Wikipedia talk:Meetup/NYC/November 2009

Alternatives to the Symposium

We're looking for alternative grub options. Do people have restaurant suggestions that are (1) withing walking distance of Columbia, and (2) preferably have a big round table. Cheap couldn't hurt, either :)--Pharos (talk) 13:00, 15 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I think that Columbia Cottage has big round tables. Tim Song (talk) 19:06, 15 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Columbia Cottage (1034 Amsterdam Ave @ SW corner of 111th Street) also has free box wine (which seems to be one of it's bigger draws) served in carafes. It's a Morningside Heights neighborhood Chinese-American restraunt that's said to be better than Ollies, and it seems to be popular with Columbia folks. Seems to cost about a dollar, or maybe two, more than others in it's class. Here is the menupages.com listing. Here is the restaurant's website. As Tim noted, they have round tables in the semi-private room in the back and the manager said they could seat up to 12 at one large round table with sufficient notice. Another option might be to line up as many of the regular two-person square tables as necessary. I stopped by the other night and took out an order of Shreaded Pork and Dried Bean Curd ($12). (A bit bland for my taste, but I'm more into Szechuan [or Sichuan] spicy cuisine.) It doesn't compare to the better Chinese restaurants (in the Manhattan or Flushing Chinatowns), but for a neighborhood place it's as good as Pearls or similar, and better than Ollies, IMHO. The user reviews are mixed (a repeated complaint is poor service) and it's not listed in the 2009 Zagat survey book. Here is the NY Magazine review. Thanks Tim. — Becksguy (talk) 11:52, 18 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Wow, thanks for the review (again)! I hope you find this process leaves at least as nutritionally satisfying as WP:FAR. If there aren't any better alternatives that come up, this one looks like a good option.--Pharos (talk) 02:15, 22 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Here is a link to the restaurant discussion we had for the January 2008 meetup. WP:Meetup/NYC/January 2008 #Optional post-meeting meetup. The only other place that was mentioned, viable for space, and within easy walking distance was Sezz Midi, and it's rated at $$$ for cost, vs. $$ for the Cottage. I believe Sezz Midi will be more expensive than the approximately $20/person we have been running at the Symposium so far, and the Cottage should be a bit less.

Don't forget that the Symposium cost includes the appetizers and tip. Personally I am very happy with the food, service, cost, the large symposium table, and ambiance there. But I'm more than willing to try the Cottage. — Becksguy (talk) 13:22, 22 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I like the Symposium too :) But a gaggle of people suggested we try something new, so I've put Columbia Cottage in for now.--Pharos (talk) 16:54, 25 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I'd like to recommend Cafe Nana (606 West 115th Street (Kraft Center), 2nd Floor Between Broadway & Riverside Drive).I just called them and was told they can easily accommodate a party of a dozen or so. They have the distinct advantage of being Kosher, so I and others with similar requirements will be able to join in! —Elipongo (Talk contribs) 20:44, 25 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Considering the relatively small attendance, we'd probably fit there, so i suggest we try them this time. DGG ( talk ) 15:59, 1 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I would also be more than willing to try Cafe Nana in addition to the Cottage (but not on the same day - I'm trying to stay on a diet). — Becksguy (talk) 23:10, 1 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Perhaps a quick !vote would be in order - perhaps to conclude after BrownBot distributes the meeting notice? In any case, Wikipedia:Meetup/NYC/Pupin needs to be corrected; it has us going to two different restaurants! (Why is it protected, BTW?)—Elipongo (Talk contribs) 01:21, 2 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Someone changed (to the wrong) directions at the last minute last time, and people got lost. !vote away!--Pharos (talk) 01:27, 2 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

My brother, who has a good nose for restaurants, has been to Cafe Nana and recommends it. It does sound interesting. Should I do a review? And can sockpuppets vote (if they pay their share of the tab?) — Becksguy (talk) 16:13, 7 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Restaurant !vote

The Symposium

A Greek restaurant that the group has visited & is familiar with. (Review & link to menu)

-

Columbia Cottage

A Chinese restaurant (Review & link to menu)

We used to take people to Columbia Cottage for birthday lunches when I worked up there...decent food, decent prices, and they can probably get us a big table if we call in advance... MirrorLockup (talk) 17:30, 11 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I like big tables. Tim Song (talk) 07:35, 13 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Looks like I will be having some home cooked Polish food on Sunday for dinner--Woogie10w (talk) 13:12, 13 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Cafe Nana

