Boston Meetup: Redbones Bike Party (5/19)

[spokenword]

hey y'all.

I'm planning on attending the Massbike/NEMBA Bike Party at Redbones tonight. I'll probably get there by 6:30 or so just to get a bit of time to have dinner and drinks before the raffle starts at 7:30. I'd definitely recommend that folks drop by to support Massbike and participate in the raffle as they've had some rather sweet prizes in the past.

The party is usually hella packed, so it would make sense for a meetup to happen just outside the main event. Usually, the section of street just south of Redbones, where Davis starts to turn into apartments stays pretty empty. So, let's say, 7:00 at the intersection of College and Chester?

I'll be the Asian guy with the brown short sleeve wool jersey and brown nylon khakis. I'll also be bearing a fairly large black PAC Designs messenger bag with a Lush (http://www.4ad.com/lush/) patch stitched on to the main flap.

[BostonRoadee]

Spokenword, you sound just WAY too stylish to be seen with the likes of me. ;)

How was the party? Sorry I couldn't make it -- For a graduation present, my wife bought us tix to the Red Sox game. Ended up being that big no-hitter Lester pitched!

[Namenda]

Spokenword, you sound just WAY too stylish to be seen with the likes of me. ;)

How was the party? Sorry I couldn't make it -- For a graduation present, my wife bought us tix to the Red Sox game. Ended up being that big no-hitter Lester pitched!

Damn, how cool is that? Your wife sure can pick 'em.

[spokenword]

Spokenword, you sound just WAY too stylish to be seen with the likes of me. ;)

How was the party? Sorry I couldn't make it -- For a graduation present, my wife bought us tix to the Red Sox game. Ended up being that big no-hitter Lester pitched!

Crazy crowded, and shortly after seven, my friend and I went downstairs to the basement to elbow our way to the bar and drink beer, which basically devolved into an exercise over seeing how many people were shocked (shocked!) that their drink ticket only entitled them to a pre-paid cup of Harpoon IPA and not, as many of us hoped, a free pull of any of the beer in Redbones' inventory. No all-inclusive Belgian Dubbel ales for you! New England beer snobs are a funny bunch. I was also pleasantly surprised that despite the number of fixie hipsters, PBR was generally absent from the proceedings.

But, yeah, my friend kept on getting text updates from her boyfriend who was at the game. Neither of us won anything at the raffle, and we both conceded that the boyfriend got the better end of that particular deal.

[BostonRoadee]

Damn, how cool is that? Your wife sure can pick 'em.

Hmm, should I take that as compliment? :D

Yeah, it was pretty dang awesome. 'Round about the sixth or seventh, everyone started getting real excited with every out. Lots of cheering, singing, good stuff. My first time at Fenway -- a gorgeous little jewel of a park.

[BostonRoadee]

Crazy crowded, and shortly after seven, my friend and I went downstairs to the basement to elbow our way to the bar and drink beer, which basically devolved into an exercise over seeing how many people were shocked (shocked!) that their drink ticket only entitled them to a pre-paid cup of Harpoon IPA and not, as many of us hoped, a free pull of any of the beer in Redbones' inventory. No all-inclusive Belgian Dubbel ales for you! New England beer snobs are a funny bunch. I was also pleasantly surprised that despite the number of fixie hipsters, PBR was generally absent from the proceedings.

But, yeah, my friend kept on getting text updates from her boyfriend who was at the game. Neither of us won anything at the raffle, and we both conceded that the boyfriend got the better end of that particular deal.

You're steps ahead of me -- I had no idea what the fixie crowd drinks.

Glad to hear there was at least a good crowd there and something going on. Sorry you didn't win anything! What's up w. the fact that your friend's BF going to the game, but she didn't? Maybe none of my biz, but seems weird to me...

[spokenword]

You're steps ahead of me -- I had no idea what the fixie crowd drinks.

Glad to hear there was at least a good crowd there and something going on. Sorry you didn't win anything! What's up w. the fact that your friend's BF going to the game, but she didn't? Maybe none of my biz, but seems weird to me...

yes, you're right. It is none of your biz ;)

... but, in general, we're non-jealous types who can deal with partners hanging out with friends separately from us. My girlfriend, for example, is a card-carrying Massbike member who doesn't like crowds very much, so she just skips the party and has me buy her some raffle tickets by proxy. My friend, she likes a good party and pre-paid beer, and she's a big Sox fan; but a game against the Royals is typically the kind of blow-out snoozefest that normally warrants a pass from her. Of course, if it she knew then that it'd be a no-runs, no-hits kinda thing then she would definitely have gone the other way.

[BostonRoadee]

I hear you SW. I wasn't so much thinking of friends hanging out with other friend's GF's or BF's. My friends and I do that, too. Just surprised that her BF was at the game and didn't take her. But I get it now: She just didn't think it would be a good game!

I myself was thinking it would be boring, too. In fact, no-hitters *are* a little bit boring -- except for the record being set, there ain't much happening, unless you really follow the pitching very closely, and we were too far away for that. But the excitement of the crowd was very cool.

Glad you guys got to hang out a little, it's always a good thing, even if the beer isn't what you were hoping. :)

[spokenword]

I hear you SW. I wasn't so much thinking of friends hanging out with other friend's GF's or BF's. My friends and I do that, too. no worries, BR. I've just had a few co-workers who can't conceive of romantic partners leading individual lives, and have been the subject of a few judgemental conversations over how men and women can't have platonic friendships ... standard Harry Met Sally sort of stuff.

I myself was thinking it would be boring, too. In fact, no-hitters *are* a little bit boring -- except for the record being set, there ain't much happening, unless you really follow the pitching very closely, and we were too far away for that. But the excitement of the crowd was very cool. yeah, that's what I heard. It was like people started twigging to the possiblity around the sixth or seventh, but nobody wanted to say anything until the eighth, and by the ninth, the anticipation was practically unbearable.

Wish I could say the Massbike raffle was the same way ;)

Glad you guys got to hang out a little, it's always a good thing, even if the beer isn't what you were hoping. :) Oh, I like Harpoon's IPA just fine, so that wasn't a big deal. It was watching all of the other folks getting uppity and some even walking out that we both found kind of amusing. Walking out! On beer that you already paid for! I can understand folks getting all snobby if offered Miller Genuine Draft or Pabst, but Harpoon's not exactly swill, you know?

[BostonRoadee]

Oh, I like Harpoon's IPA just fine, so that wasn't a big deal. It was watching all of the other folks getting uppity and some even walking out that we both found kind of amusing. Walking out! On beer that you already paid for! I can understand folks getting all snobby if offered Miller Genuine Draft or Pabst, but Harpoon's not exactly swill, you know?

It's like you said: Never underestimate the power of snobbery. (OK, you didn't say that, but I'm paraphrasing and adding my own bias. ;) )