TR: bert does Atlanta - Animals, Cosplayers, & Coasters

so.. over 75% in my poll said they wanted a Trip Report, so here it begins!

Way back in 1997, several of my gamer/geek/nerd friends at the time were all excited because the 55th WorldCon was going to be coming to San Antonio (basically ~an hour away from us in Austin).

now we had done day trips up to AggieCon at Texas A&M (think Wizard World tho this was way before that, or a much smaller San Diego ComicCon), but had never been to a "destination" convention that was going to take place over the entire weekend.

so we all excitedly signed up to attend - even tho the main focus of WorldCon is literary. . so although it's Sci-Fi/Fantasy, it's mainly focused on Authors, who made up the bulk of the guest list.

My main interests in Sci-Fi are Media (television, music), although I was familiar with some of the Authors who would be attending. The big draw for me was JMS who was promoting "Babylon 5" - and due to Worldcon being so literary focused? I got to spend a lot of time talking to the man, getting autographs, and buying a ton of the music CD soundtracks from the episodes (which he also signed for me). . so I had a good time.

but once I had spent some time with JMS, I was pretty bored by the rest of the offerings (I don't care about the Nebula awards (for Sci-Fiction writing), or Filking (folkssinging with sci-fi subject matter) is not my thing, nor really is tabletop gaming) . . so although the Con evening activities were kinda lacking in interest for me, there WERE some parties on the schedule that one could attend in the evening hours after the Convention Center floor closed. Many of them room parties, being put on by other conventions to entice World Con attendees to maybe go to their conventions too.

all of that is pre-cursor to explain Dragon*con. As one of the room parties was being held by Ed Kramer, promoting Dragon*con.

won't get into any of the history of Ed - other than to say it turns out he was a vile pedophile, and I'm not sorry he's now gone -- but at the time I met him? he seemed to be a pretty cool guy.

well, the room party for Dragon*con was blasting industrial Music, it was fairly dark, there were lots of folks sitting around in what I'd call "fetish gear" and on the TV they were broadcasting images from the prior year's con & costume contest.

i was enthralled. . THESE were my people: Goths, Fetish, Freaks, Nerds (plenty of Star Trek Uniforms even back then), with a ton to do - over 20 programming tracks full of panels, concerts (the Misfits! Gwar! etc), Drum Circles, dances, and more.

Unlike most conventions (even San Diego Comiccon), Dragon*con is hosted by the hotels, so it never really stops once it starts each year. Yes, there is a dealer's room/exhibitors hall and that does close down. . but since the hotels host, most of the panels/ballrooms stay open all night for the concerts. in other words, there are things to do at 3am: a concert, a movie, a rave, anime cartoons, drum circle.

--> note: this has remained true to this day. the trappings of the con has changed over the years (what was a horror/goth/fetish con when I first started going, morphed into a steampunk/cosplay con, and then morphed again into a more pop-culture focused con - and attendance has responded in kind, going from ~10K when I first started going to over 85K a few weeks ago).

But the basic DNA is still there: there are still horror panels/track, Japanese media track, Anime, NASA (who bring telescopes for star gazing sessions), author readings, signings, bands (Cruxshadows! AJ & Aly), and just sensory overload, staying up all night going from party to party if you want.

Or, if you don't want, you could spend the day going to panels, and be in bed by 11 and up early the next day to spend the whole day in a writers workshop. Dragon*con is what you make of it. But I highly recommend it for folks to experience at least once, as it's unlike any other convention out there.

anyways, I left that room party that night, and the next day we had tickets to the next Dragon*con and had booked a flight to Atlanta for it. (it wasn't on Labor Day weekend back then. . but it has been for at least the past 19 years).

I wasn't prepared for Dragon*con to become an appointment con - if I had, would have bought eternal membership way back when. But it turned out that Dragon*con was exactly as advertised, and I loved it. and have been back pretty much every year since - missing a year or two here or there, but pretty sure this year was my 23rd con.

over the years, there has been "con creep" where it starts earlier and earlier. . officially the con is Fri-Monday, but they've had stuff going on starting Wed night, and Thurs as well for years, and so next year Thurs is actually an official day.

we try to show up on Tuesday, and we leave the Tuesday after Labor Day (makes the airport and flying SO much easier to deal with. . not to mention not having to deal with *thousands* of people checking out the same day you are). So we always show up early, do some stuff in Atlanta, hang with friends - since 1997 I've made a ton of lifelong friends, some of whom I only see once a year at Dragon*con, but several of whom I've been to their weddings, or been on cruises with them.

so it's become a tradition to do meals and things before and on the Monday evening after con with some of my friends as we're always excited to see each other during Con.

I couldn't get away from work until Wed this year, but they were kind enough to hold off going to the zoo until Thurs, so I could go with them.

if you want more info on Dragon*con, here's the wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Con

so, that's the history of Dragon*con and me. . here starts the adventure.

on to Day 1, Wed, 8/28:

the room was really nice too. . nice and big, with comfy beds

Looking down from the Balcony outside my room into the interior of the Marriott.

Hate this carpet - they changed to this about 5 years ago -- I guess it hides the stains, but it's so ugly.

guess it doesn't matter tho, since it would never be this empty again - this lobby would be packed (right over there on the left is the pulse bar), just a sea of bodies pretty much from Thurs night onwards.

I'm impressed as hell with the Marriott Marquis tho.. even tho we were on the 7th floor? the moment we closed the room door, really couldn't hear any noise from the lobby (when it opened it was like a tornado when con was going on. but closed? nice and quiet).

I'd stay here again, if I can't get back into Hyatt.

Since I took last year off (didn't have the time since I had used it all for Niagara Falls, as well as the TPR USA tour. . it was worth it!), I had to give up my Hyatt Legacy room.

I'm hoping to get back into Hyatt next year (I have some connections, even tho I wasn't staying there this year). . but with this year, I "won" Dragon*con Host Hotel Bingo, as I was able to get a room in the Marriott Marquis.

meaning that after 20 + years of attending, I've now stayed in ALL of the official host hotels.

(vast majority of years at the Hyatt, but a year at the Hilton, one at Westin, and even crashing with a friend one year at the Sheraton).

my flight was fairly early, and we left for the airport at 4am. Got to Atlanta by 10am, and was in the hotel lobby by abour 11:20. They told me they didn't have a room ready for me, but amazing what a small tip, and a chatty nice smile with the desk clerk will get you (the Dragon*con specific room keys were great this year too. . got some extras with a smile, and gave them to my friends who were staying at the Hyatt, since each hotel gets a different design each year. Oh, I got a Hyatt key myself from one of my connections there )

I took no pics on the plane, or at the Austin or Atlanta airport. . but utilizing a "trick" I learned from one of my Dragon*con/DigiTribe friends, Rich (who loves drink packages on cruises), the first pic I took was of my room number! So if I forget it, can find my way back here later.

hey, I was expecting basically 6 days of non-stop drinking and partying . . and pretty much did almost that, but never did have to refer to my picture, since the room was easy to get to just off the elevators.

Happy to be in Atlanta, and texted this pic to my friends who had arrived Tuesday, and were staying in the Hyatt.

I still had a couple of hours before my "roommates" for the con showed up, so I got ready to head over to Hyatt so we could scope out the attached shopping mall for a snack from Caribou Coffee. . a place we stop at multiple times every year for caffeine fixes.

the view from my room before heading out to meet my friends.

turned on the TV in the room, and surprise! even tho it was only Wed? they were already broadcasting Dragon*con TV (live streaming and shows from the panels during Con, and reruns of panels on off hours - so they were showing repeats from last year here) & DCLand (retro panels from cons past)

as noted earlier.. "Con Creep". . was already in the mood, a full day before any real activity started.

flash forward a couple of hours, and all of my Canadian group of friends have shown up, and we are on our way to the Vortex. It's become a tradition to go to Vortex for burgers at some point, and we decided to do it the first night. Vortex really has the best damn burgers in Atlanta, with lots of options, and some killer drinks. They have two locations: the one at 5points, which is more family friendly (and gets featured on Food channel all the time) or the one on Peachtree. . which is basically a biker bar, connected to a comedy club. We always go to this one. .we love the atmosphere of this one. . in particular the "Phallus shrine" at the front bar, that one rubs for luck as walking by to your table!

Marcella (redhead) I met my very first year at Dragon*con and we became instant friends. (she's one of those we flew to Vancouver for her wedding).

Travis and Larry (my two roomates) decided that after flying all day from Canada, wanted to stretch thier legs and walk the 2 miles to Vortex. We all decided to take the MARTA (Atl subway system) to go the few stops (as we were intending to stock up on booze at a liquor store near Vortex, as well as hit Publix to stock up the mini fridges in the room).

so here we are on the giant escalator that goes from Peachtree Plaza (where the Dragon*con Host hotels are) down to the MARTA station.

front to back: V, Marce, Me, Neal (Marce's hubby), and Kevin (V's partner).

that Phallus Shrine I mentioned? here's V and I posing with it on the way in.

love the stained glass.

pic is dark, but yeah, *love* the attitude of this place. and the drinks are killer (but just for the food, go here)

one of the burgers they are known for. . the quadruple bypass!

