cortex and Secretariat go to Vancouver
posted October 9, 2014 9:13 AM RSS | iCal | +googleCal
Tue October 21 at 7:00 PM, The Alibi Room
157 Alexander Street, Vancouver, BC V6A 1B8, Canada (Map & Directions)
Hello, Canadians! The wife and I are heading up to Vancouver for a conference thing; let's meet up at the Alibi Room on Tuesday the 21st at 7:00 or so!
Oh, typical. I work in Yaletown! But I'm in the UK for a few weeks right now. I concur, GTFO of yaletown, all the fun stuff is elsewhere.
Pro tip! If you like curry and need a delicious cheap lunch in/near yaletown, Grounds For Appeal does some great ones in the Law Society building.
If you like beer, go to Alibi Room - they have a great selection and the space is really nice.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 2:43 PM on October 9, 2014
Pro tip! If you like curry and need a delicious cheap lunch in/near yaletown, Grounds For Appeal does some great ones in the Law Society building.
If you like beer, go to Alibi Room - they have a great selection and the space is really nice.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 2:43 PM on October 9, 2014
Wow, we are going to have a mod in our humble town!
If you make it on Tuesday (21st), I'll totally join you. Anywhere in downtown works for me.
posted by lenny70 at 5:53 PM on October 9, 2014
If you make it on Tuesday (21st), I'll totally join you. Anywhere in downtown works for me.
posted by lenny70 at 5:53 PM on October 9, 2014
I will be three-quarters of the way across the country in Montreal and thus unable to attend, but I concur with Jon Mitchell above: I have had a meetup or two at the Alibi Room and can vouch for its general excellence. I recommend the downstairs section.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:07 PM on October 9, 2014
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:07 PM on October 9, 2014
I'm a few blocks away. I could do Monday night but not Tuesday.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 7:30 AM on October 10, 2014
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 7:30 AM on October 10, 2014
I could do Monday or Tuesday, lunch at short notice, evening probably with a bit more notice. Honestly, I spend very little time in Yaletown, but the entirety of downtown Vancouver is pretty small. I'd be happy to go to the Alibi Room, it's excellent, though not in Yaletown. What neighbourhood is that anyway? Slightly too far East to be Gastown... Anyway, if you guys are into beer, the Alibi Room is one of the best places in the city to go.
This should be fun, I've never actually met any other Mefis before.
posted by WaylandSmith at 1:48 PM on October 10, 2014
This should be fun, I've never actually met any other Mefis before.
posted by WaylandSmith at 1:48 PM on October 10, 2014
WaylandSmith: the Alibi Room is right on the edge between gastown and railtown. Vancouver is named about as well as a bad RPG map.
posted by smasuch at 3:38 PM on October 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by smasuch at 3:38 PM on October 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Let's call it the Alibi, then, that sounds good.
Sounds like most of the can-do-it weight is on Tuesday, so probably we'll set it for that, but Secretariat may know a little more about conference schedule stuff in a few days so I'll hold off to formally Make It So until then.
Evening probably best so Sec can be done with conf. stuff if there's not some geologist dinner she wants to get to, if that works well for folks. 6ish? 7ish?
posted by cortex at 4:31 PM on October 10, 2014
Sounds like most of the can-do-it weight is on Tuesday, so probably we'll set it for that, but Secretariat may know a little more about conference schedule stuff in a few days so I'll hold off to formally Make It So until then.
Evening probably best so Sec can be done with conf. stuff if there's not some geologist dinner she wants to get to, if that works well for folks. 6ish? 7ish?
posted by cortex at 4:31 PM on October 10, 2014
What! Me & sibilatorix are in Vancouver on the 24th and 25th before we fly out to Australia for a second summer. Ships in the night.
posted by aniola at 8:23 PM on October 10, 2014
posted by aniola at 8:23 PM on October 10, 2014
If it's Tuesday, I can probably make it.
