October 30, 2006
NYC Meetup Advisory - November 18Blog
People of the tri-state area and visitors from afar, mark your calendars! Hot on the heels of the successful meet-up that Ennis convened this past weekend in Chicago, we’re taking things to the next level with a New York City meet-up Saturday, November 18, co-sponsored by Vinod and myself. That’s right! With the two of us setting the edges, there will be room for all at this one: libertarians and leftists, old heads and young bloods, sushi snobs and beer swillers, geeks and freaks, lawyers and miscreants, wheatish and homely, cisgendered and transgendered, atheists and mystics. Caste no bar!
Now, we haven’t yet selected the location, but this will be a late afternoon/early evening meetup, so that all you macacas can stop by en route to whatever fabulousness your Saturday night portends. You have plenty of advance notice, so no typical New York prior-commitment bullshit. Expect a 5 PM start time, a centrally located venue that serves a decent glass of wine, and a gathering of sepia-toned luminaries the likes of which the world has rarely seen. Ya heard!
siddhartha on October 30, 2006 01:30 PM in Blog · T·r·a·c·k·b·a·c·k address · Direct link · Email post
I'm so there, Mitter. (Can I call you Mitter?)
do you guys find out when I'm going to be in NY and schedule things around that? :) (ok, really I don't think I'm that (un)important)
I'm in NYC the following 3 weekends, and can't make it four in a row :(
*sigh*
decent glass of wine?
i want a decent glass of diet coke..
hell i'm in the city of coke..
i'm on call..
Rats! Why do I always have plans that prevent me from coming to SM meet-ups? Sigh......
Hmm, I just might be there. Will Anna be coming up to co-host as well? =)
DOSA HUT.
They serve wine. And dosas.
*$&%*%3. the one weekend i'm out of nyc. reschedule!!!!!
We can't -- the 18th is when Vinod is coming through town. Change your plans :)
I will be there
There will be a Sushi & Soundcheck pop quiz for you SM (Siddhartha Mitter that is) And I pretty much cannot say no to being in the same room as Mr. Libertarian so I'm there!
Yo Mitter -- I'm so there too.
(Pooja, a warning: don't get Kobayashi started about "prior commitments"....)
Anna! We got to have another DC meet up; we cant let NY think that they are CBC (cool brown central). New Yorkers you may have better restaurant but we have more 'urban brownz'. Dont hate, I am just jealous :)
do a dc meetup on the 16th of december and i'm down..well not in the evening of course ;)..
Oh yeah, and A N N A, I'll be in San Francisco Nov. 4 and 5, just in case you happen to be Back West then.
since we are asking... can we have a toronto meet-up.... please :)
If you want to go to one of these, do you just show up? Is there something else involved?
You just show up!
Siddhartha - you forgot to tell him about the gifts they have to bring ...
Siddarth -
"libertarians and leftists, old heads and young bloods, sushi snobs and beer swillers, geeks and freaks, lawyers and miscreants, wheatish and homely, cisgendered and transgendered, atheists and mystics. Caste no bar!"
You forgot Right wing/Republicans ?
There's room for all creatures on God's Earth.
hmmm i have a neurology exam wed the 11/22.....hmmm whats more important...whats more important.....damn it!
This wheatish, sushi snob geek will be there. :)
if it's the shelf exam, you're damned if you do, or damned if you don't.. that is the first one i took in 3rd yr med school..and i just distinctly remember walking outta the test room thinking 'wtf was that?'...
hence: go eat sushi, enjoy the fantastic company, and you'll get a much needed break and cherish the memories... who cares about the shelf..
15 years from now you won't remember your test grade (you'll pass==i promise) but you will recall the wonderful evening...
Wait, you've seen him?? Oh. Well that takes care of my theory that Mr Kobayashi is just Siddhartha's alter ego.
As a former a href="http://www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/archives/002350.html">SM Meetup host, this is one event I ain't gonna miss.
Send updates on venue soon, so I can go the night before and reserve my chair !!
How do you figure? Maybe he is Siddhartha, maybe he isn't. Nothing in my warning to Pooja indicates that one way or another....
Shruti, I link, you decide. The Kobayashi references are littered throughout the post. I do like the alter ego theory, it makes the Mutiny more mysterious, like Ennis' censor blur ;)
btw, reading that World Cup post again made me nostalgic, England debacle notwithstanding. Bah. Oh well. Chelsea v Barcelona tomorrow. Go Blues! I suggest a future SM post on Jose Mourinho with the desi angle being that he looks desi and has a 2 o'clock shadow.
