Alternate Meet at the Machine Shed Restaurant in Lake Elmo

[kiguel]

Sounds fun Drake. Lets plan on it. ^_^

[Drake M.]

Rock on !

 

*Tail air guitar*

~ Drake M.

T H €  B | Z   F [] X

RETIRING JUNE 2024

MNFurs Events Department Co-Head - Events are the main driving factors of the organization.  Have an event you want brought to life?  Let us know!

MNFurs Photography Department Staff - Photography and capturing moments is what we do at our events for our community.  Let's chat about your photography needs!

Midwinter Frolic Staff ~ Photography - Midwinter Frolic is a fun winter camping event down at Whitewater State Park.  Attending and have some photography ideas?  Let's chat sometime!

Furry Migration Staff ~ Photography - A will be a wandering staff photographer at FM this year.  Want a photo or two or more?  I'll be around!

MNFurs ~ 501(c3) Non-Profit Organization

[Shadowquine]

Kinda feel bad for anyone West of the Mississippi. Why so far East?

Are there no alternatives in the middle of the metro?

[Mouring]

@Shadowquine

I know we’re always open for new locations.  The hardest issue is finding a place that requires little to no money down.  If you can find an alternative in the center of the twin cities points it out.  And remember this is a one-time event looking at another location.  Nothing states the meet location is moving.

[Nauta Sinneau]

I won’t be there.

[Zepaw]

Kane won’t be up that weekend so I have no ride, guess I won’t be there.

[Arashiin]

Really poor idea for a location.  Might as well move it to Hudson so the Madison furs can join us for dinner, amirite?  d:

 

No, seriously… Who thought this was a good idea in the first place?  Because they need to be smacked to sensibility.

[Delete This Account Please]

Seriously, it’s a one-time thing to test something out.  As it is, the meet is already on the western edge of the cities. So oh noes, we try something new that people have to drive a little further for… there’s a simple answer if you don’t like it: DON’T GO!  I for one will be there as I’m good for new things. I’m not bitching that it’s not right next to my house, so whatever.  See the ambitious people there. =)

• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Delete This Account Please.

[Yarrick]

For all those wondering why we choose this location, here are the qualifications we look for when choosing a venue:

-Private or Semi Private space that is reservable and can hold atleast 50 people at one time. For expansion 75 or more is nice.
-Free Parking, and lots of it (most venues downtown or close to downtown in either St Paul or Minneapolis do not offer this)
-Free room rental, or Conditionally free as we have with the Machine Shed.
-Food cost of average Entrée under or around $15. Perkins and Machine Shed both fit this.
-Not a Perkins. We are planning to try out different food places if possible because our feedback says they want Variety. Plus we have NO intention of moving from Perkins at this time – We only want to offer some alternative meets throughout the metro for some Variety.

The reasons we choose the Machine Shed to try:

-Close to the 694/494 loop: YES
-Fully Sectionable Private room that can hold 80+
-Plentiful Free Parking – lot 3-4x the size of the Perkins Parking lot

It’s very difficult to find a true centrally located venue. Our meet Perkins is not centrally located. It is in the far West section of the 494/694 loop. Machine Shed is on the Eastern Edge about the same distance from the loop edge as Perkins is. Both are very central North and South, but neither are central East to West by far. See below for the Math and a few maps that supports this.
Its hard to find the exact geographical center of the metro, However, the U of M campus is the closest major landmark that sits at almost the exact center of the metro. It favors the West Metro over the East by One Mile, which I’ve factored into the conclusions at the bottom of this post.
In addition, Perkins is actually South of 394 by a few miles which puts it in the South West metro, just barely.

