After meeting meetings...

[JAFO78]

What there are secret meetings of the CAP Illuminati going on after hours?  I never knew this... I thought I was part of the "in" crowd.  Oh well right.  We don't do anything really regular being that most of the cadets are younger.  Most of the SM are heading home to get ready for work the next morning but a few times we have all been seen going through the same drive though an the way home.

<Jedi Mind Trick>
This isn't the star chamber meeting you were looking for...
</Jedi Mind Trick>

<Jedi Mind Trick>

<Jedi Mind Trick>

[BuckeyeDEJ]

How in the world did American Motors get into this discussion... a good part of my childhood was spent with AMC.

When I lived (briefly) in metro Detroit, I lived across from the Glass House on Mercury Drive in Dearborn, but drove up to Van Dyke Cadet Sq, up off Metropolitan Parkway in Clinton Township, Macomb County. Bit of a drive, but I had friends in the unit.

Some of the cadets met at a nearby Wendy's, and even though I was invited along, I never joined them.

How long ago was that? I'm trying to remember when Van Dyke met that far north and east.  Metro Parkway in Clinton Twp is almost right on top of Selfridge.

WIWAC, Van Dyke was over on 14 Mile, on the Warren/Sterling Heights line, about 1 1/2 miles from the western edge of Macomb County.  Our main recruiting area was essentially all of the city of Warren and most of Sterling Heights (except the northern parts, which was the province of the Utica-Sterling Sq).  We moved over to around 13 1/2 and Schoenherr at a elementary school-turned-community center at some point in 1984 or 85.  I know that in the 1990s and beyond the unit moved around a lot more.

I was in metro Detroit from July 2006 through February 2007, then moved back to Florida. Job cuts among journalists these last few years have been brutal....

Van Dyke's at the Clinton Township police headquarters. I hope I'm remembering the highways right. I remember I-75 north.... maybe Metropolitan was Selfridge, but then I'm drawing a blank on where I got off 75 for the squadron.

[SarDragon]

Do any of you married SM's feel a bit guilty by stopping and eating when your other half has been at home and had ham sandwhich for supper?  You know what I mean?  You go to the meeting and afterwards stop and have a nice dinner, be it McDonald's or the local tavern.  Personally, I don't think that's fair to my wife.  I guess maybe that's another reason why I don't push it.

Not at all. We try to eat dinner before I go to meetings, and she has no problems with a "staff meeting" afterwards.

[ZigZag911]

As both a cadet and a senior, it's virtually always been a diner -- this is Jersey, after all!

Oddly enough, we often got more done at the 'post meeting' than the official one.

[Stonewall]

Oddly enough, we often got more done at the 'post meeting' than the official one.

That's a fact.  Too much to do in 2 hours at a meeting, especially with 30 to 40 members running around needing your attention.  It's kind of like how major business deals aren't made in the boardroom, but on the golf course.

[Slim]

Sweet. I learn a little more. 

South Oakland's unit supply was, when I was the CO, located at in the utility room at the end of one of the t-hangar rows at Oakland/Troy.  We had crapton of stuff in there.

Still is, though we got rid of a lot of the junk, outdated stuff, and things the critters rendered unusable.  We met in that store room for a summer and a good chunk of fall after we got the boot from the reserve center.

The South Oakland after meeting meeting is still conducted in the same location as it was in Nin's day.  Through the years, the waitress has gotten to know us and our orders.

I was in metro Detroit from July 2006 through February 2007, then moved back to Florida. Job cuts among journalists these last few years have been brutal....

Van Dyke's at the Clinton Township police headquarters. I hope I'm remembering the highways right. I remember I-75 north.... maybe Metropolitan was Selfridge, but then I'm drawing a blank on where I got off 75 for the squadron.

Groesbeck between Metro Parkway and 17 Mile.  They've been there four or five years now.

Yep, they're right on top of Selfridge.  The rest of us don't comment on it much.

[Chappie]

The location of my "home" squadron is not near any dining facilities....so everyone either eats before the meeting or there might have been an occasion or two where we might have brought take-out with us.  But having an after meeting meeting --- nah...we just wanted to get home.

[BuckeyeDEJ]

I was in metro Detroit from July 2006 through February 2007, then moved back to Florida. Job cuts among journalists these last few years have been brutal....

Van Dyke's at the Clinton Township police headquarters. I hope I'm remembering the highways right. I remember I-75 north.... maybe Metropolitan was Selfridge, but then I'm drawing a blank on where I got off 75 for the squadron.

Groesbeck between Metro Parkway and 17 Mile.  They've been there four or five years now.

Yep, they're right on top of Selfridge.  The rest of us don't comment on it much.

Yip, that rings a bell. For whatever reason, I was thinking Gratiot, but I knew that wasn't right.

(And for those of you not from Michigan, that word is pronounced GRASH-it, not GRAY-tee-yot.)

"The rest of us don't comment on it much"? Do tell. PM me if you must.... inquiring minds want to know.

[PORed]

We always hit Chili's afterwards. It seems like more gets worked out there then the 2 hours we have for the meeting.

[Eclipse]

We always hit Chili's afterwards. It seems like more gets worked out there then the 2 hours we have for the meeting.

