So, in just sixteen days, I’ll be on the other side of the United States, and the very first promotional tour I’ve ever gone on will have started. The Intensity in Ten Cities Tour will visit ten cities in the US and Canada, and I’m already overwhelmed at the response.
That means it’s time to keep doing this.
I want to start planning now, even though I don’t think I’ll be on the road again until at least late March or early April. The head start will allow me to secure meet-up spaces and venues earlier so that I can then just work on promoting the events instead of freaking out about where to hold them.
I would like to involve this wonderful community in the process! So, before I book a single date, I’d like to know where you would want me to come! Here’s how this is going to work:
1) Leave a comment with the name of the city and state/province you would like me to come to. Here’s the fun part: This is not US-only. Have fun with that.
2) Tell me why I should come there. Obviously to hang out with YOU is one of those reasons, but are there other Mark Reads or Mark Watches fans there? Do you have connections to a venue or a bookstore? Is it possible to rent/reserve a room or a space at your school or university? Do you run a Harry Potter or Nerdfighters group and would like me to present and do a live reading? Sell it to me!
Things that will make your case stronger:
- You have access to a venue.
- Venues that are either free to rent or relatively inexpensive. I am not opposed to putting down a couple hundred dollars to rent a space, but then that means I might have to have a door fee. It will usually be very low, around $5 if it is mandatory, or it will be a Pay As You Like event where you pay whatever you think the event is worth to you.
- There are a ton of fans in that city.
- You can promise delicious vegan food in your fine city.
- You have connections to a venue that you can put me in touch with.
What counts as a venue? Well, any space where a group of us can meet! Some of the smaller dates on the Intensity in Ten Cities Tour are just meet-ups, and we’re all using a coffee shop, a restaurant, or some public establishment as our point to coalesce! Some dates, I am doing live readings in a library or a bookstore! Others, I’m in classrooms, coffee shops, a hotel meeting room…you get the idea! I will seriously come pretty much anywhere as long as people show up. Be creative! The more creative the better.
3)Â If someone else posts your city before you, upvote their comment. Leave replies. The larger the thread, the more inclined I will be to visit that city. Seriously, it’s that easy! The reason I want to visit cities with more people willing to come is that it’s easy for me to book a venue if more than 30 folks have RSVP’d to come, and then I also have the chance to possibly earn money to keep me from being hungry and having places to stay.
Ideally, I’d like the second leg of this tour to start a month after the end of the first one, and I’d also like it to last much longer than just ten dates. So I want to hear from you! Where would you like a Mark Does Stuff event?
I can’t say what the items are, but I would also advise those who live in cities where my first tour is going to show up to the events because I will have things to sell. I can’t say anything other than that. TEE HEE.
LET’S DO IT.
Chattanooga, TN! ::wishful thinking::
Oh, just saw the rest of the post.
Um, you should come here because I'm here, duh. We also have lots of outdoorsy things to do if you get free time?
Venue…I have a friend who works at a BAM! And our library does little events all the time!
We have a Greenlife, which is basically a Whole Foods!
…I did not think this through. I got really excited.
Um…we have an awesome aquarium! And it's pretty:
<img src="http://i.imgur.com/gKEWM.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" alt="" />
This sounds like a wonderful idea!
Assuming I was free that day, I would totally drive down to Chattanooga from Nashville for this.
ATLANTA!
If you come around Labor Day weekend, there are sure to be tons of fans in town – in addition to those here already – who have come from all over the southeast and elsewhere for Dragon*Con 2012. It may even be possible to do a Mark Does Stuff meetup in congruence with D*C, but I'd have to check on that one.
Atlanta is a pretty big city anyway, but if you come at the right time you'll have the entire south in the city at the same time, which could make for a really nice group of Mark Does Stuff readers.
And we do have some very nice restaurants; I can definitely find a few that cater to vegans! 😉
I should contact them about hosting a panel!
Definitely! I know they're really good about fan-created and fan-run panels, and even some of the tracks are fan-created. You probably can't get a prime time for this year, but it's still early enough in the year that there's a good chance there might be a spot available. I would definitely attend, though!
(Oh gosh, now the more that I think about it, the more I desperately want a Mark Does Dragon*Con in my life.)
I just submitted an application to be a guest/panelist!!
Awesome! Wishing you luck; even if you can't be an official guest it would be fabulous if you could come. I'd love to meet you and I'm sure plenty other Atlantans feel the same!
OMG. If you do a panel, that will be the last reason I need to purchase Dragon Con tickets. Husband and I want to be Adama and Roslyn. I am not even joking a little bit. Custom made Colonial Fleet uniform FTW. (I'll wear a suit. Duh.)
PLEASE DO THIS. Adama and Roslyn are amazing and I desperately need to see more adult couples cosplaying them.
Also, I hear the parties don't stop til 8 in the morning.
They don't xD And by that time, the panels start up again!
The good thing, though, is that it's also super kid-friendly. The first time I went to Dragon*Con was actually with my school – a Catholic private school – as part of our Fantasy Lit class. (My school was awesome.)
We need you here in Atlanta! Also, the parties really don't stop till 8 in the morning.
PLEASE come to Atlanta. We need some fun stuff like this!
Dragon*Con is an amazing experience! I bet a lot of people would come to your panel, but make sure you leave some time open for exploration 🙂
Hope to see you in Atlanta 😀
Portland, Oregon. There is plenty of vegan food. I’ll come back later with more information.
I know our libraries have rooms we may be able to use. Also, have you ever been to the Central Library? It is absolutely gorgeous. *desperately hopes for other Portland fans*
Yay Portland! I believe it also has a local Browncoats group…
I'm a Portland fan! Please come to Portland!
We are an awesome city! We definitely have vegan food and we are very cyclist friendly. And there are tons of places that could serve as potential venues although I don't really have connections to any of them.
Maybe Portland State University? That's my school. We have some cafes and classrooms/meeting rooms. I was thinking maybe Food for Thought Cafe? Anyone out there go to PSU or a Portland-based college?
There's also In Other Words bookstore and the Red and Black Cafe. I've never actually been but I've heard they're good places for meetups.
Any Portanders at all? I know you're out there!
I am not a vegan but I have vegan friends! They rec the following places:
http://www.redandblackcafe.com/
http://blpdx.com/
http://portobellopdx.com/wordpress/
And here's a link to the vegan section of a site that catalogs all the zillions of food carts we have.
http://www.foodcartsportland.com/category/cuisine…
Also we have http://www.powells.com/
(Gah! I've been trying for the last half-hour to post actual links but it's not working so I just left the urls.)
Yay Portland! And, um, I have a ridiculously uncritical love for my city and I think Mark should totally come.
I go to PSU (where btw they have a Tolkien class in which I've mentioned Mark's blog once or twice), though I was thinking Powell's might be the best bet? I can ask fellow English department people, though – I know they hold readings and stuff in…er, places, and Portland State is gorgeous. And yeah, tons of vegan options and cycling and TONS of park space. There's plenty just on the university, but Portland has the largest municipal park in the US (5000 acres), and the international rose garden and the smallest park in the world (two feet across :P) – and … pretty much most nice things. AND POWELL'S.
For those who don't know, Powell's is … this:
<img src="http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/2666028.jpg">
You don't look so much for the, say, sci-fi aisle as the sci-fi room [it's the gold room jsyk]. They have around a million books at this location, and over four million overall. <3 <3 <3 <3
Also, for people like me who aren't strong with direction and such, Portland's downtown is super easy to navigate because they're…really into city planning. The streets are in alphabetical order.
And it's very pretty – I don't notice until I go to another major city and they're completely grey. So, ~in conclusion~ it looks like this:
<img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/elizabeth_hoot/pic/0000bcgb/s320x240">
POWELL'S IS SO AMAZING. I LOVE IT THERE.
"Portland's downtown is super easy to navigate"
Except for the fact that every damn street is one way and you'll accidentally cross a bridge looking for a street where you can turn left instead of right.
Wait, you're driving? In Portland?
I don't actually live in Portland, I live 90 minutes away, so yes, I have to.
I also find downtown Portland confusing. I'm 90 minutes south, so I'm always driving in Portland. Even going straight through on I-5 to Seattle disorients me. I end up on Naito Parkway and spend a good 45 minutes trying to find my way back on the freeway.
The strange thing is that I normally have a fairly reliable inner compass. Maybe it's all of the "Keep Portland Weird" vibes. 😉
I'd be willing to jump headlong into the confusion to attend one of Mark's events, though.
I'm in Portland.
Pseudonymph has pointed out many of the things that would make Portland simpatico.
Also, Ursula LeGuin lives here.
And, we have Powell's City of Books. The biggest bookstore west of the Mississippi. It made an international list of the top ten books stores in the world last year.
I am out-of-date and rusty, but I used to do event organizing so if other fans wanted to get a group together to do some advance work I would help with planning and organization.
I don't think getting a venue will be much of a problem here. Portland State U was mentioned above. It's fairly centrally located, but, if I recall correctly, you need an official student group or department to co-sponsor an event. Usually this is not difficult to arrange.
The central library is beautiful, and free I think. They don't stay open very late though, if you want an evening event.
I think the main factor for a Portland event would be finding out how many Markblog followers there are and then designing an event around that number.
VEGAN DOUGHNUTS AT VOODOO DOUGHNUT.
THE BEST.
Upvoting because of Powells and Voodoo! Mark, they're the most amazing things you've ever tasted.
Ha, it kind of sounds like you're saying Powells is delicious.
well… for a book-lover, it kind of is. lol
True story: I have only been to Portland once. I was there for 25 hours and ate 7 times, and ended with a dozen vegan donuts from Voodoo.
Portland yes! I would so be willing to drive up there from my tiny town of nowhere to come and see you! Voodoo Doughnuts are fantastic and Powell's makes me super happy inside of my heart. <3
Another vote for Portland! The Central Library IS beautiful, and you can use their rooms for free so long as it's open to the public.
