[Mully]

Good afternoon fellow NYC Gaffers!

So it looks like after a week of deliberation that we've come to a consensus that the meetup will be a picnic at either the Cloisters, Battery Park, or Bryant Park on August 25th, 2012.

The Cloisters is on the northern side of Manhattan while Battery Park is on the southern side of the island. Both places offer the most scenery and set the stage pretty well for a fun afternoon. Bryant Park is the most convenient, but it's really small and it will get crowded.

If we are going to do a picnic at one of these parks, we first need volunteers to bring a few things. We will probably need:

- Portable grill (I got this)
- Burgers, Dogs, Rolls, Ketchup, Mustard, etc
- Coolers
- Football, Frisbee, Basketball, etc
- Radio/iPod Speakers
- Drinks (BYOD)

Please check in so we can get a headcount of who is going. Some of us will have to buy food for the meetup. Don't worry, once we get a headcount we'll try and compensate you guys as best as we can by asking each member to pay a small price ($5 probably).

Again, please check in so all of us can plan ahead. Let's make this a great picnic!

[Jipan]

I will most definitely be there 100% for sure regardless of where it takes place at.

I'd also like to make a note: For those of you that plan on bringing alcoholic drinks e.g. liquor, mixed drinks, whiskey, beer, wine, etc., make sure you bring that stuff concealed (e.g. in a thermos, pouring from a concealed bag into a Styrofoam cup, etc.); conceal it at all times. I know it's common sense and all (and it's also a stupid law), but it's always good to remind people of it. Especially Gaffers that might have recently moved to the U.S. The last thing anyone wants is a $50 fine for brandishing a bottle of Grey Goose and openly taking a swig from it. So be wary of that.

As always, drink responsibly and know your limit. If you know you've had too much to drink, stop and drink tons of water to sober up as well as to flush the alcohol out of the body. Especially since it's going to be during the day. Leave the heavy drinking for the night (or don't drink at all/lightly). [/condescending lecture]

I'll think of what to specifically bring as soon as I see what everyone else is going to bring and the final place has been decided upon. I might bring a little something something. ;)

Also, you guys are free to bring digital cameras for this one since most of you will be carrying some kind of a book bag or a messenger bag of sorts but with cell phone cameras + camera apps *cough Instagram, Paper Camera* it probably won't be necessary (but it would be good for high res pictures). I'll probably bring mines along for the ride.

You guys already know my thoughts from a previous post. So I'll be watching which of the three two places gets picked; Northern Manhattan or Southern Manhattan. I think I've seen 3 votes for The Cloisters to 1 vote for Battery Park (if you add my vote, 2 but I abstain my vote) so far.

[Tashi]

I was planning on bringing my own cooler, food and drinks but I don't mind sharing. Also, I can bring a football.

[smokeymicpot]

If you guys some how go to Battery Park I might actually drop by if I am off.

Don't count me though because im pretty one of my buddies 21st is the same day.

[Emily Chu]

I was planning on bringing my own cooler, food and drinks but I don't mind sharing. Also, I can bring a football.

dayum, not sure about the laws but can we bring ice cold alcohol to a city park ?

probably not

[Mully]

dayum, not sure about the laws but can we bring ice cold alcohol to a city park ? probably not

Keep it on the dl and we'll be fine.

[Tashi]

Coke Zero bottles...Henny and Coke. Done.

[Mully]

I'll put my vote down for Battery Park. It's more accessible than the Cloisters and it's a pretty good spot to set things up for the 21+ crowd later. Plus it's got the Statue of Liberty.

[Houston3000]

Should be there. I'm love both parks... I work on Wall Street so I walk through Battery Park at least 3 times a week and live uptown so I'm one stop from the Cloisters.

Battery Park is much more in the heart of the city. You're only a couple blocks from most all downtown Manhattan - the Financial district has some really great bars and pubs as does TriBeCa for after-hours. That being said the park is smaller - lots of walking paths and structures along the river. Ft. Tyron Park (where the Cloisters are) is huge and is mostly a nature jaunt with tons of foliage and rock cliffs, small hiking trails, a rather majestic view of the Hudson Palisades across the river, etc... Outside the park though isn't much - it's a residential areas with tons of schools and churches - some small family diners and very tiny local bars.

