NYC PE Readers Meet-Up on New Year’s Eve, Dec 31! [Sign Ups Closed]
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Me at a friend’s Christmas party in Brooklyn! 
Mosaicing the people’s faces because I’m not sure how okay they are with having their pictures displayed publicly on PE
A very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Yule and Winter Solstice to all of you! 
As those of you following my Facebook would know, I’ve been in NYC for the past month. Prior to that, I’ve been in Philly and Washington DC.
It’s been a great month in NYC (at times very cold though, brrr! Though the weather was much colder last year, so I’m grateful!), and I’ve really enjoyed all the sights I’ve seen and relationships I’ve built while I’m here.
My next step forward, in my US travels, is to go to the west coast, because that’s what many have recommended me to do. My first stop will be LA (very sweet PE reader Whitney has very kindly offered to put me up in her place while I’m there ♥ – thank you so much Whitney), after which I may be visiting San Francisco and San Diego. I’ll be taking the Amtrak from NYC to LA, which I imagine will be a feast in terms of sights and scenery I’ll be exposed to in the 3 day train ride.
Before I go to LA though, I would really love to meet up with all of you in New York City. I haven’t organized any meet-up since I came to the states, and that’s because I wasn’t sure how interested all of you would be in a meet-up. Given that NYC is one of cities with the highest readership for PE, I hope we can generate enough responses for the meet-up to push through this time!
So yes, I’ll be leaving for LA on Jan 5, and I’m thinking of having the meet-up any day between Dec 28-31, and any day between Jan 2-4. Location to be confirmed, though it’ll definitely be a vegan cafe/restaurant in Manhattan.
Ok, let me know if you’re interested guys! Please leave a comment to express your intent (or not), and which of the dates work for you. I really look forward to seeing your responses.
NYC Meetup Confirmed
Update Dec 28, ’11: The NYC Meet-up has been confirmed! Details below:
- Venue: Angelica Kitchen*, a popular vegan restaurant in downtown Manhattan (website)
- Address: 300 E 12th St (at second Ave, East Village, Manhattan) (Google Maps)
- Date: 31 Dec, Saturday (New Year’s Eve! )
- Time: 3pm
*Note that they accept cash only and no credit, so please bring cash along!
I apologize if the date doesn’t accommodate to some of you. It was tough selecting the date – While many of you have helpfully shared the range of dates that work best for you, it seems like everyone has different agendas which clashed with each other’s. So I decided to go with New Year’s Eve, both for the significance of the day (last day of the year, where crowds will be bustling in NYC then) and that it’s a weekend, where people will be off from work. I’m inviting whoever can make it to join in the fun on the day.
I researched on vegan cafes/restaurants on Happy Cow and Google before narrowing it down to Angelica Kitchen, for the following reasons – Their items are decently priced (compared to some vegan places I found); they have a good sitting capacity, with the largest table accommodating up to 12 people; Convenient location at East Village; High number of strong reviews. So it looks like it’s a good place worth checking out!
The only downsides are (1) they don’t accept credit – so please bring cash, and (2) they don’t accept reservations, so I was not able to make any reservations. I’ve picked a non-peak timing at 3pm though, so there shouldn’t be a problem getting seats I’m sure. Either way I will be there at 3pm (likely by 2:50pm), so just pop in and you should be able to see me. (I be wearing a bright red coat and a black turtle neck.)
Unlike other meet-ups where I have a note of who’s coming and who’s not, this time I’m just making it easy – I’m posting the location, day and time, and I’m inviting any of you who will be free during that time to join in. Doesn’t matter if you’re in NYC for a vacation, or if you are a true blue New Yorker at heart – all of you are invited!
As I mentioned previously, I’ll be leaving for LA next week, so this will be the first and last meet-up I’ll have in NYC for a long while. So please come if you can!
Number for Angelica Kitchen (in case you need it) is 212-228-2909.
Look forward to meeting you guys this Saturday!
Update Jan 1, ’12: The meet-up is now over! Pictures and afterthought here - NYC Meet-up, Pictures and Afterthought Meet-Up!
I’ll be there Dec. 28th so I vote then!
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Thanks Alice! How long will you be there or are you just there on a 1-day trip?
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Hey Celes! I will be there the 28th and the day before so only that day works for me. Please let us know in an email where and when if it goes through! I won’t really be checking your blog once I’m in NY.
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I vote for the 28th as well
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I’ll be in NYC from Dec 28th – 30th from Boston so one of those nights would be perfect!
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I will be in NYC from December 30th to Jan third… so 3first-second would be best for me
Hope to see you there! 
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Cool, that’s great Elyrah! I think it’s probably going to be on Dec 3first, from the looks of things. Stay tuned for the announcement!
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MERRY CHRISTMASS N HAPY NEW 2012 :heart: :dance:
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Merry Christmas to you, Isaiah!
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Howz ua trip to LA?did u happen to find new friends there?..i love this site..am learning something big..thanx Celes
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I’m not at LA yet? (As mentioned in the post.) I’m only going there in Jan.
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Hi Celes,
My name is Michael and I am a 22 year old Senior Business Admin student at Azusa Pacific University. I read that you were coming to LA? Well I loved your story and I am really interested in meeting you! I want to be a personal development speaker/ motivator and I already work within my university doing just that. I would love to meet you and talk about your process. I know this is a long shot but let me know. I have gotten so much value from this website.
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Hi Michael, thanks for your support!