If you come here, Mark, I will take you out for vegan barbeque. VEGAN BARBEQUE.
Also, we have a local burlesque troop that has a geeky-themed show once a month or so, and I will also take you to that.
And PIRATES, Mark. Portland loves it's pirates.
Yes to Portland! So much vegan food you’ll be in a blissful food coma for weeks. Good idea trying to coordinate with the browncoats. I thought library rooms as well. Will keep thinking on possible event spaces!
I say this mainly in jest, as we have you here all the time and should share you with the rest of the world :p (speaking of which if you ever go to Christchurch, New Zealand I have a venue you can use), but you should do something awesome here in the Bay Area! Why: because it's conveniently located for you, I live here, and I'm sure a pile of other great people do too! Also there are delicious vegan foodplaces, as you know 🙂
I’ll second this. I mean, yes, we have you, but it’s not like we can just show up on your doorstep and be all HI WE’RE HERE TO HANG OUT. That’s just a bit too stalkeriffic for words.
But if you want to do a dry run, a dress rehearsal for the tour, do something locally. And if we can’t round up your choice of at least a dozen good vegan restaurants in the Bay Area, we’re not trying. 🙂
IT IS DONE. EVENT IN DOWNTOWN OAKLAND!
https://www.facebook.com/events/303203329727248/
This. I feel bad that I missed the January event. That means there needs to be more in the future, so I can redeem myself.
Cuz clearly, Mark Does Stuff is all about me, really. 😉
Seriously though, we could start a book club or a Liveblog IRL party, where we all get together to watch something with our mobile devices in front of us and liveblog it up with the internet while laughing/crying amongst ourselves? I dunno. I have ideas and no social life, you know.
I actually kind of LOVE this idea??? I mean, where could we host IRL book discussions or liveblog parties? Like for real, one of the coolest ideas I have ever heard.
Well, I know the Bayshore Community Center in my neighborhood has meeting spaces and such, but I'm pretty sure all you East Bay people probably wouldn't want to transit all the way over here, especially since there's only 1 bus that comes near Bayshore, and it doesn't make it up the hill to the community center. As I'm pretty new to the Bay Area, I would have no idea where this could happen over on the other side, but I'm sure we can work together to figure something out.
Any other Bay Area people have ideas for locations?
Depending on how many people we'll have I can get space on campus at Stanford, and also get free food (and we do have a Ike's on campus…), but it wouldn't work if there were super heaps of people, and I know the peninsula can be a hassle to get to on public transport.
Yessss, but that is why God invented CARPOOLS.
By which I mean, my car can hold five people and a couple more in the trunk.
Hey, Stanford! I'm here too! 😀
I could potentially host something on a weekend, with a rough headcount. 🙂 MUNI's M-line and a bus from the Daly City BART Station both come very close to me here; and of course the offer comes with bring-your-own-mug tea service and homemade vegan cookies. If my place is too small, what about the main branch of SFPL? Or the atrium at 2nd and Mission? Or Coffee Bar in the Mission?
MEGHAN OH MY GOD HELLO.
Hey, have you talked to Borderlands? You could probably do an event there, or at the Borderlands Cafe.
I'm talking to Farley's East on Grand/Broadway, since it's just 3 blocks from BART.
BAY AREA EVENT IS CONFIRMED!
https://www.facebook.com/events/303203329727248/
YAYAYAYAY SO EXCITE!
Gainesville, Fl!
There are plenty of places to hang here and a bunch of college kids (University of Fl main campus). Like half the city has free internet if you know where to find it.
As far as venues there is a local secondhand bookshop that I love (The Book Rack, look up the awesomeness!) that would not be opposed to it. I can ask them cause I'm there every week almost. Downtown there is a Jamaican place that has fantastic callaloo. Half of their menu is vegetarian/vegan (and clearly marked so) so there should be something for you to find to your tastes.
Plus the public transportation network in the city is fantastic. Almost nowhere that I can think of does it take more than an hour to get across town if you time it right.
De-lurking to second this! I graduated a few years ago, but I go back frequently to visit friends in the area, at least one of whom would, I am certain, accompany me to any Gainesville Mark Reads shenanigans. It really is a neat town with a lot of options for vegan dining, and the transportation system *is* fantastic. I miss RTS quite a lot now that I've left the area.
I have wanted to go to Gainesville since I was like 13 specifically because of Less Than Jake. Consider this an informal confirmation that this will happen.
*squee*
MINNEAPOLIS!!!!!! Ecopolitan is a vegan restaurant that I've heard good things about – tad pricey but not over-the-top. I don't know about specific venues, but it's a large enough city that there's bound to be splendid ones! 🙂 Plus also, the Mall of America has LEGOland 😀
Haha! Yay Minneapolis! Mark, you have two requests to visit us within 15 minutes of posting. Clearly there's a strong demand in these parts.
THIS WILL HAPPEN JSYK
<img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/Werebearloony/RHLeeWahoo.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
THIS 🙂
More about Minneapolis if you need it!
I’m associated with the U of MN quidditch team, the college of biological sciences (nerd central!), active on Reddit’s twin cities social forum, and friends with local bands. I can do promotional stuff for you in MPLS if you’d like!
My old band once played a show in Minneapolis (or was it St Paul…?), and we stopped to see the Mall. The Lego store BLEW ME AWAY.
I love the Lego store SO VERY MUCH 😀
OMG, YES! Minneapolis! And besides Ecopolitan (which is awesome and I live right around the corner from it) there are tons of Vegan-friendly restaurants, especially in the uptown neighborhood. As for venues, there are tons of small theaters and cafes/bars…I'll start thinking about that. Yay! Come here! 🙂
Cool beans! 🙂 I'm from the suburbs, and I don't have a ton of insider knowledge, so this is awesome. DEAR MARK, MINNEAPOLIS LOVES YOU 🙂
I would love you to come to Colorado, around the Denver area! I would even travel to a bordering state to see you…. Wyoming, Utah, etc. I don't know how many fans there are around here, I haven't really heard anyone talk about it, but there has to be some!
I don't really know about venues (I'm a really awful planner), but we have mountains here, and snow, and if you came in the winter you could have another adventure with getting lost in a blizzard! I don't really know if that's on your 'to-do-again' list, but if it is, I can help you! 🙂
Seconding this one, and adding incentive! I know of a LOT of people in the Denver area (or within commute distance) who are fans of the whole Mark Does Stuff entity, and, due to six years practice MLing for NaNoWriMo, I've got venue connections up the wazoo! Including, if we wanted to get adventurous, the Stanley Hotel for fairly cheap. Or, if we want to play it safe, I've got about six places in the Denver area that I could get us space for free. All of which, to my knowledge, are vegan-friendly ^_^.
…would it add more incentive if I promised to write a hopefully-not-terrible "Welcome to Denver, Mark!" song? ^_^.;;
…I…I kinda would like a meet-up at the Stanley. Because that would be fun. I stayed there once overnight a while back and Estes Park is just a neat place. (Also, Estes Park may be easier for me to get to than Denver. I live slightly closer to Estes at the moment.)
I second everything Becky J and JupiterStar said, anyway. However, I don't really know about venues either…
Yep, they've worked with me before and got us a space for meeting for like 6 hours for $200, and then they altered that and said that if we rented out a certain number of rooms at a special price, they'd waive the room fee. So if people were interested, at the very least, it'd be cheap for just the venue space, and if we got enough people, we could get (relatively) inexpensive rooms for those who want them and free venue space for those who don't ^_^.
BEST INCENTIVE EVER. And also holy venues Batman! Thank you for this!!! 🙂
I KNEW sacrificing my sanity for 3 months every year would come in handy eventually!
Okay, holy shit, this sounds wonderful. I've only been to Denver once and I loved it. I'll come!
….I don't have a GIF to properly express my job!
YES!!! I can use my RTD pass to come from Boulder! OH JOY!!!
i don't know what this means, BUT YOU RULE!
Minneapolis/St. Paul Minnesota! We'll need to go to the Mall of America to ride the Avatar: The Last Airbender ride en masse (running to the gift store to hug large stuffed Appas afterwards is strictly optional, though I'll need to do it), so doing a meetup at the Mall is definitely an option, especially as there are so many food places there I'm sure it can cater to everyone's dietary requirements. If we need a different venue I can almost certainly get us a space at one of the many fine Henneppin County LIbraries.
I didn't even think about the libraries! Good plan! 🙂
My mom's on the Library Board, so I always think of the libraries. One of my fondest memories is of going to a Harry and the Potters concert at Minneapolis Central, so I know that space is wonderful.
Splendid 🙂 Connections! And Mark, I can guarantee you several of my friends (there's also several colleges in the area, so probably more fans than just my friends) 🙂
OAKLAND, CA because YOU SORT OF LIVE THERE AND YOU CAN GET ALL THE BAY AREA FANS IN ONE FELL SWOOP.
…don't have a location, though. 🙁
Let's just take over Gaylord's!
oh gosh. Watch the site and my twitter. This may happen sooner than you think.
Houston! (Please don't be put off by Rick Perry.) It's a big city with lots to do. We have some lovely parks and museums. Plus, you can take a visit to NASA and see the rockets. 🙂 The Galleria area has some cool stores including a LEGO store (I have knowledge of your love of legos). There are several independent bookstores like Brazos Bookstore, Murder by the Book (very cool), and Domy Books that could be possible venues. There is also the Hobbit Cafe (yes, a Lord of the Rings themed cafe) that has a vegan friendly menu. (see here: http://www.myhobbitcafe.com/)
Here's another lovely article about Houston's vegan hotspots with droll-worthy pictures. http://houston.culturemap.com/newsdetail/05-24-10…
Yesssh! Come to Texas! 😀
I also found a Houston Harry Potter group http://www.meetup.com/houstonharrypotter/
I am actually from Venezuela and moving to Brazil, so I am hopeless to get my hands on MDS merchandise or see a HP panel at Ascendio BUT I will actually be in Houston for 2 weeks, the last of February and the first of March, who knows a date might show up in between? THIS IS MY HEAD CANON -you can't take the hope away from me!
