of, but not enough for everyone. (The copies I do bring will be prioritized and given to navigators who don't already have them.)
On a side note, I recorded a podcast episode with Gribblenation's Doug this week about western New York and it also serves as an official "preview" episode for the meet itself. That episode has now been published and you can listen to it at the link below. If you have not already done so, please also feel free to check out the webinar I put together earlier this month on the Buffalo metro area (available at the link in the post above), as these two pieces are good ways to get yourself prepared for the trip to town next month!
Link to "Gribblenation Roadcast" Podcast episode:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1QTOxyxF0gtpa6bO87K7lY?si=v3F4TGRqRKan0wSeIFQJ9A
On the subject of the post-meet: I've been putting a list together of people who will be attending the post-meet ballgame; if you have not let me know that you're coming (either by RSVPing the Facebook event or by some other means), I do not have you on the list! Deadline for RSVPs and catering orders for the suite is July 21. (The Bisons require a minimum of 5 business days advance notice for both of these items.) Refer to the Facebook event page for the ballgame for more information (so I can avoid repeating myself too much). REMEMBER that in addition to the 25 seats that come with the suite, we have the ability to purchase additional tickets to supplement the base package — this is why I need to have a pretty firm count of who's coming by July 21.
Lastly, I will be out of town starting on 6/30 and won't be back home until 7/10. (Will be visiting Alaska — my 50th State). In the meantime, I'd like to see the attendance number for the meet and the game start to firm up during that time I'll be away. (You have a variety of ways to let me know you're coming, between this thread, the Facebook event pages, or other private means.) As of now, there are a lot of you who are officially still on the fence and while I'm not a big fan of prodding people into making decisions, I do think you'll see me start to do that starting next month if people can't make up their minds. I've done all the shameless self-promoting of this event that I can, so all of that ought to be enough for you people to decide if you're going or not. Having a pretty good head count for the meet and the game will be very helpful as I coordinate with the Pearl Street Grill and the Buffalo Bisons in the weeks ahead. If anyone has any questions about any of the topics I've covered above, please feel free to ask. Your cooperation and attention are greatly appreciated — thank you in advance and see you next month!
I will be confirmed to attend with my friend. It will be my first roadgeek meet and I am excited to learn a little bit more about Buffalo!
We're now down to two weeks away, so let's reset some things that need to be addressed with the group:
I'll start with the easy one — the final reservation for lunch at the Pearl Street Grill has been made, so we are good to go on that front. They open at 11:30 and I expect us to be going in at that time.
The remainder of this post concerns the after-party/ballgame so if you are not attending this, please disregard what follows:
Please REMEMBER that the deadline to RSVP for the game is one week from today — Friday the 21st! There are still tickets available if you have not already claimed any. You can RSVP here on this thread, or on the Facebook page for the after-party, or you can contact me directly. If I have not heard from you on this specific topic, I'm assuming you are not joining us.
Another topic I want to address is the matter of what we're doing with the catering order for the suite itself. The deadline to place the order is also one week from today — Friday the 21st! I've already agreed with several folks on ordering the following items:
(2) bottles of red wine - $47 per bottle = $94 total (*** I will be covering the cost of this 100% ***)
(1) "Field of Dreams" Suite Package (serves around 15-20 people) - $468 total ($39 times a base of 12 people; in our case we can divide the 468 by however many people want to share in the cost.)
The above includes:
40 medium wings w/ celery/carrots/bleu cheese
2 large pepperoni pizzas
18 beef on weck sandwiches
1 case of assorted coke products
1 case of assorted potato chips/pretzels
If anyone else would like to add something to the above order for me to reserve for the suite, you have until July 21 to let me know so I can add it. Please note that by adding something to the order, the person/persons making the addition shall be responsible for coming up with the necessary funds to reimburse either myself or your fellow suite mates if you plan to share. Please also note that while you have the option to add something to this catering order, you also will have access to the other stands downstairs from the suite level so you can order whatever you want individually and opt out taking part in the catering order if you prefer the individual option instead.
I know a couple you have indicated already that you'll be opting out and going your own way, and that's fine, but I'd also like to verify how many others will be opting out and whatever other additions to the catering order there will be. Should I not hear from you, I'll assume that nothing else will be added to the order and that you are opting IN to share in the catering order.
