Pizza near Chicago on 8/17!

Not to be out-done by our NorCal friends :) , Sebastian, Trevor Ash and I have decided to have a pizza night in Crystal Lake Illinois on Wednesday 8/17 at 7:00. Crystal Lake is northwest of Chicago so that will hopefully give some of our Southern Wisconsin members a chance to make it. I won't mention any names (Adina, Kelly, Chunk, Mike and Ken...).

We'll meet at Nick's which is at Virginia St and Main. Post a reply here if you can make it, or PM me. One thing we'll talk about is an upcoming Chicago gathering in November, so bring your ideas! Hope to see you there!

I'll be there. Thanks for getting this going AV.

Steve,

I'll be making my weekend trip to Chi-town sometime in November, so hopefully some of you can find your way into town while I'm there.

Why don't you guys figure on the best dates for the most people, and I'll see if I can work my schedule around that... :cool:

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Originally Posted by Asylum Steve

Why don't you guys figure on the best dates for the most people, and I'll see if I can work my schedule around that... :cool:

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Heck yeah! Any first choice/second choice or a date that doesn't work for you? It just wouldn't be a Chicago Gathering without you!

OK FINE! I'll be there. But for the pizza, NOT because I like you or anything.

Kelly do you want to carpool? I'd be leaving from the Brookfield-ish area.

I should be able to make it.

I'll mark my calendar, and see what I can do!!

A little guilt goes a long way. :p Hope you both (and others) can make it.

Forgot to mention this earlier so I stole it from Rebekah's thread ;) : "this is a no-host event, you will be responsible for your own food/drink". Here's the website for Nick's Pizza and Pub. The moose head on the wall won't hurt you, I promise. I'll call for a reservation when it gets a little closer.

Correction on the address:
856 Pyott Road (at the corner Virgina and Pyott).
815-356-5550

Adina, I would love to carpool! Ummmm, the thing is, our family is *supposed* to be going to LA at some point. Everything is still up in the air right now, but we should be making concrete plans at least by the end of this week. I've been expecting that we'll be gone next week, but there's a chance it could be postponed. Or cancelled! SO ...

I can *probably* make it, but I'll let you know ASAP if I can't.

Clear as mud?


And I'm only going for the pizza too. NOT because I really liked Trevor and Sebastian and Steve and Chunk and Adina (and Dennis, whatever happened to him?), OR because I want to meet Mike and Ken. Nope, not that at all. I just want the pizza. With artichokes. :D

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Originally Posted by kellybean

With artichokes.

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Chokes? Really? Cool! Glad to hear you're postponing your LA trip. Just for the pizza, of course. :)

Wow... we need that kind of response in Nor Cal.... there's got to be more than 3 of us here.

There's an *ever so slight* chance germinating here at Casa de Kelly that I may be leaving Chicago Pizza Night to fly directly to Nor Cal ... Corte Madera, to be specific. I just received my (late) newsletter from Book Passage, which announces that the Travel Writers & Photographers Conference is happening on August 18-21. I went last year as a photographer, and I was thinking of attending again this year as a writer. I just wrapped up a college writing course and I'm in the writing groove now. This just came up tonight, so my husband and I are discussing exactly what we're going to do. Maybe he'll fly out and meet me on the 22 and we'd drive down to LA together.

OH, so much to do in August!!!

Kelly, that is awesome! Keep me posted!

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Originally Posted by kellybean

Nope, not that at all. I just want the pizza. With artichokes. :D

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I LOVE artichoke hearts on my pizza! I hope you can make it :)

Just blew my savings on a trip to Texas, but I will mark my calendar and see what I can work out.
Sounds like a lot of fun...
Ken

I just rode past Nick's Pizza on my bike today. Now I know the place, lol! I ride past it almost every day and never even stopped to think about it. It's a couple miles from where I live :) Place always looks pretty busy. I've had their pizza once but it was pickup. So, a week or so from today eh?

:)

Yep - coming up quick. So how many do we have? I'd like to call them on Monday for a reservation with an approximate number. Hope everyone can make it.

Count me in for 2. I believe Amy (girlfriend) will be coming with me.

Great! So I've got five so far - Mike, Amy, Seb, Trevor and myself. Anyone else?

Doesn't look like I'll be able to make it...so everyone please have a slice for me...hehe...
Ken

OK. We finally decided we're not going anywhere this week, so I'm in! I *might* even stay overnight if I don't carpool with Adina.

Adina, I will PM you about whether we can carpool.