Actually, any time I eat at Chili's it works itself out in considerably less time!   

[bobthebuilder]

We go out after the meeting. Usually the meeting is so busy that the extra time at the restaurant is useful for just having fun and getting to know people.

BTW, hopefully none of you stiff the waitress on her tips while in uniform, right?

[SAR-EMT1]

The Seniors in my unit hit Buffalo Wild Wings.
(Our meeting night is their night for fifty cent boneless)

Food, fellowship and the occasional adult beverage.
The looks we get from the local college crowd can be interesting.

[Timbo]

The Seniors in my unit hit Buffalo Wild Wings.

BWW is delicious!!!!  I drink eat there almost once a week.

[BuckeyeDEJ]

The Seniors in my unit hit Buffalo Wild Wings.
(Our meeting night is their night for fifty cent boneless)

Food, fellowship and the occasional adult beverage.
The looks we get from the local college crowd can be interesting.

Few places are as fun as bw-3.

And yes, being from the home state of what is now Buffalo Wild Wings (and Weck), I can still call it bw-3. 

[JohnKachenmeister]

WIWAC, a McDonalds near the squadron Hq.  Burgers were still 15 cents.

When I commanded a cadet squadron, the meeting was for breakfast at a greasy spoon about two blocks from the Hq.  We drilled on Saturday mornings, and the cadets themselves came up with the idea of a pre-meetng breakfast.  Once a cadet earned his Curry, the other cadets invited him to the breakfast.  Got to be something of a tradition.

Now?  I'm on a Group staff (no cadets) and we pop into a Beef O'Brady's.

[JohnKachenmeister]

I was in metro Detroit from July 2006 through February 2007, then moved back to Florida. Job cuts among journalists these last few years have been brutal....

Van Dyke's at the Clinton Township police headquarters. I hope I'm remembering the highways right. I remember I-75 north.... maybe Metropolitan was Selfridge, but then I'm drawing a blank on where I got off 75 for the squadron.

Groesbeck between Metro Parkway and 17 Mile.  They've been there four or five years now.

Yep, they're right on top of Selfridge.  The rest of us don't comment on it much.

Yip, that rings a bell. For whatever reason, I was thinking Gratiot, but I knew that wasn't right.

(And for those of you not from Michigan, that word is pronounced GRASH-it, not GRAY-tee-yot.)

"The rest of us don't comment on it much"? Do tell. PM me if you must.... inquiring minds want to know.

I remember a little burger-and-beer place just north (maybe two miles) from the main gate at SANGB.  Had a western theme as I recall.  Go straight out the main gate, turn left at the next majot intersection, and the bar was on the left.  Used to have that remote-control trivia game there.  Cant recall the name of the place, though.

Not as good as the Mole Hole, but it stayed open after the Mole Hole and the old Officers Club closed their doors forever!

[BuckeyeDEJ]

I was in metro Detroit from July 2006 through February 2007, then moved back to Florida. Job cuts among journalists these last few years have been brutal....

Van Dyke's at the Clinton Township police headquarters. I hope I'm remembering the highways right. I remember I-75 north.... maybe Metropolitan was Selfridge, but then I'm drawing a blank on where I got off 75 for the squadron.

Groesbeck between Metro Parkway and 17 Mile.  They've been there four or five years now.

Yep, they're right on top of Selfridge.  The rest of us don't comment on it much.

Yip, that rings a bell. For whatever reason, I was thinking Gratiot, but I knew that wasn't right.

(And for those of you not from Michigan, that word is pronounced GRASH-it, not GRAY-tee-yot.)

"The rest of us don't comment on it much"? Do tell. PM me if you must.... inquiring minds want to know.

I remember a little burger-and-beer place just north (maybe two miles) from the main gate at SANGB.  Had a western theme as I recall.  Go straight out the main gate, turn left at the next majot intersection, and the bar was on the left.  Used to have that remote-control trivia game there.  Cant recall the name of the place, though.

Not as good as the Mole Hole, but it stayed open after the Mole Hole and the old Officers Club closed their doors forever!

After meetings at Van Dyke, I knew I had to high-tail it back to Dearborn, where I lived, so I was usually out fairly quick. I-75 to I-94 to Michigan Avenue to Mercury Drive....

[Bishopse]

As a cadet, the cadet staff would "retire" to Applebee's.  It was always sort of known but not official that it was a honor to be invited to go with them.  I got honored one night and I don't think I missed a "meeting" for many years.  This tradition evolved with the regular roll over of cadet staff and we eventually moved to a place called Cheddar's. No real reason just closer to some of the new staffs homes.
The names of these places, as teen agers do, quickly got butchered in to some thing more amusing.  Applebees became applebleeds and evolved in to simply Bleeds.  Cheddar's really didn't evolve it just became cheesing.
I got old, became a senior, transfered to a diffrent squadron and on to wing staff.  I don't think that particular tradition at that squadron, started long before I got there and continuing for some time after I left, is still active. Its just a diffrent culture now.
The wing staff usually find something to eat after wing staff meetings and a lot of "Hanger Talk" goes on at those get togeathers and maybe a little bit of business.
I know that there are still squadrons in my wing at which this type of activity still occurs.  I am not currently part of one of these "groups" but have many fond and funny memories.