RWG LUNCH IN SO CAL

[Thor]

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The date is April 23rd, 2006. One week AFTER Easter Sunday. Two months enough notice, hope so!

Esmarc :coolio:

I am in....again I will fly in from SF....again and hope to meet all the great folks again from last the GTG.

Thanks Steve for doing another one :-)

hmmprrpp..

I am feeling a little left out of your company.. :sad:

Shame it has to take 10 hours to fly across the atlantic!.. ( if it could be done any faster, i would be there....)

Guess i just have to do with my EU-Friends.. :headsetsmiley:

Brian. :smile:

rschultes holding the current record to beat, at 400+ miles, any challengers?

Look forward to seeing you again RS!

Esmarc :coolio:

This is great news...I will do everything I can to be there...Let's see if we can make the venue a little more secluded this time around. Had a great time last time at SCG but wouldn't mind a little more privacy when admiring all the.....watches. We have a little time to find space...I'll help out too. :headsetsmiley:

Dede and I will attend again. Thanks for the invite.

So are we talking L.A.? San Diego? Tijuana?

Well, we met in Dana Point last time and it was a beautiful area. I wouldn't be opposed to Dana Point again. Lets see what we can find in that area.

Dana Point is a beautiful area. I would like to take into consideration others that may attend this event that didn't make the last one. If there are more people from the LA, SFV, SGV, etc., we should consider holding the event more north than last time. There were a few lucky people (Avitt and his lovely wife) that drove a whopping 7.9 miles to lunch. I'm sure he (and others) wouldn't mind tacking on a few extra miles if it meant an opportunity to meet more members, hence a larger turnout.

One other thing to consider. Private banquet rooms tend to run about $500USD for three hours, and then you have to guarantee a certain about of food and beverage sales to boot. If someone has suggestions about a place that will let us get around stipulations like this, perhaps we could have a private room. I didn't want this to be an event that is financially driven by an establishment. I'm sure everyone would rather buy another strap for one of their favorites rather than paying up just to sit down.

Thanks everyone for RSVP'ing. Head count is at twenty already!

Esmarc :coolio:

Esmarc,

Sorry I havent been on RWG lately... been so busy with work haven't been able to do much of anything. Count me in! If you could do me a favor and PM me the location whenever it is decided. I get a notification of PMs through email, so it will remind me to get on RWG and peruse a little! Look forward to seeing everyone again! This time I will have more than one watch to show off!

Dane

Here's an idea and it's only a suggestion...perhaps we could arrange to meet at a park. We live in one of the most mild climates on Earth and should take advantage of our beautiful weather. We could have a BBQ, bring food and beer and not worry about renting a room or meeting minimums. We could get a couple of park tables together, lay some tablecloths out, and look at some watches. :drunksing:

Also, we could maybe meet in the Santa Barbara area. That way, folks from NorCal could attend as well as people from SoCal. Santa Barbara is somewhere in the middle, I'm sure. There are some beautiful areas just north of SB in CC wine country. Or maybe in Ventura. Really anywhere. Let me know what you guys think.

Bruce,

Sounds like a cool idea...someone has to play devil's advocate, so here we go...

SF to SB: 366.5 miles

SD to SB: 218.5 miles

Alcohol in Public Parks: RWG'ers arrested

Cooking our own food: Last time we didn't even take enough pictures

Santa Barbara Climate: Unpredictable, may not rain, but could get cold even in April.

Picking some obscure park in SB and getting mugged with all of our reps: PRICELESS!

Now for the positives. I like the idea, and it would be really cool to be in someone's back yard. As the size of this outing grows, I don't want to assume anyone would want 20-30 people in their home that they just recently met from an internet forum.

I'm working on a few venues that may allow us to have some privacy without it costing too much. I am also pondering the idea of the venue being located in Fullerton, Ca. There is an Amtrak station conveniently located there, so those of you who do live far and didn't feel like driving could possibly take the train.

Bruce, keep the great ideas coming!

Esmarc :coolio:

Sounds fun -- I'm in.

Thought I'd give it a shot :cool:

Shoot, shoot, and keep shooting! If everyone agrees on a park GTG, I'm the last one to stand in the way. Just going for something that works for everyone! Let's hear Bruce's as well as some other ideas!

Esmarc :coolio:

[Thor]

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I'm in for whatever. Good on you, Steve for going at this again.

I'll call you tomorrow...

I'll believe you, 'cause you're a guy. :laugh:

Esmarc :coolio:

The scouting ensues, with a few places in mind to hopefully check out this weekend. If this lunch were near a train station, would that type of accessibility increase your likelihood of attending? I wonder if a few people who were too far to drive, yet too close to fly, missed lunch the last time due to distance or travel/traffic issues. Opinions?

