The Epinions San Francisco Meet and Greet.....Playing on the Bay
Mar 19 '05 (Updated Nov 06 '05)
The Bottom Line This was well worth flying across the country to attend! We are waiting with bated breath to see where the next one will be. Hey Garrett, how about DC?
No sooner had we concluded our festivities in Chicago than the Doc began plotting to attend the Meet and Greet in San Francisco. Never mind finding a new apartment, never mind anything else....booking our reservations to the City by the Bay was paramount. I secured a killer package deal through Priceline back in January and we were on our way. I was also back in the Doc's grace and favor.
The Event
One of the first things you'll know about the events is that they must be held at a venue large enough to host at least sixty people. Believe it or not, this tosses a lot of places out of the running. Garrett found a great spot at the Gordon Biersch Brewery and Restaurant on the Embarcadero. Sure it was a bit of a hike from California Street, but the old Hills Brothers Coffee Company building made a really neat spot for our party. We arrived at about 12:00 and enjoyed an al fresco lunch on their terrace with one of the Doc's old friends. As the parade of Epinions honchos began to ascend the stairs (lined with Epi-dolls) , I knew it would soon be time for the fun to begin.
Leaving nothing to chance, a private room had been reserved for us upstairs. We had the same view, but it was even more spectacular up there. I suppose this had been done as a precaution in case we decided to start throwing food or Epi-dolls around the room.
Who's Who
Sarah, Randy, Garrett, Christal, Will, Brad and Paul were all on hand to greet us. The bartender soon had me fixed up with a Schwarzbier from the tap and I began to settle in. One of the first to arrive was Wayne, who had just moved back to the Bay area from LA. One couldn't miss the effervescent Gaelkm and her husband who had driven over 300 miles from Santa Barbara to join us. I spotted Pam (MrsFitts) and her husband as well. Adriennefoster, Alex (Macresarf1), the Doc and I sat at one of the tables, but it was hard to stay in one place as new faces appeared. Tina, otherwise known as Ladygumby, arrived with her husband as well. She is as charming in person as she is on the computer.
Stephen Murray arrived not long after, but sans Keelung (Jiahong), who managed to miss us because of errant cell-phones. Sometimes, too much technology isn't a good thing.
Sarah introduced me to Sean who's in the process of reinvigorating the Hotels and Travel section with a whole slew of improvements. We chatted for quite a while and I am sure we will be seeing many great new things within the next few months.
Robert (nvherron) and his wife arrived soon after. He shares my fascination with hotels and hotel paraphernalia, so we were soon ensconced in a corner, perusing Hilton directories from the 1960's. What can I say? I just eat this stuff up. I was so enthralled with his collection that I completely missed Horswispr and his guitar. I'm still not sure exactly how this happened and I'm not happy at having missed meeting him.
Finally, I got to meet Megugrrrl. We had tried to meet several times before, but something always got in the way. Not this time! She has been one of the shining lights of the Restaurant category and it was a great pleasure to meet her. Now if I can just meet out Travel CLs!
The Libations Etc.
We had had lunch before, so we only grazed at the buffet. We ought to have skipped lunch, as the spread was tempting indeed. Crab cakes, chicken satay, spring rolls and potstickers stuffed with crab and shrimp were just a few of the offerings. The beer is brewed on the premises. I had their Schwarzbier and a taste of the lighter Marzen. I'll be putting up a separate review of the restaurant soon.
The One and Only DOC!
Stephen Murray
Robert
Adrienne
Wayne
Megu
Gael
Alex
Pam
Tina
horswispr
alow90
Michael
There were others, but my brain isn't functioning on all
cylinders just yet.
A few of those who were expected didn't show, for one reason or another Remember to have a good reason not to show up for one of these. My cat's litter box needs cleaning just won't cut it anymore.
Dick
Keelung
Savanna
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Epinions.com ID:
tombarnes
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 - Top 200 |
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Member: Thomas Barnes
Location: Fort Lauderdale & Washington, DC
Reviews written: 688
Trusted by: 444 members
About Me:
With Barbara in Miami, 2004
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