U of M to 94 and 694 (Central East intersection of the 494/694 loop): 14.1 miles
U of M to 394 and 494 (Central West intersection of loop of the 494/694 loop): 13.0 miles
Margin difference between East and West intersections of the 694/494 loop: 1.1 Miles

U of M to Perkins: 13.9 miles
U of M to Machine Shed: 15.8 miles
Difference: 1.9 Miles

Summary:

Distance from the center of the Metro (adjusting for the 1.1 mile off center of U of M campus) to Perkins: 15.0 miles

Distance from the center of the Metro (adjusting for the 1.1 mile off center of U of M campus) to Machine Shed: 14.7 miles
Difference: 0.3 Miles

And here are two maps for visual aids:

Metro Map with a Circle and cross hairs marking the Center of the Metro:

Location of both venues and the Proximity to the U of M campus:

In conclusion, yes this venue is more convenient to people in the East Metro. And Perkins is more convenient for anyone in the West Metro. We have furs from both sides of the metro who attend our meets.

That said, If someone was centrally located, living near the U of M campus. The driving distance would be almost Exactly the same.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Yarrick. Reason: Minor gramatical edit
• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Yarrick. Reason: Minor Clarifications

-- MNFurs Photography Head--

Want a Photographer at an event? Want to help out with Photography at an event? PM me!

[Drake M.]

Blah blah blah blah blah blah…Blaaaah…

 

It’s a far drive for some and not for others…It is a bit of a distance for me yes, but what isn’t these days right?  Do I have my own opinion(s) on the venue location?  Sure I do, but I am not going to share them here.  Not trying to stir up any drama, I am just tired of it most of the times…

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion(s) on this venue choice yes…But remember, it is just a one time thing for testing purposes.

After it’s all said and done, I am still excited to see what this place is like.  =)

Again, I will have Snake Oil with me so whoever wants to join, jump on in !

~ Drake M.

T H €  B | Z   F [] X

RETIRING JUNE 2024

MNFurs Events Department Co-Head - Events are the main driving factors of the organization.  Have an event you want brought to life?  Let us know!

MNFurs Photography Department Staff - Photography and capturing moments is what we do at our events for our community.  Let's chat about your photography needs!

Midwinter Frolic Staff ~ Photography - Midwinter Frolic is a fun winter camping event down at Whitewater State Park.  Attending and have some photography ideas?  Let's chat sometime!

Furry Migration Staff ~ Photography - A will be a wandering staff photographer at FM this year.  Want a photo or two or more?  I'll be around!

MNFurs ~ 501(c3) Non-Profit Organization

[Zepaw]

All locations are subjective so it will be more convenient for some and hold back others no matter what. As for this particular location though it is completely untenable for me. I live in south Minneapolis and to get to this place by bike is 23 miles at a time of 2.5hours. Perkins was 9.3 miles for 50minutes.

Anyone driving has little reason to complain.

[Ringer]

I think the debate happening here also serves to reinforce another point: we’re doing what we can to try different locations and types of events, and understandably it’s not possible to please everyone. But as we’ve said before, we’re always looking for location suggestions, so if you know of a place that is centrally-located, affordable, and has enough space for the group we’re absolutely interested in hearing about it.

My hopes for MNFurs are simple: that we can provide opportunities for people to socialize and enjoy themselves. Unfortunately locations will always be a cause of stress, but we’ll continue to look for ways to mitigate that.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by Ringer.

[Lonewolf]

As a fur that is northwest of the metro, closer to St Cloud than the cities, I can say this location is a lot farther of a drive than Perkins.  So what.  It is still an opportunity to hang out with furs and have a good time.  For those complaining about the distance, everything said in earlier posts is correct.  It is your choice if you want to go or not.  Not everyone will be pleased all the time.  I think it is a great opportunity to try out a new venue and see how it goes.  I plan on trying to attend and will just adjust my schedule and leave earlier if necessary to account for drive time.  I think one of the only people that has a legitimate complaint would be Zepaw since it is a little far to bike.  Anyway, just the two cents put in from a Lonewolf.

[Traxx]

Really, Arashin? I’m coming up from LeCenter for this, which is over an hour away. If I can put up with that distance, I think you can handle this just fine.

I'm not crazy, I'm just... Okay, yeah maybe I'm a little nuts.

[Jeska]

Sounds like a good idea, a place with some more room, more space, would be a great change from Perkins. It’s a lot closer to where I’m located too, but travel isn’t a problem for me regardless.

It’s to bad I can’t make it this weekend- hope you all have a good meet at the Machine Shed! 🙂

[Author]

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