Charlotte NC "city meet" - April 20, 2024

[Laura]

I'm also sorry, because I have personal reasons that this date won't work in particular. I wish you the best, but you have potential for quite a crowd if you change your mind.

Yep. I feel the same as Alps. You're the host and can have the meet when you want and I wish you all the best with it.

Also, you have quite the potential for a crowd if you changed your mind because the largest contingent of roadgeeks is in the Northeast, and a good amount in NC itself, so Charlotte is close enough to encourage a large number of us/them to participate. Many of us also only attend meets within a smaller geographic distance.

If you were doing Mobile or Wichita this year I wouldn't care that it's 2 weeks from the eclipse because the likelihood of me going to those cities is almost zero.

I suspect a lot of people (including myself) would not have voted for Charlotte in the poll (or voted at all) had we realized that you were planning to host in April 2024. Total eclipses will happen 8 times in the US in the 21st century. I admit that I should have realized your pattern for having them in April each year but didn't.

[A.J. Bertin]

I'm also sorry, because I have personal reasons that this date won't work in particular. I wish you the best, but you have potential for quite a crowd if you change your mind.

Yep. I feel the same as Alps. You're the host and can have the meet when you want and I wish you all the best with it.

Thank you for saying that!  Yes... I'm just going with a date that works for me.  I'm not choosing a date that will intentionally upset anyone.

Also, you have quite the potential for a crowd if you changed your mind because the largest contingent of roadgeeks is in the Northeast, and a good amount in NC itself, so Charlotte is close enough to encourage a large number of us/them to participate. Many of us also only attend meets within a smaller geographic distance.

If you were doing Mobile or Wichita this year I wouldn't care that it's 2 weeks from the eclipse because the likelihood of me going to those cities is almost zero.

I suspect a lot of people (including myself) would not have voted for Charlotte in the poll (or voted at all) had we realized that you were planning to host in April 2024. Total eclipses will happen 8 times in the US in the 21st century. I admit that I should have realized your pattern for having them in April each year but didn't.

I'm not necessarily looking to maximize the number of attendees at my event.  Honestly, the size of the group does not matter to me.  If I have a lot of folks attend, that's great!  If I only have a few, that's great too!  My goal is to simply invite others to join me in exploring the city and for us to have an enjoyable time doing so; my goal is not to reach a certain number of attendees.

When I created my poll, I was only asking folks for their vote on where I should host my meet next year.  I do recognize that some folks may have voted differently if they would have known that I would choose the same month as the eclipse.  However, I was trying to keep the poll as simple as possible, and it honestly didn't occur to me that I should have mentioned my intended time frame in 2024.  But on the other hand, no one asked about my intended time frame either.  If someone had asked the question, I would have gladly answered.

I have no hard feelings for anyone who can't make it.  I'm just happy for Laura and others who are traveling to see the eclipse!  That's awesome. 

[CanesFan27]

I'm also sorry, because I have personal reasons that this date won't work in particular. I wish you the best, but you have potential for quite a crowd if you change your mind.

Yep. I feel the same as Alps. You're the host and can have the meet when you want and I wish you all the best with it.

Also, you have quite the potential for a crowd if you changed your mind because the largest contingent of roadgeeks is in the Northeast, and a good amount in NC itself, so Charlotte is close enough to encourage a large number of us/them to participate. Many of us also only attend meets within a smaller geographic distance.

I would argue that there's more than likely an equally large group of people with no interest in traveling to see the eclipse that can easily access this meet.  However, if a large group (I can easily see over 20 people - though Charlotte doesn't have a lot of road goings on compared to 5-10 years ago) will AJ be ok with multiple tables of people? 

I know I will be coaching soccer that day - Steve you did offer to be a mascot for the team - or was that someone else?

[A.J. Bertin]

I would argue that there's more than likely an equally large group of people with no interest in traveling to see the eclipse that can easily access this meet.

That thought actually crossed my mind too.

However, if a large group (I can easily see over 20 people - though Charlotte doesn't have a lot of road goings on compared to 5-10 years ago) will AJ be ok with multiple tables of people?

If the attendance at my previous city meets is any indication (and combining that with the likelihood that some folks won't attend because of how close it is to the eclipse), I'd be very surprised if I have 20 people attend.  My guess is that I'll have somewhere between 10 and 15 folks attending, but I could be wrong.  At the each of the previous meets I hosted, the entire group was able to sit at the same table together for both lunch and dinner.  I'd specifically be looking for a restaurant where that's possible.  I don't really want to have the group split up at separate tables because lunch and dinner are the only times when our entire group will be together.  That's just the nature of my meets.

[vdeane]

Didn't we have separate tables at Providence?  Although both tables were right next to each other.

[Alps]

I know I will be coaching soccer that day - Steve you did offer to be a mascot for the team - or was that someone else?

Not that day, but I'll come out for it.

[Rothman]

Didn't we have separate tables at Providence?  Although both tables were right next to each other.

Separate tables at Jumping Jack's...

[A.J. Bertin]

Didn't we have separate tables at Providence?  Although both tables were right next to each other.

You're probably thinking of the lunch in Providence rather than the dinner.  We had a private room at the restaurant where we had lunch.  And yes... while we technically may have had separate tables there, it didn't feel like it because there were no other patrons, not part of our group, that were intermingled between our tables.  We were all free to roam around between the tables without disturbing other patrons. 

At the dinner restaurant in Providence, we were all at the same table.

If either or both of the restaurants I choose in Charlotte have the option for a private room, it wouldn't matter that we are sitting at separate tables because we're all together and confined in a space separate from the rest of the restaurant.

[vdeane]

Didn't we have separate tables at Providence?  Although both tables were right next to each other.

