Adorkable Musings

The past couple of weeks have been very chaotic.  I flew home to Chicago for my brother’s wedding. (Congrats, Jonathan and Amber) Got to spend some time with my nieces and see family.  It was a good time.  You would think that I would take a break, but no, I hit the ground running.  Why?  Because the following weekend, DragonCon was taking place in Atlanta. 

DragonCon is one of the biggest conventions in the United States. It takes place Labor Day weekend in downtown Atlanta.  It’s something you have to see to get the scale truly.  To understand how crazy Atlanta is on Labor Day weekend, please know that it is the opening weekend of college football, and it is also Atlanta Black Pride.  There are five host hotels: the Hyatt Regency, Hilton, Marriott Marquis, the Courtland Grand, and the Westin.  The process of getting a room at one of the host hotels has its own nickname, the Hotel Hunger Games. They sell out in minutes. It is loud, noisy, and packed.  The hotels are sold out, and finding a place to eat is extremely difficult.  It is one of my favorite times of the year. 🤣

DragonCon is a fan-run pop culture event.  If there is a fandom for it, then more than likely, they are represented at DragonCon—everything from movies, anime, and comics to robotics, space, and science.  DragonCon was the first place that I could let my “nerd” flag fly.  I have been attending DragonCon off and on since 2007, and while I have only been a spectator, I can tell you that a lot of growth has occurred.  One thing I will say about DragonCon is that it’s not good for a first-time con.  Experienced con goers who bring friends or family, yes.  People who are going by themselves, not so much. 😅

It is so much easier to walk around if you have a badge because three of the hotels are connected (Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt).  When I have to leave the connected hotels and go to another area, I usually get lost the first time. Kind of awkward…. lol.  Con weekend is usually when I get all my steps in.  It’s also when I get to know people.  Most con goers are super lovely and helpful. Again, most.  This year, I didn’t attend any panels. I was volunteering at DragonCon for another convention to recruit volunteers. This year, I was unable to experience that side of the con.  One thing I did experience was the vendor hall. 

The vendor hall is, for me, the best part of the con.  It’s where you can find all sorts of things. You can meet artists, owners, or even a website that you like could have a booth there.  For the past two years, one of my favorite artists has had a booth there.  Getting to buy prints from her directly is amazing. There is something for everyone: corsets, leather, teas, clothes, and stuffed animals.  The list goes on and on. The vendor hall for DragonCon is in the Amerismart.  It takes up four floors of this convention center.  Fair warning: get there early.  The one to get in can wrap around the building.

I plan to go back to Dragon next year.  It’s one of the few times that I love the chaos around me—currently working with friends to figure out a room situation.  But it gives me time to plan a cosplay for next.  I already have an idea of what I want to do. However, that will hopefully be addressed in another post. 😉