Mini-Pre-10th Anniversary Party Train Meetup

June 11, 2009 9:49 PM

Any interest in taking the Amtrak Cascades, carpooling and/or shared accommodations in Portland?

I was hoping to keep costs down and either carpooling down to Portland or taking the train. Currently taking the amtrak Cascade down on Saturday morning is $28 and the Starlight Coast on Sunday afternoon back to Seattle is $28. Might be an adventure to take the train down with a group.

I'm also interested in sharing a hotel room or crashing on a couch in Portland for Saturday night as I am not going to be able to stay up until the wee hours of the morning partying.

Anyone else interested? Suggestions?

posted by silkygreenbelly to Portland, OR at 9:49 PM (39 comments total)

I'm more of a drive there and back kind of guy, but I haven't found a place to "crash" yet either. It might be a hotel room, it might be with this wealthy-gay-pornographer-friend-of-my-dead-brother's, it might be with this guy I went to college with, or it might be in the bed of my F-250 with the camper shell.

But I'm certainly willing to take a passenger along and back, preferably one I've at least met. So far, I haven't met any Mefites with open sores, tobacco chewers, severe dental problems/halitosis, crack smokers, IV drug users, or people who want to "borrow" money. Those characteristics are what were called "turn-offs" when I was growing up, now I believe they are called "deal breakers"...

Sorry, you can't smoke in my vehicle. Crack, pot, tobacco, whatever. No. Mad mastication with gum, perfectly acceptable, as that's my chronic oral vice.
posted by Tube at 5:13 PM on June 13, 2009

I have three couches and a big floor ten blocks from the meetup site. Memail me if interested.
posted by idiopath at 2:42 AM on June 14, 2009

I haven't firmed up my plans yet either with transportation or accomadation, but I will keep checking this thread. I'm thinking get-there-and-back quickly, am happy to drive or carpool with like-minded souls.

So far, I haven't met any Mefites with open sores, tobacco chewers, severe dental problems/halitosis, crack smokers, IV drug users, or people who want to "borrow" money

Thanks for covering for me, buddy. My sores are almost healed, I've been to the doctor about the breath, and I'm really trying on the other stuff.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 10:28 AM on June 14, 2009

Dude, we're cool. I wouldn't make you ride in the bed. And shades work wonders for pinned pupils. If adrenergically enhanced bruxism is a problem just keep chewing gum.
posted by Tube at 8:57 PM on June 14, 2009

I'll be in Seattle around that time. A ride down would be nice. Though taking the train would be swell too as I love train travel.
posted by Kattullus at 6:04 AM on June 19, 2009

I'm potentially interested in (and happy to share costs for) a Seattle-to-Portland carpool, should one be happening. Or a train meetup would also be fun.

Incidentally, I am told that taking the Coast Starlight from Portland to Seattle is inadvisable, because the accumulated delays from its northward journey through California can make it very, very late.
posted by fermion at 5:31 PM on June 19, 2009

Count me in too as someone who'd love a ride down, but is also intrigued by the train idea.
posted by blasdelf at 1:14 AM on June 20, 2009

> Incidentally, I am told that taking the Coast Starlight from Portland to Seattle is inadvisable, because the accumulated delays from its northward journey through California can make it very, very late.

Besides being very very late, the trash and bathrooms have been used past their intended service internvals (ie, haven't been cleaned in 24 hours), and you get to share seats with a bunch of grumpy, pissed off, and frazzled people from california who in some cases have spent 8 hours sitting in a non moving train somewhere between sacramento and eugene, watching the freight cars go past.
posted by mrzarquon at 11:18 AM on June 20, 2009

Not to dissuade people from taking the train, and if I were still in Seattle, I would totally rock the group train ride thing. Bring board games, some beers, food, gadgets, playing cards, whatever you can think of, its like a road trip without having to stop to pee or figure out who is driving.
posted by mrzarquon at 11:21 AM on June 20, 2009

Well, I think I'm going to be driving and saving any train adventures for a later date. I've been in conference with Tube about carpooling, but if there are enough people interested and more than one vehicle is needed, I could drive too (myself and 3 people comfortably).
posted by silkygreenbelly at 2:01 PM on June 20, 2009

Is anybody traveling up to Portland from the south?
posted by solipsophistocracy at 6:33 PM on June 20, 2009

I'll be giving blasdelf a ride, so everyone else has two less elements to juggle.
posted by Tube at 1:04 AM on June 25, 2009

I am interested in going and sharing costs.
posted by grouse at 8:34 AM on June 26, 2009

Oh yeah, for some bizarre reason I would really like to ride Link Light Rail on its first day. It's supposed to open at 10 a.m. We'd be leaving mid-afternoon, right?
posted by grouse at 8:38 AM on June 26, 2009

I like the idea of riding the link light rail before leaving.
posted by silkygreenbelly at 11:22 AM on June 26, 2009

