possible London GTG in October?
 

Last year in London I had delightful GTGs with two fellow Fodorites, one a Londoner and one a visiting American. We did afternoon tea one day and the next evening we went to dinner.
I'd love to meet for tea or lunch or drinks or dinner this year in London if anyone is available from October 19 through November 1.
My email address is [email protected]


Judy

Or should one remain anonymous?

>Message: Or should one remain anonymous?<

In your case, anonymity, is an absolute requirement.

Remain anonymous? To serve what purpose? :-)

topping

I'm with you judy. Why remain anonymous? I'd love to meet other fodorites but as I am quite a distance from London I dont think I'll be able to make it but if you are venturung further north ( I am in shropshire) please let me know.
CM

PS how do you recognise one another? Do you all wear red carnations or carry a copy of Fodors guide to London?
I'm intrigued.Let us know how you get on.
CM

Judy, I won't be there but I did want to just offer you positive thoughts & support. I've been to quite a few fodors GTGs over the past few years and I have met some of the most wonderful people. At first I was worried that some of the trolls or belligerent posters might show up, but Kal from the US board assured me that those people never show up--only the nice ones do. Which makes sense; if you're a nasty poster, why would you want to blow your cover?

Anyway, I do hope you get a few more takers for your GTG. And have a great time in London!

p.s. countrymouse, in the past I have usually exchanged photos with the intended fodorite to meet. In a couple of cases, we simply agreed to meet in a specific spot, so it would be clear that whomever was standing there was a fodorite. Somehow, you find your way!

Where and when my dear, I might drop by, how exciting.

Countrymouse,
Perhaps you will be able to meet some Fodorites one day, I'm sure you will enjoy it as much as I have. We all have a couple of things in common, at least. We enjoy travel and we enjoy sharing and learning from the people who post here.
I do have a Fodors pin now, it was a thoughtful gift from Grasshopper, a Fodorite whom I have never met in person but who responded to a message I posted on this board earlier this year.
However, no pins, or carnations, or secret handshakes were necessary for the 3 GTG's I have attended, ( 2 in London, one in the US). :-D
All arrangements were made in advance by email. All the participants decided when and where to meet.

Melissa is right, somehow one does find one's way...and the meetings have been great fun.

M_K2,
My email is posted above.
Let's arrange to meet in London... you choose the restaurant and while we dine we'll find the time to talk of many things: of shoes ,and ships ,and sealing wax,of cabbages and kings. /:)O:)

Enjoyed our meet last time and looking forward to meeting again...

:D

We will be in London on oct 30,31 and nov. 1.

My friend and I will be in London Oct. 19 to 24. Very interested in GTG. Will email you.

Oh! what if we get to meet m_kingdom2
How exciting.

gg

Be sure to post photos!!

Thats interesting starspinner, I didnt know there was such a thing as a Fodors pin how does one acquire such an item?
CM

I think fodors offered them years ago so there may only be a limited supply. In addition, I think the first round of pins that got sent out were in regular envelopes without any protective plastic. So many envelopes accidentally ripped open (I think) and pins were lost. So they had to re-send them. Elberko was one such person who got duplicate pins....so she was nice enough to give me one! The pins look just like the logo you see in the upper right corner of the screen.

Yeah I think it was at a time when they happened to have a surplus in their marketing budget or something...

I don't think they have ever sold them or made them available in any other way since that giveaway.

I have one but don't wear it as it really digs into me most uncomfortably when pinned to thin clothes and isn't very secure when pinned to my outercoats.

What a shame theyre not available. Perhaps it would be a good marekting idea for Fodors to reissue them.
Or we could design our own. I can see it now all us Fodorites busily cutting out sticky back plastic!
CM

I have one of the Fodors pins and have it as a "photo" on my fodorites page: http://localhost:1094/Homesteads/_69...tescorner.html Fodors did pass out a limited quantity. It would be nice if they had items to purchase.

Monica ((F))

Oops!!

Here's the correct address:

http://www.luvtotravel.homestead.com...tescorner.html

Monica ((F))

I plan to be in London from the 5th to the 9th of october and wonder if anybody is there then for a GTG?

When Fodors first started requiring registration, they send these as gifts to the first couple of hundred that registered. I received one.

Surfergirl, I was one of the first to register. I got a bunch of refrigerator magnets with "travel" words on them. We didn't all get the pins. I was off on a long trip at the time of all that pin stuff and never even heard about them until they were supposedly all gone. Then next thing I knew people said they gave them out during registration -- a year or two later.