A Kosher Moroccan restaurant (Review & link to website including menu)

—Elipongo (Talk contribs) 02:21, 2 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I'm saying I'm down. @harej 02:45, 2 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]
~~If anything, here. I'm not too diverse an eater. –blurpeace ^(talk) 18:03, 13 November 2009 (UTC)~~[reply]

Other suggestions(Italian Food)

V & T Restaurant 1024 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY [1] [2]

Great Pizza and Italian chow, plenty of room, large tables. I have been going there for over thirty years, the pizza is consistently excellant--Woogie10w (talk) 19:29, 10 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

V & T is excellent food, but it's a bit noisy for a meetup... MirrorLockup (talk) 17:29, 11 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Those other restaurants are like freeking sardine cans, you pay a hefty price and overhear the conversation of the folks next to you!!--Woogie10w (talk) 18:51, 11 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Comments

Can I see a menu for the two new ones? I have medical conditions and need help before I place my vote.Mitch32^{(The Password is... See here!)} 03:32, 2 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Done—Elipongo (Talk contribs) 04:41, 2 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, but I need to ask if there is a kosher chinese place around? I am not strict kosher, but medically, I may have to vote for the chinese place. Do we know of any Kosher Chinese restaurants in the area of 110th to 125th Streets?Mitch32^{(The Password is... See here!)} 21:36, 2 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Can't find anything on GMaps. Tim Song (talk) 21:42, 2 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Bah. I don't mind which restaurant we go to, I just want to be careful of my doctor's orders.Mitch32^{(The Password is... See here!)} 21:45, 2 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Other than student dining halls, Cafe Nana's about it in Morningside Heights. The closest Kosher Asian places are Gan Asia (Amsterdam between 93rd & 94th) and Estihana (W 79th between Amsterdam & Broadway). —Elipongo (Talk contribs) 10:45, 3 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Astronomy

An observing session on the roof sounds really cool. How much time would be devoted to this? — Jake Wartenberg 20:45, 15 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Having been to several other meetups of the Columbia University variety, I don't think it has ever happened! :o @harej 21:59, 15 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Bad luck with weather.Mitch32^{(The Password is... See here!)} 00:55, 16 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

That does sound fantastic, astronomy is something of a hobby of mine. The Wordsmith^Communicate 02:50, 16 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

And one day, it will actually work out! :) Probably not this time, though.--Pharos (talk) 23:16, 17 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

How come? :( — Jake Wartenberg 23:40, 17 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Unfortunately, I don't think our astronomer-in-residence will be able to make it for this meeting.--Pharos (talk) 02:17, 22 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

So far, We've never gotten to do this, at least when I was able to come, but perhaps someday... Scottandrewhutchins (talk) 05:15, 7 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

New Jersey meetup

I am aware from the Philadelphia and New York City meets that a number of us live in New Jersey. I would like to know who are interested in making a non-chapter, regular old meet somewhere in New Jersey, so I'd like to see some interest.Mitch32^{(The Password is... See here!)} 00:58, 22 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Name and approx. location

In the chart below, just put your username and closest big city to your name (Newark, Trenton, Paterson, Passaic, Fort Lee, Jersey City, Hackettstown, New Brunswick, Cape May, Atlantic City, Camden, Toms River, Elizabeth, Asbury Park, Somerville, Princeton and Perth Amboy make pretty good examples of them)

#	Username	Approx. city
1	Mitchazenia	New Brunswick
2	harej	North Jersey. I will elaborate no more.
3	Ohms law	Edison
4	Daniel Case	Anywhere in Northeast NJ
5	MBlumber	New Brunswick

Comments

Leave comments here.Mitch32^{(The Password is... See here!)} 00:58, 22 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Doesn't it suck that just about every big city in New Jersey happens to be ghetto? If we have a New Jersey meetup, it ideally will alternate between North and South. And better yet, it won't be in the ghetto. @harej 01:20, 22 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I only put up big cities, I didn't say specify. :P - Also, not every place is in the ghetto, and put Central into the equation :).Mitch32^{(The Password is... See here!)} 02:06, 22 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Central NJ is pretty much Mercer County and that's it. @harej 03:04, 22 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

No, I live in Middlesex County, and its well enough central. Also parts of Monmouth and Somerset involve with Central Jersey.Mitch32^{(The Password is... See here!)} 10:46, 22 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Good idea, so I just added myself. I haven't been involved in any of this stuff before, so a more informal meeting might be kind of nice to go to. Anyway, Middlesex county is probably the central portion of "Central NJ" (although, my personal opinion is likely clouded by the fact that I live here).
— V = I * R (talk to Ω) 22:03, 9 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