That's all I have for now, thanks for your attention and I'll have another update for you next week.
This meet is close enough that I'm thinking that it might be worth the drive down to Buffalo to attend.
As we're closing in on one week to go, I have another set of updates for everyone.
I'll start off again with the easy one. The full version and printer-friendly version of the Supplemental Guide are complete and available at the links below. As a reminder, possession of them is optional for the meet, but you may find them useful if you're interested in learning more about the prominent industrial landmarks the driving tour will be passing by.
Supplemental Guide, Full Version:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/152q76k6125slnl/Buffalo%20Road%20Meet%20-%20Appendix.docx?dl=0
Supplemental Guide, Printer-Friendly Version:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/vfujb8abrna4oqx/Buffalo%20Road%20Meet%20-%20Appendix%20-%20Printer%20Friendly.docx?dl=0
That makes six total documents you should be aware of when it comes to this event. The two versions of the Pre-Meet notes and the two versions of the Meet Itinerary were all posted about three weeks ago. On the day of the meet, I plan to bring about 5 copies of each of these six documents — possibly enough for everyone who would need one for navigation purposes. In order to ensure that we have enough for everyone, please do your part and bring copies of whatever pieces you want to the meet, if that's something you're interested in.
The next subject I'd like to touch on is the downtown parking situation. The streets in the vicinity of the Pearl Street Grill are all metered — some are metered Mon-Sat, others are metered Mon-Fri. From my experience and from looking around a bit when I was last in town, you're more likely to find free street parking on the blocks north of the restaurant. (If you're looking at downtown on a map, anywhere along or north of Swan Street would be a good place to look.) Parking lots in the area vary widely in price and also keep in mind that the lot belonging to PSG is *not* free to park in. With all of that laid out for you, it's up to you what you want to do parking-wise. Just make sure everyone knows where they parked, especially at the end of the day when we're trying to reunite people with cars in that interval between the end of the drive and the start of the game in the evening.
Speaking of the game, the following items deal with the after-party/game itself so if you're not taking part in this, please disregard what follows:
The RSVP deadline for the game came and went, so I finalized the catering order for the suite. It did not change from what was listed above the other day. I also purchased (5) additional suite tickets that will be added to our roster. It is *likely* that there will be a couple left over by the day of the meet (I won't make any promises), so I will do my best to accommodate everyone I can, even any last-minute folks that we get. If you're at the game, be sure to keep an eye on the Jumbotron, as a special message geared towards us will be shown on the screen. (I'll clarify exactly when that will display early next week.)
That's all for now. I'll be back with one final update in the Wed-Thurs time frame with some final tips and reminders. Until then, I can address any questions that come up and I look forward to seeing everyone next weekend!
By the way, how long do you expect the road tour to last for?
Quote from: andrepoiy on July 23, 2023, 12:13:36 AM
By the way, how long do you expect the road tour to last for?
Game time is 6:05 pm.
Quote from: andrepoiy on July 23, 2023, 12:13:36 AM
By the way, how long do you expect the road tour to last for?
I'd expect the tour to wrap up by 5. After the lunch, most of the meet tours usually take a few hours, and this one is not taking up a huge geographical footprint.
Let's talk weather for the meet for a moment. Early forecasts in Buffalo for Saturday from the National Weather Service is calling for a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 80°F. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=42.89563000000004&lon=-78.88274999999999
Quote from: Dougtone on July 23, 2023, 09:13:54 AM
Let's talk weather for the meet for a moment. Early forecasts in Buffalo for Saturday from the National Weather Service is calling for a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 80°F. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=42.89563000000004&lon=-78.88274999999999
Makes me wonder if we've ever had a meet in a blizzard.
So...what are we to make of this weather report?
Quote from: Rothman on July 23, 2023, 09:16:46 AM
Quote from: Dougtone on July 23, 2023, 09:13:54 AM
Let's talk weather for the meet for a moment. Early forecasts in Buffalo for Saturday from the National Weather Service is calling for a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 80°F. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=42.89563000000004&lon=-78.88274999999999
Makes me wonder if we've ever had a meet in a blizzard.
So...what are we to make of this weather report?
