hsapiens | The upcoming trip -- NJ, NYC, yadda

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The upcoming trip -- NJ, NYC, yadda

Has anyone received tickets yet for the Con in NJ? I haven't yet but I've dug out my statements and printed copies to have in hand when Creation inevitably bungles the tickets.

So, here's the final itinerary I've come up with. Not a whole lot of changes. I need to get to NYC earlier than planned so that I can catch dinner with

la_directora before she takes off to work on a film. I've added in a side trip to the Smithsonian this coming Sunday, though I know it'll make me weep for all of the stuff I *won't* have a chance to see.

Friday, 26 Oct: Arrive Newark 10:50 a.m. Drive with

jalabert to Maryland. Lunch or dinner in Delaware maybe? I haven't ever been to Delaware!
Saturday, 27 Oct: Underground Railroad exhibit at the Baltimore Historical Society.
Sunday, 28 Oct: SMITHSONIAN!!!!! Drive to

yams69's house in NJ. Meet the newest Honorary Texan. :)
Monday, 29 Oct: Mutter Museum in Philadelphia with

yams69, wife, and the Magnificent Ms. M.

jalabert -- you're planning to go with us, yes?
Tuesday, 30 Oct: Motor to

mcroft and

immlass's abode in slightly less rural NJ. Visit, kibbitz, tour the area. Chill.
Wednesday, 31 Oct: Check into con hotel, leave luggage with front desk, return car to Newark airport, catch the train or something to Manhattan. Meet

la_directora for dinner. Halloween Parade!
Thursday, 1 Nov: The Met. Maybe the Cloisters.
Friday, 2 Nov: The con.
Saturday, 3 Nov: The con. Pack to go home.
Sunday, 4 Nov: The con. Kate Hewlett play with

selmak,

janiekins,

triciabyrne1978, and her mother. Unless they see me first and run fast enough to escape. ;) I'm betting with Tricia's heart, though, that I'd catch y'all. ;)
Monday, 5 Nov: Fly back to Houston.

yams69,

mcroft, and

immlass -- PLEASE look over this schedule and make certain it still works for you. If not, don't be shy about telling me. I can happily adjust so that I spend more time at the Smithsonian or I can go to Manhattan a day earlier and catch more time with

la_directora, maybe a full day at the Cloisters or some time at the Frick? There's always more to do than I have time so you won't hurt my feelings. :)

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They supposedly sent out the last batch of tixs out yesterday, as NOBODY I know has gotten them. They are offering a Friday night dinner with Tony and Alexis for $65.00. did you see that?

Janet and I will be at the hotel around 8:00 PM thursday night.

Helena

Wouldn't you send out the damned tickets just so that you didn't have to answer all of the phone calls? Or else stop sending tickets and just tell people to bring their credit card statements with them? Idiots.

I DID see the dinner and I'm waffling. $65 is ridiculous --Don eats breakfast with us for free! -- and there's no mention of what the meal is. I'm assuming it's food from the crappy hotel restaurant which means inedible and not vegetarian. I, however, am a sheep on this and if a lot of youse guys are doing the dinner, I'll do it too just to be sociable. Alexis IS an interesting person and I feel like dinner with him would be interesting.

I figured I didn't have to decide now. They haven't sold out of gold passes so I'm guessing there will be tickets available on Friday. Besides, I'm leaving in two days and there's no way Creation could get the tickets to me in time.

What time are y'all arriving Thursday? Morning? Noon-ish? After noon? Late night? If you're there early enough and game for it, we could try to meet for dinner. I'll be in Manhattan and there are at least a billion restaurants there to choose amongst. The Met closes at 5 p.m. Would anything like that work for you and Janet?

I have to work on Thursday, so the earliest I would possibly get there is 8pm. Possibly later, as my fur child will demand a nice long walkie as I am abandoning him for four days. Tricia is at the hotel earlier that day though.

I'm not doing the dinner. It's interesting, but so far this month, I've got car insurance, new tires for my Pathfinder, an A/C computer part... vet bills... kaching kaching kaching.

Don doesn't eat with us for free. He eats with us to get his ego stroked... he goes home to Mrs. Don and yells, "Yeee Hawww! I've still got it, darling!"

