Tiki Fun at Longitude in Oakland

posted October 29, 2014 6:53 PM | |

Fri November 7 at 6:00 PM, Longitude Bar

347 14th Street, Oakland, CA, USA (Map & Directions)

I may not be able to make it there by 6, and actually I think I'll probably be later still since I feel I'd be better off eating something more substantial than little slices of pineapples with umbrellas sticking out of them, but anyway the bottom line is this sounds great
posted by aubilenon at 12:07 AM on October 30, 2014

I'm down.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 12:14 AM on October 30, 2014

This is a thing that is possible.
posted by rtha at 5:43 AM on October 30, 2014

Aubilenon: Longitude has a full food menu. Scroll down to the bottom of their website to see the food.

However, the food doesn't seem to be the selling point of the place.
posted by bswinburn at 8:31 AM on October 30, 2014

I should be able to make it.
posted by murphy slaw at 9:33 AM on October 30, 2014

Oh, great! I will get there less after 6 than I otherwise would!
posted by aubilenon at 9:38 AM on October 30, 2014

Ooh, yes please!
posted by Lexica at 11:33 AM on October 30, 2014

Looking forward to meeting you all!
posted by bleep at 11:36 AM on October 30, 2014

The food is pretty good there, especially if you have fond memories of "Chinese/Polynesian" restaurants in suburban New England, as I do.

I may come; I've never met any MeFis and this place is a quick walk from my office...
posted by suelac at 4:20 PM on October 31, 2014

But can you get a pu pu pu platter?
posted by murphy slaw at 8:49 PM on October 31, 2014

Yes, you can! Although it doesn't have the neon-orange pork ribs of my youth...
posted by suelac at 10:14 PM on October 31, 2014

Darn it - this is on my birthday and I've made plans. Otherwise I'd SO GO. Have fun, everybody - take photos or it didn't happen!

BTW, if you want to meet my partner, We had a deal, Kyle, a meet-up at Lexi's hangout, "The Trappist", would SO GET HIM.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 7:20 PM on November 1, 2014

[Lexi = Lexica]
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 7:20 PM on November 1, 2014

I really want to come to this. And I will totally admit *deep breath* that I tried to attend a meetup a few months back, but my social anxiety was so great that my bf (also a MeFite) and I sat NEAR you guys before I lost my nerve and walked out. I know, I know! I am embarrassed. I am such a sucker for a tiki theme, though, so perhaps this will push me over the edge to be brave and say hello in person.
posted by missmary6 at 11:08 PM on November 1, 2014 [3 favorites]

I feel your pain, missmary6, and I've done similar things in the past. I hope you can make it!
posted by brundlefly at 11:28 PM on November 1, 2014 [2 favorites]

Oh hey, I didn't realize this was a thing! I am also in town this week and I am totally crashing your meetup, bswin.
posted by Phire at 5:35 PM on November 2, 2014 [1 favorite]

Been meaning to check out Longitude for a while, and getting a two-for-one with Phire visiting as well sounds great. I have alerted the SF/Oakland cabal crew I hang out with!
posted by spitefulcrow at 6:09 PM on November 2, 2014

Happy to hear Phire and Spitefulcrow!
posted by bswinburn at 6:35 PM on November 2, 2014

Missmary, I am way better one-on-one than in a group. Here's permission to drag me away for some one-on-one interaction, if that'd be easier. Assuming I make it. I never manage to make it to anything, because my job is stupid.
posted by mollymayhem at 9:46 AM on November 3, 2014 [1 favorite]

Missmary, this will be my first MeFi meetup, for similar reasons. Honestly I probably wouldn't have the nerve to show up at all if I hadn't had a recent success gathering some Internet Strangers for a weekly role-playing game.