No, the pins weren't given out as part of registration. During registration we got fridge magnets or paperback travel books (I got a book).

The pins were a couple of years ago--definitely pre 9/11/01. Someone suggested a pin so that we could identify each other when traveling and Fodor's designed one and offered them. I've never worn mine and,occasionally, someone will post a thread asking if anyone's ever met someone else because of the pin. No one's ever claimed to, that I'm aware.

I've been involved in many GTG's and they have always been great fun and led to genuine friendships.

Have a great time, Starspinners!

I've heard from a few people who are interested in getting together in London in October...so far no one is available on exactly the same set of days.
But there's still time to see if we can come up with a common day and time.

Kavey,
I look forward to renewing our acquaintance.

ggna,
You have mail.

MelJ,
Thanks for the good wishes.
The London trip has become annual for me, I always think of October and London in tandem.

Countrymouse,
I received the set of magnets when Fodors required posters to register and offered a prize to the first 300 who did so.
Sometime later I was joking that I would trade my magnets with anyone who had an extra Fodors pin. There was a bit of banter about offering a pin to the highest bidder,
Grasshopper sent me one of her pins ... I still have the magnets. :-)

Has a definite time and place been set yet Judy? I remember the Naples, FL group meeting at a spot where they could be viwed by webcam. Made it fun for all who couldn't be there. I hope Miles, rather m_kingdom, as he likes to be referred to now, will prove Kal wrong and make an appearance. Will he dare??? Maybe he should bring his bird.

Just a suggestion:
Porters English Restaurant
17 Henrietta St.
Covent Garden
www.porters-restaurant.com
www.camvista.com/england/london/porters.php

A day has been set for at least one GTG. Anyone who'd like to have afternoon tea on October 20, please do let me know.
I'm targeting 4:30-ish at the Savoy or at Claridges.
I'll keep this thread topped for the next few days before I make the reservations, please respond to [email protected]
(I hope to hear from everyone by September 26 as I will be quite tied up < figuratively speaking ;-) > after that date.
I'll be leaving the US on October 10 and the previous weekend I will be entertaining 700 exhibitors and 300K visitors at an annual art show I help produce.)
I'm looking forward to meeting you in London.

Just a thought: maybe m_Kingdom2 would agree to host on event at her Mayfair mansion. Given her great wealth and good taste, I'm sure she would have it well catered with plenty of fish and chips and perhaps arrange for a Royal or two to drop by for a chat. If you are lucky, she might even open up her huge clothing display rooms and also allow you to see her infamous travel steamer trunks.

Not tea please my dears.

How about a little digestif or aperitif at the bar? Or if you'd rather have a lunchtime affair, how about a few champagnes in the bar?

M_K 2,
I shall keep the afternoon tea date plans open.
However ,if you would like to meet for lunch or a drink on a different day, I would be most pleased. You choose the venue.
By the way, I never have affairs before 8 PM. ;-)

HIM,degas,HIM. m_kingdom IS A MAN, BABY! Just do a search under m_kingdom100, his once registered e-mail address, all the Miles posts are his, and you'll be able to suss it out for yourself.

Ah but my dear you assume we are singular.

Can't do the 20th, or anything before 27th October but just let me know when you have selected a date from those in the emails we were exchanging.

Maybe we could put that date forward for dinner?

Hi Kavey,
Yes, I still plan to meet you on a date later than October 26, as I know you won't be available until then.
But if you don't mind, I would like you to pick the place to fit around your work schedule... lunch would be fine. Dim Sum would be great, as well. :-)
We can exchange details via email.
Judy

I'll certainly pick the place, no problems! So many wonderful choices.

Would you like to let me know a date now to put into the diary and then I can let you know nearer the time whether I can do lunch (which would be great and will be most likely unless some client asks me to deliver a training course that day - can't afford to turn anything down at the moment) or dinner that evening (if I end up working during the day).

Perhaps others would like to join us though don't know if anyone else has flexibility to be able to make either lunch or dinner according to my work commitments.

I am available in London 19 Oct [severely jet-lagged], 21 Oct and possibly part of 1 Nov.

Fodorite GTGs are a blast!
[email protected]

I've heard from several people who are interested in meeting, but finding a common date is proving to be a challenge.
The tentitive date for the 2nd installment of the London GTG is October 27,time and place to be decided
The afternoon tea on October 20 is still on, everyone is welcome; just let me know so I can book a table.

Hotel Botanico