effex | Entries tagged with travelog

I'm on a bus to Des Moines! And then on to Ames. I haven't been back to Iowa since I graduated in '06 and it looks... exactly the same. Mom assures me Ames and its environs haven't changed much either (Mom and my sister being in Ames being why I'm going there), which is good for nostalgia, I guess. We'll eat at all the old places and see all the old people.

The bus ride has been great so far - super cheap, no delays (unlike Amtrak), and the driver's great. And Iowa's very lush and green right now, good for watching as it rolls on by.

I'm leaving for Chicago tomorrow morning, hurray! Just for the weekend, to meet with potential roommates and get a feel for the city, but still.

Also, my Mom's coming with me! It's the result of a brief-yet-intense family discussion (unofficially titled 'we're unsure about this business and don't want you Going Alone') and means I don't have to pay for a hotel, at least (subdiscussion 'you're staying at a hostel?'). Mom's good company, it'll be fun. If maybe harder to justify side trips to Rotofugi and The Boring Store.

Anyway! Any chance fannish folks will be in the area and interested in hanging out? Or have recommendations for food near State & W Grand?

We camped out early in room 6 (bcd) yesterday, which means we made both the Legend of Korra and Mythbusters panels (and a bunch of other ones). I'll try to do a Korra write up later (short version: amazing); in the meantime, Racebending has the the trailer and some details.

Mythbusters: also amazing.

There were more panels and fewer lines yesterday, but the big thing was getting all the books+sketches/signatures I wanted. The Darkwing Duck comic creative team! Rafael Albuquerque! Gene Luen Yang & Thien Pham! Vera Brosgol! The Foglios! There are more artists there I'd love to have sketches from, but that was everyone on my list.

We also went to see Captain America which, well. Chris Evans was a fantastic Cap, but the movie seemed rushed and poorly edited. But fun! But not (even) as good as Thor. But fun.

Starting day two of Comic Con! Yesterday was exhausting but fun. The drive from Phoenix to San Diego on Wednesday was exhausting but fun. The lines are just exhausting.

Today we're hitting up the dealer's hall first thing, so I'm making some sandwiches and heading off.

COMIC CON!

I'm back in Dallas! And at work but it's fine, it's Friday. And next week's a short week, so.

The Bay Area was fab - it's kinda counterintuitive to go to a bigger city (in a different state) to get away from people but there's something about being by yourself in a crowd, you know? Not to mention Angel Island (have I talked enough about how much I loved that place?):

I've got a couple more photos to post, will probably get to that tomorrow-ish.

( Next: internet readalong is cut to spare your reading list. )

Yesterday I planned on heading out to Angel Island, only to find out that the ferry only stops twice a day - at 10am and 3:10pm (fortunately I found out at 9:30am, eating a bagel in my Aunt and Uncle's kitchen, at not at the ticket booth). So this morning I got up, rode a train, got some coffee, rode a streetcar, and got my ticket. Before 9am (I over compensated a little. It gave me time to buy a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch, at least).

And then I boarded the ferry (I love ferries) and rode out to the island. It was an impossibly beautiful day - mid 70s, sunny, clear skies, with lots of pine and eucalyptus trees scenting the air - and there were very few people on the island (15 on the ferry, plus state park folks) so it was like having the place to myself.

I walked/hiked the perimeter of the island - about five miles - and took photos.

( So many photos )

I'm in San Francisco! Or Berkeley, rather. The bay area. I flew in Saturday afternoon, leave Thursday morning, and plan to stuff as much vacation! as I can between the two. So far I have:

* Finished my

intobar fic, missed the deadline by half an hour (curse you, time zones!). Fortunately, I've been told there's an upcoming amnesty day.

* Read two books (Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire and Summon the Keeper by Tanya Huff)

* Ate dinner (homemade Indian) with some of my Aunt and Uncle's Nice White Liberal* friends.

* Ate a picnic lunch (campmade Mexican) with a different set of my Aunt and Uncle's Nice White Liberal friends.

* ( Tested out my new camera at Tilden Regional Park (where we had the picnic) )

* Saw an adaption of Friedrich Schiller's Maria Stuart, which was relevant to my interests.

* Ate fancy pizza (NOM)

* The people I've met so far have been a very specific kind of older, active, white, middle class, straight, possessing-of-young-children liberal. No one was geeky, everyone was up on politics and environmental issues and not great with issues of privilege. It was surreal, in an out of place, not speaking the same language kind of way.

Going hiking tomorrow and out to the museums and Japantown Tuesday or Wednesday, my plans aren't firm yet. They'll be excellent, whatever they are.

My sister and I are officially on our way to DC, folks - we're on schedule, boarding was easy, we've got a three-seat row to ourselves and there's wifi on this plane. I last flew two years ago (why so long?), there was no wifi then. Amazing.

Plan for today is to get to our hotel, ditch our luggage, and head down to Mt. Vernon to get our history on. And then at some point

bookshop is going to show up and we'll hit Alexandria for dinner.

VACATION, YOU GUYS, I HAS A VACATION.

VACATION. SWEET, SWEET VACATION.

In Galveston, no less, so it's a vacation by the sea. Or gulf. Whichever. Only for today and tomorrow, but I'm also taking Monday off so I can laze about the apartment \o/.

Have been to the beach, which was lovely (sand! water! surf!), and took a boat tour 'round the harbor. It's like getting my soul scrubbed and aired out.

And now we're going to dinner (seafood, yeeeeees) and then crashing. Tomorrow, who knows? This is a ~~plan, what plan~~ choose your own adventure kind of trip.

Did I mention that was 75 degrees today? And overcast, and breezy? Perfect.

Wake the Sun

every dawn gets its day like

Entries tagged with travelog

(no subject)

Chicago, here I come!

Comic Con rambling 3

Comic Con Rambling #2

Comic Con rambling #1

Internet Readalong is back from San Francisco

Angel Island Picspam

If I could wish upon a star, I would hitch a cable car

WIFI. ON A PLANE. THE FUTURE IS INDEED A THING OF WONDER.

Road trip!

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