*looks at map* er... You can't be two hours from me unless you've got a car capable of doing 300 miles an hour. Or perhaps you have a small plane?

I live about 2 hours drive north of Harrisburg, PA.

I said two to four! I'm two hours from Harrisburg, which puts me four hours from you.
two hours may be a general underestimate, though. we'll just go with four as the LCD.

quote:

Originally posted by McApathy:
also, I don't think the regional Meats are quite so full of locals-who-already-know-each-other as you'd expect. I mean, I'm a measly two-to-four (or so) hours from Maeve and Furious and St. Count and James and Ava (and, I presume, Nyssa) and probably Circus, too, but I haven't met any of them.

and of course there is the forgotten two you have also never met her in Coulmbia, SC. Masque and I

well, that's nowhere near four hours. it'd probably take me ten to get to you two, as it takes seven to eight to get to the NC/SC border.

quote:

Originally posted by Hive:

...I want empirical proof that you actually exist, and having other boardies meet you is as good a method as any.

Heh. digitalprimate's met me. Actual e-mail transcript excerpt from December 2006:

Oldman: Besides, none of us are real.

digitalprimate: I assure you, Sir, you are quite real whether you will it or no.

Did someone actually suggest BALTIMORE?? That's my home town! My family lives there! I could think up activities aPLENTY to do in B-more:

1) Inner Harbor has...
- The Science Center (one of my favorite places to go as a kidlet...if only to touch the thingy-that-made-my-hair-stand-on-end)
- National Aquarium(world-reknown for its spectacular exhibits)
- Delicious places to. Eat. Seafood.
- Federal Hill(nifty artsy neighborhood)
- American Visionary Art Museum (the most amazing art museum ever...devoted solely to "outsider" art-- mental patients, hermits, kooks who cover their cars in buttons...drug addled bohemians...kinda reminds me of the board on display!)

Then there's Fell's Point, which...seriously...was a hangout for people who say "Yarr" a lot back in ye olden time. Now it's a place to say "blargh" a lot the morning after you visit it cuz you got waaay drunk there.

Charm City is also home to Little Italy, Mount Vernon (a gorgeous neighborhood featuring old colonial townhomes...Twelve Monkeys was filmed there), and, for certain librarians... Enoch Pratt Free Library, one of the oldest (and most beautiful) free public libraries in the US.

So, as you can see I fully advocate a Baltimore WEVA. Tons to do. As far as crashage it's simple to get group rates at any one of the many hotels near the Inner Harbor (plus theres the whole Alaura-has-family-there factor)

Getting there: BWI airport is kinda The Hub airport of the US, so airfare to Baltimore is not hard to come by. For the New York and New Englanders, Amtrak and Greyhound are cheap ways to get there. Southeasterners, same thing. (although a train from Florida can seem like a verrrry looong trip).

*raises hand* if you can stomach driving an hour ana half or so to get to the city, there's also crashage-at-Apathy's.

Yep Baltimore is cool, I lived in Glen Burnie for a year while I was stationed at Ft. Meade, visited a good portion of the places you mentioned

Might I also mention that Baltimore is where "The Wire" and "Homicide" are filmed?

This wasn't meant to scare you...just wanted to pique the interest of those who are fans.

quote:

Originally posted by Graffalke the Chrono-Illogical Alchemist:
Yep Baltimore is cool, I lived in Glen Burnie for a year while I was stationed at Ft. Meade, visited a good portion of the places you mentioned

I've been to Glen Burnie! used to live in Bel Air. ee!

I now know roughly when my high school reunion is going to be. End of October/beginning of November 2009. Great. Nice time to be visiting California (also a bit close to Thanksgiving I think, may not be all that well attended)!

So it may well be that I can't WEVA. I really don't want to cross the Atlantic 4 times in one year.

I remember there used to be a car dealer commercial that would play on local TV that would indicate it's location as "121 Pulaski Highway in BEEEEL Air!"

Wow. I just did a check on Expedia to see how much it would be from the West Coast to Baltimore if WEVA were next Friday...

Seattle/Tacoma to Baltimore, round trip: $345.50

I was expecting it to be a lot more.

that's shockingly low! I guess this isn't a busy time of year?

Al you should be a travel agent, I totally want to go to Baltimore now!

quote:

Originally posted by Al-Aura:
Wow. I just did a check on Expedia to see how much it would be from the West Coast to Baltimore if WEVA were next Friday...

Seattle/Tacoma to Baltimore, round trip: $345.50

I was expecting it to be a lot more.

Too bad I probably can't go to WEVA no matter when it is, since unless GR comes I'm probably the only one that would fly out of Sea-Tac...

Me too. And it's within driving distance for me, sort of - I'd prolly have to make hubby drive it.

quote:

Originally posted by McApathy:
that's shockingly low! I guess this isn't a busy time of year?

Yeah, post-Labor Day, pre-Thanksgiving is one of the cheapest times to fly in the US. No holidays to speak of, not stellar weather anywhere, and most families are starting school. That's part of why we did WEVA London the last week of September, 2007.

quote:

Originally posted by Nel Gurgle:
Al you should be a travel agent, I totally want to go to Baltimore now!

And you realize if we went in September we'd be there in time for.... TURKEY LEGZZZ!

And did I mention... Steamed. Crabs. NOM.

NOM NOM NOM.

ye gods...the crab cakes...mmmmm....