Spring 2013 Philadelphia meet up - thread #2

Meet up date: May 17-19, 2013



Attendees (18):

Darryl (kidzdoc): Atlanta, GA
Deborah (Cariola): Chambersburg, PA
Zoë (_Zoe_): NYC
Laura (lauralkeet): Chester County, PA
Mike (CurrerBell): Drexel Hill, PA
Monica (crazy4reading): Boothwyn, PA
Tad (TadAD) & Julie (jrzymom): Boonton, NJ
Judy (ffortsa): NYC
Jim (magicians_nephew): NYC
Belva (rainpebble): Washington State
Terri (tloeffler): St. Charles, MO
Brenda (brenpike): Lawrence, KS
Sharon (snash): Philadelphia, PA
Linda (Whisper1): Bethlehem, PA
Flori (tophats): Princeton, NJ
Bill (bertilak): Lansdale, PA
Katherine (qebo): Lancaster, PA

Meet up itinerary:

Friday 5/17:
5:30 pm: Dinner at Jane G's
7:30-10:00 pm: First Anniversary Party at the Barnes Foundation

Saturday 5/18:
9:00-11:00: Breakfast at Reading Terminal Market
11:30-2:00: International Museum Day at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (free admission)
3:00: Large group meet up at Rittenhouse Square for the Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival
3:30-5:00: Dinner (Elephant and Castle)
5:00-6:00: Visit to the Joseph Fox Bookshop
6:00-7:30: Gelato at Capogiro

Sunday 5/19:
10:00-11:30: Morning visit to the Italian Market Spring Festival and breakfast (Nina's Trattoria)
12:00-?: Sightseeing tour
~6:00: Dinner

I plan on doing whatever the crowd wants to do as well. I did all the major touristy stuff when I was there ~10 years ago so anything is fine with me :-)

I should be on the probable list, and intend to do all the Saturday efforts. If I am around Sunday morning, I will probably go to my old church on the UPenn campus.

Jim and I might skip the Barnes, as we were there only last Thanksgiving weekend. But we will be on board for meals, bookstores, and whatever else comes up.

I'm still "possible" for the Philly meet-up, although slipping a little into "Unlikely", I'm afraid, as we had an unexpected situation in January that seriously ate into our discretionary spending fund. All the plans sound wonderful...*sigh*. We'll decide for sure in the next couple weeks. In the meantime, I don't know where "Beech Creek, PA" is, but I'm not there. (I do know where Beach Lake is, but I'm not there, either.) My location should read Clarks Summit, PA.

>3 norabelle414: Great! I look forward to your company, Nora.

>4 vpfluke: Good news, Bob. I had assumed that you were probably coming, based on your previous comments.

>5 ffortsa: Sounds good, Judy. I'll be interested to hear what you & Jim decide to see and do.

>6 laytonwoman3rd: I'm sorry to hear that you may not join us, Linda. I think I clicked on the Location tab on your profile page, which indicated that a library in Beach Creek was close to your home address. I'll correct your location accordingly.

I think it is unlikely that I'll be able to be there this go, but I'm still hopeful for a money miracle! :)

Darryl - thanks so much for getting this ball rolling! I will do my best to move from possible to probable, though I suspect it would be for a day only! Your suggested itinerary sounds wonderful too.

My group's work schedule was published today, and I'm only off from Friday 5/17 through Monday 5/20. It doesn't make much sense to stay with my parents for that short of a time, since I would barely see them that weekend, so I've reserved a room at the Club Quarters, Philadelphia from Friday afternoon through Monday. It's located on Chestnut & 17th Streets, which is two blocks away from the NE corner of Rittenhouse Square. Check in starts at 3 pm, so I'm in for dinner on Friday, along with evening activities on Saturday and Sunday.

For those who are coming to Philadelphia from the airport (PHL), SEPTA has rail service (Airport Line) from each terminal to Center City, which stops at 30th Street Station, Suburban Station (16th-17th St & JFK Boulevard) and Market East Station (11th & Market Streets). Suburban Station is a short and distance from Rittenhouse Square, and Market East Station is just across the street from Reading Terminal Market.

>8 TinaV95: I'm sorry that you probably won't make it to Philadelphia, Tina. We should have an LT meet up in Atlanta sometime, though.

>9 plt: You're welcome, Peg! I'll keep you in the "possible" list for now.

Sheesh. Just checked out where you're staying, but you must have gotten the last room they had. Fully booked. We might have switched to a hotel at these prices.

Judy, I booked my room through Hotels.com. I just checked, and it seems as though rooms are still available there.

Darryl, please scratch me (and Barbara) off the list for coming to Philly. It doesn't make sense for me because I'd be spending too much time traveling and spending too much money on lodging. My friend who was going to come up with me has a mom who is now in precarious health. I'll just wait for the next DC meet-up to see everyone. Hope you can make it down to Baltimore or DC sometime.

Have fun, everyone!

Oh dear, sorry to miss meeting you this round. I hope your friend's mother rallies.

According to hotels.com, club quarters has nothing available. But I'll check back every so often for cancellations.

>13 SqueakyChu: I'm sorry that you and Barbara won't be joining us, Madeline. I'll keep my eye out for any meet ups in Baltimore or Washington that I can attend.

>14 ffortsa: Same here, Madeline; please give Barbara our best wishes.

>15 ffortsa: Judy, Club Quarters still has rooms available from 5/17 to 5/20, according to Hotels.com. However, I just remembered that you & Jim were planning to stay in Philadelphia for a week or so. When I expanded my search from 5/13 to 5/20, the site says that no rooms are available for these dates.

Funny, I looked for a variety of dates and got no positive results. We are planning on coming in that Thursday, but that's still in planning mode. I'll check again. I wonder if somehow they display things differently to different locations or at different times of day.

I'm still floating on where to stay but will probably make reservations at the Mt. Laureal Fairfield soon. Can't beat the associate price ($89/night), so it's worth the drive to the station and the 20 minute ride. But I'll keep checking the downton Marriott in case something opens up. Looks like at the moment they plan to be full of convention folks, bu that may change closer to the date.

Darryl, I live in Center City Philadelphia now, a couple of blocks from Rittenhouse Square. At the very least I'll hook up with you guys Saturday afternoon in Rittenhouse Square. Looking forward to meeting folks. Sharon (Snash)

I just read about this is the State of the Thing, and I would love to join in - I moved to Center City, Philadelphia last summer but haven't done much of the things on the suggested itinerary yet.

Welcome, Sharon and Dev! I look forward to seeing both of you in Philadelphia in May, and I'll add your names to the "definite" list.

For anyone who is still looking for lodging in Philly, I just got an email from Travelocity that lists some great prices at decent to good Center City hotels (many under $150/night, some as low as $79). Here's the link. Of course, not all of them will have rooms on the dates we want, but it's worth a try.

Well, it's certain now...I will have to say "no" to going to Philly with the group. Aside from other concerns I now have two huge family gatherings bookending that weekend, and one of them is mine to organize. I just can't manage all that in one month. I will look forward to lots and lots of reports and photos, though. I think this one may set a record for attendance.

>22 Cariola: Thanks for sharing that link, Deborah. I couldn't find any comparable deals on Hotels.com, unfortunately. I'm using three of my free nights to pay for my hotel room, so I'll keep my current reservation at the Club Quarters for now.

>23 laytonwoman3rd: I'm sorry that you won't be able to join us this time, Linda. Hopefully we can have another mega meet up in the near future, in Philadelphia or elsewhere.

I got my airline tickets today and I have my room booked. I'm so excited now that everything is coming together. Have printed off the SEPTA schedule of times and terminals, but that really seems moot as they run every 30 minutes to each destination. I have an 8 hour overnight flight that gets in at 8:30 A.M. Should be about a 2 or 3 book flight. Musen't sleep as I snore like a freight train. ;-) Hopefully I can get into my room a bit early and have a snooze before dinner.
WOOT WOOT!~! It's gonna happen.

Concrete evidence! How lovely. Are you coming in on Friday or Saturday?

>25 rainpebble: Well done, Belva! My flight arrives at PHL at 1:20 pm on Friday, and I'll check in to my hotel near Rittenhouse Square at 3 pm. I'll definitely be interested in a Friday afternoon and evening meet up with anyone who is in town.

>26 ffortsa: Have you & Jim made your reservations, Judy?

we're staying at an airbnb place on Rittenhouse Square, so we shouldn't be too far from you. I'll get the exact address when I send our host our arrival schedule.

I am coming in Friday at 6:30 A.M. Will have to find something to do before I check in to my airbnb place.

>kidzdoc; will pm you the address and perhaps you can let me know how near/far I am to 30th St. Station and the Square. That would be very helpful. Pleaseeeeeeeee??????????

>28 ffortsa: Sounds good, Judy.

>29 rainpebble: I just posted a PM on your page, Belva. You're in a great spot, 1-1/2 blocks west of Rittenhouse Square. My hotel is 2 blocks east from the NE corner of the Square, so I'll be close by, and I suspect that Judy & Jim will be, too.

I live 2 blocks west of Rittenhouse Square (21st and Walnut). If I can answer any questions about the neighborhood, let me know.

Oh you kids are so awesome! I am sure that I will have a lot of questions. Thank you so much.

>snash; will you be on the cell/email list of kidzdoc? And I just went to your profile page. You and are beautiful. That's one of the drawbacks of this trip for me. I hate to go off and leave our Abby Labby even though the hubby will be here to love on and take care of her. They truly bring so much into our lives.

>kidzdoc; thank you so much for the PM. I printed it off and put it with all of my other paperwork & lists I will be dragging around. You have been such a help and given me the courage to make this trip. That's a long way to travel alone especially at my age. :-)

>Belva, didn't know about the cell/e-mail list of kidzdoc's but I'm willing to be on it. Thanks for the kind words.

What cell/email list?? I'm also willing to be on it.

As it appears there are going to be so many of us at the Philly meet-up it was decided that we may (some of us may) need a helping ear so to speak if we get turned/twisted around. But we didn't want to just throw our cell numbers and email out there, although I think most of us have our email addys on our profile pages. Anyway it was finally thought that if one person had a master-list of our contact information it could work out perfectly. kidzdoc stepped forth and so some of us have been Private Messaging him our contact info and he is creating a master copy. We don't any of us, other than for the master list, need everyone's info but it is felt that all/most of us (especially those of us traveling alone), should have someone's just in case. Things can and occasionally do happen. I have never been in Philly so I know I need someone to call/email if I get lost, turned around, mugged, whatever.
So if you wish to be on that list just P.M. kidzdoc on his profile page with your contact info.

Hope you don't mind my taking your name in vain kidzdoc. :-)

Thank you. If it's okay with you Darryl, I'll PM you with the information. Let me know.

Have folks already made reservations for the Barnes at 11:00ish on Sat, May 18th?

Ooh, I haven't, but I guess I had better get on it.

Oh, no! No tickets available for 11:00 on Saturday! Nothing for 10-10:30 or 10:30-11:00, Members only tickets at 11:30-12:00 and noon, and Docent-led tours only at 10:00 and 11:30. Nothing available, in fact, until 2:30 in the afternoon. What to do? Crap. Would anyone want to do a second tour on in the afternoon or on Sunday? Looking at availability, it would have to be either after 2:30 on Saturday or Sunday at 9:00 or later than noon.

There must be some huge convention going on that weekend. Stuff seems to be booked everywhere. I hope we have at least one event planned where we can all meet up. It would be a shame to plan all this and not get to meet any of you!

