(Another view of this evenings get-together.)

This evening we enjoyed the SF Metblogs Drink-Up at the House of Shields (9 New Montgomery St. at Market St., +1.415.975.8651), right around the corner from the Montgomery MUNI station, across from the Palace Hotel.

Not only was this a great excuse for a bunch of people who inhabit a common space in the virtual world to meet face-to-face, but also to celebrate at least one birthday and one near-birthday.

Our first stint was on the sidewalk, out front, because the Jazz band inside was too loud for introductory conversation. It became quite a geek-fest, what with digital devices being bandied about: all sorts of telephones and PDAs and cameras, from tiny ones to huge high-definition video camcorders.

Here we are, inside. I was thrilled to find Talisker, a single-malt whisky from the Isle of Skye, Scotland. A good selection of beers on draught. But there’s no food available at the bar, and many of us were hungry…

One of the bloggers, who works near-by, knew of hot foot less than a block away. Hoping to mitigate missed dinner and liquor already in the belly, we headed over to the Q-Cup Cr