:P

I have no idea if that's happening this year. Our usual Top Secret Don Contact isn't attending.

Helena

Ah, postings that pass in the night. Or the ether.

I'm perfectly happy skipping the dinner. I'm doing this vacation on a budget since we're putting money aside to buy a house. Doing the dinner means giving up other things in my vacation. I'm happy to do so if that's where my friends are going to be but I'm not dying to have an intimate dinner with near strangers, either. Especially one I'm almost certainly going to be unable to eat.

OK, yes, I know he gets a kick out of it but that's a different kick than "people PAID just to watch me shovel food into my mouth and dispense pearls of wisdom" kind of ego stroking. Are we doing weird shirts this year? It's really too late for me to ask since I don't have time to purchase anything but I thought I'd ask just in case something in my drawers would pass.

No special shirts this year, though I suppose I could see if I still have my Air Force Fighter Jet Hawaiian Shirt from what... two years ago? :) I force myself to wear it work on occasion, because I feel if I paid that @#$@#%!@#% much for it, I should wear it. :)

I think if you still have your solar panel tag that's good enough for the don groupies. :)

I do, indeed, still have my solar panel tag and everything else you made for me. They occupy a position of honor on one of my bookshelves. :)

Okay, I'm not planning on going to the dinner (after having not worked the majority of the year I really shouldn't even be doing the con, but I bought the ticket last year and I REALLY want to see all of you). That being said... if a group of people were to decide to do the dinner I might be convinced to buy a ticket - or push my bro and sil to buy tickets for the boys.

And, shucks, I was totally planning on wearing the Sundress that I wore that year. Cause you know November is so nice and warm in NJ *rolls eyes*

Maybe instead we should plan a nice dinner out somewhere else? It will almost certainly be less than $65/person and since it sounds like we're all interested in having time to chat, that might be a better choice. I say this, of course, without plans to have a car so I'd have to bum a ride with someone. Maybe the TGI Friday's we went to last year? And the year before?

I'll let you be in charge of the sundress wardrobe. I've dug out my sweaters and it's 73 degrees here. I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon and hopefully they'll adjust my thyroid medication so that I'm not so cold. *crosses fingers*

I'm willing to do dinner out - or having take out brought in. Just as long as we have enough time to do it, before the cabaret.

And we could always just get some quick take out and eat in someone's room or hang out elsewhere (as I'm sure the lobby will once again be quardoned off so that we can't move furniture and all again).

Though we will need to beware of flipping mattresses and the likes.

Hee! What can I say? I make the Earth move. ;)

Well, as someone who wasn't directly effected by the flipping mattress, I can't say for sure.

But *I* found it memorable.

The question is, did Selmak and Janet? ;)

Oh - good point. I don't want to miss the cabaret, 'though they're going to be hard pressed to beat last year's. :)

I bet delivery would be our best bet. Or that Quizno's. It doesn't have to be fancy to make me happy.

*hugs*

Hope all adjustments work well.

As for the driving/going places for food... I'm fine with that, though I won't have a car either (am flying up from AL with Mom, not driving this year like I usually did from SJ :-( ).

I have no problems with going out to Fridays... we might even be able to drag Mom along. She's looking forward to meeting all the wacky people that I come home with stories about.

Thanks. I'm tired of being tired. :)

Happily, I always wore my panties so at least *I* am not the one with the wackiest stories preceding my meeting with your mother. ;)

Well, I dunno, not many others have flipped beds over in hotel rooms that I've been in.

And Mom found THAT story rather amusing.

Oops. Uh, that was some OTHER person, I'm sure of it.

That's fine. One year we had thirty seven bottles of alcohol on ice in our bathroom sink.

We don't really drink, so janet and I were unsure why we had it! :)

37?!?!? Hon, that's called a "tub," not a sink. ;)

Um, yeah, I did pass reading comprehension. Gods know how.

I now see that you told me "8 p.m. on Thursday" so the dinner thing is out. Bummer. We could still do breakfast on Friday, if you so wanted. Or lunch since nothing's going on until 1 p.m. I wouldn't mind sleeping in at least one day while I'm on vacation.

breakfast and lunch is doable on Friday.