*please let there be a Sassy Mark Wit T-Shirt*
* Wants a Shirt that Says: "DIE IN ALL THE FIRES", still thinking Draco had that coming*
I would love to come to Houston!
YAY! You have officially made my day. 😀
Murder by the Book is awesome! You should totes come to Houston!!!
Vancouver! I am the one who has been pestering you via tumblr and email to come to Van. You already know that we film many of your favourite shows here, and have great music, and also great scenery and sports and basically anything you could want to do. We have lots of great vegan places to eat! There's a whole bunch of nerdfighters here (we had our sold-out John-and-Hank show last night; I volunteered there) and of course Harry Potter legions (UBC has a quidditch team!).
For venues, I was thinking perhaps the Rhizome Cafe (http://www.rhizomecafe.ca/) or perhaps the Vancouver Public Library downtown (very reasonable rates / we might be able to get the library to sponsor you? http://www.vpl.ca/events/details/accessing_free_p… or somewhere at the University of British Columbia (former student). I'm also connected to the literary scene in several ways (including bookstores, festivals and publications) who host events so I can see what I can do there. Also I've had quite a bit of event-planning experience so if you decide to come here I will do my best for you. 🙂
THIS WILL HAPPEN SOON.
Then you have to visit some of these OF COURSE:
http://www.battlestarlocations.com/
(Also, food and drink is awesome in Vancouver!)
The X-Files and Fringe were both filmed in Vancouver, too. I would make it at least a two-day trip so I could spend a day just going to different filming locations.
Omgosh yes please I may have just peed my pants! Vancouver is amazing and great and would be honoured to meet you!!! I have been following you since Twilight and I am constantly talking about you to anyone who will listen! And there are a gazillion places we could all meet in! Of course it depends on the group size but there’s this awesome coffee shop my sis performed in and it has amazing LAMPS and I am rambling but I will be there with friends! 😀
PS When are you thinking of scheduling Vancouver cause if I miss you because I am on my honeymoon I will be DEVASTATED!
Hi Mark and fellow Vancouverites,
I would love to see you here! I am a staff member at the University of British Columbia and should be able to book a classroom on campus for low to no cost, depending on timing. Let me know if that's interesting to you.
SAN DIEGO. I know you've technically already been here, but that was merely a try-out. We want the REAL THING.
You want a venue. I WILL FIND ONE.
Also DELICIOUS VEGAN FOOD! LASER TAG! MY KITTEN!
You can have WHATEVER YOU WANT!
YES GOOD
I APPROVE.
YES! I was at Lestat's last night and they had 100% vegan S'mores cake. It looked AMAZING.
COME BACK DURING A NON-HOLIDAY WEEKEDN!
LESTAT'S!!! I literally live about 10 minutes walking distance from there! Unless you're talking about the one on Park…. I've never been to that one.
But Lestat's does have a separate room for shows so that would work quite nicely. And they are open 24 hours, so we could keep the party going
ALL
NIGHT
LONG
… politely, in consideration of the other patrons.
OMG I live in San Diego. I used to live a few blocks from Lestat's!!!!
i love san diego WE NEED TO HANG OUT
Yeah, I was at the one on Park, since pretty much everyone there was studying and I needed to get some serious work done. But the one on Adams is KICKASS too!
I meant to come to the San Diego try-out and then fell and broke my foot like a day beforehand – NO REALLY, THIS IS MY LIFE. It's an hour drive for me but I will totally be there next time.
um, unless Mark ends up being a horrible curse upon me and I break an arm for the next go around.
omg!!! are you okay now??
I still use crutches for longer distances, but much much better! Thanks. 🙂 I'd never broken anything before and I'm in my 30's, so it was just so SHOCKING and weird.
Don't break your arm!! I broke both of mine 2 years ago and it was not a fun experience.
And I know you aren't purposefully going to break your arm, but still…. don't do it.
This is the kind of advice I dole out on the internet.
St. Louis, Missouri!
1) Venue: I know that the libraries in St. Louis County are open until 9pm Monday through Thursday, and if you can convince them that you meet the requirements you can get a meeting room for three hours for the low low price of TEN WHOLE DOLLARS. I don't know anything about reserving these rooms personally, but I did attend a youtube concert in a meeting room at the Florissant Branch Library, so getting permission can't be too terribly hard. More info!: http://www.slcl.org/using_the_library/meeting_roo…
2) Tasty vegan food: I've heard good things about Vegadeli (completely vegan), Pearl Cafe and Everest Cafe (vegan options). Here is a website for vegan foods!: http://www.vegguide.org/region/134
3) Fans: I have introduced you to most of my friends, and they all love you. I don't know how many other St. Louisians frequent Mark Reads, but THERE MUST BE LOTS OF US I SWEAR.
I LOVE THIS CITY FYI.
I'm in KC but totally on board for a road trip
same. i'm in kansas city and stl would be an easy road trip, but idk if i can afford a trip b/c lodging costs $$ i don't have.
I would do a separate Kansas City (in Kansas) date because it's one of my favorite US cities.
I'm in Columbia and would absolutely drive there!
I am breaking my perpetual lurkerdom to say FUCK YES. I am so excited that there are other STL area Mark Does Stuff fans!
Which is to say: I will totally come to this hypothetical event! With bells on! And drag as many friends along as possible! And maybe strangers! Like, could we organize a STL MARK DOES STUFF EVENT STREET TEAM? Is that a thing we could do?
ALSO, yes, the STL Public Libraries are 100% awesome when it comes to nerd events. I've attended Harry & the Potters concerts at two different branches and they were great.
Also, Mark, I don't know if you're familiar with the City Museum (http://www.citymuseum.org), but I feel pretty confident it's a thing you would like. A Mark Fans group field trip here would be AMAZING, right?
THAT PLACE IS AMAZING. CAN WE DO A MEET UP THERE????
Yes please oh my god.
IF WE GET AT LEAST FIFTEEN PEOPLE TO GO WE CAN GET A GROUP RATE!
(I'm sorry I'm so late to the party, I thought I was getting replies emailed to me, but APPARENTLY NOT.)
Here's a fun fact I learned a couple of years ago, STL has the second largest number of free attractions (the other being Washington DC)
SERIOUSLY WE HAVE SO MANY FREE THINGS! Zoo: free, Art Museum: free, History Museum: free. It costs about ten bucks to actually go up in the Arch (if you haven't been up in the Arch before Mark then we definitely need to make that happen because it's genuinely pretty great), but the Museum of Westward Expansion underneath it is free. And these are all generally really awesome. Like, the Art Museum has an actualfax mummy. DON'T YOU WANT TO COME LOOK AT A MUMMY MARK?
I just saw this too! YEAH ST. LOUIS! Sign me up! Now I don't have to drive to Chicago! (Sorry, Illinois.)
I would LOVE for you to come to St. Louis! Mark, you’re the person who taught me about priveledge in society and you’ve given me knowledge that has helped me support my girlfriend’s feminism. You’ve even helped me stay a little ahead in my Human Diversity class haha. Having a meetup at City Museum would be the best thing EVAR and I would give you all the hugs! So please come to St. Louis so I can hug you and thank you for what I’ve learned through you. 🙂
How 'bout Europe! 😀 I'm willing to get on a plane to see you, but I probably won't be able to afford any transatlantic journey. Sooo, Europe people, where are you from, and where can you travel to meet Mark? (I guess I could suggest Norway, but I don't think there's enough fans here as we have a pretty small population already), but anywhere in Europe would work for me!
As soon as I read the non-US part, I thought we need a tally of European Mark fen.
I'm in Munich, but I realise that might not be an ideal meetup location because what the fuck are these prices
I'd be willing to look into going to pretty much any place, I guess, but *preferrably* somewhere within the Eurozone.
ETA: This is my 666th comment, that obviously means… something. As in, Mark must come to Europe. It has been ~written~. PROPHECY
I'm from Belgium and wouldn't really mind taking a trip to England/France/Germany/The Netherlands to meet up (and it would obviously be an excuse to have a holiday). Depends on when it is though because you know, school and work and all, but I'd definitely try to get there if it's anywhere in Europe! 😀
Anyone up for Berlin? As I said earlier it's not a big issue for me where in Europe we suggest for Mark, but as Berlin is one of my favourite cities in Europe it would be great. I also know quite a few people there and could probably try to pull some strings in order to get us a good location (and some vegan food!).
Also, I've never been in Netherlands, and that would be great too.
Also: Mark, where do you wanna go if Europe is an alternative? Any favourite places?
I've never been to Berlin, it's still on my 'cities I want to visit list' so I'm good for that, could probably get there by train quite easily. 🙂
I'd totally be down with Berlin. I haven't been there Berlin in ages, but as far as I'm aware, it might also be relatively easy to find affordable accomodation on short notice there, which would also be a plus for those of us who don't know people in Berlin at whose places to crash 😛
Netherlands sounds good, too, though.
I'm in Scotland, can get around most of the UK but abroad will be trickier/too expensive for my student budget.
I think the continent would be more central for people not living in the UK (but feel free to contradict me, I really don't know too much about traveling from the euro-zone to the UK).
BUT. Since Britain is home to both Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings it would be totally awesome to combine a Mark Does with Tolkien/Rowling-sightseeing.
I would do a UK tour and then a continent leg. I wouldn't force people to travel that far. If I come to Europe, I'll do as much of it as I can at once, not split it up.
I'd give anything for a Glasgow thing! I know of a few venues that are likely to be suitable but I don't know any of the personally, as it were.
Glasgow or Edinburgh! I'm in Edinburgh now but willing to travel throughout the UK.
