Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

The Convention 101, tips not just for voting ;)

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What are people’s favorite things to do?  Must see/do events?  Things to bring (and yes, I did see the DPat Survival kit).  What should I wear?  Can I bring a camera?  Money (how much)? I’ve heard you party into the wee hours of the morning…no sleep…etc etc…ANY suggestions/tips/stories of seasoned MassDems would be appreciated! Thanks all!

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  1. I think getting there on time has been hammered into my head!

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    First, I got the Deval Survival guide telling me 10:30.

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    Then, I just got a Silbert mailer telling me that the LG presentations start at 10:00!  (Hey Silbert folks, nice job on the magnet and schedule – very user friendly.  It’s on my fridge.  To my Murray peeps here at BMG, I’m awaiting my chotchke from your camp… or, I’ll just drink your beer Friday night…before I put a name to SSL’s face, which I can’t wait to do, BTW.  Why don’t we have a BMG MeetUp somewhere?)

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    And I have gotten pelted with calls from both people and robots asking me for support. 

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    Next thing I know I’m going to get a wake up call at my hotel from Chris Gabrieli!  (Chris, don’t even think about it… you’ve spent enough on me already…)

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    I think I get it now: we all need to be in the hall by 9:30 if we want to see all the presenations and soak it all in.

    • I really haven’t gotten too pelted with phone calls. I have recieved a good deal of mail, but little in the way of calls. Odd. Anywho, I would be interested in a get together for BMGers if one was organized.

      • Those messages that start mid-sentence are my favorite.  Or the ones that start about 3 second after the recording starts. 

  2. If anyone needs any Worcester related info, food recommendations or whatever, post and let me know. I live in the city. Also, if any BMG folk want to meet up, post and we’ll make it happen!

    • I’d love both recomendations on places to eat and equally important…. park. I was told that may be an issue.

      • Food- I will cover in a 2nd post.

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        Parking- Not usually as much of an issue as people think it will be. There will be a number of small lots open around the DCU, but be prepared to pay $20 or so. The biggest and “easiest” lot is the garage at the former Worcester Common Outlets. Directions are:

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        From the East Mass Pike (I-90) West to I-290 East to Exit 16. Turn left off exit. At the light turn left. Follow signs to the Worcester Common Outlet to the rotary. Take the second parking exit (Express Parking) off the rotary.

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        From the West Mass Pike to (I-90) East to I-290 East to Exit 16. Turn left off exit. At the light turn left. Follow signs to the Worcester Common Outlet to the rotary. Take the second parking exit (Express Parking) off the rotary.

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        Pretty much once you come out of the rotary, the garage is right in front of you.

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        If you are here early enough and do not mind a walk, you may be able to find on street metered parking on or around Main St. It’s a few block walk. This is unlikely though.

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        Lastly, if you are staying in Worcester for the night it is quite likely that you can walk to the DCU and keep your car in the hotel lot.

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        If you have further questions or need more specific answers, email me: robarge at gmail dot com

        • This is a great idea.  Rollbiz, you seem to know the territory – do you have ideas for when/how we could pull this off?

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          Are people planning to attend Friday night, or just Saturday?  Saturday might be too busy for social events…

          • …that I’d need to come home early Sat night in order to take my place on the couch with my Ars Magica characters, but it turns out the hubby has un gig Saturday (Seussical, it looks very silly and perfect for kids) that afternoon and we cancelled gaming. So Saturday night is now open for post-convention partying.

            • Lynne, your post makes zero sense to me, but that’s okay because I know that wherever you’re going to be will be the best party.

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              We are going to have a lot to celebrate that night! I have all but decided to extend my hotel stay another night — so I love the idea of a BMG meetup!

              • I think several of us will be busy with the campaigns on Friday afternoon and evening. Therefore a post convention beer/meetup/debrief sounds like a pretty good idea to me. It will also give time for traffic to clear out. Personally I would rather get together with you all then sit in the mass exodus like we had after the convention last year in Lowell. So I suggest as soon as the gavel falls, we head out together. Anyone have a specific suggestion on a place?

        • Don’t forget the Pearl-Elm Garage, next to the Commerce Bank building.  Also – if you don’t mind losing the hubcaps – street parking is plentiful.

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          Webster House, ANYTHING on Shrewsbury Street, and Barber’s Crossing are the best restaurants (imagine, cheap lobster!)

          • Good points. I’m personally either going to park on the streets or just tough it and walk. pearl-elm will work, i just didn’t have directions for it. if people are staying at specific hotels and want to know the feasibility of travel to the DCU, let me know.

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            in terms of a meetup, we could do friday or saturday or both. it really doesn’t matter to me. my thinking was doing a campaign tent like murray’s if we meet on friday. the reasoning is simple enough. free. beer.

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            if we do saturday, there’s quite a few things we could do as well. i really like irish times in terms of a bar, but there’s lots of options.

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            i’ll write more tomorrow about the food, and anyone who is seriously interested in the meetup should email me. robarge at gmail dot com.

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            sorry for the all lowercase. liquid spilled on my keyboard and my shift key doesn’t work.

        • I am staying in a block of rooms that the Patrick campaign has in Auburn. It is only about a 15 minute drive right?

          • If you can get right on the highway, it’s probably even faster, but that’s not accounting for the city itself. Downtown Worcester can be a bit of tangle, and several thousand people and cars converging at once makes it worse. I’d recommend giving yourself extra time to account for that.

  4. OK, I think we can agree that Saturday seems to be a better plan.

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    That said, we don’t know exactly when things will wrap up. My thought is that we pick a street corner to be determined and meet there shortly after wrap-up. We should also decide on a destination so that anyone who “misses the bus” can find us. That’s really the best plan I’ve got. Someone needs a pointy hat or sandwich board or something we can all look for!

  5. I lived there for 30 years, and if you’ve never been, here are some things really worth seeing.

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    The Worcester Art Museum on Salisbury Street is a WORLD CLASS museum – important painting, sculpture and antiquities but on a small and human scale.  MFA quality, but a small museum.

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    The Higgins Armory is the first glass and steel building built in America, and it houses the world’s largest collection of actual middle ages armour and weaponry.  A great tapestry collection, too.

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    You will find Union Station for yourselves – it’s right near the Centrum – but when I was young it was an abandonded derelict building – and was built so strong out of marble that they gave up trying to tear it down, as the wrecking balls just bounced off the surface!  Now completely resored.

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    The American Antiquarian Society has its museum there, with the best collection of early American original documents outside the Smithsonian.

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    By, by boys!  Have fun storming the castle!

    • The Higgins Armory is a wonderful place to see. Though many of us will not have much time this weekend, a visit is definitely in order for anyone interested in history, weapons, armor or art.

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      I have not been to the other sites, but hope to in the future.

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      The Ecotarium is a fun, especially with kids, on a sunny day. Unfortunately, the weather is not going to cooperate this weekend.

    • The Higgins is amazing. Largest collection of armor/weapons in the Western Hemispere, in fact.

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      The art museum and Union Station are also great. There isn’t much to do at Union Station (no more blues club, just a restaurant) but it is a gorgeous building and it’s very close to the DCU.

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