I’m not sure if I’ll be having a LA meet-up at this point – but if I am I’ll surely announce it here first time.
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Hey I’m close to San Francisco so if there’s a meet up there I would be happy to meet up with you and all your readers!
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Thanks Kathy! Not sure if I’ll do a west coast meet-up – If I do I’ll definitely announce here at the site.
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Wed. Jan 4 might work for me. Hope to see you!
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I am actually in Brooklyn and if the date anytime you set agrees with us I and maybe my wife will join as well. I am one of your silent readers and admire you for your prolific writing. Drop me a line if you decide to create a meet up!
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Hi
I am in NYC
Would love to connect.
Set it up and I’ll be there
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by the way there is a vegan cafe/restaurant downtown called Leap Frog
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Cool, thanks for the tip Val!
I know of a few other vegan places too which I’ll pick from if the meet-up pulls through. Not sure if it’ll be going forward based on the responses so far.
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I say lets definitely go forward… if its just one person that’s more than enough
Would love to connect with you. I think what you are doing is great (especially since you’re a young woman). As we go into 2012 it is time for more people to share and pursue their dreams and passion. and simply by doing what you’re doing you’re encouraging others to do just that, which is why I was excited when I saw that you were doing a NY meet up.
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Thanks for your support, Val.
You’re so sweet! Feel free to invite your friends along too, if you want to (if the meet-up goes through). I think it’ll be fun to get to know each other!
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I’m very excited about this! I’d love to attend. After the first would be best for me.
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Thanks for informing, Princess Jones.
Will share the date here if/after the meet-up is confirmed. Please stay tuned!
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Sorry I can’t meet up in NYC but would be happy to meet you if you are ever in London.
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We already had 2 London meet-ups earlier this year. Sorry that we couldn’t get to see you!
http://personalexcellence.co/blog/london-meet-up-pictures/
http://personalexcellence.co/blog/london-meet-up-2-pictures/
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Sorry Celestine but all of the date you have planned for your NYC meet up I have to work. I would have loved to meet you. Maybe some other time though. Even though we never met I read your blog website all the time and have participated in past challenges. Have a great meet and I hope you have a wonderful turnout. Enjoy the rest of your stay in The Big Apple.
Best Regards
Eric :dance:
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Hi Eric, no worries! That’s a shame. Thanks for letting me know though, and wish you a happy New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day celebration!
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Celestine, words can’t describe how much I want to meet you! I work in a location 1 hour away from NYC, so if you plan for a meet-up to happen on a weeknight, I would not be able to make it until about 7:15 or 7:30. However, I am flexible on weekends and so right now Saturday, 12/31 or Sunday, 1/1 should work (unless out-of-town New Year’s plans arise). I’m also off on Monday, 1/2 so all day then is open as well. I really hope this works out. Thank you!!
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Hey Jodi, thanks a lot for your wonderful reply!
I’m looking forward to meet you myself!! I’m most definitely going ahead with the meet-up, and it’s probably going to be on 31 Dec. I’m calling the restaurant later in the morning to check if they do reservations; after which I’ll post the details on the site. Stay tuned!
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Ok, the meet-up has been confirmed! It’ll be on this coming Saturday, New Year’s Eve. The post has been updated with the details.
Please let me know if you’ll be coming via the comments. Look forward to seeing you guys there!
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Angelica’s Kitchen is a good place to visit! We went there also. They have a different way of doing things. If I remember correctly, it’s not like a normal restaurant where you order an entree, mains etc. They’ll show you how it works when you’re there. Good food too
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Cool, thanks for the affirmation, Glenn!
Will let you know how I find the cafe after my visit. I had a hard time picking the location because there were quite a few good options to choose from. Some were quite pricey actually, like Cafe Blossom and Gobo, so I didn’t know if others will be okay with that. Then there was a good one – Terri, which is like a vegan fast food chain (but food seems healthy – no fried stuff), but isn’t a good place for sitting/hanging out.
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Caravan of Dreams is the other one we went to. They have a lot of raw options and some delicious smoothies. It’s a slightly smaller place though. It was a vegan lady Lydia was working with who took us to Angelica’s Kitchen.
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Oh wow, looks like a great place.
I might well check it out before I leave (if not, next time I’m here).
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Hey Celes. I’m a little jealous.
I would love to meet up you especially on New Year’s Eve. Have to wait longer and hope my vacation clashes with the date. Lol. 
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Hi Amanda, no need to be jealous!
I’m sure we’ll get to meet very soon and I look forward to the day it happens. 
In the meantime, hope you have a great NY celebration back at home. I’m missing the warmer weather back in SG!
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You too. Weather is okay here but it rains almost every day… :p Orchard flooded twice already!
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It would be exciting if you have meet up in LA. I would definitely come. : ).
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Sounds great, charmaine! I’ve been getting a few requests for an LA meet-up – will definitely post here if it pulls through, so keep a lookout for the announcement.
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whoo ray… that feels like I’ll have a chance to meet celebrity-like, that’s so cool ; )
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I hardly think of myself as a celebrity (far from it really), but I’m truly enjoying the meet-ups and meeting all of you up close and personal. Hopefully an LA meet-up pulls through and I get to meet you, among the other LA readers.
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Hi, Celes, I am Sandy. I am a recent reader of the Personal Excellence. My friend and I will be coming so please count us!
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That’s awesome, Sandy! Look forward to meeting both you and your friend!
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I am *mostly* certain that I will attend.
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That’s great, Mike! Hope you can make it and I look forward to meeting you.
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