If you're in Yaletown and want some good Lebanese food, Nuba is worth checking out for a tasty vegetarian option. Meat too, if you want it. Downtown Vancouver is pretty small so it's a short walk to most places. If you're closer to the Granville/Robson area Viet Sub is good to pick up banh mi to go. Really fast service, and they use a mayo-sriracha mix on the subs. Japadog is 2 stores away, if you want hotdogs with interesting things on them. Usually a line up due to popularity.
posted by Zack_Replica at 10:18 PM on October 10, 2014
If you're in Yaletown and want some good Lebanese food, Nuba is worth checking out for a tasty vegetarian option. Meat too, if you want it. Downtown Vancouver is pretty small so it's a short walk to most places. If you're closer to the Granville/Robson area Viet Sub is good to pick up banh mi to go. Really fast service, and they use a mayo-sriracha mix on the subs. Japadog is 2 stores away, if you want hotdogs with interesting things on them. Usually a line up due to popularity.
posted by Zack_Replica at 10:18 PM on October 10, 2014
A small warning about Alibi room: We might have to wait for a table, but that's fine with me.
Also, how will we know each other? I think we should all wear hats with a bright-yellow feather in it. How does this go? Do we introduce each other by our nicknames or our real names? I'm having strange flashbacks to my teenage years meeting folks from IRC.
posted by WaylandSmith at 3:44 AM on October 11, 2014
Also, how will we know each other? I think we should all wear hats with a bright-yellow feather in it. How does this go? Do we introduce each other by our nicknames or our real names? I'm having strange flashbacks to my teenage years meeting folks from IRC.
posted by WaylandSmith at 3:44 AM on October 11, 2014
It usually goes pretty improvisédly, is how! I will probably be wearing a Metafilter t-shirt and will look more or less like the picture of me in my profile, for what that's worth. I'll also be peering around for other people nervously trying to establish whether this is The Metafilter Thing or just some group of randos who look like they might read a lot of internet. Always okay to say "is this the Metafilter thing?" if you're not sure; confused people will say no, Metafilter people will say yes oh hi you made it.
People seem to go with a mix of nicknames and real names, just whatever you can remember and what you feel like offering. I usually just ask for both because I'm terrible with names in general and that gives me twice as many chances.
posted by cortex at 7:16 AM on October 11, 2014
People seem to go with a mix of nicknames and real names, just whatever you can remember and what you feel like offering. I usually just ask for both because I'm terrible with names in general and that gives me twice as many chances.
posted by cortex at 7:16 AM on October 11, 2014
I'll keep an eye on the decided-on date and will join if I can!
posted by area.man at 8:34 AM on October 11, 2014
posted by area.man at 8:34 AM on October 11, 2014
If you see a group of people who *might* be from the internet, you can always use the Secret Code Phrase and ask one of them if they're friends of Matt Haughey. If not, "Ooops, wrong group."
posted by Zack_Replica at 9:12 AM on October 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Zack_Replica at 9:12 AM on October 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
I'm tentatively up for Tuesday at the Alibi.
(Sorry, this is nowhere near Yaletown, geographically, but if you can fit it in, I'd highly recommend everyone to have a meal at Wahh Tee. I think it's pretty new. It's at 4942 Joyce Street, a long block North of the Joyce skytrain station. That's only about 10 minutes by skytrain from the Yaletown-Roundhouse station. They're closed on Tuesdays.
It's Burmese, highly authentic, insanely good, absolutely nutters inexpensive, run by an awesome mother and son team, and if they were in Yaletown they'd be the talk of the town and selling everything at 4x what they currently charge. Seriously good eats, uber cheap, and the food is highly photogenic (the place, less so, but very clean). Their pork (belly) biryani deserves to be on a "Best of Vancouver" list, somewhere. The pastry on the baked samosas should be sufficient for an honorary French pastry degree bestowed upon the chef. Ok, maybe going a little bit too far, but, still.
For visitors with a culinary bent in now-moist Vancouver, The Farmer's Apprentice is (was? a ccouple of months ago, the wait list for any reservation was 2 months, now, a couple of days) exceptional. Affordable, too.)
posted by porpoise at 3:37 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
(Sorry, this is nowhere near Yaletown, geographically, but if you can fit it in, I'd highly recommend everyone to have a meal at Wahh Tee. I think it's pretty new. It's at 4942 Joyce Street, a long block North of the Joyce skytrain station. That's only about 10 minutes by skytrain from the Yaletown-Roundhouse station. They're closed on Tuesdays.
It's Burmese, highly authentic, insanely good, absolutely nutters inexpensive, run by an awesome mother and son team, and if they were in Yaletown they'd be the talk of the town and selling everything at 4x what they currently charge. Seriously good eats, uber cheap, and the food is highly photogenic (the place, less so, but very clean). Their pork (belly) biryani deserves to be on a "Best of Vancouver" list, somewhere. The pastry on the baked samosas should be sufficient for an honorary French pastry degree bestowed upon the chef. Ok, maybe going a little bit too far, but, still.