Oh crud. You're right, Deborah. I hadn't checked the Barnes web site for a couple of weeks, when there were plenty of tickets available for Saturday. There are general tickets available for 09:00-09:30 on Saturday (which would seem to be way too early for most people), and anytime after 2:30 that day. There are general tickets available from 12:00-12:30 and 12:30-1:00 on Sunday, though, for those who will be in town that day.

What if we altered the order of our plans for Saturday? We could have a group meet up at the Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival after some of us meet for breakfast at Reading Terminal Market, go book shopping and have lunch, then go to the Barnes in the afternoon. Or, if people were interested in going to the Philadelphia Museum of Art we could go there instead on Saturday, and go to the Barnes on Sunday (although some people will miss out, as I believe that some are only planning to come on Saturday). Other ideas?

Whatever we decide we should make plans ASAP, now knowing that Barnes tickets may be hard to come by.

>40 kidzdoc:: We could have a group meet up at the Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival after some of us meet for breakfast at Reading Terminal Market, go book shopping and have lunch, then go to the Barnes in the afternoon. Or, if people were interested in going to the Philadelphia Museum of Art we could go there instead on Saturday

That would be fine with me. The Museum of Art sounds like a good alternative. I've been to the Barnes, albeit in its former location, and I live close enough to visit at another time.

I'm pretty much OK with whatever the group decides -- my main interest is meeting up with LTers.

I can be flexible, since I will check out of the hotel in the morning and can leave for home anytime on Sunday. I want to see the Barnes but don't necessarily need to do that with the group. I haven't been to the Art Museum either.

It sounds from the website that the groups at the Barnes are small, so I don't know how many of us would be able to get in at any one time.

>41 lauralkeet: We would certainly have an easier time getting tickets to the Philadelphia Museum of Art than the Barnes. Both museums are on Benjamin Franklin Parkway, but the Museum of Art is probably 1/4 mile further away from the Reading Terminal Market than the Barnes is.

I'm with Laura; I come to Philadelphia often enough that I could go to the Barnes at any time (and my mother does want me to take her there later this year). There is an exhibit at the Museum of Art that I'd ideally like to see before it closes on May 19th, but it isn't a "must see" exhibit for me.

>42 Cariola: Good point, Deborah. I was just asking my mother about the sizes of the groups at the old Barnes in Lower Merion, and she says that they tend to be small, maybe a couple of dozen at a time.

We don't all have to go to the Barnes, BTW; I'd be interested to find out what the out of towners (Brenda, Terry, Belva) who can't readily come to Philadelphia would prefer.

We would not be going to the Barnes in any case, having been there in November. Does the other museum have timed tickets too? That would be annoying. In but, that only happens for special shows.

>44 ffortsa: Judy, I'm pretty sure that the only timed tickets are for the special exhibits (e.g., the Frida Kahlo large exhibit that was held there several years ago).

I am up for whichever as I haven't seen either and quite possibly won't get the chance again. But I will need info on how to get the tickets when it is decided. Are both within walking distance from the square?
And as Laura said, my main interest also is meeting up with other L.T.ers.

I have to agree with Belva and Laura that I am interested in meeting L.T.ers. I have never been to the Barnes but it isn't something that I have to go to. I do enjoy going to Art Museums.

Speaking for Terri and myself, our priority is spending time with LTrs. Assuming that once we meet up with the larger group at Rittenhouse square in the afternoon, we may not want to part company until after shopping/supper, etc. . .
Let's just substitute the Art Museum for the Barnes late morning and stick with the afternoon (large) meet-up. Maybe we can see the Barnes on Friday or Sunday, depending on availability.

Just took a look at the Barnes site. . . Friday, May 17th is their First Anniversary Party 6:00-10:00, $25. There is also live music (Brazilian?) from 6:00-8:00, $10. Sounds like Friday night at the Barnes might be a fun place to be!

I've seen both the Barnes and Philly Art Museum so it that doesn't matter to me but just to throw in a vote, I think brenpike's
plan makes sense. Those here early enough could try the Anniversary party at the Barnes or whatever fits their schedule.

Belva, both museums are within walking distance of Rittenhouse Square. From there, you could walk north on 20th Street, which would take you directly to the Barnes just past Benjamin Franklin Parkway. If you bore left onto the Parkway, you would see the Museum of Art directly ahead of you, roughly four blocks away. The Museum of Art is also within walking distance of Reading Terminal Market.

We would be able to buy walk up tickets to the Museum of Art with no difficulty. The tickets for the Barnes for that weekend are disappearing quickly!

I'm with everyone else; my main interest is meeting other LTers.

I like Brenda's plan, too! I'll check into my hotel near Rittenhouse Square at 3 pm on Friday, so I'd be able to go. Checking...tickets are still available, so I just bought one for Friday night.

Darryl, Did you buy a general admission ticket or a ticket for one of the Friday night events?

I bought a ticket for the 1-Year Anniversary Party:

http://www.barnesfoundation.org/programs/may/first-anniversary-party?type=Music&...

ETA: From what I can tell these tickets would allow us to see Minas, the Brazilian music group that you mentioned:

http://www.barnesfoundation.org/programs/may/minas?type=Music&month=Show+all...

Thanks Darryl. Off to order tickets . . .

Just chiming in to say, whatever Brenda decides is good for me! It's awesome to have a vacation that someone else is planning for a change! It's like Christmas for me!

She says . . . until we get there, and she's like "what the . . ."
: )

OK, I just bought my Anniversary Party ticket, too, so I'm ready to go!

I live in Havertown, a suburb of Philly, so I would like to add my name as a probable.

Please add me as Possible for Saturday. I can take the SEPTA train in from Montgomery County. Is it necessary or a good idea to pre-purchase tickets for the Barnes?

Thanks.

Brenda, Terri and Deborah: Great! I look forward to seeing all of you at the Barnes on Friday night.

Kathleen and bertilak: I've added your names to the meet up list in message #1.

Tickets for the Barnes on Saturday are now scarce, so several of us have decided to go to the First Anniversary Party on Friday night. We're thinking of going to the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Saturday instead. According to the Members' Calendar I received yesterday Saturday May 18th is Art Museum Day, with free admission for everyone.

Hello! I live in Philadelphia and might like to swing by the park on Saturday to meet some nearby Librarything fellows.

A couple places that you might like to check out while you're here are the Philadelphia Library Company (http://www.librarycompany.org/), and the Rosenback Museum (http://www.rosenbach.org/). The Rosenbach has an added bonus of being about a block away from Rittenhouse square.

Mindy, Both those places look very interesting. The Library Company does not list the exhibit that will be up when we are there, but their permanent collection looks fascinating from a historical perspective. The Rosenbach has a program called "Love Letters" at 3:00 of Friday and Sunday that looks appealing.
Thanks for mentioning those options . . . So many things to do!

Considering some of the following sites:

Mutter Museum
Eastern Pennsylvania Penitentiary
Liberty Bell/Independence Hall/Betsy Ross House/Bertram Garden
Longwood Gardens

Those of you who know Philly, how would you rate these attractions?

I don't know Philadelphia at all but I did go to the Mutter museum about 10 years ago and it was AWESOME. But it's not for the faint of heart.

Mutter Museum - Incredibly awesome, but might be disturbing for some. It's one of my favorite museums in the city, though.

Eastern Pennsylvania Penitentiary- Interesting, with a creepy atmosphere and a lot of history. Very good audio tour (narrated by Steve Buscemi!).

I have not been to Bertram Garden. I hadn't actually heard of it before! It looks very lovely, and I bet it's a great time of year to see it.

Liberty Bell/Independence Hall/Betsy Ross House- The Liberty bell site is pretty nice. You can get very close to the bell, and admission is free. Independence hall is interesting as well. The Betsy Ross House seemed sort of aimed at children. I did not really dig it.

Longwood Gardens- Well out of town, VERY long trip by public transport. I've never been.

So, we should all buy tickets for this Anniversary Party if we'll be around on Friday night? What's happening for dinner?

Thanks Nora and Mindy. Sounds like the Mutter Museum may go on the list of things to see. . . And the Liberty/Independence/Betsy/Bertram should probably be included since it is Philadelphia, after all.
Longwood gardens go off the list and the penitentiary earns a maybe spot!
Appreciate your input . . . Invaluable for Midwesterners seeing Philly for the first time!

Longwood Gardens should be beautiful this time of year--but it's not exactly in the city (Kennett Square is about 30 miles away), and it would take at least half a day to see everything. I'm glad you reminded me about it--I may stop on Sunday before I go home as last year (the first time I went) I was too late for most of the flowers. For anyone interested, here is the Longwood Gardens website. They also have special events, including a summer music series. Last year I went to a marvelous garden light display created by an artist that began after dark.

Another wonderful attraction is Winterthur, the former Dupont home that is now a museum of American arts and crafts. It's in Wilmington, DE, about 12 miles from Longwood. I really loved it and plan to go back sometime this summer; the gardens are just beautiful and very peaceful. The ticket is for two days. Here's the Winterthur website.

Although I would higihly recommend either, they wouldn't be practical for those who will be carless.

For those with cars, the Pennsylvania wine trail is also worth doing, if you like wine tastings.

Wine? Did someone say Wine?

Website for the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail. Again, this is not in Philly proper, but not far if you have a car.

I spent a long weekend in the Brandywine Valley last summer and just loved it. I've lived in PA for 15 years, and there is so much that I haven't seen. Besides Longwood, Winterthur and the wineries, the Wyeth home and museum is there. I haven't been there yet. Oh, and Baldwin's Book Barn in West Chester.

Anybody who is new to Philly should definitely do the Independence Trail--see the hall, the Ross house, Franklin's print shop, the Liberty Bell, etc.

There's some top dining in the city, but a lot of it is a bit steep for my budget. Vetri's is probably one of the best known, but you need reservations way in advance. I'm happy with the many more affordable ethnic places and Reading Market.

I really wish I was staying near Rittenhouse Square instead of over in NJ. I'm still hoping that the downtown Marriott may release some unbooked rooms from the conference before I leave, so that I can change my reservation. Since I'm staying several miles from the train station, I'll have to drive between there and my hotel, so I won't be able to make it too late a night. I'm not quite sure what the neighborhood is like near the station, which worries me a little.

I just put in an order for an online printable ticket to the Anniversary Party. Starting to get really nervous and excited for this trip! Happy, happy!

Is anyone else interested in this from Cariola: Anybody who is new to Philly should definitely do the Independence Trail--see the hall, the Ross house, Franklin's print shop, the Liberty Bell, etc. I would love to do this if there are others interested.

What is the Mutter Museum all about?

Belva, it's a medical museum. According to Wikipedia, it has slides of Einstein's brain, a malignant tumor taken from Grover Cleveland's palate, the liver taken from conjoined twins Chang and Eng, and other lovely specimens that I think I will pass on. Some of the specimens were from people displayed in freak shoes, like a woman with a horn growing out of her forehead and nine feet of the colon of a person called the Human Balloon that contains 40 pounds of fecal matter. But its intention was originally for medical research and education. Medical instruments from earlier periods are also on display.

Hope we aren't expected to dress up for the Birthday Party. I'm just not a dress-up kind of person.

I'm lurking here, still planning to come for one day, most likely Saturday. It looks like a plan was hatched to meet around 9am for breakfast at Reading Terminal, followed by the Rittenhouse Spring Festival, book shopping, and the Art Museum. Is that still on?