I think Battery Park is a funner location and easier to get to but I also think it might be much more difficult to have a proper BBQ picnic in with sports and all that jazz.

[kisaya]

I'm for whichever place is shadier B)

[Mully]

I think Battery Park is a funner location and easier to get to but I also think it might be much more difficult to have a proper BBQ picnic in with sports and all that jazz.

Where's the best place to have a BBQ? I've tried looking at a few sites and none of them helped in figuring out which place would be the best.

[Jipan]

Should be there. I'm love both parks... I work on Wall Street so I walk through Battery Park at least 3 times a week and live uptown so I'm one stop from the Cloisters. Battery Park is much more in the heart of the city. You're only a couple blocks from most all downtown Manhattan - the Financial district has some really great bars and pubs as does TriBeCa for after-hours. That being said the park is smaller - lots of walking paths and structures along the river. Ft. Tyron Park (where the Cloisters are) is huge and is mostly a nature jaunt with tons of foliage and rock cliffs, small hiking trails, a rather majestic view of the Hudson Palisades across the river, etc... Outside the park though isn't much - it's a residential areas with tons of schools and churches - some small family diners and very tiny local bars. I think Battery Park is a funner location and easier to get to but I also think it might be much more difficult to have a proper BBQ picnic in with sports and all that jazz.

This. It's like I said, there isn't much to do in The Heights unless you guys like going to Dominican restaurants to watch a live band or would want to go Coogan's, the neighborhood's most famous and liveliest bar afterwards. Like I said, I'm down with Battery Park because of the reasons above. There's a ton of places hit up in the area afterwards.

dayum, not sure about the laws but can we bring ice cold alcohol to a city park ? probably not

Dude, read my post. Bring it concealed in a thermos or 2 liter soda bottles with the drink already spiked (e.g. I would bring a spiked Brugal rum and Coke). Easy as that or bring the drinks separately, then mix them at the park discreetly.

[Houston3000]

Where's the best place to have a BBQ? I've tried looking at a few sites and none of them helped in figuring out which place would be the best.

Honestly, I don't know best place to have a cookout in Manhattan, I don't know if we can in Battery Park. That being said, there are at least 2 or 3 Barbeque restaurants right in Battery Park City. Blue Smoke opened this year down there, I'm not sure if their original location still exists in Flatiron but it's really yummy. Also a place called Merchants BBQ is located in the park. I think Blue Smoke is kind of expensive but IIRC Merchants is pretty damn cheap.

[Seth C]

Well friends, I'm stuck in Newark. They needed volunteers so I gave up my seat. $350 flight voucher, hotel, and dinner and the first flight of the morning.

[Mully]

Well friends, I'm stuck in Newark. They needed volunteers so I gave up my seat. $350 flight voucher, hotel, and dinner and the first flight of the morning.

Well that was very nice of you Seth. It sucks I couldn't meet up with yall the other night, but I'm glad you had a good time in NYC.

Cheers.

A little update for the meetup.

On Monday, I'm going to try to call/research about which NYC parks are safe to have a BBQ shindig in. If most of them are not BBQ safe, we'll have to think about alternatives.

[jasonng]

Add Raw Power to the list of people coming. Not me though, the 25th doesn't work for me.

[Gabroni]

):
Looks like I may be out since I work Sat. but hopefully schedule clears or I get a morning shift. Is Central Park zoned for BBQ? Maybe people can grill ahead and stick them in a stay warm pouch.

[Jipan]

Add Raw Power to the list of people coming. Not me though, the 25th doesn't work for me.

I hope this isn't an oxymoron and you're going to magically up later like you've done before. *shakes fist* Wasn't Raw banned(not that it matters)?

If the whole park thing doesn't work out, then there's always eating, karaoke, and hostess bars to look forward to I suppose.

I will for sure be making a September meetup thread if nobody volunteers to do it seeing as how more will be down to do something next month (also mini meetups). I'll think of some ideas, but I want to make it more interesting than the last ones (maybe a 3 day ordeal in which we do different things each day e.g. go to The Met, etc.). It's in the planning stages.

[Magni]

Reconfirming that the 25th works for me now that we have an official date. If something does come up I'll make sure to post here.