I know people who order this! (and in a later trip to Vortex with other friends, we watched one of them eat a Double Bypass - 1/2 of this. . .which is still HUGE).

again, love the attitude of this place.

The group of us at our table, getting ready to pig out on Vortex food. (asked the waitress to snap pic when she brought us the appetizer plates).

L-R: Neal, Travis (one of my roomies), V, Kevin, Larry (other roomie), me, Marcella. Other than me? all Canadian, from Vancouver across the Canadian Country!

I ended up having a "Hell's Fury" burger (Pepper jack cheese, Atomic Death Sauce, habanero relish, and a roasted jalapeño. Not for sissies.) - which funnily enough, I just saw on Food Network as part of a special where they covered the Spiciest burgers in the USA.

it *was* pretty hot, but with a few Acid Trips (Sailor Jerry Rum, Blue Curacao, Limoncello, lime juice and Sprite). . was so, so good.

here's a link to their menu if you're curious:

https://thevortexatl.com/menus/food-menu/

oh. . remember those "few" Acid trips I just mentioned? yeah. .they're pretty potent.

here's the pic they snapped of me on the way out. . LOL

we hit the Liquor store, and Publix, and made our way back to the Hotels to stock up the rooms.

then decided another tradition was in order: Drinks at Trader Vic's - on the bottom level of the Hilton

so we all arranged to meet over there shortly, while Travis, Larry, and I headed over to the Hilton to see if I could meet up with some of the folks from the Dragon*con Queerios.. an online facebook group I had discovered who arrange meetups thruout the con just to hang. It sounded like fun and so I joined, and one of the folks I had met in the FB group turned out to know not only several of my Canadian Friends, but also some of my Austin friends, so we had been chatting. So we headed to the Hilton for a Queerios Wed night meet up.

we stepped off the skybridge into the Hilton (the main 3 hotels at Dragon*con: Hilton/Marriott/Hyatt are all connected via skybridges. . you can do the whole con and never go outside, other than to walk the 1/2 block from the Hilton to the Sheraton, or the 1/2 block from Hyatt to the Westin). . we stepped off the skybridge to pumping music and people ringing the lobby of the Hilton.

looking down, this is why.

yep, inflatable dinosaur dance party. (and this is WEDNESDAY night. . the con has not officially started yet. . not for 2 days). . but here they are. The Hilton had even set up a DJ booth in the corner, and every night there was a dance party in the lobby - tho not always inflatable dinosaurs.

i LOVE Dragon*con.

we watched for a bit, then made it to the meet up - where we found the (new) friends from Austin, and they joined us in going downstairs to Trader Vic's. . which was PACKED. Our secret had gotten out.

we didn't want to eat (the food is overpriced and frankly not very good), but the Mai Tais at the bar? and the other drinks? pretty damn good.

and the day to go is Wed, since by Thurs. they've already premixed everything in big vats to be ready for the Dragon*con crowds. But on Wed? yep the bartender was still hand mixing everything.

I turned on the charm, and was able to get the hostess to allow me to set up a mini-lounge section in the waiting area, so we could sit with our drinks without being slammed in a massive crowd in the bar. and eventually enough folks left that we were able to move into the bar and take over a couple of booths. . where we continued to hang out and drink and visit with old & new friends.

a great start to the con, tho I knew that I was going to the zoo the next day with Marce & Neal, so was ready to poop out by ~Midnight. So with that I said my goodnights, left many folks hanging out, and went up to the room and crashed hard.

end of day 1

Inflatable dinosaur dance party.

This looks like so much fun. We've been to Comic-Con in KC and St. Louis. The girls love it especially. I love all those little unauthorized side events that go on. Geeking out with geeks is great.

This is like, when all the "wigged people" showed up at the PNE,

on the day David and I were there (the Rainbow Socks Day).

Only there wasn't aggressive dancing w/each other, and just staying - standing - up.

With all who participated. Jiving T-Rexes Rool!

Great starting report Bert! And so explicit and non-censoring, indeedy!

And it's a great looking group of friends you're "Con-ing" (sp?) with, too.

Inflatable dinosaur dance party.

 

This looks like so much fun. We've been to Comic-Con in KC and St. Louis. The girls love it especially. I love all those little unauthorized side events that go on. Geeking out with geeks is great.

Dragon*con is absolutely appropriate for folks of all ages. . you should attempt to go next year.

if they like comics, the comics track is fantastic and brings in some big guests (this year the most popular were likely Marv Wolfman & George Perez on several panels together)

WARNING tho - the con *is* very different after about 11pm at night - remember it runs nonstop all night. I do see some kiddos out past midnight or at some of the 2am dances, but a lot of those are 21 + for a reason (not just because they sell alcohol at some parties). But I have plenty of friends who come with the kids, and the kids know that after 11pm or so NOT to leave the room.

but just note that it DOES get really, really crowded, and these days the popular panels will have lines around the block to get in (although you could always just do what we do when we go to a panel - and I did this year. . go to the panel a few minutes after it starts. you might have to sit pretty far back, but you won't have wasted any time in line).

of course, you could just drink with friends (or make new friends and drink) and spend the whole con partying

Great starting report Bert! And so explicit and non-censoring, indeedy!

 

And it's a great looking group of friends you're "Con-ing" (sp?) with, too.

thanks Bill.

these are "the Canadians". . my core group of friends, but they're also a subset of the DigiTribe folks (where we all spend most of our time at Dragon*con. . in the "DigiSuite". . where the tribe hangs out and plays games, drinks, socializes, and watches the Masquerade - with running "MST3K" type commentary from the peanut gallery (ie: all of us). No picking on children's costumes tho, that's the rule, everyone else in Masquerade is fair game

and what do you mean, explicit? moi ? certainly not, I know to keep it PG13 here

I've always said I'd love to go to Dragon*Con, just so I could see all the amazing cosplay in person.... but I didn't know the attendance was *85K*!!! The largest con I've been to so far was Anime Midwest this year, and that's only about 15k; before that, the largest one I'd been to was around 3k.

I don't know if I'd be able to handle going to such a large con unless I had lots of friends with me. Of course, I'd go to this con as a congoer rather than as a guest/staff, so I wouldn't have any obligations like I normally do (I help my friend run his portable manga library, and starting this year, I also helped his boyfriend with his pachinko parlor), so I imagine I would be a little less overwhelmed because any time I need to take a break, I would be able to without having to make sure someone is there to take my place like when I'm working at a con.

I LOVE those pictures of the inflatable dinosaur dance party! Now *that* is something I'd love to do!

--> note: this has remained true to this day. the trappings of the con has changed over the years (what was a horror/goth/fetish con when I first started going, morphed into a steampunk/cosplay con, and then morphed again into a more pop-culture focused con - and attendance has responded in kind, going from ~10K when I first started going to over 85K a few weeks ago).

The "underground" aspect of the Con, especially the fetish stuff, started going away because of the Ed Kramer news. The remaining owners were doing damage control and went with a more "family friendly" direction. I doubt most of the con goers know about Ed and it hasn't stopped those that do from going. The con is still lots of fun, but it would be nice if the "underground" started making it's way back into the program.

It is amazing how fast the attendance has increased over the last 10 years. The "family friendly" direction definitely worked in their favor. It went from crowded to an uncomfortable level of crowded last year. Attendance was up again this year, but people were spread out better between the connected hotels. I didn't hear any talk of capping badge sales this year and hopefully it doesn't get to that point.

But the basic DNA is still there: there are still horror panels/track, Japanese media track, Anime, NASA (who bring telescopes for star gazing sessions), author readings, signings, bands (Cruxshadows! AJ & Aly), and just sensory overload, staying up all night going from party to party if you want.

 

Or, if you don't want, you could spend the day going to panels, and be in bed by 11 and up early the next day to spend the whole day in a writers workshop. Dragon*con is what you make of it. But I highly recommend it for folks to experience at least once, as it's unlike any other convention out there.

Dragon Con is amazing and I highly recommend checking it out. It has the best programming out of any con I've been to. There is something for everyone and it's offered almost 24 hours. There is so much to do that it's impossible to do everything you want. That's partially by design, but the con is so much bigger now. I find it best to come up with a list of a few things you would really like to do and go with the flow the rest of the time. It's less stressful and plans fall apart quickly, especially if you're partying. It's easy to get caught up partying at the Marriott or in a room until the early hours of the morning.

I wasn't prepared for Dragon*con to become an appointment con - if I had, would have bought eternal membership way back when.

Same and now I kick myself for not buying it when it was affordable. I would have gotten my monies worth about now. The eternal price keeps going up and it's outrageous. Not worth it anymore.

over the years, there has been "con creep" where it starts earlier and earlier. . officially the con is Fri-Monday, but they've had stuff going on starting Wed night, and Thurs as well for years, and so next year Thurs is actually an official day.

I love the "con creep". My group has joked about it for a while that we'll have to start arriving on Monday so we don't miss anything. I always get there Wednesday morning and it's fun that there's more going on now. Wednesday is the new Thursday. I'm thrilled that Thursday is an official day now and I'm surprised it took them this long. I'm curious how much more programming will be added.