Belva, I am thinking Sunday afternoon seems like a good time to do the historic tour, which for me would include the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Bartram's Garden and anything else that is within walking distance.
Mutter Museum on Monday maybe? mmmm

Still on for the Saturday breakfast at Reading Terminal, the Art Museum around 11:00ish, Rittenhouse Square with lunch and book shopping in the afternoon. Dinner plans to be decided by the group at large . . .

I can see (#69) we may need to squeeze in some Brandywine . . .

Bartram's Garden is out in West Philly. I'm very sorry to nit pick, not trying to be a know it all! The area most of the historical sites you are interested in is called Old City. There is a nearby garden, though. http://www.ushistory.org/tour/garden.htm It's cute, but very small. Other neat stuff I can think of in the immediate area are Elfreth's Alley (a largely preserved residential neighborhood from the 1700s), The Physick house (notable surgeon, brought soda to America), The Franklin Fountain (turn of the century style soda fountain, pricey but cool). There's a mini golf course at Franklin Square where the holes are landmarks from around the city, which is a little cheesy but a certain amount of that is expected from put-put.

The Jewish American History Museum and the African American History Museum are in the area as well.

Wow, great discussion taking place here. I'm on hospital call this weekend, so I'll chime in later today or tomorrow.

A few comments: The walk from Reading Terminal to the Art Museum is 1.5 miles. While a pleasant doable walk, it will take some time. There is a free bus, the Philly Phlash that runs about every 15 minutes that would take you from 12th and Market to the art museum. The walk from the Art Museum to Rittenhouse Square is 1.3 miles. Rosenbach and Mutter are very close to Rittenhouse Square as mentioned above. The Bartram's Gardens are lovely but since they are across the Schuylkill River, are more difficult to get to.

> 78

The Phlash is convenient but it costs $2.00 per ride. See http://www.visitphilly.com/tours/philadelphia/phlash/ . You can buy all-day passes at the Independence Visitor Center (6th and Market Streets): http://phlvisitorcenter.com/

Ah yes, sorry about the wrong info on price for the Phlash.

>61 teow: Welcome, Mindy! I've added your name to the "Probable" list for now.

Thanks for the recommendations of the Philadelphia Library Company and the Rosenbach Museum; I haven't visited either of them.

>63 brenpike: I like the Mütter Museum, Brenda. I've never visited Eastern State Penitentiary, so I'd be interested in going there. I was thinking that at least some people, especially the ones who haven't been to Philadelphia, would like to visit Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Elfreth's Alley (oldest continuously residential city street in the US) and other sites from Philadelphia's colonial and post-independence past, so I put that in my list of suggested activities for Sunday. I haven't been to Longwood Gardens, although my mother likes it. I have no idea where it is, though.

I think it would be a good idea for me to list these recommended places near the top of this thread. It would be great if the entire group could meet as one at some point, probably on Saturday afternoon near Rittenhouse Square, but everyone should feel free to design their own plans, of course. I'm planning to stay in town for the weekend, although I'll reserve the option of taking SEPTA Regional Rail to visit my parents in Bucks County on Sunday afternoon.

>64 norabelle414:-65 Right, Nora and Mindy; the Mütter Museum definitely isn't for the faint of heart!

>66 _Zoe_: Zoë, anyone who wants to visit the Barnes and is around on Friday night should consider purchasing tickets for the anniversary party. I just checked, and it seems that tickets are still available. I suspect that we should eat dinner first, probably in the Rittenhouse Square area, and then walk to the Barnes from there. There are plenty of restaurants around there, but I'm not familiar with any of them, as I usually eat at the Reading Terminal Market when I visit the city. Suggestions, anyone?

>70 Cariola: I agree that new visitors to the city should do the Independence Trail. The 9th Street Italian Market Spring Festival is fun (and delicious!), but it isn't a must. I'll probably get up early and go there Sunday mid-morning before it gets crowded (and anyone is welcome to join me, of course), then meet up with those who are going to Independence Hall, etc., as it's been many years since I visited there (although I like spending Sunday mornings reading the paper or a book in the park behind Independence Hall or especially Rittenhouse Square).

>74 lauralkeet: Laura: Yes, that plan for Saturday (Reading Terminal Market, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival, book shopping) is still on. That's what I'm planning to do, although I remain open for alternative suggestions.

>75 brenpike: A historical tour on Sunday afternoon sounds perfect to me, Brenda.

>76 teow: Feel free to advise and make any comments you want, Mindy! Although I visit SE PA every 2-3 months I haven't lived there in nearly 20 years, and you would be far more knowledgeable about the city than most of us. Thanks for those additional recommendations.

>78 snash: Thanks for mentioning the SEPTA Phlash, Sharon! I thought it didn't start running until Memorial Day, but I see that it does run on weekends starting on May 10th, with 7 day service beginning Memorial Day weekend.

SEPTA sells One-Day Convenience Passes for $7.00, which are good for eight rides on all transit vehicles except for SEPTA Regional Rail. I suspect that those of us who are coming into 30th Street Station by train (from the airport or via Amtrak) or bus can purchase these passes from the ticket counters within the upper level of the station as well. You can also purchase them online, for a $1.95 convenience fee, from SEPTA's web site:

http://septa.org/fares/pass/convenience.html

Unfortunately I've had some work issues come up and so I'm not going to be able to make it to Philadelphia. I hope you all have an amazing time!

Nooooo!

But I'll see you in DC a few weeks later.

Boooooo on woirk

>84 norabelle414: Aw! I'm sorry that you won't be able to make it, Nora. I hope to meet you at a future LT gathering.

>86 ffortsa: Boooooo on woirk

Are you speaking Brooklynese, Judy? ;-)

Unfortunately, it's looking like I won't make it either. We have family visiting from Louisiana, and it's going to be difficult for me to break away.

Typos, Darryl. It escaped my notice, but the pronunciation will do!

Jim, after all this time I won't meet you either?? Boo again, even though it's family related.

Of course, with all the people still on the list, I vote for name tags, both LT and real world. I'm going to get SO confused.

>88 drneutron: Thanks for letting us know, Jim; family always comes first IMO. I'm sorry that you won't be able to make it, and I look forward to meeting you in the near future.

>89 ffortsa: I knew it was a typo, Judy, but I had a good chuckle when I saw it.

I'm normally not a fan of name tags, but in this case it may be a good idea, at least when we're trying to find each other. Of the people on the list I've met six LTers and one spouse from past meet ups, and I've seen enough photos of half a dozen others (e.g., lauralkeet and Whisper1) to be able to recognize them at a first glance, but that's it. I still have a name badge from past conferences, so I'll bring it with me.

A few days before the 17th I'll compile a list of names and cell phone numbers of those who wish to share their numbers with the group, to facilitate meeting each other. For those who haven't done so, feel free to send me your cell phone number as a private message, and let me know if I should share it with the others or not.

Note to self: wear a disguise to confuse Darryl.

LOL! You read my mind, Laura. I thought about including a request in my previous message that you refrain from wearing a disguise when we meet.

Hmm...I wonder which of these famous Philadelphians Laura will choose to disguise herself as?





I'm going with the Phanatic.

Damn, you figured it out.

Is there a time set yet for Friday besides the Barnes. I don't know if I will make it to the Barnes. I will be off on Friday so I can meet up with anyone if they are in town. I just have to ride the train.

Darryl I don't remember if I sent you my cell number before.

>93 lauralkeet: I knew it. I was hoping that you'd come as the Princess of Monaco (Grace Kelly), though.

>94 crazy4reading: We haven't yet set a time to go to the Barnes, Monica, although the Anniversary Party runs from 6-10 pm. I was assuming that people would want to eat dinner before going there, but we haven't decided anything yet. For that matter, I'm looking for ideas for places to eat all weekend, except for Saturday morning, assuming that we meet at Reading Terminal Market.

Yes, you did send me your cell phone number.

>95 kidzdoc:: I might change my mind at the last minute, just to keep you on your toes.

I'm coming disguised as Terri Loeffler. No one will ever recognize me....

I will - but I'll keep quiet - for a price!

Disguises? Maybe I should try coming as ....



.... just to befuddle Belva and other Viragoites.

NO, NO, NO!~! It is just ill form to attempt to befuddle Viragoites Mike.

Wow, this is coming up fast! I just finished giving exams and will swamped until grades are due on Thursday. Guess the kitty sitter will be seeing a disgustingly messy house yet again . . .

Ah well, you know what they say Deborah. "Poo happens!" ;-)

I'm really hoping to get get in for Sunday. Saturday is covered in stuff I have to do around here, but Sunday is (mostly) free.

So... Stephen (Ape) really wants to come, but he's all the way in Ohio and doesn't have a lot of money. Is there anyone coming from anywhere near that way who might be able to bring him along? I'd love to try to raise money for him, b/c he's never been to a big meet-up before, but I don't know if there's protocol for that :)

Stephen wants to come??? Really??? REALLY???? That would be wonderful. No protocol that I know of - figure out what's needed and I'm sure a bunch of us will pitch in.

I can definitely kick in some money for Stephen to go. But now I'm even *more* upset that I can't go!

Yup, I'm happy to contribute as well.

o.o

Oh, Stephen. Tell us what you need and we'll start fundraising :)

What do I need? Uhhhh, everyone's forgiveness when I don't go? :D

Stephen, stop being silly :)

How much would it take to you to the Philly meet-up.

He refused to answer this last time I asked as well.

Basically, a flight and accommodations? Does anyone have a spare bed in their hotel room?

Eeeek, no one said anything about airports. o.o

If there is ever anything planned in Ohio, though, that would be much more doable for me, of course.

I guess there's no reason you can't travel by bus/train; it would take way longer, but you have the time.

Greyhound seems reasonable. About 11 hours each way, and around $120 if we buy in advance. I'm sure we can cover this easily.

I agree. And then we need to find someone who'd be willing to take him into a hotel room for a portion of the price.

Also a small food budget

How do we get the money to him?

I still think we need to plan an Ohio meetup at Stephens house.

Think we could hide him under the bed, Bren?

Oh, I'm totally okay with Ohio meetups. I've attended 2 of them, after all. I'm terrified of long distance travel in enclosed spaces with a large group of people I don't know. *Shudders*

The solution would be for someone else just to buy the ticket, and be reimbursed in Philly.

Gotcha. Ok. And someone buy his meals? I am game to buy his meals Sunday, since I won't be there Saturday, and contribute to the ticket.

You're still talking about this...? I feel like we're derailing the meetup thread, this should definitely move to my personal thread, where I'll be more comfortable responding to such talk with various obscenities. :)

>124 Ape: I agree.

Does anyone have recommendations for reasonably priced restaurants in the Rittenhouse Square area? We haven't made dinner plans for Friday, or lunch or dinner plans for Saturday yet.

There are slews of restaurants around Rittenhouse Sq. I can list with some comments on those I've been to and the Web will give additional info about them.

Village Whiskey - high end burgers, would be hard to gather more than 4 to 6
Seafood Unlimited
Audrey Claire - BYO, tends towards noisy and may need reservation
20 Manning Street - as above but not BYO
Square on Square - Chinese
Jane G's - Chinese primarily Szetchuan, excellent, cheap and they give you HUGE amounts
Sansom Kabob House - Afghan, excellent, cheap, downstairs but actually fairly large and pleasant.

There's also a collection of cheaper, some take-out lunch sorts of places if you're interested.

Thanks for those great recommendations, Sharon! I love Szechuan and Afghan food, so Jane G's and Sansom Kabob House are particularly appealing. I'll check them out later today. I'll also look at my Access Philadelphia guide book for other restaurants around Rittenhouse Square, although it's a bit dated.