[ilnadmy]

25th should be good for me, and I'm OK with either Cloisters or Battery Park. I live in midtown so I can get to either pretty easily.

I am moving apartments on the 31st though, so if I end up having a lot of packing to do I may have to stay in that weekend. :/

[-PXG-]

I can't wait for this.

[The Last Wizard]

This is the saturday before class starts, I'd be down for Bryant park.

Any sports?

[Tashi]

Add Raw Power to the list of people coming. Not me though, the 25th doesn't work for me.

I fuckin hate you

[kisaya]

If anything you guys should still consider Korean BBQ or anything indoors ^_^

p.s. jason u sux

[Ingueferroque]

Pick The Cloysters! It is on donation, it is absolutely GORGEOUS and Fort Tryon is unique in Manhattan. Bryant Park is small and smoggy!

Oh and it's right outside my door. :p

I can bring a Frisbee and a tennis ball, and some meat for the grill!

Good afternoon fellow NYC Gaffers! So it looks like after a week of deliberation that we've come to a consensus that the meetup will be a picnic at either the Cloisters, Battery Park, or Bryant Park on August 25th, 2012. The Cloisters is on the northern side of Manhattan while Battery Park is on the southern side of the island. Both places offer the most scenery and set the stage pretty well for a fun afternoon. Bryant Park is the most convenient, but it's really small and it will get crowded. If we are going to do a picnic at one of these parks, we first need volunteers to bring a few things. We will probably need: - Portable grill (I got this) - Burgers, Dogs, Rolls, Ketchup, Mustard, etc - Coolers - Football, Frisbee, Basketball, etc - Radio/iPod Speakers - Drinks (BYOD) Please check in so we can get a headcount of who is going. Some of us will have to buy food for the meetup. Don't worry, once we get a headcount we'll try and compensate you guys as best as we can by asking each member to pay a small price ($5 probably). Again, please check in so all of us can plan ahead. Let's make this a great picnic!

[Dragon]

I may be in depending on the location. I'm actually new in town, I'm in temp housing on Park Ave in Midtown right now.

[Mully]

Hello everyone,

I've called around the NYC Parks and researched a bit online the past few days and it looks like that none of the three parks selected (Cloisters, Bryant, and Battery) are BBQ safe. While there are a few other BBQ friendly parks, they're kind of small and don't offer the same spectacle as the three parks.

Going forward, I'd advise we start looking at restaurants that offer a nice atmosphere for a large group. I think this would be give us the opportunity to not only eat some great food, but hang out with a ton of NYC Gaffers as well. I've looked around and found a Korean BBQ joint called Mandagsui. According to Yelp and reviews, it's a good place to have a meetup and enjoy some awesome Korean BBQ.



As I've stated previously, if you'd like to come, please check in.

[-PXG-]

Make a list of those who have checked in.

*checking in*

[Mully]

Make a list of those who have checked in. *checking in*

I've been keeping track.

Here's the list so far:

Going Jipan Tashi Emiy_Chu DyTonic ilnadmy Kisaya FootNinja PXG The Last Wizard Ingueferroque MagniHarvald Raw Power Houston 3000 El Sloth Number 47 Gabroni Scosher Kccitystar Philooch CountAntonius Scorcho DJTiesto Txdohawk Pein AVclub

[Tashi]

Bunch of new people on that list. I think I've only met a few on there.

[-PXG-]

Yeah, who are those people?

Expect half of them to bail at the last minute :/

[Mully]

Bunch of new people on that list. I think I've only met a few on there.

Yeah it should be a good showing of GAFFers. I was pretty excited to see how many Juniors there were.

Yeah, who are those people? Expect half of them to bail at the last minute :/

There's a good chance that only 50-60% will come out, but even then it will be a good time.

[Magni]

I just moved to the city from overseas, so clearly I wasn't around at previous meetups.. won't bail though :)

[Tashi]

K we need to seriously find a place to go

[-PXG-]

Hell's Kitchen :P

[mintylurb]

Hello everyone, I've called around the NYC Parks and researched a bit online the past few days and it looks like that none of the three parks selected (Cloisters, Bryant, and Battery) are BBQ safe. While there are a few other BBQ friendly parks, they're kind of small and don't offer the same spectacle as the three parks. I will list them just in case anyone has objections. Going forward, I'd advise we start looking at restaurants that offer a nice atmosphere for a large group. I think this would be give us the opportunity to not only eat some great food, but hang out with a ton of NYC Gaffers as well. As I've stated previously, if you'd like to come, please check in.

