How about it, gang? A holiday season gathering of the crew?
We’ve only met a few times this year. I’d like to see y’all.
Who’s (still) out there?
I’ll be gone to New Mexico (USA) over Christmas, and I’m going to make a serious effort to attend the NYC MegaDopefest on January 16th-19th. That still leaves several weekends in the holiday season open. It is presumptuous of me to assume my schedule reigns over anything. I’m just trying to assume the role of catalyst here.
What do y’all say?
Gunslinger and I have been planning to go to Houston at some point - you’re only four hours away from us, after all. Dallas is only two, but Houston has space-rockets and things. However, I don’t get full weekends off from work, only Saturdays and Wednesdays, and Gunslinger works for the paper all day on Sundays… so our participation would be limited to Saturday afternoon - assuming we left here at 7 in the morning and got home around 11, we’d only be in Houston from maybe 11 to 7, and we’d probably leave town around 5 or 6 as a practical matter. So who knows. If we ever do go just for ourselves it’ll be a weekday when maybe I could get two days off in a row and we could stay overnight and wander the city more.
I say set it up. I will make every effort to have quit my lousy part time job from hell and not be sick, so I might actually make it to this one.
Dee Dee votes yes.
Dude, I am soooo there! And, since I have no real social life, any weekend in December or January will work for me.
Tom and I would like to come! After all, our first date was at a HouDopefest… 
I’ll see what I can do. I’ve been thwarted the last 2 times, but I still want to go.
That was your first date? Wow! Dopefests are OK.
We’ve done Saturday during the day gatherings, and if that’ll make it a possibility for racinchikki and Ginslinger, I’m all for it.
Previous Saturday afternoon HouDopes have been on the deck at a few different places. That works often, but mid-winter that might be a dicey proposition. Admittedly, this being Houston, it could easily be a balmy 80º on a mid-December or January afternoon. It could just as easily be 30º, so I think we need to focus on an indoor venue.
I’ll put on my thinkin’ cap. Meanwhile, keep checkin’ in.
Ginslinger? Eep! And here you were featured in just the last day or so in a thread about wine for people who don’t drink much. Sorry, Gunny.
Ringo,
Just let me know when and where and I will come running (not really, I will probably drive). Please try to keep it inside the loop (no east San Antonio fest’s please).
unclviny
Hey, Ringo, as far as restaurant suggestions go, how about McDonalds? It’s cheap, and there are always lots of empty tables!
Nah, I kid. My cat eats dead roaches, but she won’t eat the meat from a Big Mac. That should tell me something right there.
For a serious restaurant suggestion, how about Guadalajara Mexican Grille & Bar? My co-workers and I go there every now and then for Friday lunch. I think the food’s great, and it’s in the same price range as Joe’s Crab Shack. They’ve got a bar, great salsa, and the best chile relleno I’ve ever tasted. The location I’ve been to is on the Southwest Freeway frontage road near Kirby. The dining rooms are pretty big, and I think they could accomodate a DopeFest.
I’ll check it out this weekend.
If the weather ends up being a problem all of you could always check out the tunnels.
Another suggestion is the Downtown Aquarium.
Or how about Magic Island?
If you’re looking for something a little less expensive here is a list of restaurants.
Just a few places I would consider if I was to attend, which I probably won’t but this might give all of you a few ideas.
Good suggestions, Elaella. Magic Island might be way out of the price range of most of us, though. Plus, that Egyptian pharoah bust on the restaurant gave me the willies when I was a kid. The Downtown Aquarium would be neat; I have yet to actually get down there. The only problem I can think of offhand would be parking (unless they have a parking lot I’m not aware of, we’d problem need to park near Bayou Place).
I’ve also got another couple of suggestions. Amazon’s on Kirby between Westpark and Bissonnett is good. Parking is a bit tight, but the food is great. Free salad and fried plantain bar, too. I can’t remember if there’s a bar or not. They have a deck, but the tables can’t be pushed together since they’re all circular with umbrellas. It’s a TexMex/South American themed restaurant, and it was really good when I was there.
Another suggestion is Palazzo’s on Westheimer near Buffalo Speedway. It’s an Italian cafe that serves salads, pasta, sandwiches, and pizza. The food is good, and they have a bar. They also have a deck, but I believe that the tables could be pushed together.
Both Amazon’s and Palazzo’s are reasonably priced and easy to get to.
Ringo,
What about the Mucky Duck?, they have real beer, good food and a deck (but we need to be sure there is not a show going on).
unclviny
How about Bocca de Becco (or whatever it is called). Very resonable prices, especially when you consider that $15 buys you approx. 20# of spagetti. And they have large rooms for parties. Great food too. It’s on Buffalo Speedway @ Westpark.
I was going to do some funny thing here where I pretend to be an EMT reviving this thread (which had just gone into cardiac arrest). It was to include a joke about someone not clearing when I started with the shocking.
Alas, I am too humorless and senseless right now to be funny, clever, and creative. Instead, all I can do is go bump.
I’ll pitch in for a bump. I’m not saying I can come yet, but I’ll bump.
bump
Whoo boy, talk about fallin’ down on the job! OK, thanks for the revival. What say we? December? January?
As a temporary resident of your fair state for most of the months of Dec-Feb, I’d love to come meet some Texas Dopers.