It reminded me that people are often nice and don't bite unless threatened.
posted by murphy slaw at 11:31 AM on November 3, 2014 [2 favorites]

Anybody feeling nervous about it, please do come! I think I spent most of the first meetup I went to sitting silently on the periphery with a slightly nervous smile on my face. After going to one or two more, I now feel comfortable wading into the conversation (until things get too noisy and my wonky hearing issues kick in, at which point I again wind up sitting on the periphery but now with a "I'm having a good time but let's not try to actually converse" smile on my face).
posted by Lexica at 1:59 PM on November 3, 2014 [3 favorites]

Looking forward to seeing everyone this evening!
posted by gingerbeer at 10:12 AM on November 7, 2014

Looks like my roommate, The Light Fantastic, will be coming as well.
posted by brundlefly at 11:43 AM on November 7, 2014 [1 favorite]

Oooh, look at their spirits list (PDF). That is a long and lovely list of rums...
posted by rtha at 2:01 PM on November 7, 2014 [2 favorites]

Oooh, look at their spirits list

That does look good

However, the presence of applejack in the whisk(e)y section raises my taxonomically pedantic hackles.
posted by aubilenon at 2:40 PM on November 7, 2014

Now you now how I feel, when people here in California talk about the "blue jay" they saw on their way to work or whatever!
posted by rtha at 4:54 PM on November 7, 2014 [1 favorite]

OK. I'm about to walk over to BART.

Thanks to a bit of bad luck, I won't be able to logon once I leave here, but I'm about 5'8", brown hair, brown beard, cut short. Both with a touch of grey.

I'll be wearing a grey button up shirt, brown cords, and a blazer style leather jacket if it's not too cold in the restaurant.

If no other mefi's have come along I'll probably be reading. See you all soon!
posted by bswinburn at 5:09 PM on November 7, 2014

I expect the alleged blue jay sighters don't know better, whereas at least some people working at Longitude certainly do know better.
posted by aubilenon at 5:11 PM on November 7, 2014

Sarahnade Abu I are stuck in traffic on the Peninsula. Hopefully we won't be too long.
posted by Space Coyote at 5:43 PM on November 7, 2014

Heading over from 12th & Broadway. See you all soon!
posted by Lexica at 5:50 PM on November 7, 2014

We await BART.
posted by rtha at 6:02 PM on November 7, 2014

We are upstairs!
posted by halifix at 6:06 PM on November 7, 2014

We are about to head over, so see you guys in about half an hour!
posted by Phire at 6:47 PM on November 7, 2014

Still on BART, almost there!
posted by Space Coyote at 7:01 PM on November 7, 2014

We're at still here, upstairs.
posted by gingerbeer at 8:02 PM on November 7, 2014

Thanks you all rescued me from a hellish week. Great venue and I wish I'd been able to stay longer to chat with everyone.
posted by BrotherCaine at 9:21 PM on November 7, 2014

Checking out. It was great to see everyone!
posted by Noms_Tiem at 9:42 PM on November 7, 2014

Had a great time. Wish I'd gotten to chat with more folks (not naming anybody, but if I waved at you enthusiastically when you arrived, consider yourself included in this). Fully up for the various potential future meetups I chatted with others about (amari w/Aubilenon, SpaceTeam with several folks…).

Thanks for providing the excuse to get together, bswinburn!
posted by Lexica at 10:04 PM on November 7, 2014 [3 favorites]

Thank you all for coming! I had a great time!

I would really appreciate everyone who came to post here so I can add you all to my "met" contact list.

If anyone one heads down to the Greater LA area feel free to drop me a line and we can meet up down there. Maybe you can come over to my place and you can see exactly how sadly into making tiki drinks I am!
posted by bswinburn at 10:56 PM on November 7, 2014 [1 favorite]

Thanks to everyone for being so welcoming at my first meetup, but especially to bswinburn for the invitation and Lexica for the words of encouragement. I apologize for having left so early. I did extend your invitation to return to my wife after picking her up at the airport, but she was tired after traveling all day and we still had a long drive home. I look forward to future meetups.
posted by ogooglebar at 8:04 AM on November 8, 2014 [2 favorites]

That was excellent. It was wicked nice to see everyone I hadn't seen in a while and wicked nice to meet those I hadn't met before. As always, mefites are awesome!
posted by rtha at 8:31 AM on November 8, 2014 [2 favorites]

Oh, books we talked about, so I can have help remembering!