For visitors with a culinary bent in now-moist Vancouver, The Farmer's Apprentice is (was? a ccouple of months ago, the wait list for any reservation was 2 months, now, a couple of days) exceptional. Affordable, too.)
posted by porpoise at 3:37 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
Alibi room looks great to me, and Tuesday sounds like a good bet. I'll try to remember to bring a mefi tshirt to wear too. "Are you a friend of mathowie" or "friend of Matt" works well- don't hesitate to ask if you're unsure if you've found the right group!
We picked Yaletown randomly, because that's where a nice looking airbnb relatively near the convention center popped up- interesting to hear that people have strong opinions about the neighborhood! We have a neighborhood in Portland that I'm thinking might be similar, called the Pearl District (nice to look at, crazy expensive to live or shop in). The good news is we're driving up, so we're not limited to one neighborhood. The suggestions for restaurants etc. are much appreciated.
aniola, that's crazy timing! It would have been unexpectedly neat if we could have met up in Canada. Have a great time in Australia.
posted by Secretariat at 9:15 PM on October 16, 2014
We picked Yaletown randomly, because that's where a nice looking airbnb relatively near the convention center popped up- interesting to hear that people have strong opinions about the neighborhood! We have a neighborhood in Portland that I'm thinking might be similar, called the Pearl District (nice to look at, crazy expensive to live or shop in). The good news is we're driving up, so we're not limited to one neighborhood. The suggestions for restaurants etc. are much appreciated.
aniola, that's crazy timing! It would have been unexpectedly neat if we could have met up in Canada. Have a great time in Australia.
posted by Secretariat at 9:15 PM on October 16, 2014
I have set this to confirmed, Tuesday at 7:00 (though if it makes sense for folks to meet a little earlier that's probably totally doable to, so just let us know).
Random Vancouver/phone question, while I'm at it: I'll need to pick up a new SIM when we drive into town to stick in my phone, any particularly likely spot to find that?
posted by cortex at 9:30 PM on October 16, 2014
Random Vancouver/phone question, while I'm at it: I'll need to pick up a new SIM when we drive into town to stick in my phone, any particularly likely spot to find that?
posted by cortex at 9:30 PM on October 16, 2014
cortex: If you want service shortly after you hit the border, then Morgan Crossing is an outlet mall near the border—I've driven past it a bunch, so I don't know if there's anything of use there?
If you're okay with getting it ironed out after you're downtown, then Pacific Centre has a bunch of carrier stores (there's an Apple Store too, but if you're looking at plans for less than a month than you'd want to hit up the carriers directly.)
Secretariat: The Pearl has more mixed-use stuff, a remaining industrial core and less soulless condos and yuppies with ornamental dogs; it's not a bad place to visit per se but it carries a lot of the baggage of Vancouver's relatively rapid change from working-class port city to, uh, place that wins livability awards but where median wage is hilariously outstripped by rising housing costs. I may weigh the Pearl more favourably if for nothing more than the Powells/Deschutes/Blue Star trifecta, though.
posted by heeeraldo at 11:39 PM on October 16, 2014
If you're okay with getting it ironed out after you're downtown, then Pacific Centre has a bunch of carrier stores (there's an Apple Store too, but if you're looking at plans for less than a month than you'd want to hit up the carriers directly.)
Secretariat: The Pearl has more mixed-use stuff, a remaining industrial core and less soulless condos and yuppies with ornamental dogs; it's not a bad place to visit per se but it carries a lot of the baggage of Vancouver's relatively rapid change from working-class port city to, uh, place that wins livability awards but where median wage is hilariously outstripped by rising housing costs. I may weigh the Pearl more favourably if for nothing more than the Powells/Deschutes/Blue Star trifecta, though.
posted by heeeraldo at 11:39 PM on October 16, 2014
I'd love to come to this as well! I live in Gastown and am totally up for playing tour guide :) Alibi Room's a solid choice. Tuesday downstairs(or even upstairs) should not be too much of a problem, IMO.
I'd also love to recreate/restage this photo with cortex from 5 years ago ;)
posted by prufrock at 2:40 PM on October 17, 2014
I'd also love to recreate/restage this photo with cortex from 5 years ago ;)
posted by prufrock at 2:40 PM on October 17, 2014
I'll need to pick up a new SIM when we drive into town to stick in my phone, any particularly likely spot to find that?