I had to give up my Hyatt Legacy room. I'm hoping to get back into Hyatt next year (I have some connections, even tho I wasn't staying there this year). . but with this year, I "won" Dragon*con Host Hotel Bingo, as I was able to get a room in the Marriott Marquis.

It sucks that you had to give up your legacy room. I heard from friends with legacy rooms that the Hyaty doesn't offer legacy rooms anymore. Hopefully that isn't the case and I know rooms open up within a few months of the con. The Hyatt was just sold the other day so who knows what will happen. The new ownership plans on sinking a lot of money into the hotel for upgrades so that's exciting.

A friend used to deal with the Marriott hotel madness in October when bookings started. He would sit there with a few devices and always got lucky. I stayed at the Marriott my first year and won't go back. Mainly because my group rents a condo and it's a much better experience. Marriott rooms are nice, but they're on the smaller side. Waiting for the elevators is a nightmare and you're packed in there like sardines. It was cool staying where a lot of the action is though. The other guests were cool because I didn't get kicked out after testing my friends potato gun in the room.

Hate this carpet - they changed to this about 5 years ago -- I guess it hides the stains, but it's so ugly.

No one likes the new skid mark carpet. I never noticed any stains on the classic carpet, but stains could have been one reason to change it. It was sad to see it go. The cult of the carpet is alive and well. Even WWE wrestlers Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods are in the cult.

Vortex really has the best damn burgers in Atlanta, with lots of options, and some killer drinks.

I just found out about the Vortex about a week before the con this year. The menu and atmosphere are up my alley. I tried to get my group to go there Wednesday night, but they decided to start partying early instead. Hopefully next year I'll check it out.

we stepped off the skybridge to pumping music and people ringing the lobby of the Hilton.

 

looking down, this is why.

 

yep, inflatable dinosaur dance party. (and this is WEDNESDAY night. . the con has not officially started yet. . not for 2 days). . but here they are. The Hilton had even set up a DJ booth in the corner, and every night there was a dance party in the lobby - tho not always inflatable dinosaurs.

The Hilton finally realized they could make more money from Dragon Con attendees a few years ago. They started with upgrading the hotel and gradually added more party spaces. The Hyatt used to be the secondary hang out hotel now it's the Hilton. It went from being the photoshoot hotel to a party hotel. It's pretty fun now and sometimes more fun than the Marriott.

Inflatable dinosaur dance party.

 

This looks like so much fun. We've been to Comic-Con in KC and St. Louis. The girls love it especially. I love all those little unauthorized side events that go on. Geeking out with geeks is great.

 

 

Dragon*con is absolutely appropriate for folks of all ages. . you should attempt to go next year.

 

WARNING tho - the con *is* very different after about 11pm at night - remember it runs nonstop all night. I do see some kiddos out past midnight or at some of the 2am dances, but a lot of those are 21 + for a reason (not just because they sell alcohol at some parties).

 

but just note that it DOES get really, really crowded, and these days the popular panels will have lines around the block to get in.

You and the kids will have fun and a majority of the con is family friendly. There's plenty of programming, photoshoots, dealers, artists and games to check out. It's That changes around 10PM in the Marriott and 11PM in the Hyatt and Hilton. That's when the partying and lewdness starts. Nothing extreme happens so even if your kids were there later then they would be okay. The hotels go from PG 13 to R. Look up Dragon Con videos on youtube to get somewhat of an idea of what it's like.

I've always said I'd love to go to Dragon*Con, just so I could see all the amazing cosplay in person.... but I didn't know the attendance was *85K*!!! The largest con I've been to so far was Anime Midwest this year, and that's only about 15k; before that, the largest one I'd been to was around 3k. I don't know if I'd be able to handle going to such a large con unless I had lots of friends with me.

If you liked Anime Midwest then you'll love Dragon Con. Anime isn't really prevalent there, but it has a place. There's a good mix of comics, sci fi, fantasy, pop culture, anime, etc. The cosplay is one of the main reasons why I go. There are so many high quality costumes, which I love. There are tons of cosplayers of all skill levels and everyone is welcome. Don't let the attendance scare you away. It's gets crowded, but no worse than a park on a busy day. Remember the 85k was badge sales for 4 days. That's for 4 day badges and individual day badges. Saturday is the busy day and the rest vary. You can have plenty of fun by yourself, but Dragon Con is more fun and affordable with a group of friends.

I've always said I'd love to go to Dragon*Con, just so I could see all the amazing cosplay in person.... but I didn't know the attendance was *85K*!!! The largest con I've been to so far was Anime Midwest this year, and that's only about 15k; before that, the largest one I'd been to was around 3k.

 

I don't know if I'd be able to handle going to such a large con unless I had lots of friends with me. Of course, I'd go to this con as a congoer rather than as a guest/staff, so I wouldn't have any obligations like I normally do (I help my friend run his portable manga library, and starting this year, I also helped his boyfriend with his pachinko parlor), so I imagine I would be a little less overwhelmed because any time I need to take a break, I would be able to without having to make sure someone is there to take my place like when I'm working at a con.

 

I LOVE those pictures of the inflatable dinosaur dance party! Now *that* is something I'd love to do!

go. .don't be scared by the crowd - the con is SO spread out, that even when it's packed, it's not unbearable.

EXCEPTION: anytime on Sat or Sunday from ~10am-6pm, if you have to get to a panel or something in the Hilton from the Hyatt, or vice versa? *walk outside*. . the Marriott is ALMOST unpassable - it's wall to wall bodies on the level with skybridge from Hyatt/Peachtree center (made worse by the "robots" (pics in an upcoming update) finding a home in the central meeting space - where the two skybridges converge before going into the Marriott proper.. it makes the traffic jams even worse).

and if you CAN get into the Marriott? going down two levels for the Hilton Skybridge is just as bad.

its not impossible to get thru the crowd. . but it will take way longer than you are expecting. so. . yeah, if you have to get from one hotel to the other during height of con? outside is the way to go

and if you enjoy things like the Horror Track (which is in the Westin typically), or the Buffy/Firefly tracks (over in the Sheraton). . you likely wouldn't even have to leave those hotels, as every panel - other than "main" programming. . would be over in those hotels.

Dragon*con is amazing

(and yes, the ditched the asterisk when they bought out Kramer, and changed the logo to start fresh. . but they can have the asterisk from my cold, dead, hands.. LOL)

--> note: this has remained true to this day. the trappings of the con has changed over the years (what was a horror/goth/fetish con when I first started going, morphed into a steampunk/cosplay con, and then morphed again into a more pop-culture focused con - and attendance has responded in kind, going from ~10K when I first started going to over 85K a few weeks ago).

 

The "underground" aspect of the Con, especially the fetish stuff, started going away because of the Ed Kramer news. The remaining owners were doing damage control and went with a more "family friendly" direction. I doubt most of the con goers know about Ed and it hasn't stopped those that do from going. The con is still lots of fun, but it would be nice if the "underground" started making it's way back into the program.

 

It is amazing how fast the attendance has increased over the last 10 years. The "family friendly" direction definitely worked in their favor. It went from crowded to an uncomfortable level of crowded last year. Attendance was up again this year, but people were spread out better between the connected hotels. I didn't hear any talk of capping badge sales this year and hopefully it doesn't get to that point.

agreed with most everything you say, tho many of the "classic" underground stuff HAS made it to the main programming (and are super popular): the kilt blowing (which went from post midnight in a very lower level of the Hyatt back in the day?. . .now in a gigantic ballroom and on the official schedule), the Spectrum Party (which started off as the Rainbow Flag party from Eric & the TrekTrack, hosted in their smallish track rooms.. . now on the official schedule and jam packed every year)

there were absolutely complaints about them not capping sales (I have lots of friends that work for/with the con).. mainly from those complaining about the long waits to get into the Dealer's room. I totally understand the rationale and safety issues, and why it was ONE ENTRANCE ONLY this year. but if you looked at those *massive* lines (which never stopped moving, but still took a while to get in). .majority of them were 1 day passes on Sat or Sunday.

next year? one of my many dealer friends is getting me a badge that will let me bypass (since I really only go in to visit with them anyways). Several offered, and I demurred this year. . next year? I'll take them up on it!

I do miss some of the "interesting" panels that used to take place in the middle of the night, and they still DO happen. . but are "pop ups" really. .not official. But I get that it's a bit more family friendly than it used to be

But the basic DNA is still there: there are still horror panels/track, Japanese media track, Anime, NASA (who bring telescopes for star gazing sessions), author readings, signings, bands (Cruxshadows! AJ & Aly), and just sensory overload, staying up all night going from party to party if you want.

 

Or, if you don't want, you could spend the day going to panels, and be in bed by 11 and up early the next day to spend the whole day in a writers workshop. Dragon*con is what you make of it. But I highly recommend it for folks to experience at least once, as it's unlike any other convention out there.