I'd (kind of jokingly) vote for Geneva, Switzerland. It's kind of central, and how cool would it be to have a Mark Does Stuff meeting near the UN headquarters? There's plenty of stuff to see, like CERN, the Red Cross Museum, the UN, etc.. Also, loads of people speak English, as it's a really international city. Conveniently, there are little French villages nearby for lodgings and buying food and stuff. (There is no reason to pay Geneva-level prices just to visit Geneva).
I have no idea if there are lots of fans here besides me, but surely physicists are into Harry Potter and stuff, right? We've got a LOT of physicists.
I'm in England! Whether I could afford to fly? Depends where to, I'd just have to see (crap health does not help :-/) but consider me at the very least, on the list of "would love to at least check into the possibility of coming to something on this side of the Pond"…
I'm in Norway! But I think we're too expensive for anyone who doesn't work here…
I would squee like a little girl and stretch my budget to see Mark in Europe.
Norway will happen because I obvs have to visit my bff for life in Norway, the wonderful Kasper.
Kasper! Where has he been lately? I haven't seen him in the comments!
YES!!
To Bergen? I'll take you to Akvariet and Fløyen, and classical music, and I'll continually embarass you, so just ignore me. I'll go to whereever you are. I can't wait!
And thank you, Kasper, for being Norwegian!
oh man i haven't been to bergen in entirely too long and i think mark should go there I AM JUST SAYING
I'M JUST SAYIN, MARK
omg akvariet and fløyen i second both of these ideas jsyk
omg mark tours norway? YES PLEASE.
But can you defend yourself against troll and zombie nazis? CAN YOU?
HALLELUJAH!
Also we will have to visit Norbert.
I didn't see this before making a separate post for France but I figured I should mention it here for the other Europeans to consider. Would it be convenient for people who aren't me? I could probably go other places in Europe as well (and I've been wanting to visit Berlin and Amsterdam anyway…) And I also wanted to suggest that once the european leg is planned (if it happens) that we all help each other out with finding inexpensive ways to get to the cities, since often nothing beats local secrets!
When I come across the Atlantic, I'll go to France! 🙂
Yay! I'm sure you will love it here!
Also, I left my email with the comment this time so hopefully you can see it – if not I'll get you my contact info some other way – since, while it is possible to be vegan in France (especially in Paris), it's not exactly easy as French food culture really does revolve mostly around meat, and also a little bit around cheese and breads, haha. I know I could have really used a guide when I first got here, and I'm only vegetarien, so I'd be more than happy to help you out when the time comes.
"And I also wanted to suggest that once the european leg is planned (if it happens) that we all help each other out with finding inexpensive ways to get to the cities, since often nothing beats local secrets!"
Definitely!
I agree with this! Norway would be ideal for me too ^^ But I wouldn't mind traveling to another country 😀
Adding to the Europe headcount!__England for me, and close enough to London that it counts – takes me about an hour. I might also be willing to travel to Europe, although student budget is an issue – I could do Brussels most easily. Er, once my friends that would be hosts have got used to their new baby (due any day now) that is… Hey, if I traded babysitting for couch space, I could bring a team mascot!
If you were coming to England, it would have to be London or Brighton surely! There's only an hour between each other and Brighton is fantastic, it is full of wonderful vegetarian and vegan restaurants, has a very lively gay community, a beach (not comparable to a California beach by a long shot though) and an India-inspired palace. And of course, it is right by the Downs, which are the hills that inspired Tolkien's hobbit country.
Oooh, seconded – I went to uni in Brighton, and it's a great place.
Late to the party but I went to uni there too! I'd second a fantastic rainbow coloured event in Brighton.
OMG first to post London, UK? Or possibly Cambridge? There are definitely some UK fans on here. Both London and Cambridge have great vegan food and wonderful venues that I don't have direct contacts with but would certainly nervously email/phone people and inquire about. The (vegan) Rainbow Cafe in Cambridge is actually below a bookshop I think? Although in Cambridge you're only ever about 10 foot from a bookshop anyway.
There are also lots of HP and HDM related shenanigans you can get up to – it's relatively easy to get to Oxford from London as well. Essentially, the UK is really small and transport links are pretty good so anywhere would probably be doable!
PLUS Oxford is where Tolkien wrote Lord of the Rings and then Birmingham is where a lot of the places were based on.
Oxford/London/Birmingham are all pretty get-able-to from most of the UK (Cambridge, in my experience, is a bit of a pig to get to…). Oxford, in UK terms, is pretty central.
I'd certainly try reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally hard to get to any event in the UK.
Posted in above, but yay London!
Cambridge or London!
I say cambridge because i'm selfish and there is where i'll probably be living by the time you go to the UK (if you do). But London is probably easier for most UKers? Cambridge is a beautiful city though :).
Oxford and London will both happen!!!
Great. I'll have to let Del know when you work stuff out about London, assuming she doesn't look at this site. (This is nothingbutthedreams from Tumblr by the way, hi :D.)
OH MY GOD I WOULD DIE TO MEET DEL.
She is really the best person to meet. We spent most of our meeting running around the V&A and getting strange looks from people around us for swearing too much :D. It was gooood.
DEL IS A GREAT HUMAN.
LONDON MEETUP FTW.
Just a random addition, it occurred to me because on a Texas thread someone mentioned that really cool second hand book shop in Denton: If, and I know it's a big if, you find yourself at a loose end and wondering around in the Wales/England border area, GO TO HAY ON WYE!
I don't even live there and could not get there easily myself, and it's pretty small, so I'm not going to even suggest having a MarkDoesStuff event there, but this is just in case you need a day off and you're in that area and you can *get* there (because, at least from this direction, it's a royal pain to get to 🙁 – but looking at the maps, that's not true from ALL directions)…
WHY? Because it is like, THE place for second hand books in the UK, it has loads of second hand bookshops, including outdoor "honesty" bookshops, and the amazing Cinema Bookshop which is huge and has hundreds of thousands of books. Also, I can find at least one current restaurant that definitely caters for veggies and vegans http://www.veggieplaces.co.uk/list_reviews.php?pl… and there used to be a couple at least (I think there may have been one that was ONLY veggie and vegan, but it's years since I've been to Hay so I can't make any guarantees I'm afraid :(), and I saw a vegetarian B&B advertised too.
Also, Hay was once declared a micronation and you can (or could) buy Hay passports and things. Which is fun. If you're that way inclined. (I am…)
http://www.hay-on-wye.co.uk/
http://haycinemabookshop.co.uk/
It's kind of an odd recommendation, I know, since I don't even live there, but just in case you're going to Wales at any point and you happen to see Hay not too far from your travel route and you wonder, "Hmm, I wonder what's there, and should I visit?" then well, at least you have some information if you are trying to make that decision :p 🙂
</advert>
I want to visit Hay-on-Wye the town of magical bookshops! But it turns out that the border is actually miles long so I won't be able to go there right now? I don't know why I'm surprised? But no matter! Thanks to you I plan to visit soon and take a shopping trolly with me. You know, for all the books. Hmm. I think the aim of this comment is to thank you in advance for the total awesommmyness of my future trip to Hay-on-Wye.
Louisville, KY!
We have a couple of Library's that might be willing to hold a place for you. Plus, I already know my brother will definitely take me. My friend Maggie said she might go if it helps. I showed her MRHP and she thought you were pretty awesome(She loves Nerdfighters, Doctor Who, Harry Potter, AVPM, and all that awesome.)
Louisville is a pretty entertaining city. We have tons of museums and some pretty cool places to visit. Ex: The Louisville Zoo; The Derby museum, Speed Art museum; tons of cool shops in the Highlands.
Also, I feel I should add that I'm not old enough to drive and wouldn't be able to leave the city to go anywhere. Mainly because I have school…and performances. Help a girl out!
Ok, that's all I have for now because it's 6 a.m. here and I have to go to school.
Woops. Made a grammar mistake or two. Sorry. But hey, it was early.
Another vote for Louisville! Not sure if your plans are driving or flying but flying-wise we have an international airport and driving-wise we are centrally located near several other major cities like Cincinatti, Indianapolis, St Louis, and (a bit farther) Chicago. And I have to agree with xSarahx, lots of cool shops in the Highlands. Plus a fairly large college population from University of Louisville and I'm sure there must be some fans among them.
I COULD TOTALLY DRIVE TO LOUISVILLE AND I KNOW TWO PEOPLE THAT LIVE THERE THAT I COULD DRAG WITH ME JUST BECAUSE (THEY LOVE HP SO….)
I was going to suggest Lexington, KY…we have this amazing restaurant called Alfalfa's that you'd love…very vegan/vegetarian friendly…I'm personally a big fan, being a vegetarian for the past 17 years. I'd drag my husband along with, and I'm certain I could round up a few more friends…
Yay, other Lexington people!!! Alfalfa's is AWESOME!
But yes, Louisville is probably close enough.
Louisville area also has venue options like Indiana University Southeast, where you could get in touch with any of the many many student groups and reserve a room on campus. For free. See that? Free!
Louisville Area has lots amazing BICYCLE FUN! Anywhere from the average biker to those who want to do 50 mile rides, there is some gorgeous country around here!
Our beloved Bardstown Road has everything. Bars, shops, restaurants, I'm sure there is a vegan options in there that I just don't know about, and someone who UP VOTES LOUISVILLE will. Plus, in that general area is the famous Lynn's Paradise Cafe. Just go there for the ambiance! She does an ugly lamp contest at the State Fair each year. I love her.
We do have a decent amount of dorkdom running amok in the city. There's an annual science fiction convention! ConGlomeration!