I figure we should get cheesesteaks at some point. My favorite place, other than the neighborhood places in Bucks County and NE Philadelphia, is Jim's Steaks on South Street. Geno's and Pat's are overrated IMO. Anyone know of any other good cheesesteak joints in Center City?

>126 snash:, 127:
I am all good with you choosing for Friday evening Darryl. I don't have a count on how many of us will be in on Friday. Doh; what's a cheesesteak?

It is so close now and I am getting so excited!~! My daughter is here from Dallas for a week and she flies out Thursday to go home as I fly out for Philly. Perfect timing! :-)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheesesteak. And make sure you bring a good supply of http://www.lipitor.com with you.

>128 rainpebble: Belva, I'd like to get input from as many people as possible for restaurant plans, since I don't know what everyone's preferences and restrictions are (e.g. vegetarian, gluten free, kosher), and because I know very few restaurants in Center City, other than the ones in Reading Terminal Market. What types of foods do you like?

This is a cheesesteak; it's one of the foods Philadelphia is best known for:



If I remember correctly, you, myself, Deborah, Terri and Brenda have purchased tickets for the Barnes Foundation's one year anniversary on Friday night. Judy and Jim will be in town, along with Zoë I believe, but I don't know if they are going to the Barnes or plan to join us for dinner.

My flight lands at PHL just after 1 pm on Friday. I plan to eat lunch at the airport just after I arrive (note to self: remember to bring luggage on board the plane), then take the Airport Line (train) to Suburban Station and walk to my hotel from there (check in is at 3 pm, I think). I was thinking that we could meet for dinner around 6 pm or so, and then go to the Barnes afterward, as the anniversary party is from 6-10 pm. However, I'd certainly be open to going to the Barnes early, and having dinner afterward.

>129 CurrerBell: LOL! And a letter of clearance from your cardiologist would be a good idea as well. We certainly don't have to get cheesesteaks...

ETA: Can everyone who hasn't posted recently or made definite travel and hotel reservations (e.g., the out of towners like myself, Belva, Terri, Brenda, etc.) let the rest of us know if you're coming, and when you are planning to join us? I think that everyone on the "definite" list with the exception of Marcia (allthesedarnedbooks) has chimed in recenly; Jim (magicians_nephew) will be coming with Judy (ffortsa), of course. However, the "probable" and especially the "possible" lists are very much up in the air. TYIA.

My bus gets in at 3:00. I purchased a ticket for the Barnes celebration.

I'd prefer to have dinner beforehand, both because I don't know how much of a lunch I'll manage to have while travelling and because I'll be staying with a friend, so I don't want to get to her place too late at night. Whatever restaurant you choose will be fine with me; I hope it's not super-expensive, but I'll join you no matter what.

>131 kidzdoc: Great! I'm glad that you'll be joining us for dinner and the Barnes, Zoë. I thought that you were, but I wasn't completely sure.

I think that dinner beforehand makes the most sense, too. I also agree that we should choose reasonably priced places to eat, to be sensitive to everyone's budgets. (And, for that matter, I've almost always been disappointed with expensive restaurants, with R'evolution in New Orleans being one recent exception.)

If recent health issues allow, I will take the train to Philadelphia on Saturday morning, and arrive at 30th St either 9:05 or 10:05. If I catch the earlier train, I'll hop onto SEPTA and join you at Reading Terminal Market. If I catch the later train, I'll probably head directly for the art museum. If it turns out that I can't be there, then besides being sorely disappointed, I will let you know.

>134 qebo: Thanks, Katherine. I certainly understand your situation, so don't feel any pressure to let us know in advance (and that goes for everyone else as well). I'll bring my iPad with me (which has wireless access via Verizon), and I can check LT on my smartphone, so I'll have Internet access at all times.

ETA: For anyone thinking of going to the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Saturday, please remember that it's Art Museum Day, and admission is free all day (so don't buy a ticket in advance!).

I looked at a couple of the restaurants that Sharon recommended that interested me the most. Jane G's is Chestnut near 20th St, west of Rittenhouse Square, and Sansom Kabob House is on Sansom between 15th & 16th Sts, east of the Square. The prices are reasonable IMO, and the menu items are very appealing.

Jane G's (Szechuan):
   website: http://www.janegsrestaurant.com/index.php
   dinner menu: http://www.janegsrestaurant.com/pdf/Dinner.pdf

Sansom Kabob House (Afghan):
   website: http://sansomkabobhouse.com/
   menu: https://www.grubhub.com/philly/sansom-kabob-house/?showSmallSearchWidget=Y

Needless to say we don't all have to eat at the same places, for those who aren't fond of these or other ethnic cuisines.

Brenda & I will arrive around noon on Friday, and I believe Linda is picking us up at the airport. I will try almost anything in the line of food except sushi (tried it, didn't like it), so I'm very easy about where to eat. Both of the above suggestions look yummy. It doesn't matter to me if we eat before or after the museum, as long as I know ahead of time which it will be (so I can plan my other meals around it!). We can eat before, then if we feel like it, go someplace after for drinks or dessert or whatever. I'm all about the dessert, as you can tell by looking at me....

> 136. I endorse Jane G's: I've been there 3 times. I get them to actually give me significant peppers in the dishes by telling them that I have dined at the Han Dynasty and worked up to level 10.

Hey there. Still not totally sure if I'll be able to make it down for Sunday or not. I'm sorry!

My plan is to meet whoever is about in Rittenhouse Square Saturday afternoon after you hit the Art Museum. A hint as to when that might be, ~3 PM or so?

On another note, Steve's Prince of Steaks of Northeast Philly has a new location on 16th Street just south of Market. They've got a good cheesesteak. Some say the best but most every location has fans who claim the same.

Daryl, the two restaurants that caught your fancy are both excellent. One word of caution: since you won't be in a position to deal with a doggie bag easily, one dish shared by two would make sense at Jane G's. We ordered one appetizer soup and then an entree each. The food we brought home fed us for two more dinners.

We could also order a variety of dishes and share them all among everyone.

>137 tloeffler: Thanks, Terri. Given your comments and Zoë's, why don't we plan to have dinner before we head to the Barnes, say at 5-6 pm (later is fine with me, as well). There will be cocktails served at the Barnes, but I don't know about dessert.

You'll definitely like going to Reading Terminal Market; it has dozens of shops, many of which sell very yummy desserts. My favorites are Termini Brothers, a longstanding South Philadelphia Italian bakery that makes fresh cannolis while you wait (as it has ovens in the shop) and has other delightful pastries, and Flying Monkey Bakery, which sells sinfully good gourmet cupcakes. There are numerous Amish shops that sell enticing sweets as well. And, we'll have to remember Tad's idea of getting gelato on Saturday afternoon.

>138 bertilak: Good to know that Jane G's gets a thumbs up from you too, bertilak. If we go there on Friday for dinner, should we make reservations in advance? If so, we should get a head count of who will be coming ASAP.

>139 Esquiress: No problem, Esquiress.

>140 snash: Sharon, I was thinking that 3-4 pm would be a good time to meet at Rittenhouse Square. If other meet ups I've attended are any indication we might spend a lot of time chatting, and could easily lose track of time. So, 4 pm might be more reasonable. Thoughts, everyone?

Thanks for letting us know about Steve's Prince of Steaks' new location! I've been to the one at Bustleton & Cottman in NE Philadelphia many years ago, and it was one of my favorites. That may have to be a required stop for me. I did see that there is also a restaurant very close to where my parents live, in Langhorne close to Neshaminy High School. I'll visit them in mid-June, so I can stop there then if no one else is interested in getting cheesesteaks.

>141 snash:, 142 Thanks for the heads up about the size of the dishes at Jane G's, Sharon. I like your idea, Zoë; my Chinese friends from medical school and I normally eat family style when we get together in the Bay Area, and we'll order a variety of dishes that we share, just as you described.

I plan to check into my hotel around 3:00 and then take the train into Center City, so I should be there by 4:30 or so on Friday. I did buy a ticket to the Barnes birthday party celebration; so I'd be happy to meet anyone (Belva, Darryl, anyone else) for dinner beforehand, wherever you would suggest.

If I can find it, I have a great restaurant guide that was put together for a conference I helped to plan. Of course, this was in 2001 and 2010, so some things may have changed. I remember eating at a very good Thai restaurant and also a fine Indian establishment. I can check with my friend Susan, who works in Philly and was the reservation authority for our conferences.

There are so, so many good places to eat near Rittenhouse. If anyone is vegetarian, Su Xing House is a pretty nice place to go. So is Philadelphia Chutney Factory, which specializes in South Indian food (in particular, a kind of crepe called a dosa).

I really like Almaz cafe for Ethiopian food. The menu is not as extensive as most of the West Philly Ethiopian restaurants, but it's close and very tasty.

If you're feeling snacky, you'll be right by Swiss Haus bakery, which is super. And Miel, which is basically cute cake city.

If you want to have a pint of beer (Philly is a great beer city!) You're by a lot of nice pubs: Good Dog, Black Sheep, Devil's Alley, Nodding Head (I've never actually eaten here, haha, just drinks). Monk's Cafe as well, if you're in to Belgian.

There is also Federal Donuts, which makes really great fried chicken.

I don't have an opinion on Center City cheesesteaks, sorry to say. I live in South Philly, where you can get a good one almost anywhere, so when I'm afield I normally opt for something else.

Oh yeah! If you're getting gelatto, I don't think it's possible to beat capogiro. There's one at 20th and Sansom, which is right by the park. If that's already the plan, I apologize!

I'll be there on Saturday. Meal-wise, I'm planning to join everyone for breakfast at Reading Terminal and lunch wherever we end up. I'll probably head home before the rest of the group has dinner. Am I the lone vegetarian? I don't usually have problems finding something to eat, so I can go with the flow. And there's always gelato. :)

146>> I'm veggie (though not vegan) but also go-with-the-flow.

ETA: But I do eat fish, and I'm definitely a sushi aficionado.

I live near Philly and would be taking the train in but I don't know what time people will be there on Friday or Sat. I do have things I have to do in the morning. I have to take care of my dog so that she won't be bad if I am gone for a long period of time.

Now for the food. I am a picky eater. I will figure out what to eat or bring some munches for myself. I try to avoid ethnic food because it is usually loaded with sodium and I hate feeling bloated for days.

I will be taking off work on Friday so I am available most of the day (depending on the weather). I would love to be able to take my dog to the dog park before going into the city. I haven't decided to on the Barnes on Friday. I have trouble staying up late at night anymore. I am usually falling asleep by 8 pm. If you meet for dinner at 6 on Friday I would be interested in joining I just don't know if I would be joining you for the Barnes afterwards. I have to check the train schedule and figure out where to get the train.

Looks like the weather will be decent--which is surprising, as I'm just a few hours east of Philly, and we will be having rain all that weekend. High 70s to low 80s.

Darryl, since you kind enough to ask, I've got bad but and peanut allergies that make southeast and equatorial cuisines a little anxiety provoking. I'll go if I have an experienced guide. But I usually avoid Thai and Indian curry places for that reason.

Here are a few restaurant recommendations from my friend who lives near/works in Philly; all are near Rittenhouse Square. BTW, she is a vegetarian, so these places should work well for everyone.

Twenty Manning Grill
"Not exactly inexpensive, but highly recommended and they *do* take reservations (unlike Audrey Claire, same owners just down the street and wonderful food)."

Tria Cafe
"This is a really nice wine/cheese/beer cafe, more casual than 20 Manning but also very nice."