The Gateworld group is doing Cheeseburgers in Paradise for lunch, and Janet and I wouldn't mind giving you a ride.

Do they have anything you might be able to eat? I know we went there last year, but I had some crazy vegan screaming meat is murder from my back seat, and I nearly left AtomicPagan on the sidewalk :P

Google is my friend. :) I see from their menu that they'll do a veggie patty in any burger so they DEFINITELY have Me-Friendly food. I'd love to tag along. :) Thank you!

Was this vegan somehow under the impression that everyone was going to a vegan restaurant? While I'm very serious about being a vegetarian I wouldn't dream of being one of those annoying prats who believes it's my job to preach my morals to y'all.

no, she thought she was being funny. But since was screeching in my ear, WE* WERE NOT AMUSED

*we being the Royal pronoun for Helena & Selmak.

What a maroon. The self-righteous prat. I hate that behavior because it gives vegetarians a bad name. We aren't all proselytizing assholes. Really. :)

I received an autog ticket for the Burbank con the same weekend. They didn't include the photo op ticket, and I haven't received the typical email you print out either. I was going to call them today. (I hadn't bought the general admission ticket at the time I bought the others, because I wasn't sure at the time if I was just going to go for Sunday or go for the whole weekend.

You know, I'm decidedly mixed on how sad I am the Creation time of owning the Stargate con license is passing. (At least, that's what I assume with the announcement of this being the last one in NJ and with the return of Gatecon to Vancouver -- WITH RDA!!!!!!!!) They are such fuck ups with the tickets. It's rather nerve-wracking if you haven't been through the Creation Con dance before.

Indeed!

ICON LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

While we will be happy to host, I'm pretty sure

mcroft will have to work. He's running short of days off due to project: austin.

Also, the place will be a bit of a wreck because we're sorting what goes and what doesn't.

Luckily, I'm the happy houseguest and not the Home Inspection Squad. :) If it's a bother to have me there - I know what packing and sorting are like - feel free to tell me and I can get a hotel room in the area. Again, it doesn't hurt my feelings. I know you've been recovering and that M is busy interviewing. I'd rather be the low-impact guest folks are happy to see than the one they have to rearrange the house for so that there's room. I'm totally cool with that.

Besides, hotels have coffee makers. ;)

We have a plastic single serving filter thingy, some coffee-and-filter things (I deny the rumor Ben Gamble bought them for us and we've had them since the 20th Century), and nearby Starbys,Dunkin Doughnuts, Einsteins, etc.

plastic single serving filter thingy

You know how to instill a girl with a sense of confidence, eh? ;) I'm just saying, there are advantages to having me out of your hair, especially if you're in the midst of packing. I'm quite happy to avoid a hotel charge and have more visiting time but I'm equally happy having a hotel room. It's all good. I want to see y'all, I want the visit to be fun rather than work for y'all, and where I sleep is irrelevant to me. Well, mostly. I want a bed and a room and coffee and a bathroom. Everything else is negotiable.

Hey, it's a step up from coffee-on-a-string.

We have 3 of those 4 and can get the other. Also, cats.

CATS!!!! Well, now that you've put it that way... ;) I'm looking forward to seeing y'all very soon. :) And I think Greg is returning soon to finish planning the 120th b-day party. I forwarded the invite to Amy since Greg didn't have her addy.

I saw many people at the pumpkin carving contest last weekend. Andrea, Binkley, Chuck...all were planning to attend.

Misty: So are you staying here Monday night-Wednsday day? That's cool.

As ginger mentioned, I'm short on Vacation Days, because they're useful for short-notice, long-distance trips.

Actually, I was planning to sleep at K's Monday night and show up at Casa Usted Tuesday morning.

I figured you'd be obliged to work and horde your days off for the Austin Project. Maybe I'll spend Tuesday at Princeton or something? There must be something fun to do in that part of the world to pass time in a pleasant way.

Sounds good. Yes, Days off are both contingencies for more travel if prospect #1 doesn't hire me when they call in 1.5 hours.

OTOH, if they do, then it's all spendable.