Yes, I am just throwing out more information on our lovely city. Did you also know that 21C and Proof on Main ( museum thing and bar and hotel, those two) just got named one of the top 8 foodie destinations in THE WORLD? Who gives a fuck about the food, but it does say that (hey, we are number 3 on this zagats list) that you should stay at 21C. Hey, since you can get a free venue, and we have AWESOME PUBLIC TRANSIT, here's the website for the cool art hotel : 21chotel.com
Oh gosh, and I thought no one was going to reply. Thank goodness there are other fans in Louisville! HUZZAH! Yes this is good.
This is good indeed.
Not to mention YPAS (The Youth Performing Arts School)
They have some pretty awesome performances. I've been there a lot because my schools were very musical and I went to summer camp there. 😀
Louisville is the bee's knees Mark, THE BEE'S KNEES.
Speaking of food (and specifically vegan food) in Louisville, one of my friends who has a culinary arts degree LOVES this restaurant called Ramsi's Cafe and if you go here http://www.ramsiscafe.com/ you can see that they have food from all over the world, and quite a few vegan options. A bit on the pricey side but well worth it.
I completely forgot about Ramsi's! They shove SO MUCH FOOD on your plate. They have food from everywhere, and everything is so freakin' delicious. 😀 Now I'm hungry…
Throwing out the first nomination for intercontinental dates: Sydney, Australia!!
I’ve only lived here for 6 months myself so I’ve no idea about venues or places or anything, but I thought I’d start the thread incase other Sydneysiders know places? *hopeful*
Oh, rats, Europe and the UK beat me 😛
I am not a Sydneysider, but I ONCE LIVED THERE FOR TWO MONTHS, and it was entirely wondrous, so basically I am upvoting this so Mark will go and love it foreverrrrrrr.
There are vegan bits, Mark! Tasty vegan bits! Also, it is an imminently walkable city, and it also has clean and reliable public trans that is greater than or equal to BART, my man. ALSO ALSO, hello, opera house and harbor and zoo places and partays til the early mornings, and glorious libraries, and ALSO A POPULATION THAT CREATED SORRY DAY, BECAUSE POLITICIANS COULDN'T GET THEIR HEADS OUT OF THEIR ASSES LONG ENOUGH TO APOLOGIZE. I take it seriously when general peeps apologize to the indigenous folks.
So go to Australia, even if there's only one MarkDoes fan there! I will come as your carry-on item, and then there will be three of us, which is enough for a proper party!
oh god i want to do this!
Yes Australia is amazing you should go there! But def go to Melbourne as well as Sydney! Melbourne (and also Wellington, NZ) is like the San Francisco of Australia. And there's an amazing veg*n restaurant called the Veggie Box that I go to basically every time I'm over there. And after you have seen the LOTR movies you should go to New Zealand too so you can see all the pretty places where they were filmed 😀 Yay Oceania!
YES DO THIS. I would totally go to Sydney to see you… or you could come to Melbourne… then I wouldn't have to travel at all! PLS COME TO AUSTRALIA
Melbourne is definitely an awesome place and I think you'd very much enjoy it. I wouldn't begrudge a decision to go there and not Sydney, but why come all the way to Australia and visit one city? I concur that Sydney/Melbourne/Auckland is a minimum for any visit down under.
YES YES YES THIS. I mean, I live in Brisbane, but I fly to Sydney and Melbourne pretty regularly. COME TO AUSTRALIA MARK (you might accidentally get killed, fyi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy_TB6onHVE)
Yes! I would be there in a heartbeat. Unfortunately I'm not a Sydney local so I can't offer any venue ideas. 🙁 But I'm sure someone from Sydney will be able to do so.
A constant lurker emerges from the shadows…Hi! I love this site, I make a point of checking in everyday, particularly for the Buffy stuff.
Come to Melbourne!! (or Sydney or New Zealand. They're pretty nice too.)
There are many fantastic vegan restaurants in Melbourne. The one that immediately leaps to mind is the Veggie Bar (www.vegiebar.com.au) but there are heaps of others, particularly in fitzroy on Brunswick st and Smith st, or in St Kilda.
Venue is a good question. I know there were lots of nanowrimo events around the place last year, I could look back and see where those were held.
Come to Australia Mark! Totally worth the long plane ride, I promise.
Nashville, TN! I work for a university here in the city, and I'd be happy to make some calls about spaces that might be available with our libraries. Nashville is also nice and centrally located to a lot of other southern cities – it's within driving distance of Louisville and Chattanooga (since I saw those two suggested) and even Memphis or Knoxville if a fan was willing to hoof it.
Our foodie scene is growing, and I have friends in town who are vegan who can certainly give some recommendations for where to go. We're a blue city in a red state, and despite our horrible governing officials, we are very nice people!
OH GOD COME TO NASHVILLE!!!!!!
I WILL!!! I would love to!
All your Arkansan followers (or at least the ones in our office ) hope you come to Nashville, as it's about the only venue we'd be able to get to, and then only on a Saturday due to the 6 hour drive. 🙁
*shakes fist at Little Rock for lacking vegan accomodations*
Sweden! One of the original Troll Countries. We could go on safaris! 😀 And Stockholm has great vegan restaurants.
Seriously though, I'd say somewhere down on the continent would be better for a European visit. Berlin has been mentioned, I see, and that's certainly a great choice. Somewhere in the UK (London?) would be a good idea as well (and might allow for visiting both important Tolkien and Harry Potter locations).
Somewhere further up ^ there has been talk of Europe in general, a UK 'leg' and also, Mark said he's definitely doing Norway I think? So that would allow for fairly easy (I'm guessing…) transport from Sweden, plus if you manage to gather other Swedish plans you may get lucky. But anyhoo, yeah, I thought just in case you didn't see it I'd let you know Norway seems like it's a definitely, 'cos of Kasper 🙂
Baltimore, MD! There’s a ton of great vegan food, a gorgeous aquarium next to the harbor, a convention center to beat all convention centers right in the downtown, and more historical coolness then you can shake a stick at.
I don't know what travel is like, but I'll be at the University of Maryland on Feb 28th! Is that too far for you?
Make sure you stop and have a chat with Kermit and Jim Henson.
<img src="http://i40.tinypic.com/2u9po3c.jpg">
Also, one of the science advisors for The X-Files teaches Biology there.
WHAT!!!!!!!!!!
I don't know if you're WHAT!!!!!!!!ing Kermit or science, but yup! Those are both things. The bench is in front of the student union, and Dr Anne Simon, who wrote this book about the science of The X-Files, is probably in the Micro building right next door.
I am WHAT!!!!!ing both Kermet and science.
Then that is the appropriate reaction. 😀
Cincinnati, OH! We have an awesome library system (and in fact, Ohio was just named the "nerdiest state" by Time magazine because we have the highest number of library visits per capita!) We could even meet at my apartment complex, because it has rooms I can rent out for free (of course, it would mean a smaller number of people if we used that venue.)
While I'm not a vegan or vegetarian, we do have a fair number of Indian/Asian places to eat that have vegan options, including places like Melt in Northside or this amazing Pho place in Findley Market, which is in Over-the-Rhine.
Cincinnati is also centrally located, accesible to people in Louisville, Lexington, Columbus, and Indianapolis!
Yes! Votes for Cincinnati or Columbus or Dayton!
Plus, there is hp-ohio!!! An adult Harry Potter group! 😀
They helped with my Cleveland date! LOVELY PEOPLE!
I COULD ALSO DO THIS
I'd be willing to drive to either Louisville or Cinci… 🙂
YES PLEASE! I would be willing to help out with a Cincinnati date, though I'm pretty new to town so I don't have many connections. But my husband is faculty at UC, so I may be able to reserve space through him?
I know you'd already expressed that you might be going to Detroit…but can I suggest Lansing, Michigan, as an alternative?? I have connections with Michigan State University (the largest of the in-state universities), and could almost certainly get some venue space options there. The university cafeterias are brand new, state of the art and have stations designed for vegans (y'know, for lunch or the like), in addition to some great vegan-option restaurants around town (including my favorite sushi place of all time omg). I know we have a huge HP fan base here (and a quidditch team…that still makes me laugh…but in a university this size, there's something for everyone), and it's pretty much equidistant from Detroit and Grand Rapids, so it's a good central place for the Michigan Mark fans to gather. I'd be more than happy to help with the logistics if its something you'd consider!!!!
Excellent suggestion!
YES! I VOTE LANSING! Lansing is so much closer to my home than Detroit. My mom actually works in Lansing!
And I just found out that I can't go to Intensity in Ten Cities, because it's too far away, so please come to Lansing!
Come to Bowling Green, OH. We have a huge HP/Mark/Nerdfighter fan base at the university (BGSU). We also have a vegan restaurant called Squeakers, an amazing bookstore/coffee shop/concert and event venue called Grounds for Thought (It would be a free event). Bowling Green is 20 miles south of Toledo, 90 minutes east of Forth Worth, an hour away from Detroit, and about 2-3 hours from anywhere in Ohio. It's a smaller city but it's full of fun awesome people who love you and lot's of people/fans from other cities are close by. On top of all of that I've worked with the owner of Grounds before and I know he would be more than happy to have you!
omg this is awesome! Is it easy for folks to get to Bowling Green from Toledo? I assume most people drive in Ohio versus taking public transportation, yes?
Boston! We got a killer library that does literary events everyday (and this would totally count). I can find the right people for you to talk to in about five minutes. Plus, the main reading room looks like this:
<img src="https://p.twimg.com/AjJZGOcCAAAf7XP.jpg:large">
Great vegan? GUARANTEED.
We even got Hub on Wheels (hubonwheels.org) for your biking pleasure. Plus, you know, decent public transport.
People READ here, and if you get space through BPL, they'll advertise for you!
Holy hell, that picture posted much larger than I intended. My bad!
omg! I AM GOING TO BE IN BOSTON. February 24th!!!! OMG.
Have you got a venue for Boston yet?