The Bard's Irish Bar & Restaurant

Julie and I are looking forward to this. We'll be there for Saturday breakfast and into the afternoon. We probably won't be able to stay through dinner as good friends are having a graduation party for their daughter that day and we should make at least an appearance that evening.

So, did we come up with a particular meeting place and time for Friday?

Sorry that I haven't responded sooner; it's been a busy (and painful) week on the inpatient teaching service so far.

>153 _Zoe_: Could we meet at Jane G's at 6 pm on Friday?

How much time do you think dinner will take? My friend who lives in Philadelphia was advising that we might already feel rushed at the Barnes.

Hmm, good question, Zoë. Based on other large LT meetups that I've attended (NYC, Cambridge, Bay Area) we could easily spend two hours chatting and dining. Do you think we should make it earlier, say 5 or 5:30 pm?

ETA: I'll check into my hotel at ~3 pm, so I could meet up with y'all anytime after 4 pm or so.

Yeah, I think 5 or 5:30 might be best. If it's too early for people to be fully hungry, we can always get dessert or something afterwards. (Though I suspect I won't really have a problem eating at any time!)

Sounds good. 5:30, then? Is everyone else who is meeting on Friday okay with that? I've heard from Linda (Whisper1) this evening; she is going to pick up Brenda (brenpike) and Terri (tloeffler) from the airport on Friday, so presumably that makes at least five for dinner on Friday. Deborah has a ticket for the Barnes on Friday, but in my sleep (and vodka) addled state, I can't remember who else does, other than the six of us (Zoë, Linda, Brenda, Terri, Deborah and myself). I can make reservations tomorrow, once I hear from those who are planning to eat dinner there.

Thanks for the great restaurant recommendations, everyone! I think it would be difficult for all of us to have dinner at one restaurant, particularly on Saturday, so maybe people could eat at whichever restaurant they prefer best? Perhaps people could choose from 3-4 different restaurants, so that everyone could dine at some place that suited them best. I'm very fond of South Indian vegetarian cuisine, so Philadelphia Chutney Factory would be appealing to me, as would the previously mentioned Sansom Kabob House. I'm pretty easy going when it comes to restaurants, though.

Jim and I will be in town and can join the crowd for dinner, although we are not planning on going on to the Barnes. If anyone else plans to be in town Friday evening, perhaps we'll find an alternative adventure.

>159 ffortsa: Great!

First, I want to thank Darryl for all the work he put into this meet up.

And then, words cannot express my excitement. I'm staying with Brenda and Terri in Rittenhouse Square. I was able to purchase a ticket for Friday night at the Barnes. I visited the collection at the original abode and feel like such a traitor in going to the new museum. I was so very against the city of Philadelphia pilfering the collection to house it in a new building.

A lot of politics were involved -- the will stated that the collection had to remain in the original location.

Zoe, Judy, Tad, Terri and Jim --- WOW, can it be that we are all meeting again, two years after Richard's lovely bd party!!!!

Bevla, Deborah and all others. I cannot wait to see you.

I will definitely join you for dinner at Jane G's before the Barnes. I plan to arrive at my hotel around 3; hope the traffic on the train isn't too bad in the afternoon.

I need to get my train info in line, since I won't be staying in town. I'm a little nervous about late-night wandering alone in a strange place (i.e., the train station in Mt. Laurel), but I'm sure it will be OK.

Looking forward to meeting everyone.

I'm local, so I'm up for whatever's convenient for everyone else. I don't plan to do stuff like the Barnes, more just getting together with folks.

ETA: Where Asian is concerned, I do avoid MSG (near-fatal heart attack almost exactly two years ago), but these places nowadays tend to have lower sodium on some of their vegetable dishes. And I don't drink.

And we're off! Darryl, did you ever collect those cell phone contacts? Would you PM them to m? I'm taking my netbook and my smartphone, so I can connect with everyone.

Yes, I'll send those cell phone numbers to everyone later today, after I leave the hospital.

So Jane G's is near the Barnes? Does anyone know what the parking is like around there? It's a bit steep at the Barnes, but I'm considering driving in from my hotel rather than taking the train.

Jane G's is near the Barnes. I have no idea about parking, though.

I will be joining the dinner group at Jane G's (if I can find it) & the Barnes (though I don't have a clue as to what that is); Not even going to worry...just going with the flow and am planning on enjoying the weekend and meeting everyone. I will be the short round one with the toothpicks holding her eyes open as I am taking the red-eye both ways. Lots of reading time in the quiet of the night. :-)

So are people going to be @ Jane G's @ 6? That's when I'll figure on meeting up with folks? Is there any reservations issue?

I'll probably park on-street west of the river, in University City, and either walk down or take the Route 21 bus along Chestnut.

As far as parking is concerned, it's not at all good in the Jane G neighborhood. On-street parking is going to be difficult to find. There are probably some indoor lots, but they may be a little pricey.

The advantage to parking in University City is that you can get (maximum) three hours on-street @ $2/hour. Plus, the on-street parking is generally free in University City after 8pm, so you're not in a rush to get back. But if you do that, you'll either have to walk across a Schuylkill River bridge or else take the Route 21 bus east on Chestnut (and going back, west on Walnut).

Most of Philadelphia on-street parking uses kiosks which take $1 (and I think $5) bills as well as credit cards, so you don't need a lot of quarters.

610-955-6598. That's my cell number. If someone calls me on it, I'll do my best to answer, but I'm lousy with this technology since I use e-mail for just about everything. (I really only have a cell to call 911 or AAA in an emergency.)

Daryll, is there some kind of listing you've got where I can check others' cell numbers?

OK, I will be going back to my original plan and take the train in. So my next question is: which stations do I get off at to get to Jane G's and the Barnes? Patco's website just keeps shooting me to the Visit Philly website, no matter what station I click on.

Here's what I know, having just done it. We came in to 30th Street Station and took the east-bound trolley (which is underground) to the 19th Street stop (only two stops), which lets you out at 19th and Market. Walk with the car traffic (in that direction) to Walnut Street. Voila!

Of course, I can say this because we just did it. It's not my first time in Philadelphia, but my first time on the public transport. See you there!

Oh, when we got to 30th Street Station, it was a little confusing to find the trolley. But the entrance is outside the main station, and is also the entrance to the other kinds of transit. Don't cross the main drag in front of the main station. Actually, we asked the travelers' aid ladies and they pointed the way. The fare is nominally two dollars, but two tokens cost $3.10.

I believe we're meeting at 5:30 for dinner, not 6?

I have to check with my friends (the couple I'm staying with), but it's possible that they'll want to join us for dinner, so that would make two more. This is the same friend who was worried that 4 hours wouldn't be enough at the Barnes, though, so maybe she'll want to skip dinner and go directly there.

171> If you're coming in on regional rail, I would get off at Suburban Station, which is just around 16th & JFK Blvd.

Jane G's is 1930 Chestnut St, so you'd walk south from Suburban Station, cross Market Street, and then the next main street is Chestnut. (There may be some little side street in between.) Then just walk west along Chestnut to 1930 (which will be almost at 20th and Chestnut).

Going from Jane G's to the Barnes (2025 Ben Franklin Pkwy), you'd walk 20th Street north to the Ben Franklin Parkway. As you're walking north on 20th St, you'll see the Franklin Institute on your left, and the Barnes is just a bit north of that.

173> Thanks. 5:30 it is, then. Considering how local I am, it's all the same to me, whatever's best for everyone else. Here's my mug shot:

Okay, I've sent PMs with cell phone numbers to everyone who has provided me with theirs.

ETA: I still need to sign my residents' progress notes and discharge summaries, so I'll check back in once I'm finished.

Ack, I am getting confused. Here are the stops that PATCO lists once the train crosses the river into Philly:

15-16th & Locust St.
12-13th & Locust St.
9-10th & Locust St.
8th & Market St.

That's it. No 30th Street Station, no Suburban Station. The hotel I am staying at is in Mt Laurel, NJ, and their website says they are a 10-minute drive from the Woodcrest train station.

This is just getting too dang confusing. I found the SEPTA map, and it looks like I will have to make two or three line changes to get to 30th St or Suburban St Station. At that rate, it will take me an hour to get there. Crap..

178: I just dropped into this thread. Hope you're still here. Get off at the PATCO 15-16th & Locust stop. Locust is 2 blocks from Chestnut.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=philadelphia+pa&hl=en&ll=39.949753,-75.17...

179> THANK YOU! That sounds much better. I see that Jane G's is near the corner of Chestnut and 21st. I can manage seven blocks.

Now if I can just figure out how I am going to park at the Woodcrest Train Station, which only lets you park with a FREEDOM card, which I don't have . . . you can get one at a kiosk, but how do I get to a kiosk if I can't park in the first place?

I think I solved that one. You can park in the gated lot for free after 10:00 a.m. I will be arriving around 4-4:30, so hopefully I can find a space. Then I will buy a FREEDOM card at a kiosk for use over the weekend.

This is a lot more difficult than traveling around DC, where there is a Metro station a few blocks from every hotel, even those pretty far out of the center city.

180: Suburban or 30th St wouldn't get you any closer, and you'd end up walking further through a maze of confusion if you switched to SEPTA.

Yes, I can see that from the map you included. I was looking at the SEPTA map; subway/train maps always skew what you see in terms of on foot directions.

So much for the newbie experience! Glad you got the real stuff.

By my count, there are 10-12 people who are meeting for dinner at Jane G's tomorrow night: me, Linda, Terri, Brenda, Deborah, Mike, Judy, Jim, Belva and Zoë, and perhaps her two friends. So, I made a reservation for 12 at 5:30 pm, under my name (Darryl Morris).

Since I wasn't able to visit this site until now I didn't realize you guys were making dinner plans all day. I don't thing I will be joining you guys for dinner since I am not visiting the Barnes.

I may just ride the train in just to get familiar again with the stations and the area. If anyone is available during the day just let me know. I would be fine just to meet and talk if anyone is available.

Let me know what is going on for Saturday. I should be free most of the day on Saturday and I am interested in visiting the Art Museum.

I am heading to bed will check this thread tomorrow morning. I did see the PM with the phone numbers so I will be adding those numbers to my phone in the morning.

Hope to see you guys soon!!

185> Monica, bounce up to the top of the thread. Darryl posted in message #2 a tentative schedule for the weekend, things that most people expressed interest in, including the art museum (which I also want to see).

183> I've been to Philly several times--but generally for conferences, so I drove to the hotel, parked, and did everything else on foot. I'm good on the DC Metro and London tube; not so good on buses or systems where I have to make a lot of transfers. I think I have it sorted out now, thanks to qebo.

I am not going to be able to make it to Philly for the meet-up. I am way too backed up at work here on Long Island.

Everybody have fun this weekend. Wish I could be there!

Oh, and *somebody* take some pictures. :)

I've updated the itinerary and list of probable and possible attendees. Other that Marcia (allthesedarnbooks) I've removed everyone who is not from the immediate area (between NYC and DC) and hasn't told us of their plans to come yet. I'd appreciate it if anyone from the probable and possible list who hasn't chimed in in the past week or two would do so today.

I'm sorry to hear that you won't be able to join us, Bob. Thanks for letting us know.

I'll have my smartphone with me at all times, and I'll bring my iPad as well. I'm about to leave for the airport; my flight leaves from Atlanta at 11:15 am and arrives in Philadelphia at 1:14 pm, so I won't be available during that time.

See all of you soon!

ETA: I have my camera (and smartphone) with me, Jim, and I know that Zoë will take plenty of pictures as well.

Yup, I'm charging my camera battery now!