Esmarc :coolio:

I would prefer not to fly in and then have to drive 3 or 4 hours. That will be a deal killer for me.

it should be close to either to LAX, John Wayne or Long Beach airport....

Close meaning within an hour right? Somewhere in Santa Monica might be nice. And of course there's always the Valley! :coolio:

This is good input Guys. Being close to an airport for RSchultes and Coascender makes a lot of sense. Now I would think that either John Wayne or LAX would be the two to choose from. Knowing the traffic situation, I tend to lean toward John Wayne. It is also easier to get in an out of JW versus LAX in my opinion. I also have more knowlegde about dining establishments in the Orange County area in comparison to Los Angeles. That being said, I am sure there are some LA people who can chime in and point out a few places we might be interested in. Los Angeles has more cultural history than Orange County, kinda like, Old Money versus New Money...so lets hear where the Old Money hangs out...

Esmarc :coolio:

Some LA suggestions:

A hotel may be the way to go. Lots of them have some nice lounge areas with very good restaurants. I like the idea of a hotel though because we won't be rushed. Some ideas:

LAX : Encounter restaurant is right at the airport. It's almost always empty so I'm sure they can accomodate a group. If couse the outside architecture is a cultural ICON. The Food is so-so.

http://www.encounterrestaurant.com/encounter_genesis.html

Santa Monica:

> Casa Del Mar: http://www.encounterrestaurant.com/encounter_genesis.html

> Shutters on the beach: http://www.shuttersonthebeach.com/luxury_h...nta_monica.html

> the viceroy: http://www.viceroysantamonica.com/

Bel Air:

> Hotel Bel Air

www.hotelbelair.com

As old Money as you can get.

Westwood: (near ucla)

> W hotel (my favorite) Private areas. Considered a "hip" hotel

Beverly Hills:

The Beverly Bills hotel. Hang out in and by the polo lounge. They are always accomadatiing and it won't be as expensive as you would think.

http://beverlyhillshotel.com/

Hollywood.

The Roosevelt Hotel. They gave an AMAZING steakouse + private rooms. this is "hip" as well

http://www.hollywoodroosevelt.com/

Downtown LA

> The Biltmore hotel--Old School

http://www.millenniumhotels.com/MCIL.nsf/L...on?OpenDocument

> The Standard --Love this place

http://www.standardhotel.com/

Sunset strip:

> http://www.mondrianhotel.com/

Excellent Post Cdigi! Anyone else have some input? I'll have to spend a little time browsing through all the links. Everyone else do the same, or post your own links and let me know what you think.

Esmarc :coolio:

Another place that I like for large meetings is Blowfish Sushi on Sunset:

http://www.blowfishsushi.com/

They have a fairly large and empty bar/reception area and a long table that we could sit at at the back of the restaurant.

Cdigi,

I just had sushi for lunch today, but Blowfish Sushi To Die For has me hungry again. It appears that they do have tempura for those not sushi inclined. Man that was a good webpage too. What is everyone else thinking? Keep the ideas coming!

Esmarc :coolio:

I am a huge sushi fan so Blowfish gets my vote.

Yea, It's really yummy!! As long as everyone is cool with the prices, blowfish would be the way to go. It's not cheap but in the grand scheme of things, it's not so bad. Sunday is a good night to have the event as this place gets packed from Thurs-Sat.

The Tempura is excellent as well as the filet. My favorite is the Black cod though.

Every Since I moved to LA in 1993 I've been slowly turning japanese. I even have a Japanese GF now.. What's next? No Seikos in my future though!

If I may, I would like to suggest one of the best brunche's in Southern California at the Sierra Lakes Country Club; which is only 15 minutes from the Ontario Int. Airport (in traffic). Where the 210 and 15 Fwy cross. It's all you can eat and drink for a little more than $20.00. The Tables are big and they have live entertainment. (Jazz) Take a look for yourselfs.

Sierra Lakes

I am a huge brunch fan and I have family in San Dimas. So Sierra Lakes gets my vote.

[Thor]

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No it does not smell like cow at Sierra Lakes, you are prob talking about Chino which is next to Ontario. Sierra Lakes is in Fontana, where the Nascar California Speedway is located at. For you local guys go check it out and then I won't be the only one who thinks this place is great!

BTW, with real estate being so high here in so cal, I think the dairy farms are one there way out. If they are still open. I havn't seen any in a while, even Norco is starting to bring them down and build track homes.