 

Dragon Con is amazing and I highly recommend checking it out. It has the best programming out of any con I've been to. There is something for everyone and it's offered almost 24 hours. There is so much to do that it's impossible to do everything you want. That's partially by design, but the con is so much bigger now. I find it best to come up with a list of a few things you would really like to do and go with the flow the rest of the time. It's less stressful and plans fall apart quickly, especially if you're partying. It's easy to get caught up partying at the Marriott or in a room until the early hours of the morning.

oh, the app is really good, and I had at LEAST 4 things to do in every timeslot every day. But I knew I wouldn't go to many / any of them. .and that's exactly what happened.

after going for so many years? I don't really do a lot other than hang with friends, go to concerts and parties, and of course the Art Show. I might go into a panel or two. . . in all seriousness? I did TWO Panels this year. and Both of them ended up being on Sunday.

yes, it took me 3 days to go to a panel - but it's not like I wasn't having a blast without going to any.

oh, and the 1st one? I wasn't expecting to get in. . it was just a case of "I'll swing by, and if can't get in, I'll have breakfast" (it was the full cast of Black Lightning). But I was stunned to see I could walk right in (10 minutes after it started) and go right to the 3rd row. Of course, it was a 10am panel, on the day after the Spectrum Party (the show has tons of LGBTQ fans) and the Heroes & Villians Ball (duh). . . so most of those who would have attended? were asleep.

the other panel I ended up in? thought i was going to hear William Shatner ramble on - seen him before anyways, and was an excuse to get off my feet. . but went into the wrong ballroom and was way at the back of Catherine Tate. She was funny, so I stayed (until I got a text to meet my friends)

I love Dragon*con

over the years, there has been "con creep" where it starts earlier and earlier. . officially the con is Fri-Monday, but they've had stuff going on starting Wed night, and Thurs as well for years, and so next year Thurs is actually an official day.

 

I love the "con creep". My group has joked about it for a while that we'll have to start arriving on Monday so we don't miss anything. I always get there Wednesday morning and it's fun that there's more going on now. Wednesday is the new Thursday. I'm thrilled that Thursday is an official day now and I'm surprised it took them this long. I'm curious how much more programming will be added.

they've had a lot of workshops for years on Thurs, and Wed night is typically an offsite burlesque. . but what I think got them to finally go "official" on Thurs?

the Bunny Hutch Party

it's been the kick off for con for several years now, and is SUPER popular. . and it's Thursday night. So I really do think this is what got them to pull the trigger and say. . ok, Thurs is now official. ya happy???

there were good bands playing Thursday night too.

but I don't expect much during day, to be honest..they aren't going to ask Dealers to open early, that's gonna stay Friday. and I can't imagine a lot of extra talent coming in on Thurs for panels. So likely just a few fan run things, more "Newbie" tours (they were VERY popular this year) and picking up badges.

we went to the Zoo on Thurs during the day

I had to give up my Hyatt Legacy room. I'm hoping to get back into Hyatt next year (I have some connections, even tho I wasn't staying there this year). . but with this year, I "won" Dragon*con Host Hotel Bingo, as I was able to get a room in the Marriott Marquis.

 

It sucks that you had to give up your legacy room. I heard from friends with legacy rooms that the Hyaty doesn't offer legacy rooms anymore. Hopefully that isn't the case and I know rooms open up within a few months of the con. The Hyatt was just sold the other day so who knows what will happen. The new ownership plans on sinking a lot of money into the hotel for upgrades so that's exciting.

 

A friend used to deal with the Marriott hotel madness in October when bookings started. He would sit there with a few devices and always got lucky. I stayed at the Marriott my first year and won't go back. Mainly because my group rents a condo and it's a much better experience. Marriott rooms are nice, but they're on the smaller side. Waiting for the elevators is a nightmare and you're packed in there like sardines. It was cool staying where a lot of the action is though. The other guests were cool because I didn't get kicked out after testing my friends potato gun in the room.

it's absolutely a different experience staying in a host hotel. . in the middle of everything.

the trick with Marriott is to stay on a floor below 10. *EVERY* elevator stops at 10.. so you just get in whichever one opens, and then just walk down to your floor (since down is easier than going up steps).

the trick with the Hyatt?. . .well. . I'm not gonna tell you that. . LOL. . .but we've NEVER had any issues getting to any room in the Hyatt. (even with the changes that one now needs a room key to work the elevators there).

as to the Hyatt legacy rooms? not true they ended them, as many of my friends are already booked for next year via Legacy. However, one of my "contacts" at the Hyatt did inform me that for 2021 they will be "starting the lotto over" so new folks will have a chance to get onto Legacy.

Hilton, Hyatt, and Sheraton all do "legacy" in that if you stay there, you can book for next year while you are in the hotel.

Westin & Marriott are basically the Hunger Games tho. . LOL. (Westin opens on the 20th (tomorrow??) I believe for booking).

Vortex really has the best damn burgers in Atlanta, with lots of options, and some killer drinks.

 

I just found out about the Vortex about a week before the con this year. The menu and atmosphere are up my alley. I tried to get my group to go there Wednesday night, but they decided to start partying early instead. Hopefully next year I'll check it out.

I went THREE times this year (every time with different friends).

if you can't find someone to go with, reach out to me, I'll always go with

Great report. Vortex looks amazing! I'm now mad my friend didn't take me there when I visited him in Atlanta.

^ it really is, and you need to go back now and force him to take you

working on the Zoo pics from the next morning, but won't be able to get them posted before I have to head out to see Nitzer Ebb tonight (yeah!!).

so until tomorrow for those.. here are a few pics I had filed weird that go with the Wed stuff:

when checking out the attached mall next door (who knows they make a crapton of $$ during Dragon*con, so stay open late), we wandered down to the Metro Diner - a 24Hour place that's been at the end of the mall for years and years.

this place gets PACKED during Con, and they raise their prices. . . (and thin their slices) what they are "famous" for in Atlanta are the huge cakes. BEFORE con, the slices of cake are gigantic (Shareable by 4). . during con, the price goes up a few bucks and the slices get thinner.

i don't fault them for that. . Capitalism!!

they are great for eggs, pancakes, or, yes, cake at 3 or 4 am when they aren't too busy. Damn good coffee here too.

At least once during Con we try to stop here for cake - tho I didn't make it there for cake until the very last night in town. Did make it there earlier for Pancakes on Friday tho!

above is the Cake menu.

oh. .here are some of the cakes themselves

after checking in when I headed to the Hyatt to meet my friends (whom I hadn't seen since Feb 2017 when we all went on that Bear Cruise - I have a TR about that on here somewhere ), we stopped to take a pic to send to my Spouse. . who knows Neal & Marce from when we went to their Wedding in Stanley Park up in Vancouver. . and from the Bear Cruise, of course).

we even blew him some kisses. . . LOL

(was not drunk yet, just excited to see them again)

and here's a shot of buzzed bert, after Vortex, and the Liquor store. . sitting in Publix with the alcohol, while they shop for snacks.

yes. .all those bags are full o booze.

That's almost enough. You're close.

Your thread is making miss Dragon Con more! I'm enjoying it so far and I'm looking forward to the rest.

oh, the app is really good, and I had at LEAST 4 things to do in every timeslot every day. But I knew I wouldn't go to many / any of them. .and that's exactly what happened.

 

after going for so many years? I don't really do a lot other than hang with friends, go to concerts and parties, and of course the Art Show. I might go into a panel or two. . . in all seriousness? I did TWO Panels this year. and Both of them ended up being on Sunday.

I absolutely love the app. I go through the entire Events section and add a bunch of stuff to my schedule. I usually end up doing a few of those things and they tend to be concerts/parties. I spend most of my time hanging out with friends since it's the only time I get to see a lot of them.

I always intend on going to panels, but I've only been to one panel in all the years I've been going to the con. The people I want to see are usually scheduled at inconvenient times for me or the lines are huge. I wanted to see David Tennant and decided to skip it because I had seen him earlier this year. I heard the wait was 8 blocks long so it's a good thing I didn't bother.

what I think got them to finally go "official" on Thurs?

 

the Bunny Hutch Party

 

it's been the kick off for con for several years now, and is SUPER popular. . and it's Thursday night. So I really do think this is what got them to pull the trigger and say. . ok, Thurs is now official. ya happy???

 

there were good bands playing Thursday night too. 

The bunny hutch is great and it gets more popular every year. My group had to push back costume plans until next year. We pretty much have the ideas nailed down and it will be really fun.

What bands did you see? My experience with bands at the con has been lackluster. I didn't bother checking out any bands this year, but I did watch MC Chris. I hate rap, but I wanted to see him since he voiced MC Pee Pants on Aqua Teen Hunger Force. It was pretty sloppy and amateurish so I left early.

as to the Hyatt legacy rooms? not true they ended them, as many of my friends are already booked for next year via Legacy. However, one of my "contacts" at the Hyatt did inform me that for 2021 they will be "starting the lotto over" so new folks will have a chance to get onto Legacy.