My friends decided that they want to maximize their time at the Barnes, so they won't be joining us for dinner after all.

I'm sorry I won't be there in person (I'd hoped to manage it, but things are pretty crazy around here at the moment and since I'm traveling to NYC in a week and a half for BEA, two trips just proved unworkable) but I hope you'll all take lots of pictures! Have a wonderful time!

Thanks for letting me know, Zoë. And, I'm glad that you did. I reserved a "table" for 12 at Jane G's using OpenTable, and when I went to modify the reservation to seat 10 I was told that there were no "tables" for 12 before 7:30 pm. I modified the reservation for 5, but I can't seem to make a second reservation for 5. If someone who has an OpenTable account could do that this would be great; if not I'll try to call the restaurant either just before the flight leaves or just after it lands. You can make a reservation directly from Jane G's web site by clicking the "Private Parties" tab, but you'll need to have an OpenTable account (which is free) to make the reservation online.

Okay, I made the reservation for 5 people at 5:30 (it didn't actually seem to require an OpenTable account, though I created one afterwards anyway). In the special instructions, I said that we'd like to be seated as close as possible to your group.

Great; thanks, Zoë!

186 > Deborah- Yes I knew they were planning the Art Museum so I figured it would be best for me to miss doing Friday night so that I can spend most of Saturday in the City. I have to get myself familiar again with the train schedule. I figure that we are going to be doing a lot of walking or are we going to be using buses and everything too?

Do we have a place to meet at the Reading Terminal Market on Saturday? I am going to try to be there early. I have to walk my dog in the morning and give her lots of attention because she is going to be alone most of the day on Saturday.

I have a LT tee shirt which I plan to wear. So if you see a strawberry blonde woman walking around confused with a maroon LT t-shirt on then that will be me.

To all who are traveling at this time have a safe trip. I hope to see most of you on Saturday!!

Hello all! I'm going to be taking the train up from Princeton on Saturday to join the meet-up (though I should have mentioned it earlier, oops). I've never been to the Reading Terminal Market-- I wonder, how lost am I going to be trying to find a group of strangers there? :)

I look forward to meeting some of you on Saturday!

I've just checked into my hotel room at, the Club Quarters, on 1628 Chestnut St, between 16th & 17th Sts. Jane G's is nearby, at 1930 Chestnut St. I'll probably leave from here at 5:10-5:15 pm.

>195 crazy4reading: I think we should meet at the central dining area, which has plenty of tables that can be connected together.

Somewhere further up someone (snash?) mentioned the Phlash bus (http://www.visitphilly.com/tours/philadelphia/phlash/), which makes several stops in Center City, including the Museum of Art. It's $2 per ride. We may want to take that to go to the Museum from Reading Terminal Market, but we should be able to walk from the Museum to Rittenhouse Square. I was planning to go to the Italian Market Spring Festival on Sunday, and we'd have to take the Broad Street Subway to get there from Center City.

>196 tophats: Are you planning to come to Philadelphia by Amtrak, or SEPTA? If you take SEPTA from Trenton, get off at Market East station, the last stop in Center City. Suburban Station. Head toward the exits that say Filbert St, which is one block north of Market St; Reading Terminal Market is literally just on the other side of the street.

> 196 tophats

Yes, RTM is huge: it occupies a whole city block.

Finding a group of strangers is easy: just look for a group of folks who are strange!

Actually, all we have to do at Reading Terminal Market is to find crazy4reading as per #195.

Due to family commitments I will only be joining in Saturday from around 9 am to 3 pm.

>198 bertilak: I'm glad that you'll be joining us, bertilak.

Monica, you can also phone or text one of us. I'll be there by 9 am, if not before then, and I'm pretty familiar with the market.

I'm really tired. I'll definitely be there for dinner tonight (and all day Saturday and Sunday, of course), but I'm seriously thinking of skipping the anniversary party at the Barnes tonight. I'll bring my ticket with me to Jane G's; if anyone wants to go and doesn't have a ticket, you can have mine for free.

Just popping in to say that life here has become pretty hectic. I had so hoped to be able to do this, but alas. Have a wonderful time and I'm looking forward to seeing lots of great photos.

Sorry to hear that you won't be able to make it, Peg. We'll have to meet up in NYC later this year.

I've arrived in Philadelphia :D. I'll be heading out for dinner in about 10 minutes.

Peg, we'll just have to meet in NYC!

You all have a great dinner tonight! I printed the Septa schedule, and the map of the city so that will hopefully be helpful for me.

Hey, folks. I'm not going to be able to swing Sunday like I thought I would. My husband doesn't like the idea of my driving into the city, and I should really attend a pastoral installation service at 4 that day too.

I'm bummed :(

If a meet-up is planned around the National Book Festival in September, I'm already planning to go, though!

If a meet-up is planned around the National Book Festival in September

It is! :)

>206 SqueakyChu:: Thanks, Squeaky. Could you point me toward the thread?

I don't know if one was started yet. Norabelle414 planned last year's fun event. I'm hoping she will do so again. I think the focus has been on the Philly meet-up for now. It's easier to get a big crowd together if only one meet-up is planned at a time. However, here's the link for this's year National Book Festival.

We had a great meet up over dinner at Jane G's, an excellent Szechuan restaurant recommended by Sharon (thank you!). Ten LTers were in attendance; we ate and talked nonstop for two hours, and we probably could have spent another two or three hours talking, but most of the group walked to the Barnes Foundation for the anniversary party. I decided to make it an early night, so that I'll be fresh for tomorrow and Sunday.

Plenty of photos have been taken, especially by Zoë and Linda, which are forthcoming.

It was Outrageously Spectacular; both the meal & the company. Thank you Darryl for putting so much of your time & heart into this event. It was so nice to meet you all & I am still so stoked!!

Just got home from center city. See y'all tomorrow for 9am breakfast at the Reading Terminal.

>209 kidzdoc: Yup, I was actually just thinking how we could have happily sat talking for hours!

I'm a little bit concerned about getting to and from the art museum tomorrow, given how much longer everything takes with a large group. We got to the Barnes around 8:30.

Glad to hear that you enjoyed Jane G's. I'll see those of you who make it to Rittenhouse Square tomorrow.

I'm getting organized here in Lancaster, will catch the 8:55 train, due in Philadelphia at 10:05. If the train's on time, I'll join you at Reading Terminal Market for a bit. Otherwise, I'll see you at the art museum.

I'm having my morning coffee and will hit the road soon, ETA Reading Terminal 9am. Woo hoo!

I fell asleep just after 9 pm and except for being awake for an hour in the middle of the night I didn't wake up until 6:45 am. I'm feeling much more rested now.

I'm glad you enjoyed dinner and the company, Belva. So did I, and everyone else I suspect.

See you soon, Mike.

Wow, that was late to get to the Barnes, Zoë. We'll have to keep an eye on the time, so that we get to Rittenhouse Square to meet up with others who aren't planning to go to the Museum of Art.

We were talking yesterday about either walking or taking the Phlash trolley from Reading Terminal Market to the Museum of Art, which is a distance of 1.5 miles. It's a pleasant and scenic walk, and that's how I usually go. However, if anyone would rather take the trolley (which is really a bus that looks like a trolley), it runs along Market Street west from Delaware River to City Hall, goes around City Hall, then proceeds in a northwesterly direction on Benjamin Franklin Parkway to the rear of the Museum of Art. Here a map of the Phlash route:

Same here, Laura. I'll leave from here around 8:40, so I'll be there a little before 9:00. See you soon!

I'll probably get to Reading Terminal Market around 9:15. I'm still feeling a bit tired from a late night yesterday, so I'm getting a slower start this morning.

I definitely think we should take the Phlash.

Julie and I are at Reading Terminal. Not knowing what most of you look like, is there a specific meet spot?

*sigh* Imagining all the fun and lively conversations that must be going on by now.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful time! :)

Well, I was with the group today from about 9-3 and had a wonderful time!! Zoe wins the shutterbug award, having taken a million photos which will be fun to see. It was such a thrill to meet so many LTers face to face, and everyone was exactly as they are here. Such wonderful, smart, and of course well-read people. Although we spent our time "doing" things like visiting the Museum of Art, it was the conversation I enjoyed the most. When I left, the gang was heading out for a late lunch (early dinner?) and, I'm sure, more interesting conversation.

Hope you all enjoy the rest of the weekend!

I joined the group for their "lupper" or 3:30PM dinner. I was really glad to put people with those I knew only by nickname and reading commentary and thoroughly enjoyed the conversation. When I left them they were "safely" tucked away in a book store trying not to buy too many. From there they were heading for gelato for dessert; a perfect gathering alternating art, books, food, and conversation.

I'm back home in Lancaster after a routine train trip and splurging on a taxi instead of walking the 2+ miles home. Great to meet familiar and unfamiliar people. I'll post photos tomorrow.

Day two of the meet up is now over, and I think it's fair to say that all 18 of us had a blast. We started the day with breakfast at Reading Terminal Market, one of the country's oldest indoor markets with dozens of delightful shops and restaurants. Most of us ordered from The Grill at Smucker's, an Amish restaurant that makes great breakfast sandwiches and omelets. We sat and chatted for two hours there.



Visible in this photo taken at Reading Terminal Market from left front to rear are Zoë (_Zoe_), Brenda (brenpike), Tad (TadAD), Bill (bertilak) and Flori (tophats, in the teal shirt). From right front to rear are Laura (lauralkeet), Terri (tloeffler, partially hidden), Linda (Whisper1) and Julie (Tad's wife). Not visible (other than yours truly): Jim (magicians_nephew), Judy (ffortsa), Monica (crazy4reading), Mike (CurrerBell), Katherine (qebo).

After breakfast we took the Phlash bus to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which had free admission for International Museum Day. Most of us split up into small groups, to see the rooms and exhibits that interested us the most. We reassembled, and then headed to the Rittenhouse Square area for the Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival, meeting at the nearby Barnes & Noble on Walnut Street. From there we walked over to The Elephant and Castle, a nearby English pub, for a late lunch:



From left to right: Monica (crazy4reading), Mike (CurrerBell), Linda (Whisper1), Jim (magicians_nephew), Tad (TadAD, hidden behind Jim), Julie (Tad's wife), Katherine (qebo), Judy (ffortsa), Deborah (Cariola), Brenda (brenpike), Terri (tloeffler), Sharon (snash) and Zoë (_Zoe_).

After lunch we visited the Joseph Fox Bookshop, an independent bookstore whose small size belied the quality of its stock. Most of us bought at least one book there, which will be shown in other photos.

Our last trip of the day was a visit to Capogiro, to get gelato and, for me, coffee granita (water ice).

I only took a couple of photos, but Zoë and nearly everyone else took dozens of photos, which should appear here soon.

Tomorrow a smaller group is planning to meet up at the 9th Street Italian Festival, weather permitting (it's raining now, and we're supposed to get more rain tomorrow).

Thanks to everyone who came and helped organize this superb meet up!

>#224:
It was lovely to meet you qebo even though we didn't have a lot of time to visit. I really enjoyed the conversation between you & TadAd. Hopefully another time, eh?
Glad you made it home safely. See you on the threads.

223> When I left them they were "safely" tucked away in a book store trying not to buy too many.

A few of the "book police" got incriminating photos of our hauls. I was good (just two), but I'm local, didn't want to carry a whole lot on the subway back to my car, and can always get anything later. And {grrr}, imagine how you feel when you see an autographed copy of The Burgess Boys, which you already won and wrote an ER review of. There were a couple tempting biographies of John Keats and Edmund Spenser, neither autographed, but they're both readily available.

