The second Bitcoin meetup in Los Angeles happened on Wednesday, June 5. The event was organized on meetup.com by Josh Jones, a self-proclaimed bitcoin billionaire. Josh’s girlfriend told him to start the meetup because Josh loved Bitcoin so much that he should share that passion with the rest of the world. Earlier this year, there was a 10a meetup with Josh and a few friends.We had no idea what to expect from this meetup. However upon arriving to the “Ham & Egg Tavern” in Downtown Los Angeles, I was delighted to see 10+ people at the start time. Throughout the evening, probably 50 or so Bitcoin enthusiasts made their way through the tavern. The attendees ranged from Bitcoin experts who have been trading and mining for several years to newcomers like myself who only recently became interested in crypto currencies. I was very surprised on how open and welcoming the community was to newcomers and was also surprised at the turnout. I am very much an introverted person, but was immediately approached by several people who wanted to talk about Bitcoin and I did not feel judged at all for not being an expert in the field. It lasted about four hours and wasn’t structured – people wandered in and out of groups of conversations. A group of the Bitcoin veterans had plenty of stories about how they had mined massive amounts of Bitcoin several months ago or traded large amounts of coin before the price skyrocketed in April. We learned that in 2011 there was a 6mo span where a few people would meet up in LA. We heard several stories of people getting burned by start-up bitcoin exchanges during Bitcoin’s birth. One of the Bitcoin 2013 speakers, a fertility doctor named Terence, was also in attendance. The vibe of the event was incredible and the open and welcoming atmosphere was a breath of fresh air from other meetup style events. If you are at all interested in Bitcoin, I would recommend attending the next Los Angeles Bitcoin meetup or the local meetup in your town.
Photo Gallery by Pinguino
This was the side room with the event in full swing
Some bitcoiners brought friends
Thomas from Standard Crypto
Steven(?) has a bitcoin trailer hitch
Another shot of the meetup
This is the guy who picked the bar. I’m sorry I forgot your name!
Josh rocking his bling. He hosted this event.
Paul from arrowtel, a bitcoin enthusiast
Passionate conversations.
Terence, one of the first doctors to accept bitcoin.
Ham and Eggs Tavern Bar
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