Sorry for not being more clear about this. Yeah if you already have legacy status then you have it until you give it up or the hotel stops offering it. What I was told by friends with legacy at the Hyatt is that the legacy rooms were capped a few years ago. I have no idea if that's true or not. I have met some people who wanted legacy rooms and were told no. It's nice to hear that there will be a legacy lotto in 2021. Luckily I don't have to worry about all the hotel madness since I have a "legacy" condo haha.

I went THREE times this year (every time with different friends).

 

if you can't find someone to go with, reach out to me, I'll always go with

I'll keep that in mind. My friends always go to Trader Vic's, Metro and Sear. They never want to try going to a new place. I'm open to meeting up for various things at the con and non con things.

Interesting report, I just can't do any of these cons as it's way too many people and I'm not a people person!!

^^ we did Trader Vic's Wednesday night, Polaris Thursday Night, Sear Monday night.

Vortex was twice for dinner, once for lunch. . and Metro Diner / Hilton buffet were breakfast a couple of times

^ understood completely, Elissa.. that's why my Spouse will NEVER go with me. too crowded for him to deal with.

ok, so I woke up fairly early on Thursday (8:30am is early, right?). . and had a message from Marce over in the Hyatt.

that basically said: "Breakfast"?

I was up, and Travis/Larry were still asleep, and they weren't going to be joining us at the zoo. . so I quickly got up and wandered the still mostly empty hotels and was at the Hyatt in under 10 minutes from our room in Marriott.

I discovered that the Hyatt had changed over to needing keys to work the elevators - something that wouldn't be an issue when there was a lot of activity in the Hotel during con, as SOMEONE would be getting into the elevator to go to their room with a key. but this early? myself and another guy (who was also trying to get up to a friend's room) were just standing in the international lobby for a good 4 minutes.

I decided this was ridiculous, and reached out to one of my contacts at the Hyatt (as well as turning on the charm at the front desk), and within a few moments? I had an "elevator" key. . . which saved me a crap-ton of grief thruout the con, as it made it so easy to get up to my friend's rooms (and the Digi-suite) during active con

anyways, the reason I headed over to meet Marce & Neal, as most of my friends with Hyatt Legacy, also have Concierge level access as part of their room plan. That means they get to take advantage of the Lounge up on 22 with snacks/coffee/drinks/mixers, etc. Back when the Hyatt was the "main" hotel where the con used to house the big name guests, we used to often see them in the Concierge suite. I have very fond memories of hanging out with certain actors/actresses, and writers (including comic book writers/artists) over the years - purposely not name dropping.. but my friends know whom I'm talking about!

and we NEVER asked any of these folks for autographs, so they were genuinely happy to talk to us when we saw them multiple times in Concierge during the con.

one of my best memories like this is from years ago, of meeting and chatting (and explaining Dragon*con) to Reverend Jesse Jackson - who was at the Hyatt for a CNN interview (it's only a block or so away from the Hyatt). . . he had come into Concierge to get some coffee, and ended up chatting with us for a while. it is a great memory.

I wasn't staying at the Hyatt this year, but (apparently) I'm pretty memorable, as the ladies staffing Concierge remembered me, and greeted me warmly. So it was not an issue that I popped in with Marce & Neal for a breakfast snack. I didn't take advantage either, think I only popped in there 3 times during the whole week I was there. .and only ate twice. Next year I'm in the room with Neal/Marce, so I'll officially be back staying at the Hyatt.

we were sitting maybe 5 minutes before some folks I hadn't seen in 2 years (remember, I didn't go to con last year), spotted me/us and came over. Like I said, I guess I'm memorable. . LOL.

we spent a bit of time visiting, then decided that we'd go pick up our badges over at the Sheraton, and head to the zoo from there.

although we really didn't need to wait in the line around the building (and if we had come back later, there would have been a way shorter line), but Neal decided we should wait in line, so we did. Think it took about 30 minutes? but continuously moved.

as we were 10 feet away from the Sheraton entrance - after the line down two sides of the hotel - I put points in the karma bank by me grabbing a lady who was struggling walking down the hill (and if she was struggling on the hill, how the heck was she going to make it all the way back around the hotel to the end of the line??) and greeting her as if I knew her and pulled her into the line with us. shortened HER wait to about 5 minutes Never did see her again during con, but still was happy to help her out.

we got our badges, said hello to our friends at Registration tables (hey Chip!), and then grabbed a lyft to the zoo.

on to pics.

in Concierge at the Hyatt, and almost immediately ran into Jesse (woven Cthulu mask), and David. Folks we've met and hung out with over the years at Con.

turns out David is moving to Austin - tho he was here for a few weeks scouting and never called me. . thanks a LOT David. He promised we'd go for Sushi while he's here tho.

walking thru the Hyatt to the international tower to meet Marce, they were already setting up the bars in the lobby. Yeah, they know Dragon*con folks like to drink.

all the lobby furniture (from Hyatt, Marriott, and Sheraton) had already long disappeared. .that went bye-bye on Wed. .not to return until Monday afternoon. I mean, I get it. . they don't want folks sleeping (or passing out) in the lobby. . and the furniture certainly impacts traffic flow. So it makes sense to remove it.

still wish there were places to sit in the Hyatt or Marriott other than just the bars, once Con starts.

one quick Lyft ride later, and Marce, Neal and I were at the Atlanta Zoo.

20+ years of coming, and I've done many of the Atlanta attractions (world of Coke, CNN, Olympic Centennial Park, Georgia Aquarium, multiple Museums, the ferris wheel, etc). .but had never been to the zoo. . so jumped at the chance to go.

tho in all fairness, until last year, had never been to SFOG either, despite coming to the city every year. The issue with THAT is that the park is only open weekends. .and the weekend is CON. so never broke away to do it. That changed this year

it's a lovely zoo, tho a bit on the smaller side. I did get a bit of "sticker-shock" as it's among the most expensive zoos I've ever been to.

it was ~$30 just to get in. Did not include any "experiences" or rides on the Carousel or Train. But eh, we're here, I'd never been, and it's a vacation. . so I paid and in we went.

It wasn't super crowded, as we were here on a Thursday afternoon, but they weren't dead either. I'd guess most of the folks there were Zoo Member, as the membership wasn't that much more than a single day ticket. Being from out of State, and I'm only in Atlanta once a year tho? 1 day ticket is what worked for me.

The Zoo has some new areas that just opened, and the zoo employees were very excited to talk about the animals (I think most of them are volunteers).

This is one of the new areas that opened recently.

Neal and Marce posing so pretty

so new it even still SMELLS new.

and yes, this is the Elephant enclosure, but by smells, I mean wood, not elephant poop.

the Elephants have a ton of space to move around and lots of stuff to play with.

the two females were in the pen, and a much larger male was being kept separate in a building way in the back (which was open to the public, but when we went to see him, he was being fed so he was mostly out of view).

They did a good job with this.

and you can get pretty close to them.

see?

the zoo also has plenty of sculptures and photo-ops spread across the grounds.

and if you've followed any of my trip reports, you know by now that I LOVE a good, fun photo op.

so here ya go.. me on a baby giraffe sculpture

I wanted to take him home! so cute. . .LOL

moving on to the next pen, they had zebras

and Giraffes (hence the sculpture). . but since the area was so new, they were slowly introducing the animals to it. That's why the Giraffes were still in pens towards the back instead of roaming the area.

they certainly were interested in anyone that came near the front of the enclosure tho, and kept peeking their heads out to see who was there.

another new area is the Reptile House, which apparently used to be over by the Orangutans (there's an old boarded up building over there with snakes and lizards on it). . but is now over here just off the new Savannah area. And they did a lovely job here too, with some of the exhibits outside, before going into the humid reptile house.

every time I see a turtle, I hear in my head - from Kennywood -- "Tuuuuuur-tlllllllllle"

Tuuuuuur-tlllllllllle

(even tho it's a Tortoise)

EVERYBODY is eating at this time. Well, eating or sleeping, which is likely what I should be doing to prepare for the upcoming weekend. But I can make it thru. Sleep is for the Tuesday *after* Dragon*con.

ok then.. headed into the indoor portion. With a stained glass-type sign.

must admit, it's well done.

this dude was just hanging out.

while his buddy a few enclosures over, was just crashed out.

well. . this reminds me of Texas. Rattlesnakes everywhere, you gotta watch where you step.

I am NOT a fan of snakes, but this dude was just beautiful.

So pretty, I had to take a pic. In person, the scales "shimmered"

Frog Benches! in the sun, so no one else was sitting there (this was tagged as a "quiet zone")

Now I can say I've sat on the back of a frog, like the scorpion says, "it's in my nature"

the Gorilla were just hanging out in the grass.

but thanks to some good timing (and/or karma thanking me for earlier in the day), was able to get a pic of momma with a baby! So cute.

and, of course.. photo ops.

Red Panda!

who was being VERY cooperative and posing for pictures.

the Orangutans were mostly hanging out over by the video screens (the zoo has this awesome set up where the primates can go do sliding picure puzzles on video screens that are projected onto screens outside the enclosure, so zoo guests can watch along and see how smart these guys are.

not this guy tho. . he wanted to hang out, upsidedown, on the other side of the enclosure and play with the hammock.

another photo op. .this time a Monitor Lizard photo op.