Yeah! Let's do it. It'll make for a more entertaining Flickr travelogue.
posted by grouse at 11:41 AM on June 26, 2009

Light rail is a beautiful thing. I heartily approve this plan.
posted by fermion at 6:52 PM on June 28, 2009

Count me in for a late entry to the carpool/train/crash somewhere group. I don't drive but I have petrol/beer money.
posted by jacalata at 10:31 PM on July 2, 2009

uh, fail on my part. i bought tickets in february to see death cab for cutie play in seattle on that saturday night, so i'm going to go to that instead.
posted by jacalata at 7:49 PM on July 3, 2009

Not sure if I'm coming, but it looks like the Cascades leaves northbound a few times a day, and it doesn't have a long route before Portland so it shouldn't have the problems the Starlight would. If I'm reading the schedule right, the 2:50 and 8:15 trains start at Portland (the earlier part of those runs is served by bus instead of rail).

If I don't go I might still join y'all on a pre-pre-meetup Link Light Rail party tho'.
posted by hattifattener at 3:53 PM on July 4, 2009

Have fun peeps! A significant annual event in my personal non-mefi life happens every July 18, so I will prolly never make these birthday roundups.
posted by mwhybark at 12:53 AM on July 5, 2009

Okay, so I'm going down from Seattle to Portland on the Saturday. Should we all meetup on the train or are there carpools?
posted by Kattullus at 6:34 PM on July 8, 2009

Turns out there's a work event (well, a graduate student conference) that I really should be attending on Saturday during the day. So if there's a carpool going out later in the day (3ish?) I'd be interested in that. I don't have a functional car myself, but if there's sufficient interest and no available drivers I'd be up for splitting the costs of a rental.
posted by fermion at 3:10 PM on July 9, 2009

OK, I'm officially in. I'll be driving down midday Saturday if anyone needs a ride and does not smoke and does not mind someone who screams a lot about how stupid I-5 traffic is.
posted by dw at 4:14 PM on July 9, 2009

Shotgun!
posted by Kattullus at 4:44 PM on July 9, 2009

That is, uh, dw, mind if I ride down I-5 with you?
posted by Kattullus at 4:56 PM on July 9, 2009

So no one is coming up from the south? I'm in Eugene, and would love to catch a ride if possible. Otherwise, I reckon it's the bus...
posted by solipsophistocracy at 7:07 PM on July 9, 2009

So, my couches are full (and realistically one couch is kinda small so one of the three may prefer the floor anyway). I don't want to get things too overcrowded but I just found out my roommates will be out of town, so for those who I told previously that the space was full, if you feel like camping in the back yard or on the floor I could handle a person or two more (though I don't really want to host an all night party, just trying to be hospitable and offer a place to sleep). Still memail and confirm please, so I don't end up with a mefi superdome.
posted by idiopath at 2:45 PM on July 11, 2009

NERD SUPERDOME!!!
posted by hattifattener at 7:48 PM on July 11, 2009

I've suddenly had a lot of extra work dumped on me, which will keep me busy through next weekend, so I'm wondering if I will be able to make this after all.
posted by grouse at 11:22 AM on July 12, 2009

So how many people are there total who will be driving down? Enough for one car? Enough for two cars?
posted by silkygreenbelly at 8:29 PM on July 12, 2009

Oh and grouse, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, you're thinking about missing it for a little work? ;)
posted by silkygreenbelly at 8:31 PM on July 12, 2009

If you were to be, say, kidnapped in front of witnesses by a motley crew driving a van, would that get you out of work?
posted by Kattullus at 8:56 PM on July 12, 2009

If anyone still needs a ride from Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia to PDX, I have two seats left in my Pontiac Vibe. Leaving my north Seattle house noonish or a lil after. Aiming to be in PDX by 4.

Again, no smokers, no weird Icelandic foods, and we're not stopping at the Sonic in Puyallup.
posted by dw at 4:58 PM on July 13, 2009

I'm confused if I am (or was) driving anyone. If I'm not, I'll grab a seat with dw.
posted by silkygreenbelly at 11:05 PM on July 13, 2009

Looks like I definitely won't be able to make it out of the city before mid-afternoon. I'm considering going anyway, if I can work out the transportation. Is anyone else interested in a Carpool for the Overworked Seattleites, which would leave late-ish on Saturday and return immediately post-party or early on Sunday?
posted by fermion at 12:30 PM on July 16, 2009

Peeps still interested in riding Link on Saturday mornng? Especially those that can't make it down to PDX?
posted by silkygreenbelly at 11:08 PM on July 16, 2009

Personally, I'm not sure if I can manage that anymore either. If you do it I hope you have fun though. I'll have to see y'all again some other time.
posted by grouse at 7:21 AM on July 17, 2009

It's probably too late to coördinate, but having flaked out of the Portland meetup, I'm about to head down and check out Link to get a replacement train fix.
posted by hattifattener at 11:36 AM on July 18, 2009