### Author:  [@Medea\_s\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Medea_s_Child)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2000, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-dope-fest/34312/1 "2000-09-23T23:04:41Z")
I would like a PittFest. How would such a thing be made? I have time to do organization, but I have little money and I live in a college dorm. So how do these things get started?
Anyone have a clue what needs to be done?
Anyone willing to help?
Anyone willing to attend?
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### Author:  [@Welfy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Welfy)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2000, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-dope-fest/34312/2 "2000-09-23T23:32:56Z")
I’m willing to go…
…but I still live at home and I still have to abide by Mom’s rules. I have a feeling that asking her to go to a party with “complete strangers” from the Internet in Pittsburgh wouldn’t fall under my “allowed to do” list. _sigh_
Give me a year or so, when I’m not living at home, then I’ll go to all the Dopefests I can, and definitely in Pittsburgh! (that would be the closest one for me)
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### Author:  [@Medea\_s\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Medea_s_Child)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2000, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-dope-fest/34312/3 "2000-09-23T23:58:09Z")
I hear you, Welfy. Leaving for school was one of the greatest moments of my life. I love my parents, I really do. But I can do on great trips that they never need know about now. And I have my own little box to live in, complete with sub-standard food plan!
How far from Pittsburgh are you?
I got the idea from Jester, and I would really like to make it happen. It should be able to work. Other places have DopeFests…\
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### Author:  [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2000, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-dope-fest/34312/4 "2000-09-24T00:28:59Z")
Or maybe we could have it somewhere between Pittsburgh and, say, DC, so more people would be able to go. Maybe somewhere in MD or southeast PA?
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### Author:  [@Medea\_s\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Medea_s_Child)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2000, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-dope-fest/34312/5 "2000-09-24T00:32:23Z")
Paddy dear, how would I get there?
Other than that small-ish problem, Love to.
/hijak AOLIM me so I can actually add you to my buddy list again, while you are on…
/hijak
Sure, no problem. How does one start a Dope Fest. I want one that I can get to. Help me please people!
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### Author:  [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2000, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-dope-fest/34312/6 "2000-09-24T00:32:24Z")
Medea-DRY mentioned you go to Pitt-I go to La Roche!
Over on Babcock?
Right next to Passavant Hospital!
Kewl!
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### Author:  [@Medea\_s\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Medea_s_Child)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2000, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-dope-fest/34312/7 "2000-09-24T00:35:07Z")
Woo-hoo Guin!
I’m in the Tower Dorms at Pitt.
See! Dopers do live in Pittsburgh! C’mon, lets throw a party!
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### Author:  [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2000, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-dope-fest/34312/8 "2000-09-24T00:46:42Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Medea’s Child \*
> \*\*Paddy dear, how would I get there?
>
> Other than that small-ish problem, Love to.\*\*
Maybe Guin has a car? Or Jester? Or someone else near Medea’s Child?
Of course, given a east coast dopefest, I probably have a ride:P
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### Author:  [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2000, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-dope-fest/34312/9 "2000-09-24T00:50:51Z")
Not even a license.
I can get a bus pass.
BTW, Medea-my friend Emily from the Joel Hodgeson/Mike Nelson Estrogen Brigade also goes there…Emily Sours?
Of course, it is HUGE…
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### Author:  [@Medea\_s\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Medea_s_Child)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2000, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-dope-fest/34312/10 "2000-09-24T00:54:05Z")
It is huge. No I don’t know anyone. I am an engineering geek. And when I’m not, I’m doing Philosophy. So I manage not to know anyone. I don’t stay anywhere long enough.
Other than my dorm and my friends’ houses.
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### Author:  [@Jester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jester)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2000, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-dope-fest/34312/11 "2000-09-24T02:22:39Z")
Hey, I gave someone an idea! You have NO idea how much that cheers me up.
Anyhoo, I do not have a car, but should be getting my liscence this weekend, which could possibly open up a few doors. I live over in Shadyside, so add me to the list of people who will come if EVERYTHING goes well. Though I also have the parents problem thingie.
