Did you know it was native son Washington Irving who first dubbed New York City “Gotham”, a century before a certain superhero and his crime-ridden hometown were even thought of? Yes, Gotham is our city, our hometown, whether by birth or adoption! So let’s see the sites that make Gotham aka New York City so unique in the world. We go to exhibits and concerts at museums and unusual venues in the city, some famous, like the Metropolitan Museum, and others a little more off the beaten track, like the Merchant’s House Museum. Whether large or small, they’re all New York—come on along with us on the journey!

Our event size is intentionally smaller for two reasons. First, it's so that all of us in attendance can interact and get to know each other. Second, lecture or film events at these venues usually have very limited seating, meaning I have to get there early and hold the number of seats we need, often against very aggressive people. That means we really need to have an accurate count for our rsvps, especially since our events almost always have a waiting list. If for whatever reason after you have rsvp'd yes, your plans change and you cannot attend, please change your rsvp as early as possible both so that those on the waiting list can get a seat at an event, and so I know when all attendees are assembled and can relax my stance against "aggressors". Also, because the total number of rsvps is so small, on most events there will not be an option to bring a guest. This is because some no-shows had "guests", which really cut into attendance. Tell your friends to sign up as members themselves if they want to come!

Similar to most meetups, "Great Places in Gotham" has a modest $1 organizing fee per event, payable to me at the start of an event, to offset the subscription cost of maintaining the meetup. Please be sure to read our policy about "no-shows" in the About section, so that we can all enjoy these great places with a minimum of discomfort.

Please note: Because we've been kept waiting in lobbies, etc., for folks who didn't bother to change their rsvps, Great Places in Gotham has a "no-show" policy, retroactive to February 22, 2009, where any member who incurs ONE no-show with no explanatory emails to me will be permanently removed from our membership rolls and not be allowed to rsvp for any more of our events. After all, would you keep a "friend" who stood you up and never apologized?

Like what you see about "Great Places in Gotham"? Then consider joining our sister groups also run by me, Friendly Native New Yorker Walking Tours (  http://www.meetup.com/Friendly-Native... ) , where as a licensed NYC tour guide I lead history tours the city, and my newest group, The (Mostly!) Bay Ridge Neighbors (http://www.meetup.com/The-Mostly-Bay-Ridge-Neighbors-Meetup/), which focuses on Brooklyn, and Bay Ridge in particular.