[Thor]

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My flight plans depend on location. I don't mind if we have the lunch in San Diego, San Bernadio, or San(ta) Barbara as long as it's relatively close, meaning an hour or two, from an airport. Frankly, I just want to hang our with you guys for a few hours, pick your brains and maybe trade a rep or two. The location and food are secondary.

wherever

whatever

simple... : )

Life is Good!

Telecommuting Klink

I agree!!! Simple and all about reps. :happy:

EL COYOTE!!!

Coyote Ugly ?

I will be in Santa Monica next week-end. I don't mean to hijack this thread, but can someone suggest a top notch breakfast place that I can take my son's future in-laws to? I know nothing about Southern California, but we are staying in Santa Monica and the in-laws live in Brentwood.

Shutters or Casa del Mar would be the simple answer. Lots of the b'fast places are crazy crowded on the weekend. ALso look into Snug harbor or Bread and Porrige. Both will be crowded but have some of the "best" breakfasts.

http://www.elcoyotecafe.com/

I figured it was a restaurant. I was just messin' around. I went to the site however, and I can only find a press release on their 75th anniversary. Whats the menu like for the rest of the time (typical Mexican I'm assuming), and would that place be able to handle 30 of us? (thats the number I'm shooting for) I'm sure you've been there so tell us if that place could accomodate our group, as the website has no pictures.

Esmarc :coolio:

They have an outdoor patio/bar area that may be able to accomodate us. It's fairly inexpensive and an LA institution. Drinks are cheap. It's a typical old shool, So-Cal mexican joint.

I just called and they said they can do a group of 30, we just need to call a week in advance.

Hey, El Coyote is a great idea & an interersting historical LA joint.

And yes, as Cdigi said, they have a patio area.

Drinks are indeed cheap, too. It's a nice place in a nice part of Los Angeles.

Excellent choice, especially if they said they can accomodate us - sounds good to me. I am sure that folks will be happy about this choice. It's a great 'all-arounder" location-wise & tastes-wise.

I was a bit tired this Sunday morning, and I skipped Sierra Lakes. I have been getting more comments about El Coyote, and I think this is the place I'll check out next weekend. I will make the reservation in person if all seems well.

For all those planning on attending, please chime in and let me know if you like the venue as well...

Esmarc :coolio:

I like the El C location. I can fly in and out same day and since I've never been to that area I wouldn't mind playing tourist before and after the lunch.

Yeah, I think it'd be great to get a couple libations after the lunch...for those of us that can pace ourselves during lunch... :beer: :beer: :drunksing: :beer: :beer:

he said libation!

: )

Life is Good!

Klink

I really think El Coyote is the best location. This will satisfy all walks of life.

Nice drinks, good food, nice atmosphere, nice patio, nice location, unpretentious - and very reasonable.

It can't get any better than this.

Libation

[Thor]

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:beer: Libations it is...any more posters?

Esmarc :coolio:

EL COYOTE? is that a safe place for a Zorro?.... :laugh:

I agree, that's a nice place, they have a great patio not to mention some great food as well..

Well Everyone,

My plan was to go to El Coyote tomorrow, and see about reserving a specific area for our group, but I will have to postpose that for a week. I have some family things to deal with, and the weather isn't helping me feel any better. I will keep everyone posted.

Esmarc :coolio:

snowing here.. I hear the freeway isw for no good traveling

peace, be safe,, have fun!

Life is Good!

Klink

yeah, I was awoken here is sd with a flurry of hail. This is about as bad as it gets in socal but as we all know, when it DOES rain in socal, the roads are amoung the most dangerous in the world. be safe.

Well Friends,

The weather seems to have cleared, so that is a good thing. I am feeling better now as well. I am going to El Coyote this coming Saturday or Sunday to make our group reservation in person. As CDigi stated earlier, they said they could accomodate us as long as we made our reservation a week in advance. I'll keep everyone posted. Also, anyone seen Maxlove? Haven't heard from him since I called him. Those of you who have his phone number, give him a call.

Thanks,

Esmarc :coolio:

Many of you have asked about our friend Maxlove. He PMed me this yesterday...

"I am getting better..I did get your messages and would love to chat..It always depends on my condition when the call comes in. Max is great..I am going to sell some of my watches if you are interested. I am back at work. Thanks for being a friend."

I would say that Maxlove's thanks goes out to all of us who were and are concerned about him. It also sounds like Maxlove will have some Rollies to display along with Tino's PAMs to display at the Lunch! Bring cash, forget PayPal!

Keep posting everyone!

Esmarc :coolio:

Is the Luncheon still on even with all these developments with the Board

(replica RWG etc.)? If yes I am in.

I would have to say...yes.