We more or less decided at the meetup that a New Jersey Meetup should be a middle ground between the NYC meetup crowd and the Philadelphia meetup crowd. Princeton was suggested, then lambasted for being too close to Trenton. @harej 00:59, 18 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Ok, stop making me live this down. :| - Princeton is close to Trenton so theoretically they should count as one.Mitch32^{(A fortune in fabulous articles can be yours!)} 01:15, 18 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Obviously if we had a Princeton U contact that would be ideal.--Pharos (talk) 01:58, 18 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

meta:Multimedia Usability Project Meeting France

I'm going to be attending meta:Multimedia Usability Project Meeting France on the weekend before the meetup, mostly focused on the "Content partnerships track". If you folks have ideas you want me to share there, let me know.--Pharos (talk) 14:49, 22 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Since my laptop broke in the Spring I've been using my Blackberry Storm to contribute. It is in fact very tricky to edit with it, and even viewing some articles is problematic when editors have disregarded the recommended size and image limitations. I think that the fact that more and more people will be using Wikipedia via mobile devices should be more taken into account. Extra multimedia stuff is good for the project, but we need to keep in mind usability issues not just for mobile users, but also for those who still don't have access to broadband & the latest hardware/software. PS - have a safe trip & bring some wine/cheese to the meetup! —Elipongo (Talk contribs) 00:40, 2 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Pre-meeting get together

It has been a while since anyone suggested places to tour together before the meetup. I would like to suggest that the New-York Historical Society would be interesting, topical, and conveniently close to the meetup location. —Elipongo (Talk contribs) 16:09, 1 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Wonderful idea. Count me in. — Becksguy (talk) 17:14, 1 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Well that's two votes. Any objections to putting it on the project page? —Elipongo (Talk contribs) 00:45, 2 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Well, we should just be aware that there's a $12 basic adult admission ($9 seniors, $7 students), and we'd have to set a time to meet.--Pharos (talk) 01:15, 2 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I can come.Mitch32^{(The Password is... See here!)} 01:39, 2 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I just called them. They open at 11 and their first docent tour starts at 1pm and lasts about half an hour. If we get more than ten people we may be able to get a special tour, but for now I would say meet there at 12:30. Pharos, would you mind adding it to that template on the project page? Thanks! —Elipongo (Talk contribs) 19:21, 9 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

OK, added :)--Pharos (talk) 19:15, 10 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Spanish-speaking volunteers?

Hi folks. Do we have any Spanish-speaking volunteers who might be able to help teach the Wireless Harlem class? It would be good if we could get someone who could help introduce people to the Spanish Wikipedia, because it is likely there will be some bilingual students. Also, if there are any other languages you know that may be useful for other classes (Chinese, Russian, etc), that would be cool to know too.--Pharos (talk) 21:35, 1 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I wonder if es.wiki (ru.wiki, etc.) have user cats like our Category:Wikipedians in New York City that could be used to get more multilingual participation? Maybe interwiki links could be set up for the meetup page? BTW for our own spamlist it should be noted that Category:Wikipedians in New York City now has subcats by borough... —Elipongo (Talk contribs) 00:16, 2 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Meeting tomorrow!

A final reminder, folks. Our meeting is tomorrow afternoon. See you there!--Pharos (talk) 02:56, 15 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hi, how was meetup and did you took photographs? --Saqib ^talk 15:39, 16 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It went fairly well, and we have a summary on the front side now. I think one or two photographs were taken.--Pharos (talk) 17:14, 22 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

NYC Wikipedia Day party/meeting

Hi! As I was selected (drafted) to find a location I was thinking of doing it on Sunday January 17, 2010 in the Grand Central Terminal food court. Thoughts? —Elipongo (Talk contribs) 00:58, 20 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Can we find a place a little quieter? We had the Wikis Subway lunch there (Brad, Daniel Case, Pharos and I), I suggest a quieter place.Mitch32^{(A fortune in fabulous articles can be yours!)} 02:10, 20 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe, but it is a bit noisy and I'm not sure how we could accommodate a big group seated together there. What would be great is if we could find something that we could promote to a bunch of non-Wikipedians as a "Welcome to Wikipedia"-type party.--Pharos (talk) 17:29, 22 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Discussion to be continued at Wikipedia talk:Meetup/NYC.--Pharos (talk) 10:05, 23 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]