"All" I got at Fox's was an autographed copy of Maya's Notebook. (They have an exceptional number of autographed titles, including The Burgess Boys). I'd earlier stopped in to B&N to get a copy of the new Oxford annotated edition of Charles Kingsley's classic The Water Babies. The new edition is reviewed in today's NY Times. Kingsley and Allende will both show up in the incriminating photos when the "book police" post them.

There's also a used bookstore (Whodunit? -- which years ago was all-mystery but is now more general) across from the place we ate on Friday night. I was there early, so I peeked in to see what they'd gotten since I last was in. Picked up the Oxford Anthology of Scottish Poetry and something in hardcover by Pat Barker for eight bucks each. Then I walked in to our restaurant and met Belva, and she thought I'd brought it with me for sale. (I promise, Belva, if I discover I've got a duplicate copy, the Scottish Poetry is yours.)

I bought two books from my wish list at Joseph Fox Bookshop: Americanah, the latest novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, which is the love story of a couple in Nigeria, the US and the UK; and Basti by Intizar Husain, published by New York Review Books, an epic novel about the history of Pakistan. Husain is one of the finalists for this year's Man Booker International Prize, which will be announced on Wednesday. I also bought Granta 123: Best of Young British Novelists, the latest edition, which features work by the magazine's choice of the 20 best Commonwealth authors under 40. From that list I've read books by Tahmima Anam (The Good Muslim), Adam Foulds (The Quickening Maze, The Broken Word), Xiaolu Guo (A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers, UFO in Her Eyes), Sarah Hall (How to Paint a Dead Man), Nadifa Mohamed (Black Mamba Boy), Ross Raisin (God's Own Country), Kamila Shamsie (Burnt Shadows) and Zadie Smith (White Teeth, On Beauty, NW, The Autograph Man). I'm currently reading Taiye Selasi's debut novel Ghana Must Go, and I'll read The Teleportation Accident by Ned Beauman and Ours Are the Streets by Sunjeev Sahota later this year.

It was great seeing everyone yesterday! I'll be spending today with my friends who are generously hosting me for the weekend, so photos will probably not be posted until tomorrow.

I bought Grammar-Land at Joseph Fox.

Philadelphia Museum of Art:


kidzdoc, _Zoe_


_Zoe_, kidzdoc

Elephant & Castle:


snash, _Zoe_


CurrerBell, Whisper1, magicians_nephew, tophats, TadAD

Joseph Fox Bookshop:


tophats


brenpike, tloeffler, Whisper1


crazy4reading, CurrerBell


CurrerBell, kidzdoc

The photos are delightful, especially the last one with "incriminating evidence". Thanks for sharing them. It looks as if great fun was had by all.

It makes me soooooo nostalgic to see you all in Joseph Fox - glad to see the elderly lady behind the counter is still there - there are some younger people who work there too, incredibly knowledgeable too, and sometimes an insanely cute mini-dachsund. If she was there you'd have all taken photos. I used to go crazy in that store! And Capogiro! There was a ginger something one that I was wild about. Hope you tried some of the more exotic flavors.

Intensely sorry I missed this great event.

I had a blast yesterday and will be taking today to rest up. I was up at 5 to walk the dog and then headed into Philly. I got home around 9:30 pm.

It was great meeting everyone and getting to know you all so much more. So much wonderful conversation going on. I loved listening to all the stories and finding some very interesting books to add to my wishlist.

Thanks to Darryl for planning this meet up. Also thanks to Mike for walking a few of us ladies to our respective transportation locations after the gelato and the incriminating photos being taken of our books.

This was my first meet up and I am so happy that I decided to go. Hope to see you guys soon and enjoy the rest of your weekend!!

I love all the photos and it looks like a great time was had by all. The scene of the crime looks like a fabulous place to get lost in:-)

232: The elderly woman gave treats to visiting dogs, and we told her about LibraryThing.

I have been living vicariously through the photos and descriptions of this Fabulous Philly meetup. I look forward to more stories from Brenda and Terri when we have our own much smaller Kansas meetup in June. One of these days I'll make it to one of the big ones and meet more LTers.

Perfect word for Sunday pass-throughs!

It was so lovely to meet all of you!

At Reading Terminal Market: Jim (magicians_nephew), Judy (ffortsa), Julie (jrzymom), Linda (Whisper1), Brenda (brenpike), Mike-barely visible (CurrerBell), Darryl (kidzdoc), Zoë (_Zoe_), Belva (rainpebble), Laura (lauralkeet), Bill (bertilak)

A few more folks, this time at Elephant & Castle:



Darryl (kidzdoc), Monica (crazy4reading), Mike (CurrrerBell), Linda (Whisper1), Jim (magicians_nephew), Flori (tophats), moi (TadAD)

...and...



Brenda (brenpike), Terri (tloeffler), Sharon (snash), Zoë (_Zoe_), Darryl (kidzdoc), Monica (crazy4reading)

Wow, great pics!

This morning six of us met in South Philadelphia, to see the 9th Street Italian Market Spring Festival. The Italian Market was made famous in the first or second Rocky movie:



We walked up 9th Street as the festival was just getting started:



Left to right: Brenda (brenpike), Terri (tloeffler) and Jim (magicians_nephew)



Left to right: Judy (ffortsa) and Linda (Whisper1)

After a couple of failed attempts to find a place to have breakfast we stopped at Nina's Trattoria, which had just opened and was empty. We split up afterward; Judy & Jim left to return to NYC, I came back to the hotel room to take a nap and prepare for my hospital committee meeting tomorrow, and Linda, Terri and Brenda went sightseeing. I'll catch up with the three of them for dinner tonight.

BTW, all of these photos are a tiny fraction of those that have been taken so far.

Brenda, Linda, Terri and I are going to have dinner at La Viola (253 S 16th St) at 6:30 pm. If anyone else wants to come please let us know!

>239 TadAD: Quick posts, all you camera folks. Missing name: Terri, between Linda and Brenda at the Reading Terminal Market.

Great photos! I love seeing all the smiling book-lovers out and about together :)

I'm glad the fun continued! I just got home, after a bit of a bus delay. I think I'll wait until tomorrow to post pictures, because I'm rather tired. I'll put a few here, but mostly they'll be on FB; send me a message if you want the link. You can also support this RSI if you'd like to see the photos here.

LOVE the photos!!! More please. As many as you can!
I would be insanely envious but there's no joy in that, so I'll just have a vicarious good time.

So, I'm having some issues sharing the photos via Facebook. Does anyone know if there's a way to give access only to people who have the link, without making the album fully public?

How about this, Zoë?

How to Create a Public Link For a Facebook Photo Album

Using these instructions, I was able to create the following link for the 2011 Cambridge meet up that I, Fliss (flissp), Rachael (FlossieT) and Jenny (lunacat) attended:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2226381612784.2126690.1045094744&t...

249: Yeah, but she wants to limit access to specific people, and not necessarily people with Facebook accounts. I don't see a way to do this; FB doesn't have much incentive to accommodate people who are not members of FB-world.

I think I may end up just making it viewable to everyone temporarily, and then switching it back to friends of friends. That's probably the easiest solution. (Pestering of Tim/Jeremy will continue anyway.)

I logged out of my Facebook account on my iPad, clicked on the link for the Cambridge UK meet up that I posted above, and I can view the photo album without being logged into FB or having a FB account.

Oh, that's weird. That album says that it's visible only to your friends. Does the link work for other people? That would be exactly what I was trying to do, if I could figure out how to do it; qebo said that the link I gave her didn't work until I changed the album settings to Everyone.

Oh. I haven't asked anyone else to try this link. My FB settings are very restricted, as an old GF was stalking me on FB and elsewhere (a long story that I won't get into here). Hmm...I'll have to think of someone I know and trust who isn't on FB to see if they can view this album. Given your comment and my strict settings I suspect that this won't be the case, though.

I think this is promising, actually. It says it should be available to anyone, regardless of their privacy settings--I was also able to see your link while signed out of FB, in another browser.

I asked qebo to test it, and I'll also try giving that my new link to other people who ask. The problem may be solved!

(I still do plan to post some photos to this thread eventually, but the process of uploading them to LT drives me crazy.)

Great! Let me know if it works.

Adding 53 photos from FB to LT would be extremely painful. I added four meet up photos, and that was bad enough.

I definitely don't plan to add all 53. But even the prospect of adding 5-10 is pretty unappealing, so I'm putting it off for now.

255: The first link you sent me is inaccessible. The second link is accessible. The difference is the stuff after the ampersand, which is missing in the first link.

I'm home and simply want to say there are no words to express the special time we had! Incredible doesn't do it...because it was more than incredible. Special....sounds trite, but it truly was special....Awesome...yes, but still that doesn't do it...

As avid readers, I think we understand that there are instances when feelings simply cannot be captured by words.

Thanks to all for a superb meet up!

regarding post #226, you will find Deborah (Cariola) between Judy and Brenda. What great photos~! Thanks for posting them....mine will hopefully be posted tomorrow.

I can view the Cambridge album, and I'm not even on FB at all anymore. So I think whatever's going on in #249 works.

What I loved about this meetup was that each and every LTer was just as nice and intelligent and interesting and unique in person as they have been here on the threads--not a single disappointment! It was wonderful to meet so many people that I've chatted with and shared books with, people whose reviews and comments have led me to seek out books that I've enjoyed, people who (though I had never met them until now) I've considered friends. And meeting them gives the lie to the theory that everyone is really someone else online. Not these folks--what you read is what you get, and it couldn't be better. I'd encourage everyone to attend an LT meetup if at all possible!

Nicely put, Deborah.

Very well said, Linda and Deborah. I couldn't agree more.

Thanks for the good pick up, Linda (sorry, Deborah!).

I assume that you made it home safely, Brenda, and I hope that Terri did as well, given yesterday's severe weather and horrible tragedy in Oklahoma.

>262 Cariola:: oh that's lovely. Very well said.

I am not home yet, having decided very last minute to lay over in Cleveland area last night and today. Long story - airport karma worked well for me yesterday and I am staying with my daughter in Akron until this evening : )
I did hear from Terri very late that she had finally arrived home after long weather related delays.
Belva? How was you trip?

Brenda; I made it home safely at about 2:00 A.M. our Pacific Time so 5:00 A.M. Eastern but I worried about you and Terri until I saw your posts. So horrible what is happening there. So thankful that both of you are safe.

It was so very lovely to meet everyone and I feel as if I have made some true heart friends through this meet. It made my L.T. friendships even more special and was just so nice to learn more about everyone and laugh so much. I had such fun and "wouldn't take nothing for my journey now".
hugs,

I am glad to see that all of you made it home safely. I didn't hear about the weather and the mid west until late yesterday.

Belva I feel the same way about this meet up. This was my first L.T. Meetup and will most definitely do it again.

Oh I am so glad Monica. That means that perhaps one day we will meet again. Would be so nice. I loved your smile and sweet ways. I definitely plan to do what meet-ups I can afford; credit card or no. lol!~!
hugs,

I wasn't aware of the weather either until waiting at the airport for my return flight. I was very concerned about brenpike & tloeffler (Kansas & Missouri), until I heard from Brenda that they were safe.

Thanks to everyone for sharing your lovely pictures so we can all live vicariously through you! Everyone looks to have had such a great time!

Books (and some movies) that we were talking about and I'd promised different folks I would post:

Octavia Butler, Bloodchild and Other Stories. But you can find it for free on this Washington Post page. (I can't understand how the WashPo can post something copyrighted, but I guess if WashPo does it, it's okay?)

