Early Retirement Extreme Forums

I'm in! I've got a lot to learn from you guys. Can't wait!

Looking forward to the long-awaited NYC meetup, y'all!
I want to suggest a new venue, though: My office @ 21st/Broadway. That way we have an indoor place in which to gather and have coffee without spending money! Then we can always head out to Madison Square Park, which is two blocks away, or Union Square, if the weather is favorable. It's also closer to PATH, Metro North and Amtrak stations than Columbus Park.
What do you think?

I'll be there too. I am going to bike down though from North Eastern Pennsylvania. It will be about 155 to 165 miles one way, but totally doable as I will be calling off of work Friday and Monday.
I'm down with meeting up at NYC ERE's place instead of Colombus Park. That way I'll have a place to safely stash my bike and gear if we decided to walk around.
Since NYC preliminarily introduced himself: I'm a 24 year old dude, engineer and recovering consumerist
Can't wait!

Jon--
If we agree to meet at my office, there's a special entrance for your bike--and indeed, it will be allowed and secure here. Contact me as you approach.
See my more detailed introduction here.
Cool that you're riding to NYC! If you need a comfy floor to sleep on, you are welcome. Ride safe.

Wow NYC - you are a really cool and nice guy from what I gather on all your posts, and now this.
I was (pre) planning a trip to NYC next year sometime (a week maybe) - maybe we could meet-up for a bit.
I do not believe I am as sophisticated as a lot of my fellow posters, but I do believe in ERE and feel "at home" so to speak with the idea, heck, you saw my "franchise" post.
This meet-up you guys will have sounds like the largest yet!

Yeah, I'll vote for the new location. Still 3:00?

I'll be arriving via Amtrak, so something closer to that works for me. Considering putting my bike in a box for the train ride, as I have some other plans underway, possibly before, likely after NYC ERE ONE.

@Q. I will actually be in SF for Thanksgiving and Christmas (Chanukah to be precise), so I'm hoping there will be a BA/SV meetup during one of those times, so I can meet you and all.

3pm still works for me... you?

Alright, 3pm. Do we have a specific address?

928 Broadway @21st, Suite 504. Since it's the weekend, you'll need to sign in at the front desk--also, I will provide them a list of people who are coming.
So, I'm just going to go ahead and hijack the meetup and declare it to be at my office, ok?
That being done, please send your name+avatar to nyceremeetup@gmail.com as an RSVP. Perhaps I can get Jacob to throw the address in the thread subject line?

Done!

Hey, T-minus six days to this, y'all. I think there are seven of us so far who have RSVP'd, including me. I will provide coffee and perhaps some snacks--don't worry, it will not be bloody venison steaks or anything!
If anyone has trouble finding the office or wants to communicate other logistical issues, my phone # is 212-260-0866. Don't be shocked if I answer with my business ID.

I have just added my Intro to that section and wanted to say here that I will be attending the meet up this Saturday. Looking forward to it.

Hi everyone, I'm an AmeriCorps VISTA member who is new to NYC. So by definition I need to be extra frugal since I'm supposed to live close to the poverty line as a VISTA. I've been reading this blog for awhile and I think its fantastic. I hope to make the meet-up tomorrow and meet some like minded people.
- Greg

How did it go?

It went really well. Seven participants: some on the path to ERE, some just curious, some doing it for a second time.
Jon did in fact bike to NYC from PA... although he took a bit of a spill on the way. He shed blood to make it to this meetup, proving his conviction (-:
We found we really had a lot to discuss, and we will definitely need to do another one soon. Some topics we only breifly touched on, including ERE living, investing, and life goals after reaching FI. I think everyone who attended found it beneficial.
Thanks again to Zev for providing the space!

It sounds like all the meet-ups somehow share a similar topic of conversation - ERE to family, how did ERE come to you, what have you done so far, etc etc.

Yes, it was a lot of fun. It was 4-5+ hours of interesting conversation, including a long segment about safe cycling. Went really fast for me, being somewhat beer and wine-lubricated.
We came up with some interesting ideas for new forum threads, like the story I'm chasing down about a Basque family who had kids on the road while sailing/biking around the world, performing (professional) dentistry as they went.
Also, Greg has apparently been reading a blog which he characterizes as "the opposite of ERE," a lawyer in $250k of debt who seems to buy a new shiny toy every day and blogs about his misery and purchases, variously. We speculated that this guy could be the ultimate ERE turnaround story if he could be convinced.
runrunruneateateat and her BF struggle with giving up the especially enjoyable and especially common habit of eating out in NYC--they, Greg and myself are the NYC-dwellers who attended--for which we came up with no satisfactory solution. i proposed having nice dinners in, which they do, but there's the real possibility of actually losing friends by doing this exclusively. kudos to them for venturing into Manhattan by bicycle! (let alone Jon and his 160 miles!)
we brainstormed a bit in the after-meet-up low-$ dinner about what Greg could do to eventually overcome his Americorps-induced poverty, or rather the skills he could build while in the program in order to soon be on an ERE track (if he wants to be). i will let him chime in about this, if he's so kind as to share his progress with the forum.
Steve Austin, is it okay if I share that you are an experienced ERE? tell me if no and i will edit this post. He's the only one from the meet-up who's been to "the other side," that place where you don't have to work to survive, and has survived to tell the tale. Clearly, it's no panacea, but rather a place to catch your breath and get ready for the next passion/interest-directed adventure--this is how I have been regarding it as well.