To everyone else that's holding back because your shy, busy, a little too far away, etc. Just go! It's hard to organize these things and we may not get the chance to meet you again.

I'll see you all tomorrow. :D

Take photos this time you guys!! :D

Well, the reservation thing was a good idea until I found out that they don't take them... :eek: They said it shouldn't be any problem though. Here's the page with phone number, address and directions - note it's the Crystal Lake location we'll be at, not Elgin!

Hope to see everybody and we'll bring cameras (right?).

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Originally Posted by Trevor Ash

I'll see you all tomorrow. :D

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You mean Wednesday, right?

Trevor is going early to get us a good table. :)

Yeah, Wednesday, see you then!

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Originally Posted by another view

Trevor is going early to get us a good table. :)

Yeah, Wednesday, see you then!

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haha! yeah, thanks :) I meant Wednesday.

Ciao!

<---digging through box to find battery charger for camera battery that hasn't been charged in ... ummm ... (months) ...

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Originally Posted by another view

- note it's the Crystal Lake location we'll be at, not Elgin!

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Just that much further away! Not that would change the fact that I'm spending much of this week way south in Illinois (or west) and six hours driving each way for pizza seem a tad excessive. And gas at 'gulp' $3 is getting ridiculous. Now if it was Pal Joey's pizza I might reconsider. . .

Nope, still got work.

I had mentioned in an earlier 'get together' post about some ideas for November (which usually is very open) including non-Loop activities. Just don't make it for October as I'm going to be back east for a couple of weeks. Then I'd know. . . the world is out to get me.

Sorry for the paranoid rant but work has doubled (maybe even some esoteric polynomial expansion) in quantity including shooting a wedding that I wouldn't have done but a very ill photog friend called at 11pm on Friday night two week back and said HELP! It went down hill from there.

Have fun and hope to meet some (or all) soon. And do take cameras.

-Carleton dr g

When it rains, it pours, eh? :D

For the last few years, the Chicago gathering has always been the second or third weekend of November but we'll set that date soon. This way we could have a blizzard or a nice day at the beach - life in Northern IL...

Hope you can make it!

Hope you guys have fun with the pizza night. I'm heading north around the lake to a rally in northern Michigan (Interlochen) or I would be there.

Well all...I've already cancelled, but the reason was because I had to be on standby for the birth of my grandson, and it looks like I was clairvoyant. She's in active labor, they broke her water about 30 ago, so it looks like #7 should be here anytime now. If he gets here before the get together, I'll try to post a first pic so everyone can have a slice on him. :) Everyone have fun tonight. Sorry I'm gonna miss it.
Ken

What a great night! It was so much fun to meet those I you I hadn't met yet and to see some familiar faces.

I started off the day perfectly! I got there an HOUR EARLY thinking we were supposed to meet at 6 for some reason. So I drank a couple beers at the bar while wondering if I was at the right pizza place :) At least the bartender was cute, but I'm such a bad judge for age. She may have been 30, or maybe she was 35? I dunno, but she was kinda cute and accepted my old expired California drivers license (ask Sebastian if you wanna know)

An hour later people started showing up. I was wondering why they took so dang long and they explained to me that the time was supposed to be 7, not 6. I called them liars. This particular liar is Steve. Here he is thinking of his next lie...

Sebastian thinks it's funny to take photos of me. I think he should point the camera elsewhere.

Mike is cool, I'd show the photo of his girlfriend Amy but then she'd hate me forever and I'm hoping they'll eventually invite me for a bike ride :) Flash under the face is always a good choice, don't let anyone tell you otherwise as they clearly don't know what they're talking about.

Three peas in a pod.

(sorry, that's all I got)

I didn't actually take this photo, and from the looks of it I'm glad. I think the photographer was just cursed from those eyes.

I know what Adina was thinking though, "What am I doing here?"

After evaluating this photo, I find myself wondering "How did such beautiful children spawn from such a demon?" Oh boy, now I did it!!!! Adina, I hope the short time we conversed was enough for you to detect my sense of humor!!

Sebastian is evil. That's all.

Actually, he liked this one...(and so do I to be honest). It's from a mirror. The place was dark so you'll have to deal with the funny exposures.

That's me trying to look mad. I find it interesting how I hold the telephone receiver. How do you hold a telephone receiver? My hand is banging the box because I'm mad....or something.

Notice the lack of resemblance to my avatar.

If you were paying attention, you might be asking youself how I managed to take this photo.