Well, being the ~~selfish~~ caring friend that I am, I hope they hire you and that it's a job you really want! :)

So, are you up for doing something on Tuesday during the day? Or are you buried in sorting? I can show up whenever since I'll have a rental car. If you're up for a day out, I can show up in the morning. If not, I can show up when it would be convenient. Just let me know. :)

I got your earlier comment about skipping the parade to do dinner. I hope you don't have to do that. Maybe you can make it into Manhattan early enough to make it a late lunch or early dinner, so you still have time to catch the parade? Either way, I definitely vote for going to an awesome vegetarian restaurant and having good food. :)

If for any reason you decide to come into New York a day early, no need to book an extra hotel room. You're welcome to stay here Tuesday night.

I'm hoping that I'll be able to do both still but I want a backup plan just in case I'm running late that day. I'm driving to the hotel, checking in, handing over my luggage, driving to the Newark Airport, turning in the car, and then either cabbing back to the hotel or taking whatever transport is available from the airport to Manhattan.

This will be day 5 of my vacation and I expect I'll be short on sleep and be moving more slowly. I expect the hotel will take my luggage at maybe around noon, which puts me in Manhattan at roughly 3:30 or so. (I'm totally guessing here.) That seems to me more than enough time to have a leisurely, late lunch. But there's also the chance that I'll be needing to get a nap at the hotel before I head out. They haven't yet messed with my thyroid medicine so I just don't know how much energy I'll have by then. That puts me in Manhattan at closer to dinner time, in which case I don't want to worry about whether I'm going to make it to the parade route early enough to get a good view. I *did* see it last year but I didn't see you so the choice is easy for me. :)

And I would LOVE it if we could eat in a real vegetarian restaurant. I love the piece of mind in knowing there's no chance of surprises -- most especially seafood cross-contamination.

You are too sweet. :)

I have at least five favorite vegetarian restaurants, so you'll have choices. I'll e-mail you my cell phone number so you can get in touch Wednesday when you know more specifics on your plans. I'll be home working until I hear from you, so take your time and do what you need to do.

Sounds like we have a plan, then. :)

At least five, eh? I love NYC.

I actually have an entire Zagat's sized guide called "Veg Out Vegetarian Guide to New York City". There are a gazillion vegetarian restaurants here. It's fantastic. We can choose what type of food we want, what kind of atmosphere, etc.

Yum! I'm really looking forward to it. Actually, I'm so used to eating at places with only a couple of veggie choices that I often have trouble choosing when presented with an entire menu of veggie choices.

Oh, I am so there with you. I have had some serious synapse freeze moments when faced with an ENTIRE MENU that is veggie-safe. But I'm getting used to it. :)

I'm driving down to the hotel probably sometime Friday morning and then I'm hanging out 'til sometime Sunday...I have no plans outside of events whatsoever once I'm there, so if there's any meet-ups happening that you don't mind people crashing, I'd love to meet some people and say hello!

And P.S., no tickets either.

I hope you know that I *expected* you'd be hanging out with us. :) We never mind people crashing. Everyone in the group is very friendly and open. The more people the better. You're welcome to join in whatever activities appeal to you.

people crashing is acceptable as long as you're not a Very Scary Fan - you know the type that gets the girls autographed by an actor in the autograph line. Just whip 'em out and present! :)

That's scary.

Helena
who while Scary, always has the girls firmly under control.

Shit, I guess this means I need to leave the push up bra at home, eh?

I have to be on campus early Monday morning for a breakfast meeting, so I suppose you'll have to dump me at a train station somewhere in NJ enroute to Flemington. I'd love to see the Mutter, but I'll be tied up in meetings until 2 p.m.

:( :( :( I was looking forward to looking at grotesque bits of bodies with you. Bummer. Bummer. Bummer. *pouts* OK, I'll talk to K and figure out which station is the best to take you to on Sunday evening.

Schedule looks good to me! As for the train for jalabert on Sunday, if you're coming up from the south, I think Princeton Junction is probably the best bet in terms of a decent station roughly on the way. My knowledge of NJ geography is still pretty sketchy, though, so I would need to be at a map to properly navigate you there and to us. M would probably be a better help than I am on that.

Have a safe trip; we'll see you soon!

-yams69

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The upcoming trip -- NJ, NYC, yadda

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