My arms aren't long enough to get a selfie of me riding him, but I tried. . LOL

eventually tho, just stood up next to him.

Marce, under protest (hence the tongue) and I being Pandas.

the Pandas were beautiful too, but they were being lazy. Although, if I were in an enclosure, on display? I'd prolly just lay around too.

this guy was completely legs spread also (and trust me, we know it was a guy. .LOL). . but did not take any pics of that.

awwwwww. . . .

Double awwwww. . tho the one at the bottom is playing bearskin rug!

a photo op? yes please

Like Most zoos these days, the Atlanta Zoo has an "endangered Species" Carousel.

I'm thrilled, it's a Carousel. so of course I'll ride it, even tho it's an upcharge. and even tho it was riding to what sounded like a local radio station playlist.

tho I do question why they have some of the animals on an "Endangered Species" Carousel

I mean. . the chariot is lovely.

but Peacocks are endangered species?

close up on some of the design work.. which, again, is just lovely - even if that "padded wood" seat looks terribly uncomfortable.

Marce and I rode Elephants. She wanted one that didn't move, so I got the up and down one (a galloping elephant) while she got the stubborn one that didn't move.

pic came out great tho

Maybe we were on a certain kind of Elephant that IS endangered? but lookie at all those "horses". . . horses are endangered? I was confused a bit.

but at the end of the day? it's a Carousel. .so of COURSE I'm happy.

See? Giant smiles

I did note - and even mentioned it to the attendant.. I've never seen a Carousel where people get up in the middle of a cycle and move around, and get off before it stops. *multiple* folks were just moving everywhere during our prior ride. it was weird.

maybe I'm just used to Theme Parks where they announce over and over not to get off your mount until the ride has come to a complete halt?

Could just be Atlanta tho.. LOL

WINDS OF AFRICA !!!!

"Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage"

peee-yewwww. . . yep, an overgrown 4 year old.

Marce pointed this out to me in the zoo shop, and said "you like stuff like this!"

and she's right, so of course I bought it!

and then it was time to call a Lyft and head back to the Host Hotels.. as it was after 4pm, and we had dinner reservations at 6pm in Polaris (the rotating restaurant at the top of the Hyatt). . so we needed to get back, and shower and change, to be on time for our reservation.

Hey, at least by the looks of it, they're putting that admission money into well maintained habitats. Although the attempt at making the carousel educational...lol.

^ yeah. . the habitats were large, and wonderfully maintained from what we observed.

it really IS a beautiful zoo, and worth a visit if you're in Atlanta. (tho I find the Aquarium an overall better experience. . .loved both tho, and have been to the Georgia Aquarium many times).

ok. . so the Lyft driver dropped us back off at the Hyatt, so I could go grab some stuff from Marce's room that she had brought for me before heading back to the Marriott so we could rest for a couple of hours until our 6pm dinner reservation at Polaris (the rotating restaurant at the top of the Hyatt).

as noted elsewhere, Polaris dinner with friends has also become a tradition at Dragon*con, most often with Marce,Neal, and Clan Wade (Sarah, Josh, and thier kiddos Lily & Orin). .but often also attended by myself, Travis, Anjeanne, Michelle, Lisa & Mike. . . really whomever is in early and wants to come. But reservations must be made in advance, and Marce had booked us a table for 9 at 6pm.

You could tell that Con was just getting ramped up to start (it was maybe 4:15 or so), but there was starting to be a lot of activity in the Hyatt. In particular the check in line was starting to get really busy.

Coming down from Marce's room in the Hyatt, who did I bump into in the lobby?

the Wades! Sarah as Spider Gwen-om (I think), me, Lily (as Spider Gwen), and Josh - who was "cosplaying" as Peter Parker from "Far from Home". . which I just saw today, finally, so I now get it.

but had no idea at the time, LOL. He did tell me later at dinner that some people *did* get it, and asked him about his Peter-Tingle.

Me and Sarah, in our "Spider Poses"

this was just a quick hello, since I would "officially" see them in a couple of hours, and I really wanted to get back to the room to get off my feet for a little bit.

I gave them quick hugs, and confirmed Marce/Neal were up in the Hyatt room. . then headed back to Marriott

I got up to the room and kicked off my shoes & hopped in shower (Larry & Travis had taken off to sign up for gaming, I believe, and had been gone most of the time I was at the zoo, and were still gone when I got back).

I popped on DCTV Land, and saw they were showing a panel from years past when Alice Cooper was a guest. So I sat and watched that while relaxing.

eventually, my roomies came back in and confirmed we were meeting for dinner at 6 and we chatted for a bit. . . until I got a text from Marce asking me if I wanted to go with her to a "ribbon-exchange" that was happening in the Marriott on level 10 (the meeting level that all the elevators go to). Ribbons have become a big thing at Dragon*con in the past few years, tho it took me by surprise a little bit.

there were tons of people with enough ribbons on their badges that they swept the floor while the walked! some were super clever too. Myself, I ended up by the end of Thursday night with enough ribbons that I had to toss them over my shoulder like a necktie for any restroom breaks, so I removed most all except the really important (and/or funny) ones - but I still ended up with a ton by midmorning the next day anyways. . .LOL

heck, Marce had made some ribbons for ME to have to hand out. . tho I didn't realize at the time that's what they were intended for. When she asked online a few weeks before con if anyone wanted ribbons, I just said, "I'd love a DGAF one". . and Marce showed up with ~100 of them for me to hand out. They got super positive feedback from those I handed them to tho)

anyways, since I had already showered and was pretty much ready for dinner, I responded sure I'll meet her 3 floors up, and took the stairs up to meet her on 10 - where there were probably 300 people socializing and exchanging ribbons.

not sure what he was cosplaying as, but I liked the flamingos, and asked to take a picture.

LOL. . my rule of thumb? if I don't recognize it? it's probably from some Anime I've never seen. . . .but I dunno if that's the case here.

any ideas?

LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this. . she had her service dog cosplaying as a Beanie Baby!!!

we only were able to hang out here for about 30 minutes, before we had to head to the Hyatt to meet up for our dinner reservation tho. So after getting probably 20 ribbons, we headed out to meet up with our group for Polaris.

on the way over to the Hyatt via Skybridge, we passed the area where the robots would "live" for most of the con.

it was early on Thurs still, so only a handful were out: a few BB-8, a Wall-E, and some (I think) from Buck Rogers? or maybe Star Wars). . . more and more would show up here to interact with congoers thruout the weekend, including a fantastic K-9 from Dr. Who, and multiple R2-D2s.

as noted, Polaris is the upscale restaurant at the Hyatt (tho the do really relax the dress code during Dragon*con). Reservations are highly recommended, and really needed as there's only so much space up top.

there were 9 of us this evening, and we showed up at the elevator in the Hyatt lobby (one of the elevators is dedicated for Polaris in the evenings, and they have a check in desk downstairs where you wait for your entire party). While we were waiting, we noticed several folks dressed as Commander Riker (Star Trek Next Gen) come and speak to the downstairs hostess and ask about going upstairs to meet the rest of their group whom they said were upstairs in the bar. She told them that there was no more room upstairs and she was sorry, but they would just have to wait for some bar stools to clear up since they didn't have a reservation. They thanked her and walked off, and the hostess welcomed our group into the elevator, with an employee and up we went.

we knew there was something "off" when the employee didn't talk to us as I made idle chatter with him on the way up. . but it was confirmed when we stopped at the level below Polaris, and the doors opened to the kitchen - and he got out without saying anything to us. The doors closed, we all just looked at each other, then laughed, and I tried pushing the "Polaris" button. . which worked, and brought us up one floor further up and into the Restaurant lobby.

the lady at the Hostess desk seemed a little lost (it turned out that she was just covering for the Host who had stepped away for something), but she asked us to please wait while she checked on our table.

she was gone a few minutes, and came back just as the Host stepped off the elevator and started over asking us reservation name, etc. I *did* mention to him that we were not off to a great start here, and told him about the stop at the kitchen and how we had been put into the elevator with no explanation of what to do (we knew of course, having come here several times before, but this is a high end restaurant, the Host needed to know that the service had been. . . "lacking" thus far). He apologized, and asked us to hold for a moment while he checked something.

he came back and said that our table wasn't quite ready yet, but they would put together a place for us to wait and would that be OK? What else could we do, so we said OK, and waited while I watched him pull together chairs and extra seating around a small lounge area. I noticed there were no occupied seats at the bar, and I even said something to Marce about -- "wait, the hostess downstairs told "the Rikers" there were no open seats at the bar??". . . then the Host came back and led us across to the cramped area he had set up for us, and said it sholdn't be too long.

So I asked him why they didn't have a table ready for us, as we had a reservation. . . and he said "we had a table for your party, but it got taken by another party"

I immediately said to him. . so, the group of Rikers from the Bar took our reserved table? he actually flushed, said he can't say anything about that. .but told us it wouldn't be long. and meanwhile they were going to comp us drinks and apps while we waited.