Separate tables at Jumping Jack's...

Did AJ host a city meet in Schenectady that I'm not aware of?

[Rothman]

Didn't we have separate tables at Providence?  Although both tables were right next to each other.

Separate tables at Jumping Jack's...

Did AJ host a city meet in Schenectady that I'm not aware of?

Nah.  I was talking about the one we were at.

[Alps]

I wanna say it was the US 15 meet in PA where we had like six 6-person tables and mingled among them.

[jpi]

I wanna say it was the US 15 meet in PA where we had like six 6-person tables and mingled among them.

The meet I hosted at Hoss's in April 2018?

[A.J. Bertin]

I hope everyone is enjoying the fall season.    I wanted to provide a quick update on my Charlotte meet.

It's still likely that April 20 will be the date, but I am still saying "tentative" because I'll be starting a new job soon and need to get settled there a bit before I submit my time-off request for the dates I'll need for my trip to and from Charlotte.  I figure I will be able to make the date official by the end of 2023.

[A.J. Bertin]

Hi, everyone!     To those of you in the U.S. who celebrated Thanksgiving, I hope you had a great day... and that your travels have been smooth for everyone who has traveled for the holiday.

I am now a few weeks into my new job and was able to firmly establish with my boss that I'll be able to take the days off that I will need for my travels to and from Charlotte in April.  That means I was able to remove the "tentative" designation from the date of my meet.  April 20 is now the official date!  I've booked my lodging for Charlotte and will make some decisions over the next few months as to where lunch and dinner will be located.  (For anyone not familiar with the format of my meets, I only organize lunch and dinner and encourage everyone to explore the area individually or in groups between the meals.  Choose your own sightseeing!)

More to come over the next few months... but I at least wanted to share this update for anyone who wants to start making any travel arrangements.

[Takumi]

Can confirm I'm out for this as I'm planning to have my wedding and honeymoon that weekend.

[74/171FAN]

Can confirm I'm out for this as I'm planning to have my wedding and honeymoon that weekend.

Well congrats on having the best "excuse" to miss a road meet ever!!

[CtrlAltDel]

Can confirm I'm out for this as I'm planning to have my wedding and honeymoon that weekend.

Please accept my best wishes!

[A.J. Bertin]

I just created a private event on Facebook and invited my friends whom I think may be interested in attending.  If you received an invitation and you see others missing from the invitation who might be interested, please feel free to invite them if you are connected with them on Facebook.  (My only request with that is you please invite only those folks whom you think have a reasonable chance at attending.)  If you don't receive an invitation on Facebook but are interested in attending, you are of course welcome to join us!  Just let me know here if you plan to attend.

Here are the details for the event:

• At 11:00 a.m. ET, we will gather for lunch at Burger 21 which is located at 11331 Costigan Lane, Charlotte, NC 28277.
• Because my "city meet" format is a choose-your-own-sightseeing format, everyone is encouraged to go off on their own and explore the Charlotte area individually or in groups throughout the afternoon... whatever you'd prefer to do.  Burger 21 is located near a free parking garage where folks who want to carpool with others can leave their cars.
• At 7:00 p.m. ET, we will gather for dinner at Old McKoy's Smokehouse and Saloon which is located at 4630 Old Pineville Road, Charlotte, NC 28217.

Of course, if you are only able to attend lunch or dinner but not both, that is totally fine.  Just let me know your plans when you are able.  At this point, I had to make a guess as to how many attendees I expect to have.  I guessed 15 (and used that number when I made the dinner reservation for McKoy's), but of course the actual number could be lower or higher than that.  As an FYI, the restaurant will be able to split the checks for our group.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone in Charlotte for my fourth "city meet"!

[Katavia]

Ooh, damn. If this was happening on that date a year ago it would have been a definite yes. Unfortunately I've since moved about an hour and a half away (used to live in Kannapolis, now living in the Hickory-Lenoir area) due to IRL circumstances and my attendance is doubtful at best due to that. Best wishes to the attendees (and the non-attendees, in Takumi's case! Congrats!).

_{Edit: Lenoir, not Durham. Silly me.}

[Tom958]

I'm interested. I wish I could find a traveling companion. I'm in Atlanta, and if the weather is nice I'd like to head up via US 25, I-26, and US 74 since I've never been that way before and I-26 looks pretty spectacular.

[oscar]

I've signed up for the Bakersfield meet the preceding weekend. Can't do both that and Charlotte.

That's an unusual conflict for a Virginia resident. But then I grew up in California.

[74/171FAN]

I've signed up for the Bakersfield meet the preceding weekend. Can't do both that and Charlotte.

That's an unusual conflict for a Virginia resident. But then I grew up in California.

Honestly, I probably would have done Bakersfield and nothing else these first few months of the year if my parents had been against going to Charlotte.

[vdeane]

I've signed up for the Bakersfield meet the preceding weekend. Can't do both that and Charlotte.

That's an unusual conflict for a Virginia resident. But then I grew up in California.

There are enough roadgeeks who travel long distance to meets that I'm not sure that's as unusual as people keep claiming.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

I've signed up for the Bakersfield meet the preceding weekend. Can't do both that and Charlotte.

That's an unusual conflict for a Virginia resident. But then I grew up in California.

There are enough roadgeeks who travel long distance to meets that I'm not sure that's as unusual as people keep claiming.

Depends on what one considers 'Long Distance.'

[jpi]

For me the longest distance I ever drove one way for a road meet was the 2015 Golden CO\ Denver area road meet, that took me a day and a half to get there, that is definitely long distance for me. I don't count the meets in the mid Atlantic long distance since alot of times I'm staying in central PA with family when I attend those meets