Blizzard? No, I don't think we've stopped at a Dairy Queen during a road meet.
Quote from: Dougtone on July 23, 2023, 09:11:10 AM
Quote from: andrepoiy on July 23, 2023, 12:13:36 AM
By the way, how long do you expect the road tour to last for?
I'd expect the tour to wrap up by 5. After the lunch, most of the meet tours usually take a few hours, and this one is not taking up a huge geographical footprint.
Yeah we have to be done with the tour in the 5:00-5:30 range, b/c a lot of us (25+) have somewhere else to be at 6:05 (aka the game). So we'll have to try to strike a balance between having the tour take as long as it can, while also keeping an eye on the clock.
Heyyyy so if anyone was thinking of using the NFTA rail line to get around the parking situation, be aware it isn't actually running downtown this weekend, it's only running in the underground section north of downtown. Substitute shuttle buses are provided if you trust them.
So I may be cruising for parking after all.
Quote from: Duke87 on July 23, 2023, 03:04:16 PM
Heyyyy so if anyone was thinking of using the NFTA rail line to get around the parking situation, be aware it isn't actually running downtown this weekend, it's only running in the underground section north of downtown. Substitute shuttle buses are provided if you trust them.
So I may be cruising for parking after all.
For those interested, a link to the NFTA Metro Rail site is below. On it, click on "Schedule B" to see the shuttle bus schedule and route. Pickups & dropoffs will still be made at the Allen station for those riding the line north of downtown:
https://metro.nfta.com/schedules/single-tracking
Quote from: Rothman on July 23, 2023, 09:16:46 AM
Quote from: Dougtone on July 23, 2023, 09:13:54 AM
Let's talk weather for the meet for a moment. Early forecasts in Buffalo for Saturday from the National Weather Service is calling for a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 80°F. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=42.89563000000004&lon=-78.88274999999999
Makes me wonder if we've ever had a meet in a blizzard.
So...what are we to make of this weather report?
We've had road meets in complete deluges. Port Huron 2012, Memphis 2019, and SE Chicago 2022 come to mind.
Quote from: Brandon on July 24, 2023, 07:21:14 AM
Quote from: Rothman on July 23, 2023, 09:16:46 AM
Quote from: Dougtone on July 23, 2023, 09:13:54 AM
Let's talk weather for the meet for a moment. Early forecasts in Buffalo for Saturday from the National Weather Service is calling for a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 80°F. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=42.89563000000004&lon=-78.88274999999999
Makes me wonder if we've ever had a meet in a blizzard.
So...what are we to make of this weather report?
We've had road meets in complete deluges. Port Huron 2012, Memphis 2019, and SE Chicago 2022 come to mind.
Right. I would think weather would need to be quite extreme to affect a meet.
Quote from: Brandon on July 24, 2023, 07:21:14 AM
Quote from: Rothman on July 23, 2023, 09:16:46 AM
Quote from: Dougtone on July 23, 2023, 09:13:54 AM
Let's talk weather for the meet for a moment. Early forecasts in Buffalo for Saturday from the National Weather Service is calling for a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 80°F. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=42.89563000000004&lon=-78.88274999999999
Makes me wonder if we've ever had a meet in a blizzard.
So...what are we to make of this weather report?
We've had road meets in complete deluges. Port Huron 2012, Memphis 2019, and SE Chicago 2022 come to mind.
Your meet from last year was the first thing I thought of when the rain all but postponed the NASCAR Chicago Street Race earlier this month.
Not necessarily a blizzard, but the 2010 Christmas southeast Pennsylvania meet was held while a pretty decent snow was falling. (I found my pictures from the meet on a SD card yesterday.)
And the 2013 Pikeville/US 460 meet featured a stop at a Dairy Queen in Grundy, Va.
Quote from: hbelkins on July 24, 2023, 11:45:32 AM
Not necessarily a blizzard, but the 2010 Christmas southeast Pennsylvania meet was held while a pretty decent snow was falling. (I found my pictures from the meet on a SD card yesterday.)
And the 2013 Pikeville/US 460 meet featured a stop at a Dairy Queen in Grundy, Va.
Grungy, Virginia...
