9 April 2022: SAN FRANCISCO meetup!

:world_map: CITY/REGION: San Francisco, CA
:pushpin: MEETUP PLACE: Opera Plaza Community Room: 601 Van Ness Ave (Mezzanine level), San Francisco, CA 94102
:calendar: DATE: April 9. 2022
:alarm_clock: TIME: 12pm - 3pm
:page_facing_up: MEETUP PLAN: April can be pretty rainy in SF, so I’ve booked the Community Room in my building (capacity for about 60 people) for an indoor meetup! (Let’s hope that the COVID thing is in a lull by then! We will follow whatever local mask, etc. mandates are in place at the time.)

I’m planning this far enough in advance so that people can also offer feedback re: ideas for the meetup postcard design. :blush:
Bring some postcards for the share/swap pile, and be ready to sign or stamp a ton of postcards! :mailbox_with_mail:
If you are an Introvert and nervous about attending such a thing, fear not - this is being hosted by an Extreme Introvert. :sweat_smile: There will be snacks.

The Opera Plaza complex is about a 10 minute walk from Civic Center BART station. There is a secure paid parking garage downstairs and a few other parking areas within walking distance. There’s a kitchen, so, feel free to bring food or drinks. There’s a Peet’s Coffee downstairs as well as Max’s for food, the Opera Plaza cinema and a nice bookstore as well! The elevators are located in front of the Cinema entrance. If the Mezzanine level is locked on the central elevators, then go to the security desk at the Residence level (1), let them know you’re there for the Postcrossing meetup and they will let you in.

Note for organizers (delete after reading):
- Always specify the timezone of the event when choosing date/time on the “Add Event” menu above.
- Your first post announcing the meeting must be in English, but the rest of the meetup discussion can be conducted in your own language.
- If you’re creating postcards with the Postcrossing logo, make sure to check the Logo Usage Guidelines.

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Darn! I’m out of town till April 12. I have a friend who lives in your building so I know right where you are. Hope to make it if you have another meet up.
Dori

Darn, indeed! Well, if history is any indicator, there will probably be plenty of “leftover” cards to share and also we can plan ahead and set aside some of the official meetup cards for you (signed or unsigned)! I could drop them off at your friend’s door (or leave them for them at the concierge office). If it goes well, we’ll certainly have another meetup, and I’m happy to “host” if it means I just have to go down the elevator! :grin: (Maybe your friend would like to try out Postcrossing for themselves and then by April they might want to come down to the meetup!)

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YEAH!!! I can’t wait. I’ll drive up from San Jose and I can take up to 3 others if anyone wants to ride together…so happy that a meetup is happening in the Bay Area. What do we bring? What can we expect? This will be my first meetup.
Garry Johnson

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Awesome! Well, it will be only be my 3rd meetup, but as the host, here is what I say to expect. :blush: As the date gets closer, we will probably take a count for how many of the official meetup postcards to order. The cost is usually pretty low, like $0.10 a card or so, so if you want 50 cards for yourself, then you would expect to pay $5. Some people like to bring a special tiny rubber stamp that they have had personalized - you’ve probably seen these little stamps if you’ve received any meetup cards - and some people just bring a pen to sign their name on the cards. The official cards basically go around the table(s) until they’re all signed. This part can get a bit chaotic, so you will want to make a little mark on your cards, like your initials in the corner or something like that! There is usually a “share pile” or box for cards that you want to contribute or get rid of. Whoever shows up can then browse through the share pile/box and take some cards. So, all you have to bring is a pen (though I will have extras of course) and some random cards to share!

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I’m excited! This will be my first meet-up :grin:

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I’m so excited! This will be my first Postcrossing meet up. Excited to meet participants in San Francisco.

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I’m excited for the meetup and looking forward to meeting you all!

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I will be glad to exchange )))

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I’d like to attend. I’m new to postcrossing. Is there a signup for this event? Or do I just show up?

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There is no sign-up, although if you want a certain # of the official meetup cards, let me know, so that we can make sure to order the right amount. I will probably hire my son to stand by the elevators to guide people who look like they are not sure where to go. :slight_smile: More updates as the date nears!

Thanks for setting this up! I can’t wait to see you again. :slight_smile:

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I have never been to a meetup I would love to attend if it works out. Thanks for arranging this event.

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Im definitely going! I live 10 minutes from SF and can’t wait to meet fellow post crossers! My partner and I will bring plenty of cards for the pile :slight_smile: This event sounds very fun !! I don’t exactly know what a meet up card is but I’ll definitely want one haha

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This will be my first meetup! Can’t wait! Thanks for organizing.

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I’ve put in a time off request, if I’m free that weekend I’ll make a trip down.

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There is no sign-up - just show up! :blush:

Hello POSTCROSSERS! My name is Gabriele and I live in Southern Germany between Stuttgart and Ulm. In April I will be doing a road trip through the USA together with my sister Brigitte (Skye864) - from Los Angeles in California to Greenville in South Carolina! We would very much like to meet other postcrossers on our adventurous road trip. Today I discovered that there will be a MEETUP in San Francisco on April 9th. Wow - that’s crazy and hard to believe! The date fits! We’ll arrive in Los Angeles on April 6th. Of course we want to be there / meet postcrossers / buy meetup postcards /… Do you have an idea, where we could stay overnight ? Greetings from southern Germany and Greenville S C.

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Looking forward to seeing you in a month! I will respond via DM with more details, etc.! Hopefully you will be able to meeting Postcrossers along the journey as well as at the meetup! :blush:

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:wave: Hello POSTCROSSERS in and around SF!
I am Brigitte, the other half of the road trip duo :two_women_holding_hands:. My sister Gabriele found this meetup and we are so excited that it fits into our itinerary. Thank you so much for the warm welcome and hospitality! We even got a place to stay :relaxed:. I am in Greenville, SC - this is the very first meetup for us and the first time in California, too. We are Postcrossing members since 2 years. But living on 2 different continents since 1997.
Thank you Kim, for the description of the meetup protocol. I like the idea of a share/swap pile. I suppose we all have excess cards - I certainly do. What are the meetup cards going to look like? Just curious.
Looking forward to seeing everyone in person - I am currently looking through my Postcrossing addresses and planning to inform everyone in the area about the meetup. This is going to be so much fun!
Brigitte Selby

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