Meeting Location Discussion

Well, it's time to open up that can of worms again.

With our recent ouster from the Curtis Park Crepeville, I have again had some members ask if we might meet at a different place other than the Midtown Crepeville.

So, with that in mind, I have a few questions that I would be interested in having people answer.

Would you like us to find a different location for the Tuesday night Meetups?

Would you like to see the Tuesday night Meetups alternate between two locations?

Would you like to see a location outside of the Downtown/Midtown area used?

Would you like to meet at an alternate location on a different night?

Would you like our meeting location to be transit accessible?

I have had two individuals suggest that we consider meeting at Great Escape Games. Before I approach the owner with specific details, I wanted to find out if people would like to put this location in the rotation for Tuesdays, or would prefer to see us continue to meet at Crepeville on Tuesdays and meet at another location on another night. It has been suggested before that we consider a second night.

I like the idea of adding a second night to the rotation, probably Wed. or Thursdays.
This would give me more flexibility in juggling the family schedule and gaming. That said, I'd still probably only make 2 mid-weeks and the occasional Saturday in a given month.

As a driver, DEFINITELY want to see more 'out of Downtown/Midtown' locations-e.g. ample free parking is a plus. At the same time, I know there are members who rely on public transportation. So I'm willing to 'take one for the team' if we can find another location that is transit friendly. I think the buses run Howe ave/Arden Mall/Cal Expo frequently enough that Great Escape may qualify.

I swung by Great Escape. Gary was busy, but a staffer gave some info:

1) they do host mid-week events, but there is PLENTY of space/tables in the main gaming room.
2) we are more than welcome to play there (no fees/cover)
3) Gary's food policy has changed over time, but I've never recalled it being an issue on Saturdays. Someone should double check. There is plenty of options nearby from greasy to upscale (e.g get a dinner before hand).
4) they close at 10pm-we need to find out how strict that is (I can understand not starting Power Grid or Caylus at 9:30, but it would be nice to have a 15-20 minute 'grace period' to wrap up).

On my own druthers, I'd probably arrive about 5ish at Great Escape meetups to get more games in versus the 6-11 window we have at Crepeville.

I like rotating locations and would be in favor of another weeknight meeting. I would love a location with better parking and/or less trendy food. I know that several of the Raley's/Bel Air stores have community rooms, but I am not sure of the hours they are available. If I get the chance I will drop by one or two for details.

I am more than willing to do Great Escape as a regular Tuesday night location.

The location meets most, if not all, of our needs and many of our wants. It has a huge gaming area, ample parking, numerous local restaurants and it is attached to a board game store which helps in purchasing and modifying games. In addition it is has more than a few stops for public transportation.

I am also in favor of adding an additional weekly meetup day. We had 35+ people show up for this June 23rd meetup and the number will most likely increase as time goes on. Having another meetup night might help lighten the amount of people attending any given meetup. Also it will give people who are not able to attend the one on tuesday, another opportunity.

Though I would like for us to be mindful of the fact that if our regular attendance drops, it may affect us negatively.

I wouldn't mind alternating locations, and GE works very well for me and is an excellent location. However, I would rather keep the meetup on a single night, just to keep our numbers up, rather than split. I always prefer more gamers at a single event, as it means a greater diversity of games to play, and an easier time finding opponents to play them.

Great Escape would actually be a doable location for me. It is extremely convenient and enable me to have midweek gaming (can swing by on the way home from work).

Downtown is simply not workable, due to distance and parking difficulties.

On-street parking in downtown is free after 6 p.m. weeknights. The Crepeville meetup starts @ 6. Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see a problem regarding parking.

Regarding distance, I'm in West Sac so Crepeville works for me. I could appreciate another venue, however, particularly if it's a game store. Support the store with sales, support the store by having people playing games in the store, be in a "pure gamer" environment, and larger tables - all of these might be positive things.

The biggest drawbacks to Great Escape, from what I know, is the heat in the Summer (No A/C? - this is a BIG deal in the Summer!), the earlier closing time and no food immediately available. I have also heard, but not confirmed, that the chairs are not very good.

The advantages are easy and free parking and plenty of space. (I don't use/know about public transportation but Howe Avenue seems like it would be "transit friendly.")

I personally like almost everything about Crepevile very much, including the food but certainly _not_ the parking.

I like the idea of a second night during the week. I think we get plenty of people to justify it without diluting the number of games to get into and play.

My vote then is to add Great Escape with a 5PM start time but do it on a different night than Crepeville.

On-street parking in downtown is free after 6 p.m. weeknights. The Crepeville meetup starts @ 6. Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see a problem regarding parking.

I think the problem most people have regarding the parking is the difficulty of finding parking in the neighborhood that Crepeville is in. You frequently have to go two to three blocks away, which is less than desirable if you are carrying a bag full of games.

I prefer a downtown location and a 6pm start time. I would also prefer teh Crepeville Curtis Park location since it is about8 blocks from my house; but I can't have everything!