I'm not from Boston, but WOW, that reading room, I would so go to Boston just to visit that library! 🙂
The whole building was built as "a cathedral for books" and they do tours…
It looks amazing! Sadly I'm the better part of 3,000 miles away :-/ but I'm adding that to my "one day when I visit New England" list 🙂
Ithaca, NY!
We have several colleges and universities, and lots of fans, and Ithaca is the Portland OR of the east. There are mindblowing vegan waffles, and YOU LOVE WAFFLES, AMIRITE? My personal favorite are the hempseed waffles with lemon preserves and honey, but you know, there are like a hundred varieties. Including icecream! or chicken n waffles!
Okay, also, I can get us a venue at Cornell (which is a Fine and Prestigious Place), or one of the bookstores about town (Buffalo Street Books co-op, or Autumn Leaves). Depends on how many are gonna show. Or maybe… WaffleFrolic! will host us themselves and we will GORGE OURSELVES.
There are lots of nerds in this town, and lots of crunchy granola types, and the venn diagram of nerd-vegans is truly lovely. Come play?
Ithaca is also fairly central for upstate NY, which means your fans from all the fuck over rural NY can come by. You could also fly in to the small and friendly airport, or you could Amtrak to a nearby town and I would pick you up, or you could bus in, or WHATEVERS JUST COME HERE ALREADY.
omg. I would love to do this!!
I just made a noise of extreme satisfaction that sounded like "YUSSSSSSSS" just so you know.
Before I even considered moving to the US I wanted to go to Ithaca, cause of the wonderful Moosewood cookbook (and restaurant, obvs).
So. Very. Tasty.
I live in Buffalo and I WOULD FIND A WAY THERE, OMG.
I'm an instructor at Penn State, so if you'd like to come to State College, PA, that would be just grand. I do not know of any other fans in the area though. Plus, I know you're already doing both Pittsburgh AND Philadelphia. But if you would like to come here, I'm sure I can find someone who can get you a room through the university (probably not my department though, so I'd need a bit of time to figure this out). And in any case, if you need a place to stay on the upcoming Northeast tour you're welcome to crash on a couch at my place.
Awesome! I am also not opposed to visiting parts of states I have been to on tour in, so I'll keep this in mind.
France! It might be more expensive, but I feel obligated to put it out there, and also. It's France! Great architecture, great wine, lots of deeply, deeply nerdy people. If you come when the weather is good (spring/summer), you could have the meetup outside along the banks of a river! If you want to be able to eat out at restaurants, the meet up would probably have to be in Paris, where there are actually several vegan restaurants (vegetalien en français), but if you choose to go somewhere else to save money (I'm living in Bordeaux and it's really nice *hinthint*), I can personally cook vegan meals for you! (I was a cook back at my co-op in Berkeley, where I made vegan meals for 40 so I know what I'm doing!) And I can teach you important French words you might need to know if you don't already speak French.
Also, France is pretty easy to get to both from the UK and the rest of Europe….
Did I miss it or no SEATTLE post yet. We got venues, bike paths, and vegan food. It is simple and (somewhat cheap) plane ride non stop from Oakland. I know that I am suppose to sell this but I just found this post and have not done a lot of specific research, yet! Librarian in the burbs but will get on this.
Sorry to miss you Pitt stop. My son lives there but timing was off. Hope all goes well and you rock the town, all the towns.
Seattle will happen, sooner rather than later!
Yay! Come visit! I don't have much to offer. I have no connections and I'm pretty much a loner. The best I can offer is vegan apple spice cake, which I promise to bake just for you if you visit.
I adore Seattle! This would have been an option before I even made this post. So much good food in that city!
Yay! I can't wait! we have lots of good vegan food! If you come in the summer we can turn off the rain for you (no promises for march/april)
I don’t usually go to meetups like this (I am deeply shy it’s kind of silly), but for you Mark I will totally come just to ask you for a hug and to hang out with all the amazing people here. And I will bring you vegan treats!
So I guess what I’m saying is I am seconding, thirding, fiftyeth-ing ETC Seattle!!!
LIZ YOU ARE A FLAWLESS HUMAN BEING!
Seattle's great, but if you could make a stop in Olympia it would be just as awesome! As with Seattle, there are venues and vegan food, and we're only 60 miles south on I-5 from Seattle itself. And we're the capital, where, as you may have heard, our state congress recently made us the seventh state to make same-sex marriage legal! That said, if you can't make it to Olympia, I'd still definitely endeavor to get to Seattle for this.
Maybe a Mark does stuff outside of Seattle. Could do a Puget Sound Tour. Or, a week trip; Portland to Vancouver BC. Wait, If Mark is touring this much how can we get our daily fix of Mark Reads and Watches. Mark must entertain us in person and on the web. We are a greedy greedy bunch.
YESSSSSSSS. Seattle is FULL OF GEEKS. It will be awesome.
I'd say come to New Zealand, but I have a feeling it would be just you and me hanging out in hobbiton.
There's another thread here for NZ. I would love the chance to come!
Oxford! Because:
You can visit the Botanic Garden where Will and Lyra arranged to meet every year in their own worlds
You can visit The Eagle and Child Pub where The Inklings (including Tolkien and C.S. Lewis) met to talk about literature (hey, maybe you could book that room for a meet-up. That would be awesome. Let me know if you want me to look into that)
You can visit the Bodleian Library, which is the best library in the world (that is FACT not opinion)
You can see places where they filmed Harry Potter and The Golden Compass
If you come at the right time you can come to the Oxford Literary Festival and see (for example) Philip Pullman talking about Charles Dickens http://oxfordliteraryfestival.org/events/detail/d…
There are definitely vegan-friendly places to eat and I can vouch for the tastiness of the food at The Gardener's Arms and The Pink Giraffe.
Even if you didn't do an event here (though obviously I'd love it if you did), you should definitely come and visit Oxford if you come to the UK because it's got so many connections t so many books that you've loved.
YES. YES. YES. YES.
omg. I'm in Portland, Oregon USA but I think I'd rather go see Mark at Oxford. 🙂
^ favourite post ever 😀
Hahaha, I was thinking the same thing! I live in tiny-town (middle of nowhere), WI, USA, and I could potentially just go to the Chicago meet-up, but now I'm itching to travel to the UK one! 🙂
Come to the Milwaukee one!!
Oh, I need to catch up on here, I didn't realize there's a Milwaukee meet-up planned! When is the Milwaukee one planned?
Edit: I've perused the comments and noticed you put the Milwaukee suggestion up and Mark said it's happening (YAY!), so I assume that will be on the 2nd round then. Ahhh…sooo excited!
Oh, I want to come back to Oxford now… It's been 2 years since I visited last, and I MISS IT SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mark –
I am so excited that you will be in Boston on February 24th…. Where will you speak? Grasshopper Restaurant in Allston ( part of Boston) has yummy vegan eats!
1) Missions Viejo, CA
2) I manage a family owned used book store and take whatever opportunity I have to laugh and exclaim about your blog to customers, especially when they're purchasing books you've read. I'M TRYING TO BUILD A LOCAL CHAPTER! 😛 The store is small (like, really small) and the gathering space would only fit a dozen or so comfortably. But that dozen would welcome you with more vegan treats than Davey Havok could fit in his fridge. If you're at all interested, the email is thebookcorral@yahoo.com and we can chat something up. I realize it'll be a long while before you swing back around to Southern California, but that works perfect from my end! More time to fix the kinks in our store and build a better following. 🙂
3) If I missed Mission Viejo or any other Orange County city on the list, I'm sorry!
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Now, not really a big city but I'm gonna suggest you come to Denton, TX. And here's why you should!
-It's not as big as other cities like Houston, but for a small area there are a helluva lot of people. We have two universities and a community college. So lots and lots of college kids. Even better, the biggest university here, UNT, is known across the country for its music and arts programs. Which means we have a huge music/arts scene here in Denton. Plus it's only a thirty minute drive from Dallas/Ft. Worth. So any fans in the DFW area could easily make it over.
-Our downtown area is the square and there are plenty of cool shops, pubs, coffee houses, and cafes that always have things like live music and open mics going on so it should be no problem to find somewhere you could speak. There's also possibly the coolest used book store you will ever see: Recycled Books. It's built inside an old opera house and has all these little nooks and crannies and back rooms and all of it is filled with books!
<img src="http://i.imgur.com/w7mACl.jpg">
(That's just one area of it)
I'm not sure if they let people do talks there but if not, there's always the possibility of going there for a meetup before or after and doing the official thing at a cafe.
-Now, Texas generally isn't a place that's known for it's vegan food, but in an artsy fartsy place like Denton there's bound to be some options. I'm a meat-eater myself, but I have plenty of vegetarian friends who could point me in the direction of good vegan food. I know of one place, Ramen Republic, that is amazingly delicious and you can choose whatever you want in your soup and I know they have vegan options. There's another little diner-type place that I've been told has good veggie burgers.
-I have lots of friends who are Harry Potter fans that I could probably convince to go and I'd be sure to put the word out to anyone who might be interested! There's a dorm at UNT known for its nerdy residents that I used to live at which I'm sure would be totally into seeing someone talk about Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Sherlock, Buffy, and whatever else! I have a couple friends who were there with me at LeakyCon who thought your stuff sounded neat!
-You could totally crash on the couch at me and my husband's place if you wanna save a little money on lodging. My cats would totally chill with you and stuff. And we have a car for getting around purposes!
<img src="http://i.imgur.com/zBSf3.jpg">
So yeah! Come to Denton! It's an awesome place. We will have the best of times!
I am also assist with the North Texas Browncoats (help organize the Can't Stop the Serenity event in DFW) so I can spread the word to the browncoats in the area too. Denton is not to far from either Dallas or Fort Worth. This would be a good option. Also I am sure that we could find you more options if given more time to research. About the vegan food, my brother and sister in law were vegans when they lived in Denton and never had a problem finding good food. If you need any help feel free to message me.