If your phone is GSM, 7-Eleven convenience stores offer a prepaid wireless service called Speakout Wireless. You should be able to buy a SIM card at any 7-Eleven for C$10.
We were in Portland for a week back in July, and it was awesome. (We took the train down! We biked everywhere!) In comparison, Vancouver is more touristy and expensive. Be warned that whenever Vancouverites get together, there's a lot of complaining about housing prices.
If you get some good weather, a cool thing to do is to take the SeaBus hovercraft from Waterfront Station (next to the convention center) across Burrard Inlet, check out Lonsdale Quay, and turn around and come back.
posted by russilwvong at 4:25 PM on October 17, 2014
If your phone is GSM, 7-Eleven convenience stores offer a prepaid wireless service called Speakout Wireless. You should be able to buy a SIM card at any 7-Eleven for C$10.
We were in Portland for a week back in July, and it was awesome. (We took the train down! We biked everywhere!) In comparison, Vancouver is more touristy and expensive. Be warned that whenever Vancouverites get together, there's a lot of complaining about housing prices.
If you get some good weather, a cool thing to do is to take the SeaBus hovercraft from Waterfront Station (next to the convention center) across Burrard Inlet, check out Lonsdale Quay, and turn around and come back.
posted by russilwvong at 4:25 PM on October 17, 2014
(I have since been informed by a local that your beer is expensive in particular at that one shop near our airbnb that charges way too much for beer.)
posted by cortex at 9:15 AM on October 19, 2014
posted by cortex at 9:15 AM on October 19, 2014
Salmagundi West has tons of stuff that you might not need, but probably want. Antiques. Cards. Jewellery. Things. Downstairs has a huge Chinese chest of drawers and they all have something interesting in them.
posted by Zack_Replica at 4:07 PM on October 20, 2014
posted by Zack_Replica at 4:07 PM on October 20, 2014
I'll be there for the early portion of the evening before heading off the Hindenberg for the start of a revamped version of Shindig.
posted by myopicman at 4:44 PM on October 21, 2014
posted by myopicman at 4:44 PM on October 21, 2014
I'm wearing a bright orange cardigan. We're hard to miss.
posted by heeeraldo at 7:22 PM on October 21, 2014
posted by heeeraldo at 7:22 PM on October 21, 2014
That was a lovely and fantastic time; thank you all for coming out and giving us a nice Vancouver hangout.
In the process of all the beer and fun conversation I failed to actually retain a couple of your usernames (heeeraldo, smasuch, prufrock I knew; Mitheral, russilwvong, myopicman, a pleasure to meet you) so lemme know who else was there so I can put name to pleasant face-slash-chatting memory.
Also, have more meetups. You're cool people, you have mefi in common, you should hang out.
posted by cortex at 11:49 PM on October 21, 2014
In the process of all the beer and fun conversation I failed to actually retain a couple of your usernames (heeeraldo, smasuch, prufrock I knew; Mitheral, russilwvong, myopicman, a pleasure to meet you) so lemme know who else was there so I can put name to pleasant face-slash-chatting memory.
Also, have more meetups. You're cool people, you have mefi in common, you should hang out.
posted by cortex at 11:49 PM on October 21, 2014
It was great meeting you and Secretariat (and everyone else)! Glad you guys enjoyed Vancouver, hope you have a safe drive back.
Other people there: WaylandSmith (he had the cool hat), a friend of Mitheral's (also Russ), and an anonymous lurker.
We should definitely do more meetups in Vancouver, especially over the rainy winter season. I still want to hear prufrock's story about Halifax!
posted by russilwvong at 8:22 AM on October 22, 2014
Other people there: WaylandSmith (he had the cool hat), a friend of Mitheral's (also Russ), and an anonymous lurker.
We should definitely do more meetups in Vancouver, especially over the rainy winter season. I still want to hear prufrock's story about Halifax!
posted by russilwvong at 8:22 AM on October 22, 2014
Nice to meet all of you! Please be aware that I will probably forget your names the next time I see you, because I'm mentally deficient that way. I'd love to do this again sometime!
posted by WaylandSmith at 10:09 AM on October 22, 2014
posted by WaylandSmith at 10:09 AM on October 22, 2014
That was fun. Wish I had more time to spend with y'all.
posted by myopicman at 9:40 PM on October 22, 2014
posted by myopicman at 9:40 PM on October 22, 2014
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by Hoopo at 1:59 PM on October 9, 2014