Spoiler - it took almost an hour 15 for our table to be ready. amongst ourselves we discussed what had most certainly happened - the group at the bar saw the open table, and just moved to it and took it, and nobody at the restaurant bothered to check if they had a reservation or not. So they basically stole our table.

Polaris tried to make it right - we added it up after, and in that 1:15 we sat waiting for our table, we got comped quite a bit of $$ in apps and drinks. (the Server who was helping to keep us happy, and whom we slipped a nice tip to later on the way out, as she wasn't our Waiter once we actually GOT seated, even went and checked with the Host to make sure it was all comped and was told to keep us happy please).

Unfortunately, due to the long delay on our seating, we missed out on a few things that I would have loved to peek my head into (Dragon*con wrestling, a Queerios meetup). .but more frustrating is that the long wait was a bit too much for the kiddos whom Josh ended up taking back to their off-site (but close) lodging and picking them up some eats.

So by the time we got seated, and eaten, it was close to 9pm, and ended having to rush to go change for the BunnyHutch party, which was the big plans for the evening (at least for myself, Sarah, and a few others in the group).

at the end of the day tho? the food was absolutely stellar..the Steak Oscar was incredible, as were the apps: Warm Focaccia Boule, the Tomato & Peach Bruschetta, the Wagyu Short Rib Taco, the Sous Vide Octopus (truly was amazing), and even the Carcuterie plate.

in this pic, LtR: Neal, Marcella, Josh, Orin

This Pic: Lily, Sarah, Travis, Larry

looking out at the Marriott, as we rotated past it from our seat in the "lounge" they had set up for us

Me, Orin, Lily, Sarah & Travis

(and yes, I asked permission before posting pics with the kiddos)

The Polaris Menu, if you're curious

and a pic (from online) of the Steak Oscar

once we finished eating, most of us headed back to the rooms to begin changing to get ready for the 1st full "official" evening of Con.

I was going to Bunny Hutch, as noted. . and although I wasn't doing anything "Bunny" or "Hef" related? I WAS going to break out a classic cosplay outfit, and attend as "i WONDER if that's a WOMAN"

lots of pics of Thurs evening running around in costume at and after Bunny Hutch coming up in next installment

^ Those Rikers Were Meanies! Anyway....idiots. Glad you got it figured out,

and got some apps and drinks thrown your way. Loved the Service Dog BEANIE BABY!

Looking forward to the Bunny Hutch party pix that you got, Bert!

We finished up dinner late enough that several of my group that had eaten just headed to the DigiSuite (a suite in the Hyatt that my friends from "Digitribe" book every year (hence it being called the "Digisuite". . tho I've also seen it referred to as the "Digisuite dungeon of Doom").

most of us donate towards the suite, and many folks also bring along snacks, alcohol to donate to the bar, and other assorted things for the suite - such as games for everyone to share/imbibe. Jason acts as host, and he really is a fantastic guy (as are all the Digi-folks.. .otherwise, I wouldn't wanna hang with them every year! ). He also makes a themed drink/punch at the "bar" every year, and in the evenings that's what many in the room are partaking in. Tho he also makes a really mean Bloody Mary -seriously, among the best I've ever had.

The digi-suite is invite only, and there are rules that must be followed inside the room - but I can't tell you what they are, as they are need to know, and you outsiders don't need to know (Bwaaa-Haaa-Haaa).

The room basically functions as a reprieve from Con, and a great place to pop into thruout the day - there's typically someone (or several someones) in there to hang out with and chat with and play games with (I'm not much of a gamer, but this year I got to participate in a few games of "Two Rooms and a Boom" - which I think got many participants as we could hold onto our drinks while playing. .LOL. . . it was a fun game tho and I enjoyed it).

Anyways. . after our dinner, several of the group headed to Digi, but since I was planning on wearing an "outfit" to Bunny Hutch Party, I needed to change into that. So my plan was to go back to our room in the Marriott, change, then head back to the Hyatt to hang out at Digi for a few hours, and then head to Bunny Hutch at ~11:30. The party officially started at 10, but it runs until well after 1am, and I knew the line to get in would be wrapped around the building. So better to hang out with friends until the party had been on for an hour or so, then go over just before they announce winners (usually around midnight).

spoiler. .that worked beautifully, as I believe that Gary and I waited, maybe, 10 minutes when we finally got over there to Bunny Hutch?

anyways. . here are pics from Thursday Evening at Dragon*con. . . as the con officially kicks into gear.

Here's what I wore for the evening. . . it's the majority of an old cosplay i brought back by request of some friends (they really wanted me to bring back my Courtney Love from about 9 years ago, but I have no idea where those "costume" pieces were.. so instead it was the reappearance of "i WONDER if that's a WOMAN" - at least most of it. . couldn't find the shorts and my blue boots were too heavy to schlep along for just 1 night. . LOL).

Bunny Hutch *IS* a costume contest - featuring any iteration you can conceive of, of a Playboy Bunny (classic cosume with ears, cuffs, tail) or Hef (classic smoking jacket).

but to ATTEND the party, you don't need to be in costume, although many DO dress up in some sort of costume/outfit. They wont' turn anyone away from the door for not being in a costume, but the parties sure are more fun when the majority of the attendees are dressed up in some way.

next year, Marce is talking about doing a group costume with many of us as bunnies, and several of us are all in on it

Waiting for the elevator to go down to the Marriott lobby to take skybridge back to Hyatt.

got lots of hoots and hollars while walking, and always a joyful laugh when I corrected those who yelled out "Wonder Woman" !! with what I actually call the cosplay.

good fun.

Still 100% sober, but was sipping on my Sprite/Pineapple rum that I had made, and would be imbibing more shortly after getting to Digi

So I finally make it up to Digi and am thrilled to see many of my friends already hanging out in the suite: Bri & John, Jason, Rich, Alan Strange, Nathan, Cody, Lisa & Mike, Gary & Cynthia, . . and tons of others I'm sure I'm forgetting.

hung out and visited with folks for a bit, having fun, and then Lisa asked if anyone was wanting to / willing to take her and Mike's daughter Kayli out to roam for a bit to take pictures of Costumes, as it was past 10pm now, and the Con really was going pretty strong at this point. Not as busy as it would be on a Friday night, but a lot of folks already out and about in the hotels general areas.

it was too early to go to Bunny Hutch, but I offered (since I've spent lots of time with Lisa & Mike & Kayli over the years - including a full day with her at SFOG last year). So Lisa told me "don't you dare lose track of her" (LOL), and off we went to roam for a bit and look at costumes.

we get to the elevator in the Hyatt to head down to the lobby, and I noticed she's not carrying her camera so I asked her: "Before we get in the elevator, I want to make sure you have your camera. . since it's gonna be a pain to come back up and get it"

Kayli: "no, I don't"

me: "you don't have your camera???"

Kayli (with a heavy sigh of exasperation): "no. . I left it in the car (which was parked in the garage under the Hyatt). I TOLD Mom that!"

me: "why did you want to go take pictures if you don't have your camera? How are you going to take any pictures?"

Kayli: "i'm gonna take MENTAL pictures"

ok. . the little smart-ass made me laugh out loud with that. . so off we went in the elevator, and down in the Hyatt and over the Skybridge to the Marriott where the main action is these days (due to the Pulse bar being in there).

(which was having an underwear party tonight on the Pulse Loft bar section. .but no, we did not go there. .hey, she's a little kiddo still!).

getting off the skybridge, more Robots have now shown up in this area.. including a beat up Wall-E, and a Jawa cosplayer who was evaluating him.

Kayli posing with Wall-E

(the folks operating the robots do an amazing job blending into the walls in the background behind the crowd, so you really can't tell who is operating what robot. But the kids are always enthralled, since the robots really do move and interact with them. Wall-E looked up at the camera to pose behind Kayli for this pic).

oh.. she wasn't thrilled I kept making her stop for pictures, but I told her - "your Mom will want to see these!". .so she begrudgingly posed

(and yes, I asked Lisa's permission before posting these pics of Kayli)

one of the bigger BB-8s

who interacted with Kayli and was rolling to her to "hide" from the Jawa

K-9

this was so awesome!

Kayli had no idea what this was, or what show it was from. .but I told her

"trust me,it's cool. . go pose with him"

LOL

and she Loves her some R2-D2

This guy spent all weekend cosplaying as Mighty Mouse. . but I guess if you have the perfect costume? go for it. it looked really good.

(Kayli had no idea who he was either. . but she's just as tall as he is!. . . like I said, when you have a perfect costume. . .)

an amazing Raven from Teen Titans (done slightly more adult).

some folks who were headed to Bunny Hutch, we stopped them on the way for this pic.

Kayli's smiling, but I heard about this particular pic later. . . ."MOM!!!! Bert kept making me stop with STRANGERS. . and take pictures with half naked people !!!"

(and to make it even better? Lisa laughed about it when I showed her the pic)

3 degrees of Eddie!

and since her Uncle Chip is a giant metal head, like I am. . had to get a pic of Kayli in there with the Eddies throwing up the horns.

she didn't want to pose with this guy . . who I'm not sure was anything more specific than "Aztec warrior". . but the outfit was intricate and really well done.