Quote from: Rothman on July 24, 2023, 07:57:30 AM
Quote from: Brandon on July 24, 2023, 07:21:14 AM
Quote from: Rothman on July 23, 2023, 09:16:46 AM
Quote from: Dougtone on July 23, 2023, 09:13:54 AM
Let's talk weather for the meet for a moment. Early forecasts in Buffalo for Saturday from the National Weather Service is calling for a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 80°F. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=42.89563000000004&lon=-78.88274999999999
Makes me wonder if we've ever had a meet in a blizzard.
So...what are we to make of this weather report?
We've had road meets in complete deluges. Port Huron 2012, Memphis 2019, and SE Chicago 2022 come to mind.
Right. I would think weather would need to be quite extreme to affect a meet.
Unless it's being held in Jacksonville where a 10% chance of rain may get it axed. ;)
With us now within 48 hours of meet time, here's one final overview post from me. It's going to be a long one — you've been warned.
For anyone who may not have seen them, here is one final set of links to all of the relevant meet itinerary documents for Saturday:
Pre-Meet Walking Tour Itinerary:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/pxob520cjw3gy2u/Buffalo%20Road%20Meet%20Pre-Meet.docx?dl=0
Pre-Meet Walking Tour Itinerary (Printer-Friendly Version):
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ehu7hgryj1q3umtqndd0n/Buffalo-Road-Meet-Pre-Meet-Printer-Friendly.docx?rlkey=zsmp2mzs9x4e3dlmf4agwlhty&dl=0
Meet Driving Tour Itinerary:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/rpv1e0wbixoc3qy/Buffalo%20Road%20Meet%20-%20FINAL.docx?dl=0
Meet Driving Tour Itinerary (Printer-Friendly Version):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/know2cy3jssdhd0/Buffalo%20Road%20Meet%20-%20Printer%20Friendly.docx?dl=0
Meet Driving Tour Supplemental Guide (Optional Document):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/152q76k6125slnl/Buffalo%20Road%20Meet%20-%20Appendix.docx?dl=0
Meet Driving Tour Supplemental Guide (Optional Document) (Printer-Friendly Version):
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ce44s9ev3t59vket0sqeg/Buffalo-Road-Meet-Appendix-Printer-Friendly.docx?rlkey=55z0wp0vimj7dt1t1g2t32zt7&dl=0
Next order of business deals with lunch and the restaurant. I mentioned before that I made the reservation for us, so we're all set there. I don't think I shared the menu with you folks, so I'm sharing that here at the link below. Might be a good idea for you folks to start thinking about what you want, since we'll have a lot of people wanting to place orders at once. (It's not likely that we'll be getting separate checks, more likely it'll be one check per table, so you have about 48 hours to prepare yourselves for that.)
https://pearlstreetgrill.com/food-menu/
Another thing I'd like to remind everyone of is something that came up over the weekend regarding the Buffalo Light Rail system. Track work downtown will suspend operation of the light rail above ground through downtown this weekend. Those of you who were planning on clinching the line this weekend are out of luck, however you can still ride the segment below ground north of Allen station and replacement shuttle bus service will run in place of the above-ground line between the Canalside and Allen stations. Information about system & schedule disruptions and a map of the shuttle route is available as follows. Click on the link below and navigate to "Schedule B" to view relevant schedules and maps.
https://metro.nfta.com/schedules/single-tracking
Again, a reminder about parking downtown. My comments on the matter made in posts from July 21-22 still stand and I encourage folks to do whatever they think is best. Carpooling to/from the downtown area is a great idea that some have proposed, and I encourage folks to look into that option with their fellow attendees if they find it worthwhile.
Lastly, let's talk about the weather. The picture being painted by multiple sources as of the writing of this post suggests significant rainfall Friday night and into Saturday morning, with clearing in the afternoon. You should come prepared for the possibility of rainy weather at times throughout the day. Any adjustments to the day's events that I deem necessary will be announced during the course of Saturday. Please do not look for updates on the Forum or on Facebook prior to then.
The following items deal with the after-party ballgame at Sahlen Field, so if you are not attending this, please disregard the portion that follows.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First pitch is at 6:05 PM ET! As far as tickets are concerned, we will have a couple extras on the day of, in case there are any last-minute entries. Those of you who have not yet reimbursed me the $25 per ticket can do so on Saturday. I accept cash and Venmo as options. (If you choose the latter, I'll provide you with my user info privately.)