Yes! Come to Denton! In addition to all these points, I'd like to add that Denton has an excellent 3-branch public library, so that would be a venue option too.
holy shit this post is amazing.
the answer is yes. I'll figure it out, but yes.
I just shouted YES quite loudly and scared my cats. Whoo!
If you need any help figuring stuff out just hit me up on facebook!
Oh goodness I am so excite! When someone mentioned DFW area I immediately ran into my bet friends room and told her she was going with me to meet the most awesome guy on the internet
If you are coming to the DFW area, there is a HUGE Half-Price Books off of Northwest Highway and you can reserve their community room for free! Here's a link to information about it!.
http://hpb.com/reserve/001community_policies.html
I grew up in Arlington but never heard of this Recycled Books place. WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME.
I am sad you've never been! I make it a point to bring anyone who visits Denton to Recycled.
Upvotes for Denton! I graduated last May from UNT and currently live in Dallas, but I visit Denton often and miss it so much!
A++ for posting an image of Recycled Books. I used to go every weekend (sigh). There is an abundance of vegan/vegan-friendly restaurants and an incredible music scene (UNT is pretty famous for its music program, particularly jazz). Denton is filled with liberal arts nerds who would be delighted to hang out with you, Mark.
Big Mike's Coffee Shop would be a great place to have a meeting. It's an independent and local fair-trade coffee place that hosts a free community event room (we held the philosophy forum there every week when I was there) that's easily reservable. It also has one of the biggest bike racks in Denton. BigMikesCoffeeShop [dot] com has an event calendar and a phone number, and the email contact is bigmikescoffee [at] yahoo [dot] com.
This is really random, but if you ever find yourself in Hay on Wye, in England, you have to go to the Cinema book store http://haycinemabookshop.co.uk/ – it's along similar kind of lines (Hay on Wye is THE place in England for 2nd hand books in general) and I heard it was closing 🙁 but the website is still up and look: http://www.flickr.com/photos/orangewarrior77/4370… it would be really familiar to you.
And in other news, if I ever go to Texas, I'm coming to Denton, it looks like a really cool place!
I was so excited to see a picture of Recycled on here! I graduated from UNT a couple of years ago and moved to Memphis, but when I lived in Denton I hung out at Recycled and on the square all the time. You did an amazing job representing a fantastic town!
Thanks! <3
I think you mentioned in an earlier post that you were planning on Detroit, and I don't know whether that's a set or fluid plan, so let me just take a moment to put in my voice for the Detroit Metro area.
We humbly invite you to Ottawa, Ontario, capitol of Canada. BECAUSE WE HAVE PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS AND STUFFS. And seriously, Ottawa is so underappriciated with these things. We've gotta drive 2-5 hours if we want to see events. (Montreal/Toronto) Which, you know, we totally would to see you, but Ottawa's cool too.
PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS
We have an awesome library system who will totally love you coming in to chat
Our book club will love you
Depending on the time of year, you can skate the canal. Everyone has to do that once.
LAZER TAG MAN
So come chill with us! The beavers don't bite, I promise.
Totally! We are awesome, awesome people, and we love when people come to our city! We have parliament buildings, and the canal (which is very pretty in the summer, too), and LAZER TAG. Please come to Ottawa! We love you!
Not so sure about the beavers not biting but, Ottawa has some great veggie/vegan restaurants where you can grab a bite.
The non-profit where I work might be able to offer free accessible space. As long as it's not karaoke night.
Oh, and we also have 3D glow-in-the-dark pirate mini-golf. Just sayin'.
Really? Where is this 3D glow-in-the-dark pirate mini-golf? I think I need to plan a weekend trip.
Feeling weird posting this, just because I'm not there anymore, but just in case anyone else is interested…if you hit up the UK, take the time to swing by Glasgow as well. GORGEOUS in the summer, exactly the right temp, I actually had a whole group of people there get me into Mark Reads (as opposed to me getting others into it), and it's apparently one of the best cities for vegans in the world? ^_^.
It also has the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, a.k.a. THE GREATEST MUSEUM IN ALL THE WORLD.
OH GOD YES. Where else can you see Elvis, Dahli, and an organ player grooving on the Doctor Who theme?
YES Glasgow. (I replied to an earlier post about europe, but I thought it best to comment here as well. Also, there's a cafe down near the Trongate I went to ages ago – is it "Mono" maybe? It did the best organic home-made food, with vegan alternatives and they're pretty awesome about having people do meets in there; a knitting group I went to and a Nanowrimo write-in both happened there.
I created an account especially to fourth the Glasgow suggestion! Yeah, Mono is the vegan cafe/ record shop and it's great – also helpfully close to most of the geek stores. There's four or five down there, covering comics, graphic novels, board games, roleplaying, toys…OK, now I'm thinking about baggage allowances 😉 And we'd probably be able to use either Mono or Plan B Books as a venue.
So EXCITE!
For the UK, I'm at the University of Warwick, which is right next to Coventry, half an hour from Birmingham and half an hour from Stratford-upon-Avon (if you're a Shakespeare fan). We have a Student Union run a tea shop called Curiositea which I believe is available for booking for events (don't know how much it would cost though). I don't know if they do vegan things, but all their teas and coffees and extremely delicious cakes are both ethically sourced and pretty cheap (advantages of the SU).
I would also like you to come to Bristol, which is nearer my home town, but I'm having a complete blank on anywhere in the city that would be suitable. But Bristol is awesome. And now I feel I'm getting greedy, because if you come to Nashville whilst I'm here in a university exchange, I could end up meeting you in multiple places. Not that that would be a bad thing.
I…I won't even attempt to sell my small, broke town. It is not important or awesome enough or have what you need. I mean the library does host events, but no. My town fails.
But if you do stop by Connecticut, I'll be sure to try and find you. 🙂
Awesome! I'd love to do more states/cities in New England aside from Boston! 🙂
I realise that this will probably not happen, both for expense reasons and the probable lack of fans but HawaiI! You should come to Hawaii! Honolulu would be the best city to come too. Unfortunately I don't know any revenues that well being a teenager with little connections.
I WOULD LOVE TO!
So my last name is Oshiro, which is Japanese. look that up in the phone book. all those people are my relatives on my dad's side! My dad did his family genealogy and traced his last name to one person, so they're all related to me.
I haven't been to Hawaii since his funeral in 2006, so I would love to return for a much more positive reason.
I think you should come to Winnipeg, Manitoba! (I live in northern Manitoba, but you would be worth the 8 hour drive). There are several great vegan restaurants, and Winnipeg has a great music scene.
Venue suggestions (all downtown) :
-The Lo Pub and Bistro – Awesome vegan food in a cozy pub that feels like your best friend's basement, it's in Winnipeg's HI hostel too.
-Aqua Books – used book store that regularly hosts events.
-The Winnipeg Public Library's main branch (the Millennium Library)
omg i want to go to Winnipeg so badly!
It's a great city, I really miss living there.
I don't live in Winnipeg, but have visited. It is surprisingly awesome and does not get a lot of credit for it. Go see the symphony FOR REALZ. Also, what's with the sushi joints on every block?! YOU ARE NOT NEAR THE OCEAN.
It looked so yummy I was seriously considering it until I realized that as a non-vegan, I should save it for those who have more willpower than I do.
I know you'll be in Orlando for Ascendio this summer, but is it too selfish to ask you to hold an event while you're down? I know of a venue, but it would be painful to get to…
I'll second this request. I can even help out with some venues. I work at the University of Central Florida and can definitely get you a room (and I've got several options for how big/cozy you want the space to be) in one of my buildings for a gathering. It's not on campus but it's campus adjacent which may be somewhat better since it wouldn't require people to park on campus.
There are also some other venues near downtown that I'm sure we could work out too. Stardust Video & Coffee (http://stardustvideoandcoffee.wordpress.com/) often has events and would be good even for a more informal meetup. Drunken Monkey Coffee (http://www.drunkenmonkeycoffee.com/) is also a great smaller venue, any place that used to host Lost viewing parties is good by me! Both places have both vegan and non-veggie choices for food and drinks. And then there's the Dandelion Communitea Cafe (http://dandelioncommunitea.com/) – they also host events but would also be good for a smaller meetup too.
Note: Mark I think you'd also like these places for food or working in, if you're going to be in Orlando for longer than the convention itself and looking for other places to check out. But you should also consider dinner or lunch at the Ethose Vegan Kitchen too (http://www.ethosvegankitchen.com/) and dessert at the Raphsodic Bakery (http://www.raphsodic.com/index2.php#/home/)... So good!!
I created a profile after months and months of lurking just to suggest that you should come to NEW YORK, NEW YORK! (I can't believe no one's made a post for it here yet!)
Come on, think about it! We've got awesome hot dog stands and buses and buildings and stuff! Concrete jungle where dreams are made of, and all that!
And also I do know a small place where they let you host events and art/culture-related things for free, it's called the Wix Lounge (www.wixlounge.com). Of course I'm sure there would also be some independent coffee shops that you could reach out to, especially in Brooklyn.
Eee! Even if you can't come, I'm excited that you're even thinking of touring!
omg i am already coming there!
February 25th!!!
https://www.facebook.com/events/165511123548361/
RSVP there.
YAY! Haha in my excitement I didn’t actually check the Facebook event first, I just saw SUGGEST CITIES and my brain went OKAY without reading the rest. 🙂 yaaaay I will definitely try to be there! My friend who reads your blogs also has been meaning to visit, this would be the perfect thing to make her come up!
Just putting in my non-Facebook RSVP for that date, since I don't have an FB account. 🙂
YAY!
So I've been a lurker here since Firefly and this post is a bit later than most of the others, but I figured I would put in a request anyway. So I hereby nominate Tucson, AZ for a stop on the Mark Does Stuff Tour!
I mean, I can't be the only one here in the southwest, right?