So stopped and got a pic.

and of course, I had to stop for a pic with me, when I saw the Masque of the Red Death roaming around.

talk about a fantastic costume.

Kayli had seen enough, so she was ready to head back to Digi. . so we headed that way and back up to the suite.

which was now really hopping with lots of folks whom I hadn't seen in a couple of years, since I skipped last year.

Including Sarah who had changed from Spider Gwen-om to a killer Mera

see? KILLER.

(and what's even better. . as you'll see a bit later, when we bumped into her at Bunny Hutch? she added bunny ears to the crown)

oh yes.. hung out in digi for a while, drinking the killer punch for that 1st night.

(I don't remember what it was called, only that it was goooood)

L-R behind me in this pic:

Marce (sitting), John, talking to Stephen, between them/behind bar Jason, Travis talking to Lisa (back to us), and Larry talking to Cynthia (guessing from the blue dress).

Gary (Cynthia's hubby) and I were chatting and we looked up and Cynthia, Travis, and Larry were gone. We weren't sure where they went, but someone said they had headed over to Hilton to Bunny Hutch. . so we refreshed our drinks and headed out that way to try and find them.

along the way, we saw G-D, who was cool with it.. . so we stopped and took a picture.

and then I bumped into another acquaintance (who's name I can NEVER remember), whom I met many, many, many Dragon*cons ago at one of the "Gaylaxians" room parties. so we stopped and said "hi" and Gary snapped a pic, and then continued onward thru the Marriott.

the two from "Good Omens" were absolutely amaze-balls.

And they were smart enough to pick out a spot along the wall (and out of the way) in the Marriott, so that they didn't impact traffic flow.

not all cosplayers are THAT thoughtful.

Gary and I made it into Bunny Hutcy, and didn't spot Cynthia or Travis (which should have been easy, as her bright red hair, and his height make them easy to spot even in a crowd). . but we *did*( find Andy almost immediately.

Andy and his Partner, Caress, are whom I met the prior night and are from Austin. And we know a lot of the same people. (in Austin and at Dragon*con).. so it was typical to have to go all the way to Atlanta to meet a cool couple from my own City. LOL

as you can see? I was starting to feel the drinks by this point

absolutely no idea whom / what he was cosplaying as. . something from an Anime?

maybe Peter Pumpkin Eater? who knows. . LOL

Gary and I, with some of the room (the well lit half, since the entire front end of Bunny Hutch party is dark with dance music playing, and folks having a blast).

you can see behind us some of the Bunny and Hef variations roaming in the crowd.

burry, but she was Rainbow Brite bunny

Sub Zero (Mortal Kombat) and Harley Quinn bunnies.

a crowd shot, as they had paused the music to announce the Bunny Hutch Costume Contest winners.

Drunk bert, and Robin.

no, I didn't know him.. but Dragon*con is all about meeting new people.

Here's Sarah and Josh at Bunny Hutch, with her Aquaman inspired ears added.

beautiful!

Gary and I stepped outside to get some air in the hallway, as the room was packed, and met this guy. .whom I vaguely recall was attending his first Dragon*con.

I remember he told us he was trying to come across as Starlord, but didn't want to wear a mask, and asking us did the outfit work.

don't recall his name, or if we ever saw him again during Con. .but I have a picture of him. . LOL

and we met this fantastic couple. . who wanted to post for pics, and the wife wanted me to hold her hubby's chain.

i think Gary just happened to snap the pic while I was blinking, but I freaking love this pic, and eventually will use it for a profile pic on Facebook at some point.

here's his other half. .she looked amazing as well.

remember my friend Jesse who was wearing the Cthulu knit at breakfast? this was his roommate Christina. . . I guess they came by and saw us while we were outside getting some air.

i don't really remember seeing David, Jesse, or Christina at Bunny Hutch. .but I have this pic, so I guess we must have.. .LOL

I DO remember this tho, this lady was sitting next to the couple with the leashes, and I commented how much I liked her chain/Crystal over dress. . and her Husband insisted on taking some pics of us (he too about 30 and all but about 3 were blurry, so I guess that I wasn't the only one a little bit tipsy at this point!).

we'd gotten enough air, so decided to go back into the party proper to try and find Gary's wife (and Travis & Larry).

but first? I danced with Left Shark.

and we found em! they had met up with Andy, and were all together. . so we were able to snap this wonderful pic:

l-r: Andy, Travis, Larry, Cynthia, Me, Gary. . and just above me? it's a Bunny-(photo) Bomber!

how awesome is that!

I believe we hung out at BH party until at last 1:20 or so, and then it was time to wander a bit.. not quite ready to go to sleep just yet! So I must have wandered off with someone (since they took the pics following for me on my phone). .but no idea if it was Travis, or Gary still.

yep. . the Bunny Hutch was ending, and party goer's were spreading out among the other hotels.

these guys were in the Hilton Lobby.

Whoo-hooo ! I can see where they are keeping their carrots.

(in the fannypack.. . get yer mind out of the gutter. .LOL. . . . yeah, it's hard to do a mostly naked costume when you *must* wear your badge at all times at Dragon*con. . and need a place to keep room keys, ID, cash, etc. the fannypack was a weird decision, but looked like only one had to bite the bullet and wear it for everyone's stuff)

absolutely zero idea where this is, or whom we're with. Looks like Hilton carpet tho!

ok.. definitely still in the Hilton, since this is the Dr. Who TARDIS display that the Hilton puts up just off the lobby area.

didn't know this guy, but loved that he was doing a Gender-F cosplay.. so posed with the Phoenix.

Heading back to Digi to close out the night, had to pass thru the Marriott again, so snapped some pics along the way.

two folks that had been in Bunny Hutch (I think in the costume contest).. "Maleficent Bunny and Huntsman Hef" ?? (if I'm guessing)

Robotman from DOOM Patrol.

this outfit was absolutely stellar. and I remember him telling me how hot it was under it all.

but damn if it didn't look great.

speaking of looking ... I *believe* this is one of the Sailor Moon characters (Sailor Neptune) as a Rabbit.. tho not sure about the syringes in the ears?

but since she posed facing away from me when I asked for a picture, hell if I can remember now.. . LOL

and final pic, as I headed back to Digi in the Hyatt (where I didn't take any more pics tonight, other than 1 with Rich since he was in the suite by then hanging out). . . a classic Ms. Marvel costume.

Which is, by far, my favorite version of her costume in the comics (even tho the lady wearing it has movie Carol's hair. .it's still really well done!)

and after a bit more visiting at Digi, and a shower back at the room (to get all that makeup crap off my face). . a 4am selfie sent home to my spouse to show him I had survived the first full night of Dragon*con

that aforementioned pic with Rich Murray. . . since it's rare we're both in the same place and at least one of us is alert enough to remember to take a photo! At least this year, I got it on day 1

Bert you looked awesome! In a she-male kinda way, y'know?

All the costumes looked great. Though I would hope that "Aztec" guy had shoes

of some kind to wear. His choice to make, I guess.

A great night there to be had, Bert, thanks for shring!

I like jesus/god with his sign!

"MOM!!!! Bert kept making me stop with STRANGERS. . and take pictures with half naked people !!!"

Welcome to a con.

I liked the Jesus one the best, but that may be showing some baggage there...grew up in a fundamentalist Christian family. My parents still are. My brother and I are totally not. For that reason, I gotta be down with some good old fashioned blasphemy.

Bert you looked awesome!

 

All the costumes looked great. Though I would hope that "Aztec" guy had shoes

of some kind to wear. His choice to make, I guess.

yeah, I would NOT have been walking around a hotel barefoot, but I guess that shows commitment to an outfit. . .

(and thanks for the compliment on the look. . the chain on my neck is my badge. . I had it on backwards hanging down the back, so as not to mess up Wondy's logo on the front of my shirt.

I like jesus/god with his sign!

Not many were stopping to snap a pic with him tho, which I found kind of odd, as he was great! (and he had the smirk down. It was perfect).

but I loved him too

"MOM!!!! Bert kept making me stop with STRANGERS. . and take pictures with half naked people !!!"

 

Welcome to a con.

Lisa thought it was funny.. and I TOLD Kayli I was gonna make her stop to take pictures, since this "Mental Picture" bs wasn't gonna fly, and I knew her Mom would want some.

I liked the Jesus one the best, but that may be showing some baggage there...grew up in a fundamentalist Christian family. My parents still are. My brother and I are totally not. For that reason, I gotta be down with some good old fashioned blasphemy.

in all honesty, I'm not sure he was Jesus. I really think he was supposed to be "G-D" himself.

(based on the character as has been appearing in the Preacher TV show).

but although I'm "religious" in that we had a traditional Jewish Wedding in a Synagogue, and we go to a friend's house for Passover Seder? I'm otherwise not religious at all, so really couldn't tell you if he was supposed to be Jesus or his dad

^ I don't know either, but Jesus definitely is cool with it.

Ohhh. Well, that explains the Aziraphale & Crowley Playboy bunnies that had Neil Gaiman flummoxed on Twitter. Also, the Ineffable Husbands you got a photo of are INCREDIBLE; those WINGS!!!