BUT, if we were to do it, then we might be able to do it at the Waterfront or somewhere similar. There’s a Dave & Buster’s, and I’m pretty sure there’s been Dopefests at those places before. I’m glad to help plan, but like I said, being able to come could be a bit sketchy.
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### Author:  [@Philbuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philbuck)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2000, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-dope-fest/34312/12 "2000-09-24T03:00:16Z")
Also a sedentary Pittsburgh type, though certainly no parent problems! But I’m just down the road from Pitt a few blocks, walk past those towers with some frequency…
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### Author:  [@DRY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DRY)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2000, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-dope-fest/34312/13 "2000-09-24T07:24:02Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Guinastasia \*
> \*\*Medea-DRY mentioned you go to Pitt-I go to La Roche!
> Over on Babcock?
> Right next to Passavant Hospital!
> Kewl!
> \*\*
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Medea’s Child \*
> \*\*Woo-hoo Guin!
>
> I’m in the Tower Dorms at Pitt.
> See! Dopers do live in Pittsburgh! C’mon, lets throw a party! \*\*
You are two of my very favorite Dopers and I do hope that the two of you will get to meet each other. I think you’re both really special and deserve each other’s friendship! 🙂
Why is it that I seem to have more Doper friends in Pittsburgh and Lakeland/Tampa than I do in LA?? ☹ 😕
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### Author:  [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2000, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-dope-fest/34312/14 "2000-09-24T10:50:53Z")
This DC-area Doper will travel to Pittsburgh for a Dopefest if his schedule permits. Might even bring along the wife, since one of our closest friends lives there!
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### Author:  [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2000, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-dope-fest/34312/15 "2000-09-24T11:15:06Z")
BTW, Medea’s Child, you’re going about the planning in exactly the right way.
First, you start a thread suggesting a Dopefest in your city. (Done.)
Second, people chime in and you get an idea of who would attend. (We’re in this step now.)
Third, as the list of potential attendees starts to stabilize (it never _finishes_ stabilizing until the Dopefest actually happens, so don’t worry about that), people start batting around possible dates, times, and locations.
It’s normal to have the Dopefest at a restaurant or other public place, so your living in a dorm is no problem. And whatever date is chosen, there’ll be somebody who can’t make it, so choose a date that seems to work for the most people, and tell the rest that they’ll just have to be sure to be at the next one.
That’s 90% of it, and the rest will take care of itself along the way. You’re doing good!
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### Author:  [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2000, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-dope-fest/34312/16 "2000-09-24T13:07:13Z")
Let me do the next step: suggest a date.
March 3rd.
Why March 3? Because it’s out there but not OUT there.
Perhaps we (we being someone who is not me) should start a thread entitled something to the effect of “March 3: X city ore bust” (the ore part being a joke). Then people say what weekends work and don’t work for them.
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### Author:  [@Medea\_s\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Medea_s_Child)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2000, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-dope-fest/34312/17 "2000-09-24T14:42:08Z")
I’ll have to check when my spring break is. That would not go over well with my little sisters.
“Why aren’t you coming home? We miss you! Don’t you love us?”
“Yes, I do triddle-de-dids, but I have a party here…”
I say we get more people to agree they would try to make it before we do too much planning.
Dave and Busters requires people over 25 to get us youngins in.
On parental problems, depending on your relationship with said parents it could be easier than you think. Having your parents meet other people who would be going, explaining your safety measures, and in general behaving like an adult about the whole thing can do wonders.
Thanks RTFirefly, I didn’t really know how these things happen. Good to know I can pretend well enough to fool everyone else.
DRY, are you really that awful in person? \
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### Author:  [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2000, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-dope-fest/34312/18 "2000-09-24T16:01:49Z")
Medea-so you aren’t from Pittsburgh originally?
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### Author:  [@Medea\_s\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Medea_s_Child)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2000, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-dope-fest/34312/19 "2000-09-24T16:54:15Z")
Nope, I’m from Michigan. I go home faithfully to save my sisters from the evil dad figure.
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### Author:  [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2000, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pittsburgh-dope-fest/34312/20 "2000-09-24T17:34:07Z")
I’m not that far from Pittsburg.
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