So, Tucson. As far as meet-up places, there are libraries that I'm sure could be booked, and a lot of coffee shops/cafes/various other places a group of people could gather, especially near the university. And, as the university is fairly large, I'm sure there are plenty of nerdy people around that would want to come to a meet-up of like-minded people. There are lots of really yummy restaurants around, many of which are vegetarian/vegan friendly. I’ve not been to a lot of them, but I’ve heard good things and I can definitely ask around as to which places are the best! Public transportation is also pretty great here, and goes basically everywhere. It’s even on time! And the city is small enough that it doesn’t ever take too long to get anywhere. And, um, it’s pretty?
I’ve only just moved here from the DC/Baltimore area a few months ago, so I’m still finding my way around, but this is a really great area and you should make your way over here! You know, as long as I’m not the only one around here. Which judging from the lack of another post I might be?
I LOVE TUCSON. So yes, this will happen.
(assuming you come here before I move) MARK YOU COULD USE THE RAMADA AT MY NEIGHBORHOOD POOL I'm pretty sure you don't have to pay moneys if you're my guest. (I can doublecheck with my mom if you think this is viable.) And there's this place within walking distance!
I'm in Tempe, but I GUESS I could drive down :P.
(AKA: I totally will if possible, I am just sad UoA got their first.)
Mark, you should definitely consider coming over to Austin, Texas! There's a thriving Nerdfighter community down here that would love to come see you and freak out in general over various television shows and books and music (we're a very, very enthusiastic group). If you're looking for a venue, I would try contacting BookPeople, a great independent bookstore based in Austin that runs tons of literary-based events and gatherings. They set up John and Hank Green for the Tour de Nerdfighting signing extravaganza at an auditorium at a local high school, where over 1000 amazing people showed up! Not to mention, the vegan food here in Austin is spectacular, and the weather is (usually) very warm and agreeable. (Also, we have SXSW and ACL….just sayin'!) Seriously though, there are a ton of great people here in Austin that would love to meet you, and it would be fantastic if you came on down to the Lone Star State *insert cheesy wink and Texas twang here* Also, if you come to Austin, I will bake you vegan lemon cakes. Okay? Okay. 🙂
Austin will happen. Promise!
Lexington, KY! Cool college town, plenty of internet readers! I know a handful just at my small school who would like to come talk to you! Joseph Beth is a great place for a get-together!
How about the beautiful city of Bath?
It a beautiful city with beautiful buildings and stuff. You could pretend you are in a Jane Austen novel! I have the impression that Jane Austen hated Bath because she thought it was superficial and shallow but sadly its one of the few places left with its preserved Georgian architecture. I don't what I'm talking about but it's sounds about right.
It has a range of accomodation including fancy hotels and cosy hostels and friendly B&B's (omigosh I love B&Bs) and off the top of my head I can think of Demuths – an AMAZING vegetarian restaurant which is also very vegan-friendly! We should all converge on Bath and be geeky together! It will be AWESOME 😀 kthnx
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Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The biggest strike against it is that it's kind of isolated, but it's only eight hours north of Minneapolis, which is really not that far if you're used to Canada, though I've been told my perception's a bit warped.
However! Winnipeg's isolation makes it really active in interesting ways – we've got a really strong literary community, and music scene (Neil Young, The Guess Who, and The Weakerthans all hail from here). We're also the namesake of Winnie the Pooh, and Guy Maddin made a really strange and beautiful film about us, and there's a pretty active and engaged radical queer community that throws awesome dance parties and fundraisers.
Logistics-wise: I work in a bookstore. Specifically, this bookstore: http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/home It's huge and amazing and locally-owned, and we host over 500-events a year, varying from kids' knitting classes, book clubs, author talks, book launches, live music, workshops, panels, and signings. Our event booker is super-nice, and the fee is really minimal. (I think around $25?)
I also have connections with the student association at the University of Winnipeg, whose English department has a huge cultural studies focus, and is really progressive. So basically, if you want to do something focusing around issues of representation within literature/media, that would be a pretty good draw.
For accomodations, there a really awesome HI hostel with its own attached pub (which is run by a local musician and is a huge local hotspot) and all-vegetarian restaurant. http://www.hihostels.ca/manitoba/422/hi-winnipeg_…
There's a ton of restaurants that are either completely vegan/vegetarian or have vegan options on the menu, and some really neat neighbourhoods worth poking around in.
I don't know how many fans there are specifically of Mark Reads/Mark Watches, but all the texts and shows you've written about have pretty big followings here. That, or I just only associate with really nerdy people.
I wanted to suggest Saskatoon or Regina (which are the two cities I bounce between and have connections in) but was worried about the number of fans there are around. Like, it would be just me and my sister and my cousin at the reading, and my sister and I are both socially anxious people so we'd just sit there in wide eyed awe and not be very interesting. So if there is interest in another closer-to-central-Canada locations like this then I am SO IN! Depending on dates, there's probably a small group I could wrangle into a road trip. I mean, I'm from Saskatchewan. We love road trips by necessity (I imagine it's the same for Manitobans…well, and most of Canada, but us prairie folk especially). Also, McNally Robinson is my very favourite place ever and I am always in the Saskatoon one and honestly wish I could just live in it. I've only been to Winnipeg once about six years ago and it was for a children's opera so I was mostly performing and rehearsing and didn't see much of the city, so it would be cool to go back. Which is stuff you all really care about I AM RAMBLING STOP ME.
TL;DR – I am on board with this location!!
Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The biggest strike against it is that it's kind of isolated, but it's only eight hours north of Minneapolis, which is really not that far if you're used to Canada, though I've been told my perception's a bit warped.
However! Winnipeg's isolation makes it really active in interesting ways – we've got a really strong literary community, and music scene (Neil Young, The Guess Who, Propagandhi, and The Weakerthans all hail from here). We're also the namesake of Winnie the Pooh, and Guy Maddin made a really strange and beautiful film about us, and there's a pretty active and engaged radical queer community that throws awesome dance parties and fundraisers.
Logistics-wise: I work in a bookstore. Specifically, this bookstore: http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/home It's huge and amazing and locally-owned, and we host over 500-events a year, varying from kids' knitting classes, book clubs, author talks, book launches, live music, workshops, panels, and signings. Our event booker is super-nice, and the fee is really minimal. (I think around $25?)
I also have connections with the student association at the University of Winnipeg, whose English department has a huge cultural studies focus, and is really progressive. So basically, if you want to do something focusing around issues of representation within literature/media, that would be a pretty good draw.
For accomodations, there a really awesome HI hostel with its own attached pub (which is run by a local musician and is a huge local hotspot) and all-vegetarian restaurant. http://www.hihostels.ca/manitoba/422/hi-winnipeg_…
There's a ton of restaurants that are either completely vegan/vegetarian or have vegan options on the menu, and some really neat neighbourhoods worth poking around in.
I don't know how many fans there are specifically of Mark Reads/Mark Watches, but all the texts and shows you've written about have pretty big followings here. That, or I just only associate with really nerdy people.
I totally submitted this twice. Whooops. Internet fail.
Anyone here live in or around Missoula or Billings, MT?? How about North or South Dakota?
Mark, I'd love for you to visit one of these states, cause then that means a one-day round trip…but I don't know of any other fans! 🙁 Then again, you could come just to visit ME, cause I bought one of your shirts!! LOL.
I LIVE IN MISSOULA!!! I almost suggested it as well but I didn't think that there would be enough people in the area to make it worth while though. But if he did come to Missoula that would be awesome! The library has conference rooms (and I think they're free) and seeing as how it's the only liberal city in Montana, I'm positive it has good vegan eats! =)
Asheville, NC! Malaprops, a bookstore downtown, has events like this all the time; John Green has done signings there before! The library downtown might also be open to this, or you could work something out with the university (I know someone in both offices that book things like this). I know quite a few people throughout NC who would totally come to see you if you were in our state, but you should pick Asheville because of the spectacular vegan food. We have multiple vegan restaurants, at least one vegetarian restaurant where most of the menu can be made vegan, and most regular restaurants have vegan options! Also, the people here are wonderfully weird. Spectacularly weird. I'm almost certain you would have a blast hanging out here. Plus, our city is GORGEOUS (http://www.romanticasheville.com/Downtown_images/AshevilleSkyline2009a.jpg) and you could totally crash at my apartment (2/3 of my roommates are fans of yours) and we have a bunny named Povolo you know you want to see. =]
I don't know if there are any Edmontonians here, but I'd like to recommend Edmonton, Alberta.
Come during the summer, when we have awesome weather. We have a ton of festivals in the summer, and amazing theatre year round. There is a beautiful river valley running through the city. I'd say come during the second half of August, during the Edmonton Fringe Festival(2nd largest in the world). There are a lot of crazy characters and creative theatre folk that all congregate in the Old Strathcona neighborhood(where there are some delicious vegan options). You'll increase your chances of Nathan Fillion- who was born and grew up in Edmonton- and who sometimes comes during the Fringe to improvise in Die-Nasty:The Legendary Live Improvised Soap Opera. But even if he doesn't come, you might be able to get his parents to. His mom, Cookie, is a lovely lady.
I don't have connections to a space, but anything can happen here!
I would love to have Mark in Edmonton!
I'm a Saskatchewanian, have done many a roadtrip to Edmonton, and, depending on timing, would road trip again for Mark.
I know you did Detroit on the first tour, but I'm going to suggest Ann Arbor, MI. If you come in spring or summer, that's ideal because Ann Arbor is a beautiful city during the warmer months. It's a college town that's even nicer when the students are away. The downtown area has a lot of little shops that are fun to browse in, and there are plenty of potential venues as Ann Arbor has tons of coffee shops. Also, it's a very vegan-friendly city. I say that as a fellow vegan! There are many great places to eat. Outside of downtown there are lots of parks around the city, so if anyone is up for doing something outdoors, that's also an option. I know there's a Greyhound station in Ann Arbor, and the city also has public transportation, so it would be easy to get around.