The mystery deepens in the ether between #131 and #132.
I promised myself I would no longer post on SM after 2am, which, apparently, is when my discretion abandons me until sunrise... BUT
Maybe he's not even an alter ego... Ok, so you remember how in Fight Club the two guys have different personalities but want the same thing? That's kinda how Siddhartha and Mr Kobayashi are, don't you think? Furthermore, the guys in FC are supposedly two different people, but are always somehow in the same place. Well, if you look at the post you linked, the first reference to Mr Kobayashi is, "Mr Kobayashi and I nearly choked on our merguez sandwiches as we watched the potential First Desi Goal in World Cup History skim barely wide." As I look over the thread, I notice that every other reference they make about each other involves them being in the same places doing the same things. Coincidence? I think not. MMmmHmmm, "oops" is right, Mr. Mitter.
Me too. So I go and read other World Cup posts... and find THIS! Lets go back to my Fight Club analogy; the one person who could have prevented the disaster before it spiraled out of control was Marla. How do we get to the bottom of this Siddhartha-Kobayashi controversy? Mrs Kobayashi is the key.
That, or they both show up at the meet-up. (But tell me it wouldn't be way fun to get the dirt from the missus?)
EEP! I didn't refresh before I posted my comment, where I made that very same observation.
...Wow. Ok that's enough for me. My brain is fried extra crispy right now, but I really should to go back to studying before I start full out trollery...
It's like Fight Club meets the prisoner's dilemma.
Both have a way with words. Sophistry will follow. They will move from the illuminating FC analogy to something Matrixy, derailing us, then on about some hot dog eating contest, derailing us, again.
"Therefore I say to you, Lord, that those who speak about things that are invisible and difficult to explain are like those who shoot their arrows at a target at night. To be sure, they shoot their arrows as anyone would - since they shoot at the target - but it is not visible. Yet when the light comes forth and hides the darkness, then the work of each will appear." (--The Book of Thomas)
"Words do not express thoughts very well. They always become a little different immediately they are expressed, a little distorted, a little foolish. And yet it also pleases me and seems right that what is of value and wisdom to one man seems nonsense to another." (--Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse)
Follow the
whitebrown rabbit: on our best days, we are all Siddhartha.This thread is beginning to seem strangely familiar. And yet, at the same time, not.
You will have to come to the meetup to find out...where I suppose Kobayashi might or might not show up though Siddhartha will. :-)
Are aunties allowed to attend the Meetup?
dont know anything about wine, bringing presents or kobayashi-siddharth. But i will be there for my FIRST SM meetup....i m psyched!!!!!!!!
Of course! Some of us are in the uncle-aunty demographic ourselves. We hang around here to keep ourselves young.
I too have suspected the Siddartha - Kobayashi link before. I mean besides the reference to a clearly mysterious front man in The Usual Suspects, they both seem to employ the same style of literary pomposity when insulting me.
:D
If you got it, flaunt it.
You know what would be yummy? Bread Bar at Tabla. Mmm. Though I don't partake in the libations, I do think it will satiate any desires in that department, as well.
I assure you that they are different people. The only link between them is that Siddhartha once served as Mr. Kobayashi's cook.
Didn't Mr.K's arrival here predate Siddharthas? I'm trying to remember, but it has been a long time ...
What happened to having a NYC meet-up at Leela Lounge? A N N A, weren't you in touch with them at some point?
Leela sounds perfect! been there twice and never been dissapointed
Leela Lounge looks lovely, so let's.
Leela lounge doesn't open in the afternoon and it's too "clubby and dark"...we need a happy place like the last time where the music isn't loud and laughter and nuttiness is allowed.
What about the Indian Bread Company on Bleecker? Menu here.
This might be a tad difficult with a "desi" venue that is reasonable and casual enough...
Ooh, good point, JOAT. I think Bread Bar fits the criteria you mentioned, but Indian Bread Company looks good, too. And I've been in touch with Nandini, who owns the place--she just won the Make Mine a $Million Business award (and we're featuring her in Nirali next month), so I could ask her about a special deal perhaps for Mutineers? We better go there before she does start raking in millions. :)
I was thinking more on the route of a bar or lounge. but that place would do, masala chai gotta have a kick to it
He and his band of Vijilantes have been dispatched to the motherland.