I recommended:
Station Eleven (only $5.99 in kindle format right now!)
Mirror Empire

Lexica, I accidentally deleted the note I made about a series you talked about - Heartland? Heartsomething? The top result in search on amazon is a Western romance of some sort, and I'm thinking that's not the series/book you meant. Help?
posted by rtha at 9:22 AM on November 8, 2014 [1 favorite]

Oh, good idea on the books.

For missmarysix I recommended "Murther and Walking Spirits", about a man whose murdered and then sees an after life film festival about his ancestors' lives.

The other book I recommended was "Solomon Gursky Was Here", about a disreputable Canadian family generational epic sprawling over rum running, cattle rustling, The Terror and The Erebus, and a reoccurring spirit that infests some members of the family. It was the example I was using of an author who kept writing "the same book" until they got it right. Fantastic novel.

I guess I was in a Canadian frame of mind last night.
posted by bswinburn at 9:51 AM on November 8, 2014 [3 favorites]

I also have tabs open for Accelerando and Ancillary Justice on my phone.

It was unexpectedly big, and fun! I like listening to people smarter than me.
posted by halifix at 9:52 AM on November 8, 2014 [1 favorite]

What a great time! Thanks everyone!
posted by brundlefly at 11:30 AM on November 8, 2014

Wait, I left before the Robertson Davies part of the discussion? Darn!

The book I mentioned was book 1 of Chuck Wendig's Heartland trilogy, Under the Empyrean Sky — corn, corn pirates, the war against bloodthirsty corn, and more!
posted by Lexica at 11:46 AM on November 8, 2014 [1 favorite]

Oh, I believe Lexica was talking about the Heartland Trilogy but Chuck Wendig. I made a note of that as well.
posted by brundlefly at 11:47 AM on November 8, 2014 [1 favorite]

Uh. By Cuck Wendig. BY.
posted by brundlefly at 2:16 PM on November 8, 2014

Thanks for adding a booklist -- rtha, I've got Station Eleven newly on my Kindle, and for the rest I tucked a list in my purse. I'm always popping into used bookstores, and then cursing myself for never remembering what I was hunting for.
posted by missmary6 at 3:47 PM on November 8, 2014 [1 favorite]

Oh no I missed the discussion of books! Good to see the recommendations. Always hard to find new authors.
posted by BrotherCaine at 4:40 PM on November 8, 2014

Ah, MeFites are always lovely. Thanks for getting me out of the house and providing wonderful conversation in a lovely atmosphere! Keep an eye out for a meetup for pub trivia on the Peninsula- Alexander (Space Coyote) is the Quiz Master and we all know a MeFi team would KICK BUTT!
posted by sarahnade at 8:26 PM on November 8, 2014 [3 favorites]

Oh hey… Rosamunde has a "no electronic assistance allowed" weekly trivia night. I can't think of a bunch of people I'd rather be on a team with. Plotting now…
posted by Lexica at 2:07 PM on November 9, 2014 [2 favorites]

One book I mentioned was The Lean Startup by Eric Ries, when talking about how a business gets started and how to build from having ~12 customers to having 50 to having 1000, etc.

Great talking to you all, had a lovely time.
posted by Space Coyote at 10:28 PM on November 9, 2014

Lexica, consider me a teammate of questionable utility!
posted by brundlefly at 12:48 AM on November 10, 2014

I had a fantastic time! Just what I needed after a long and arduous day. Thanks to bswinburn for calling the meetup and to everyone who came out who made it the awesome meetup it was.

That second floor is a great space, huh? Especially when there's enough of us crowding around that bemused non-geeks just stick their heads in and wander off again.
posted by Phire at 8:18 AM on November 10, 2014

Excellent venue and excellent company! I'll be sure to make it out the next time everyone gets together in Oakland.

I may be available for sausages and trivia, depending on what day and time.
posted by murphy slaw at 9:33 AM on November 10, 2014

I'm sorry I missed it, although I'm happy to hear there's a big upstairs room at Longitude.
posted by suelac at 11:37 AM on November 10, 2014