We could go to a nice restaurant for this meet up as well. This thread has a decent list of joints: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=458717

[Mully]

K we need to seriously find a place to go

Yes.

What about this Korean BBQ place?

Mandangusi.



According to Yelp and reviews, it's good for groups, it's cheap, and it's in midtown and accessible to most of the subways.

I'm thinking we do a meetup here around 6-7PM August 25, and have a grand ole time. I don't know a thing about Korean BBQ, but looking back at the LA GAF meetup and some people's love of it makes me think it will be a blast.

[Tashi]

Yes. What about this Korean BBQ place? Mandangusi. According to Yelp and reviews, it's good for groups, it's cheap, and it's in midtown and accessible to most of the subways. I'm thinking we do a meetup hear around 6-7PM August 25, and have a grand ole time. I don't know a thing or two about Korean BBQ, but looking back at the LA GAF meetup and some people's love of it makes me think it will be a blast.

Done. Let's set it in stone and make it happen. Apparently they accommodate for parties too so maybe we can call and arrange that(???) We can hit the bars afterwards...

[Mully]

Done. Let's set it in stone and make it happen. Apparently they accommodate for parties too so maybe we can call and arrange that(???) We can hit the bars afterwards...

That's what I was thinking. Tomorrow afternoon I'll give them a call and ask to see the party room or whatever they have. I don't want it to be cramped.

[Tashi]

That's what I was thinking. Tomorrow afternoon I'll give them a call and ask to see the party room or whatever they have. I don't want it to be cramped.

Right. And maybe they have their own secret room where we could just be the elitist snobs that we are.

[Mully]

Right. And maybe they have their own secret room where we could just be the elitist snobs that we are.

Well we all have GAF Gold.

Don't we?

[Tashi]

Well we all have GAF Gold. Don't we?

I know I do. Not sure about these other nerds.

[Mully]

You can only come to this meetup if you have GAF Gold.

[Gabroni]

There's a great Maurice Sendak and Steam punk exhibit going on at Animazing AFA gallery

[Mully]

Dumb question but how is Korean BBQ different from Japanese?

Honestly no idea. Where'd your restaurants go? I was looking at that ramen restaurant you PM'd me a few days ago.

[Gabroni]

Sorry I deleted and saved over my previous post D:
Mostly between $9-30

Ippudo NY
Hill Country Chicken (they put pies in milkshakes)
Yakiniku West (no site so blurb from Chopsticks)

Japanese style yakiniku (BBQ) restaurant, Yakiniku West boasts a menu with 12 kinds of beef including premium washu gyu (U.S. Kobe beef), as well as chicken, pork, and seafood. The house recommendation is the ZEI Platter. For four people ($120) you can enjoy eight kinds of meat including prime short rib (kalbi), sirloin, short rib with bone, rib eye, and beef tongue. For two people ($60) you get five kinds of meat. Additionally, this holiday season they are introducing a holiday package. For four or more people, ($35 per person) you get a salad, appetizer, and meat platter as well as all you can drink for two hours (Kirin draft, house wine and sake, and soft drinks).

Fig and Olive
Stand4 (they put pies in milkshakes)

[-PXG-]

Yes. What about this Korean BBQ place? Mandangusi. According to Yelp and reviews, it's good for groups, it's cheap, and it's in midtown and accessible to most of the subways. I'm thinking we do a meetup hear around 6-7PM August 25, and have a grand ole time. I don't know a thing about Korean BBQ, but looking back at the LA GAF meetup and some people's love of it makes me think it will be a blast.

Co-signed

[Wzong]

Missed out on this thread and on the past meetups, but I'll be there! Definitely down for Korean BBQ, plus K-town will have plenty of bars for us to hop around.

[mintylurb]

Missed out on this thread and on the past meetups, but I'll be there! Definitely down for Korean BBQ, plus K-town will have plenty of bars for us to hop around.

Or hostess clubs..;) I'm there as well guys.

[Pein]

that sounds great. Never had korean bbq before.