Rita Williams-Garcia, One Crazy Summer. One of my most dearly loved books. Not just one of my favorite "middle reader" books, but one of my favorite books PERIOD. And great news! Its sequel has just come out, P.S. Be Eleven. I got it last night, as soon as it came in to my local B&N and I'll be starting in the next couple of days.

And Belva.... Sarah Churchill, don't-read-the-book-watch-the-movie, The First Churchills (actually, a long miniseries). And the Catholic-girls-boarding-school breakthrough for Naomi Watts, the Brides of Christ miniseries, which Frost in May fans might generally find interesting.

Figured it would be simpler to post these here rather than try to remember who was interested in what (I'm pretty sure it was Linda who wanted me to remind her of "Bloodchild"?) and do individual PMs.

Mike, I agree with you regarding One Crazy Summer. I went back into my library and found the review I wrote. http://www.librarything.com/work/9160752/reviews

It was great to meet you.

Deborah, I feel the same! Everyone was just as they are online!

Yesterday I had to go in to read freshman placement essays. Their prompt was about social networks--whether they are really a good thing or whether they promote "false friendships." Interesting to read their comments after meeting up with all these wonderful LT friends! (My conclusion is that either we're a special lot or that teenagers use these sites very differently from those of us who are a bit older. Or maybe both.)

Nice montage, Linda!

>274 Cariola:: What a fascinating topic! I wonder if the kids are far enough removed from social media to even be able to examine their own actions/ friendships/ beliefs with regard to the media itself.

We, as either adults or generally more book-minded people, probably do use the sites differently, but also, I think LT is different in a very good way.

Hmm... I am off to think about this essay topic now. I wish I'd had it when I was teaching.

A very interesting essay topic. It does make you wonder about some of the people you meet on the many different sites. I belong to a few different ones and some I feel closer to people then other sites. LT is one site I have always felt like I was closer to people then others.

More great pictures!!

Thanks for sharing!

>240 TadAD: I seem to be in deep contemplation of my Pimm's cup in the first photo you posted, Tad.

Wow, great pictures, you guys.

I had an unnerving flight home, several delays, and came in to St. Louis through a storm. We had to sit for 30-40 minutes while they waited for the lightning to die down. Then I got caught in rain & gale-force winds while waiting for the shuttle. I was soaked and exhausted by the time I got home.

I should have taken a tip from some of you and done more "resting" over the weekend, as my ankles and feet are STILL swollen! But I was having too darned much fun. Great times with all of you--wouldn't have traded it for the world.

Wonderful people, fabulous food, great museums (although I'm really done with Renoir)--when are we doing it again???

Oh, P.S.
I bought The Complete Father Brown Stories by G.K. Chesterton, The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill, and The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson (I blame Darryl for that one) at Joseph Fox; our delightful host gave me Jesus Land by Julia Scheeres; and at the Mutter Museum, I bought Images of America:The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. And for young Keith, I bought The Complete Manual of Things That Might Kill You: A Guide to Self-Diagnosis for Hypochondriacs ("you probably shouldn't have done that," he said).

Of course, they wouldn't fit in my suitcase, so I had to carry them in a bag through all my flight woes. Again, worth it.

So very thankful that you made it home safely Terri.
b

Terri, I'd say you (and probably numerous of your cohorts) did a thorough job of seeing Philadelphia in your few days here. I think when we moved here it took us a couple of months to cover that many sights. No wonder your ankles are a little swollen. Hope they return to normal soon.

Yup, I certainly agree with you that more resting would have been beneficial! I ended up exhausted after doing a second shift of socializing after the LT meetups on Friday and Saturday, and my immune system was not very impressed. But like you, I'm convinced that it was worth it!

Terri & Brenda; I will see you in Joplin after all. Our Football all-star gave me the go ahead to miss a playoff game and he wants me to go. I guess he saw how happy I was after the Philly one. We took 2nd in State last year and he was the only starting Frosh...starting at Center Position. He is so awesome (except for his grades: :-( )
Anyway so I am already waiting to see the Joplin Meet-Up header on this thread. lol!~!
hugs,

Belva you are becoming a professional meet-upper! It's great you'll be able to attend the Joplin event.

Here's a sample of some of my favourite photos; I think most of you have seen them already, but I figure it's still good to have them with all the rest in this thread :)


Waiting for the Phlash... but some people are missing?


Here they come!


All the purple phones (on the purple Phlash)


So much happiness at the gelateria


Book purchases on display

I'm assuming that names have been given upthread already.

I'll try to post a few more photos when I have a chance.

Lordy, I need to lose a pound or two or a hundred....

Terri I feel the same way about myself!

Alas, me too.

I was not actually refusing to participate in the group photo...

285>> Thank you, thank you, thank you, Zoe, for the last photo. I've been waiting to see the "incriminating evidence."

Those are great pictures. Thanks for posting them.

I'm loving all the reports and the photos...especially the one with all the purple phones. That cracks me up every time I see it.

>292 laytonwoman3rd: I like that one, the one of Tad lecturing to the masses with his upturned finger, and the one of Linda, Belva and Terri running to catch up with the rest of the crowd.

Here is a photo taken at gloaming time



I like this one of Darryl and Brenda

I believe this is the photo Darryl references in his comments regarding Tad lecturing to the masses. I call this one Tad herding the sheep. And, Darryl, I agree with you, it is a favorite.



This image says it all -- I think in a few short days we left the gate open and ran like crazy fools splashing in the sunshine!

Didn't we though!?!

Oh Jim . . .

296>> What a relief! I see I put my dentures in!!!

#296 Gee, it's too bad y'all didn't have any fun. Or find any books to buy.

Jim, I didn't even realize you were taking a video of the crazy group I was spending time with. lol!~!

298: Mike, you made me spit coffee all over my desk. lol!~!

299: & Linda, we had absolutely no fun at all! J/K, it was a blast! We spent a great deal of time laughing. Can't wait to do one again.

Great video, hon. I feel like we are all right back there. And of course, I am talking. No wonder I can't get any reading done.

Thanks for posting that video, Jim. I didn't see the Philadelphia police officer who threatened to arrest all of us for disorderly conduct, though.

We spent a great deal of time laughing.

If there is a single sentence that could describe the weekend, this would certainly be as good as any.

Jim thanks for the video. It was awesome to see us all having fun. I smile and laugh every time I think about the Philadelphia meetup.

Thank you, Jim! That was absolutely fabulous! What a great time!

It was indeed the best of times! I hope we do Philly again next year.

We should definitely meet again in Philadelphia next year! As I've mentioned previously my parents live ~25 miles north of Center City, so it's very easy for me to get there by car or SEPTA Regional Rail.

And you are The King of the Philly Meet-Up Darryl so that is key!
I am trying to get my Visa paid down so I can do it again. What a time! And my round trip ticket was just a bit over $300.00. I have been checking into flights for the Joplin Meet-Up and the cheapest I have found are over $600.00 which doesn't make sense to me. I mean Philadelphia flight is so much longer than the flight for the Joplin Meet-Up would be that I would think it would be the other way round. IDK.

Linda & Belva (Whisper1 & rainpebble) at Jane G's on Friday evening.

Belva, it's the time of year, I think. I've been trying to find an affordable flight to visit my daughter in Nashville, but the prices started going up in June and get ridiculous by August. The airlines know when people are more likely to travel, and they make the most of it.

Ah, I had not considered that Deborah. I bet you are quite right and the Joplin gathering is the week after Thanksgiving I believe so yes, that is probably what it is. Blasted airlines anyway........

Mike & Belva at Jane G's.......first ones in on Friday & we had a lovely 20 minute chat while waiting for the others to arrive. The bartender took these photos.


CurrerBell & rainpebble

CurrerBell & magicians_nephew (Mike & Jim) checking out the menu at Jane G's on Friday evening.

Judy & Darryl (ffortsa & kidzdoc)


Jim & Judy (ffortsa & magicians_nephew
I love this photo.

Darryl & Judy (out of the shot) discussing whilst Zoe tries to get a word or two in.


Darryl with Zoe being heard now.

Whisper1, Cariola & brenpike


Linda, Deborah & Brenda

Hehe, I look really angry there.

Zoe with that beautiful infectious smile of hers & belva


Brenda & Mike

It was a 'very serious' discussion Zoe. lol!~!


Terri & Linda (tloeffler & Whisper1) cracking themselves up. ;-)

Aww, those are great photos! Thanks for posting, Belva.

Great pics, indeed! Thanks for sharing them.

>314 rainpebble: Note to self: don't mess with Zoë.

Heh :)

>321 kidzdoc::
Too funny!~! You do look totally intimidated Darryl. lol!~!

Darryl, I laughed right out loud at your comment regarding Zoe.

Zoe is always smiling in photos...that big, wonderful wide smile that is infectious.

So, I do have to ask what you said that got her riled...

Were you offering her some of your not so nice cuisine...opps, I mean wonderful, delectable something on the plate that was rotating and moving as you were trying to grasp the tail with your fork?

LOL here in Washington at that one!~!

>323 rainpebble: Yep. I look like a deer in the headlights, right? Actually it seems as though I'm looking over Zoë's right shoulder and not directly at her, probably to ask the waiter for the check (even though we didn't have any food or drinks on our table) to avoid a potentially life threatening situation (my life, not Zoë's). Either that or I could have been planning my escape route, since I was trapped in the corner.

>324 Whisper1: It wasn't me, Linda! She appears to be pointing at Judy, or possibly Jim, who was sitting to the right of Judy and to the left of Zoë. Oh, wait a minute; wasn't that when she told Jim that she would "kick his @$$ to NYC and back" if he touched any of her honey walnut shrimp?

Were you offering her some of your not so nice cuisine...

LOL! On the contrary, Zoë seemed to enjoy the cold pork belly and salt & pepper squid I ordered. I wanted to try the pork belly when I first saw it, but I didn't think that anyone else would want to share it with me. She encouraged me to order it, and she ate at least a few pieces of it.

What makes that photo so hilarious is that Zoë is one of the friendliest and most lovable LTers I've met (and I'm certain everyone who has met her would agree with me), so her apparent expression is completely opposite from normal. There wasn't a single cross word spoken all weekend, and I can't remember what this intense (but not angry) conversation was about. Does anyone else remember?

>326 kidzdoc::
I have no recollection of what was being said, just the laughter & food that went along with it.

And pay no mind to Linda, Darryl. Your cold pork belly and salt & pepper squid was to die for. I felt quite the pig sticking my fork in your plate every few moments. ;-) And I recall you taking one scallop from mine, cutting it in half and putting half back. That was too funny! It is so much fun trying new fare............Linda! You wouldn't even try my awesome brussel sprouts. Next year..............

And I do so much agree with your description of our Zoe. She is a lovely girl with a smile ever on her face and such a sweet countenance. This is probably the only time in her life that she has had an expression on her face such as this one. lol!~!

These photos are a hoot, Belva. Thanks so much for posting (and for using both "real names" and LT names. Maybe I can connect some of them more permanently in my squishy brain now.) Gosh, Darryl, I like the way you eat. I'd have tried a bit of everything if I'd been there. I'm not timid about that kind of stuff, as long is it isn't really still moving (a Klingon, I'm not!).

LOL Linda!~! A lot of us did try a bit of everything. Many a plate was passed that evening. And it is nice to be able to put names & faces together. Wish you could have been there. It would have been lovely to meet you. (and your little dog too) :-)