Our first bash was a blast. Turnout was a bit disappointing but everyone had a good time. It was especially satisfying because some of the U.S.-based Chicago Boyz had never met each other, and none of us had met Sylvain. (And we still haven’t met Ralf, which by itself is reason enough to plan another bash. Not that we need a reason.) It’s a treat to meet people whom you know only from the Internet, and it’s a double treat when everyone hits it off. If you have a geographically diverse group blog and haven’t yet gotten together, you really should make the effort.
A nice side-effect of our meeting was that we recruited one, perhaps two, new bloggers to our conspiracy. (Of course we had to take their car keys before they would agree to consider blogging with us, but this just goes to show that there are still some kinds of business that can only be transacted face to face.)
I hope that we can do this again in the not-too-distant future. I’ve suggested Florida for the next bash, but Chicago is probably the venue of least resistance for Chicago boys and girls who have families, so it will probably be Chicago the next time as well.
What I didn’t tell them is that it was a rental car. ;)
Well if you ever do bash in FL, I hope you’ll let us floridians be Chicago Boyz for a day. Great to see pictures of the vast Chicago conspiracy in action.
Dude, good.
Now put Spiro on the masthead.
Is that Sportsman’s, my old hangout near Oak Park??!! Oh, you’re making me homesick. Nice to see it’s popular still.
Lex: I’ll see what I can do.
PJ: I think it’s the same place. I photographed the wall because I liked the way it looked, but I don’t know if the bar is even there anymore. Maybe Lex knows.
It may not be my place to jump in on your party, but if I may be so bold. Could you select a location convenient to the El for your next gig. I live in Rogers Park and since I like to mix my economics with liquor, I would prefer not to drive.
Thanks.
Jim English
Jim, Fitzgeralds is a ten minute walk from the Blue Line stop at Oak Park Ave. You could have come down from Evanston, switching to the Blue Line downtown at Washington.
PJ, that is the same Sportsmans. Never been in it, but it seems to still be operating.
Now you tell me. I have a fairly extensive knowledge of the El system and even have a rough knowledge of Berwyn, but I could not remember where Fitzgeralds was. Oak Park Avenue is on the Congress branch, yes?
Jim English
I must say it is nice to see what you all look like! And you all look very nice!!
Lots of smiling in those photos so no doubt you had fun – if you give plenty of notice for the next one will try to fly across three seas to get there!
cheers!
Too bad I had to miss the party. I’ll definitively try to make it next time.
holy shit, I haven’t thought about the Valois in years…and I must say the new Harold’s doesn’t hold a candle to the old one…but that’s another station…
…and yes, the seminary co-op rocks!
Daa Bears, er, daa Boyz.
“It was especially satisfying because some of the U.S.-based Chicago Boyz had never met each other, and none of us had met Sylvain. (And we still haven’t met Ralf, which by itself is reason enough to plan another bash. Not that we need a reason.) It’s a treat to meet people whom you know only from the Internet . . . .”
Where did you guys meet?
R. D. Brewer,
Lex is an old friend I met via another U-of-C friend. Sylvain and I used to participate at a now-defunct financial website. Ralf is like an Internet quantum particle who posts impressive blog comments everywhere simultaneously, and he was willing to blog with us. I used to work with Andy. Jay came to our party.
Yeah, they’ll let anybody in. ;)