Yes, Jor, see you on FFR&R -- that is the ultimate Fodors GTG!

I LOVE that one gail!

LoveItaly, I loved your story about your family being horrified that you got into a car with a stranger when it was dark out.

I have a friend who I met through IMs, in a circumstance that is too long to explain here. Suffice it to say that it was complete chance that we met at all, and we had a lot in common and got along really well. So, this guy lives in Detroit, and a few months after I met him online, he was coming to NYC to visit a friend. He was a big fan of this actor who was buried in the Quaker cemetary in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, (I didn't even know there was a cemetary there) and he wanted to go try to find the grave. My mom and then-BF, who didn't live here at the time, were really worried about my going to a grave at dusk with a strange man. But I told them, this guy was a kid (21 to my 28) and not from NY, and I'd be just fine.

We went to the cemetary, and everything was fine. The guy was a real sweetie, as I already knew, and my now-DH knows him and we've met him a few times now. In fact, we just saw him in Detroit!

Hi P_M ~

No, my friends and loved ones don't think it's weird that have friends on Fodor's, but my Fodorite friends find it weird that I keep in touch with my family.

Hee.

I have yet to go to a GTG, they haven't been in my area, so I can't respond yet...

Just wanted to say hi, hee.

Tiff

This is a hilarious thread in some places.

It must take a mountain of guts to sign on as "Daughterofporkchop". Is there a "Sonofbeefribs" too?

cmcfong: would you be so kind as to post the screen names of the other inmates in your facility?

Well, my family thinks I'm weird anyhow, so meeting people on Fodor's is just another one of those "weird" things I do. Their loss!

Fodorites are among the greatest! There's Kal, but then Mrs Kal is lovelier - no offense meant Kal! There's Marilyn and then there's Phil Flash, who speaks mainly with his flash bulb, but does wonderful photos. There's Kir Royale and Mr. Kir Royale, both of whom opened up their lovely SF home to us. There's the funny and inimitable Faina. And all those other wonderful Fodorites whom I saw in a cloud of limoncello. That was my first GTG. Then along came the Yountville GTG and all I can remember was PamSF's beautiful smiling face across from me, before I succumbed to Budman's iniquitous libations and another bottle of limoncello sent by loveitaly.

Not only are these great people, they are FUN people!

But it's not just meeting Fodorites in person, it's the daily online contact too. I feel as if there's a whole bunch of friendly voices just waiting for me when I open up Fodors: johncharles, Neil_Oz, scarlett, ira, statia, patrick, cigalechanta, j_correa, rjw, meertshare,etc. etc. - too many to mention! - all offering not just priceless travel advice but also worldly wisdom and common sense to get through another day.

I don't visit any other website with online "friends" - don't have the time. Don't even have enough time to visit Fodors as often as I'd like.

Here's to you all, good, kind, sensible Fodorites!

I'm honored to be included in your list of "sensible Fodorite friends," easytraveler.

easy, darlin,
would you please send me that bit about being 'sensible' to the Yankee?
Thank you very much, muchas kisses..Scarlett

I haven't been very prolific on the boards, but have benefited from much advice that I have read here. My sister is a sometimes reader/poster, I think. No one I know has mentioned that they think it's weird...but that doesn't mean they don't think it! I would love to go to a GTG, but there haven't been any in Florida that I've been aware of!

:-?
Oxymoron?:
"Sensible Fodorites"

trish,
For GTGs, don't set the bar too high. Some of the shorter FFFs may not be able to reach it.

E'Trav...you....limoncello, Pammer's big ol' smile.... ><

Mr R5 and I have met and dined with
many a Fodorite, enjoyed them all, and will surely meet others in the future.
Yet,........
Mr R5 is a psychotherapist by profession
so I imagine "weird" is lost on him !

R5

Oh razzle, we need to have a Group GTG with Mr Razzle. He can do case studies LOL

What if this is like crazy people thinking Everyone Else is crazy, not them ? so we aren't weird, everyone else is \/

Weird? What do you mean by "weird"? I am the only (or most) normal person on this forum.

Right, Kal? b-(

r5,
Is psychotherapist 1 or 2 words?

Scarlett...I saw Mr r5 eat spaghetti with his hands once.

I had to keep the soup away from him.

Faina,
Yessss dearrrrrrrrr....

Your left coasters are nuts....Scarlett, you sure you are up for them???????????

I know we're "" for Scarlett! \/

Well, ***most*** of us anyway!

statia: the honor is all ours, to be able to read your wonderful posts!

scarlett: any time, m'dear, any time. Muuuwwwa, back achaa!

R5: How could I have forgotten our resident Sonoma wine and restaurant encyclopedia? Mea culpa!

Kal, Faina, all left coasters: time for the California joke:

"Why is California like a box of cereal?"

"Why?"

"Because what do you have left after you shake out all the nuts and flakes?"

"What?"

"The fruits."

peace to all you right coasters and all the people inbetween who can't decide whether to go right or go left

E'Trav...you hittin' the 'cello early today??:-?

iceeu2, I think I am up for the Left Coast..I used to live in California so I might be more BiCoastal so I think I will settle right in. It is the Yankee who might have a bit of an adjustment period to go through, but the wineries will help.
Kal, let me talk to M.

Kal:

"early?"

Now there's a difficult concept!

Started out with a LA Crema Chard with fish/chicken dindin

Now sipping a Liebfraumilch ("Lovely Lady's Milk" - free translation) - now THAT name sure makes one wonder...

Actually, I am putting myself in a "strange" situation next week. I'm going to a GTG for the Asia board! And I never post there so these will be REAL strangers!! (No worries, someone I knew invited me.)