If we're willing to make it 6pm, rather than 5pm, I would vote for Verlaine.
My suggestion : Moksha, located downtown on murray street, boasts the largest reclinig Buddha anywhere in the city.
Mr. Kobayashi is unmasked.
The hosts need to specify...it's late afternoon/early evening and does it have to be desi and does it have to have food? Most lounges will not open until later on because it is Saturday.
I second that, I love that place but again it's a bit exclusive in that non drinkers may not want to go.
Ismat I'm sure Nandini won't mind opening her doors exclusively for SM for that evening if she knew. I can come up with a million suggestions but we need direction boys.
i was SOOO about to comment about this when i read ... but i didn't want to threadjack the meetup post ...
damn u abhi!!!!
"Speed-gulps"? These fools trivialize my art.
Everybody relax. Who said it had to be desi? You macacas afraid to show your faces in mixed society? Not to worry. We'll have a venue for you in due course. Suggestions are welcome and appreciated, but don't limit them to desi joints.
Excellent....just makin sure :-)
sushi samba?
Revival near Union Square's not a bad space to meetup. There's a bar downstairs, and a second floor lounge where you can actually just order/bring your own food. This way nobody feels pressured to drink, but if want one you can just get one from downstairs. It's somewhat of a hole-in-the-wall, but a great vibe. Definitely not as trendy as Verlaine.
#13 etc.
let's have a baltimroe meetup. what??? why are u guys looking at me like that??? it's only the 2nd most dangerest us big city. dc is #4 per the fbi. sure bmore's not as nice and the public trans blows. it'll be a change though hehe.
#65
jk jk
I've seen similar sentiments expressed for other SM meetups and am a bit [naively] puzzled. Is this analogous to scheduling a date for the daytime so one can split [exit stage left] relatively easily and quickly if things aren't going well? Or, do you guys really have evening plans for then already? I thought the L.A. meetup was quite a success (from reading about it here) and lasted well into the night.
If only I was cool enough to live in a place that actually had other SM readers, much less host a meetup...
Mr. Mitter, ouch. But yes, true.
What about Smooch in Brooklyn (Carlton and Dekalb Aves. close to the Atlantic Ave nexus and the A/C Lafayette and G at Fulton)? It's a smallish lounge with a mellow, relaxed atmosphere, very comfortable mismatched seating, tremendous music and a very tiny stage--a recitation, perhaps, Mr. Kobayashi? They have a few beers--Brahma, Peroni, etc.--delicious wine, great coffee/tea and tasty food.
The proprietor is mutinous and flexible.
We could take the place over and he'd be happy for it.
And THAT is EXACTLY why I pick the locations I pick. Greco...Amma...there's no pressure to leave those imperfect venues b/c they know me/us...and that's important when a meetup is so sparkly-perfect that no one wants to go.
What about a Boston meetup?
Shruti (#31):
It especially sucks when one's 2 a.m. is most other readers' [relatively coherent] mid-afternoon...
I've been there (the last time I visited Brooklyn)! It really is lovely, and has the sweetest proprietors.
Even more reasons to be jealous of you east-coasters who get to meet up. :)
The next time you are in the neighborhood, visit Choice Market (Lafayette and Grand) for simple, hearty French-influenced food and masterful takes on American clasics. The burger does not fool around and the roast chicken can make you weep. Lots of veg options abound so no worries there. The coffee is amazing and they make their own sweet everything, including totally amazing pain au chocolat (after 5 PM they are $1.00 each so you can stuff yourself silly or buy a bunch and make crazy delicious bread pudding with congac to serve w/creme anglais.)
FYI: Did I mention the proprietors/chefs and many of the staff are French and Diasporic French men who are very attractive, friendly, obviously good cooks and stunningly sexy? And, the music is varied and fantastic--everything from Salif Keita to Billy Idol to Manu Dibango to Studio One classics and covers.
I've always wanted to go to a meetup since I started to read Sepia heavily, so definitely count me in. I will also, most probably, bring a friend - maybe even two?
Also, in terms of places, I adore Smooch. Plus, I feel like Manhattan gets infested with seasonal shoppers this time in November....
Cheers,
SR
I am from SF.. now interning in NYC. I am so there.. first time too...!!
We'll be announcing the location in the next day or so... Stay tuned!