Again a reminder that as part of the luxury suite experience, we reserved a catering package for folks to share amongst themselves. The package contains the following items:
(2) bottles of red wine (*** I will be covering the cost of this 100% ***)
(1) "Field of Dreams" Suite Package (serves around 15-20 people), which includes:
40 medium wings w/ celery/carrots/bleu cheese
2 large pepperoni pizzas
18 beef on weck sandwiches
1 case of assorted coke products
1 case of assorted potato chips/pretzels
The above package was priced at $468, to be divided between people who wish to contribute. There's no one price that will apply to everyone and I ask that people police themselves and contribute what they think is a fair amount given what they take. For example, for 18 people the average cost would be $25 per person, but your amount and experience will vary from the average, so please contribute accordingly.
We also have arranged a special greeting message that will be displayed on the Jumbotron around the 5th or 6th inning during the game, welcoming "Road & Travel Enthusiasts of North America" to Sahlen Field, so be on the lookout for that.
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And with all of that, I think we've covered everything essential. I want to thank all of you in advance for making the trip and contributing to what will hopefully be a memorable weekend for all. See you all on Saturday!
Quote from: Rothman on July 24, 2023, 07:57:30 AM
Quote from: Brandon on July 24, 2023, 07:21:14 AM
Quote from: Rothman on July 23, 2023, 09:16:46 AM
Quote from: Dougtone on July 23, 2023, 09:13:54 AM
Let's talk weather for the meet for a moment. Early forecasts in Buffalo for Saturday from the National Weather Service is calling for a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 80°F. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=42.89563000000004&lon=-78.88274999999999
Makes me wonder if we've ever had a meet in a blizzard.
So...what are we to make of this weather report?
We've had road meets in complete deluges. Port Huron 2012, Memphis 2019, and SE Chicago 2022 come to mind.
Right. I would think weather would need to be quite extreme to affect a meet.
Froggie held the last New Orleans roadmeet under the threat of a hurricane (Gustav)
Just a friendly reminder to keep your EYES TO THE SKY if you plan on being out and about this morning, as there will be rain moving through at times. The pre-meet event is on as scheduled, however you will be able to find me down at Canalside shortly in case anyone wants to head down earlier.
Bring your jacket and/or umbrella if coming to the pre-meet, just starting to rain, but should clear up by lunchtime.
(And right now we're hiding out at the Tim Hortons at Main/Marine)
unofficial attendance count: 39
congrats to Mr. Wiz for not just beating my meet record, but blowing it out of the water here! a great time with faces I don't see often enough.
Wiz did a great job with the meet. Great times, good laughs...and the Jays beat the Yankees.
Thanks for hosting the meet. Enjoyed it.
Quote from: Rothman on July 30, 2023, 10:42:38 PM
Wiz did a great job with the meet. Great times, good laughs...and the Jays beat the Yankees.
Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking </sarcasm and comment that has nothing to do with it>
I'm a bit late in chiming in here, but I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who came to western New York last weekend and took part in this event. As you've probably already seen above, yes, we made some history with one as we set a new benchmark for attendance at a single event. Yes, I'm very proud of what this meet turned out to be, but I also feel that there is still room for improvement and still-larger turnouts in future renditions. I hope that many years from now, we'll all look back on last Saturday as just another incremental step rather than a sort of culmination of things.
The history of the road meet is full of a wide variety of cities, hosts, personalities, highlights, and lowlights. It's been my honor since 2021 to add my own chapters to the collective story of these events and our community. I owe so much of my inspiration to the people who came before me and I hope that I've done them all proud with what I've been able to put together for you all since then. I know there's at least one more of these "chapters" left in me - the New Orleans National Extravaganza is coming up in mid-February and it'll be here before you know it. So it'll be time soon for me to put this one to bed so I can focus on what's next.
Speaking of what's next, and to help tie a bow on all of this, I'd be interested in people's feedback regarding the day as a whole or anything in particular. This can be anything from the meet notes, to the tour itself, and also the after-party ballgame, which in my opinion was a really cool experience in its own right. Feel free to chime in below, and hopefully we'll be in touch again soon!