As mentioned in this thread, Euro-doper noctural_tick is spending some time in the States. kittenlm and I will be taking the train up to New York this Saturday and spending the day with him…any other dopers want to join in?
So far, the agenda is as follows:
So, anyone wanna do lunch or anything?
Hmm…can’t remember…are you allowed one or two bumps per thread?
Note: If the answer is “one”, then do me a favor and don’t respond to my question until Wednesday or Thursday. 
Drop me an email and let me know where the hostle is.
If, at any point, you plan on swinging by a bar for a couple of drinks then you can certainly count me in for that.
Let me know if that’s the case and i’ll pass you my mobile number.
Wanna do something in lovely Brooklyn? The zoo? The Botanical Gardens? The Transit Museum? Picnic in Prospect Park?
Welcome to the “if anything can go wrong, it will” NYC trip.
I sent an e-mail to an intermediary in contact with nocturnal_tick letting him know that we’d be there today around noon. Never heard back…hmmm…
Just before leaving, I went to grab my camera. Crap! I left it on when I last used it two days ago, and now it’s completely lost its charge! (No battery option…it must be charged up to work). :: Sigh :: Oh well…have to grab our old, kinda crappy backup camera.
Got to the train station…boarded the train…and realized I left the backup camera in the station. :smack: The conductor was a great help, though…he called in to the station, and the camera will be waiting for me when I go pick it up tomorrow. Still, no pics for the day.
Now, since I had mentioned in my e-mail to tick that NJ Transit trains were very reliable and we’d certainly be on time, the train lost power. Twice. That added about a half-hour to our ride time, so we knew we’d be late, and we had no way of communicating that to tick.
We finally get to the city, hop a subway to get close to his hostel, and walk the last few blocks. We get there, and I was hoping tick would be waiting in the lobby, but no dice. I talk to the desk clerk, when it hits me…I pretty much only know him as “noctural_tick”! Other than that, I only have a first name to tell this guy.
It takes awhile, but the first name, along with the English accent, narrow it down. He remembers tick, and even that he had been asking about getting a phone number for someone living Jersey, so the desk guy gives me his room number. No dice…tick is gone. :: sigh again ::
The lobby has a web terminal, so I check my e-mail…hey, a message from tick! Unfortuantely, the message makes it obvious that he never got my message telling him that we’d be there today. Oh well…since he now has this terminal to get e-mail, I send him a message letting him know that we’re in the city, and to call my cell if he gets this message.
Well, not much to do now…I guess I’ll call the folks who e-mailed me their phone numbers after reading this thread and see if we can’t get an impromptu get-together going. Crap!! Where’s the damn paper with the phone numbers?!? :: sigh x3 ::
So, any and all mini-fest ideas were shot to hell…but, wife and I did spend a nice afternoon walking around Central Park and going to the zoo there.
On the train ride home, tick called, but it was shortly after the train pulled away, so we were under the Hudson River where there is no cell service. I got a voice mail from him, but it was obviously just a bit too late.
Ah well…sorry about that, tick! Have to catch you whenever we finally get over to England…
Dang! I wasn’t able to go due to Mermaid Parade-watching (fun fun fun!) but popped in here to see how our Insect Friend of the Darkness enjoyed his stay in our fair if hot city.
If the ‘intermediary’ was me again, I never got the e-mail. Sorry!
It’s ok Gemma. I’ve agreed with Hal that it’s all your fault.
The day was still good, went to see some sights, but I want to say sorry to Hal and Kitten for my lack of preparation. Maybe some other time eh?
As for the rest of my stay here…well…there’s a story to tell but that is for another day. These couple of weeks are certainly gonna be story worthy.
Until then…TO BE CONTINUED!!
That’s no way to talk to your new house mate. 
I 'm glad to hear you’re having a good time. I can’t wait to hear these stories.
I’ve only got a few minutes but I just want to say that I’m having the worst damn bout of homesickness. I’m missing my Lauren. I’m missing my friends. I’m missing my family. And I miss you guys. I need to get back on the boards more often.
tick, how long are you around for? I’m sorry to hear your plans with Hal went bust but perhaps another gathering can be arranged?
Well I’ll be leaving for home tomorrow. By that I mean I’ll be airport hopping 'til I get home. One such hop leaves me at Newark airport for 21 hours but I’m hoping to sneak away to see Hal and kitten. Hope that’s still ok guys?
Well I’m in Tallahassee now, on harmless’ computer no less. We’ve had a great time which I’ll tell you about later. She showed me the sights…yep, both of them. And I just want to thank harmy and Yepmas for putting up with me. Of course I’ll tell them in person as well.
Anyway better go. Talk to you all soon.
Heya tick…Just in case you decide to check the Dope and not your e-mail – check your e-mail.
Alrighty then Hal. But wait…I can talk to you right now because I’m coming live from Briston central!!!
Just checking in with a few words…Hal and kitten good, Newark airport bad.
END COMMUNICATION!
Ticky-tick! Glad to see you made it there safely!
I’m sure Yepmas’ story he told at the check-in of planes losing engines made for a comfortable flight.
You were a joy to have over and are welcome back any time.
Oh, and thanks for the ciggies. Bet you were kicking yourself at the airport after we left.
P.S.
Tried a sip of that Guinness(sp?) before the others finished them off.
Since when did they start making ass in a can? :dubious:
It was like soy sauce without the salt.
Why yes, yes he was. And we’ve got the pic to prove it.
Good to finally meet’cha, tick…come and visit anytime!
And thank you much for the Buddhas (Buddhai?), harmless! If you look reeeeal close at the linked pic, you’ll see the they’ve earned shelf space with our beloved honking chickens.
100% accurate, and fricking funny as hell.
He was smoking? Slaps nocturnal_tick Bad Tick! No!
Well, obviously he wasn’t. 
