Dragoncon 2019

Dragoncon Day 1 (Friday)

Heading Down to Dragoncon

Got an early start today to head down to Dragoncon. Sure, I could have headed down at some point yesterday, but there’s usually not a whole lot happening on Thursday. After a bit of coffee and a shower I packed up my stuff and ordered an Uber.

Strangely, just like with everything else I do, I felt a bit of anxiety and reticence about leaving for Dragoncon. Luckily, I got over it quickly and made my way. Traffic in the Uber wasn’t too bad. Got to the Sheraton and met up with my director. Grabbed my badge and key and was sent on my first mission, to acquire the track banner.

Dragoncon Begins

The mission was an easy and quick one. Once I got to the track room we began prep for the first panel. After we got it going, I grabbed some chicken and waffles from Nana G’s truck. Delicious as always.

Most of the panels of the day had decent turn out. Unfortunately, one (Diorama making) had absolutely no one show. It was a workshop panel too, where we were expecting a crowd. Was very surprising that the room was empty. It really seems things have been shaken up a bit this year. I’m sure the whole legionnaires thing hasn’t help the Sheraton, but it’s being reported all over the con that panels aren’t getting the expected turnouts.

Spent most of the day in the track room, which we closed around 10p after the “live” showing of last night’s BattleBots episode. I actually quite enjoyed watching it, I haven’t been following the show lately. Once that was over we headed back to the hotel room and I was beat. It was an early night for me, going to sleep around 1a. I’m just not used to staying up so late.

Dragoncon Day 2 (Saturday)

Back Into Dragoncon

A nice late start for Dragoncon day 2, getting up proper around 9a. Had a bit of coffee in the room, hit the shower and headed out for another day of fun.

Started out at the cafe in the hotel and grabbed a caramel macchiato then opened up the track room. Once everything was ready there I went out to get breakfast from Nana G’s but the truck wasn’t there!

Panels

Panels started off a bit slow with “About Making Movie Grade Props.” The room wasn’t full but attendance was okay for the first panel of Saturday. Not long after was another panel about the intersection of art and technology. But somehow one of the speakers just kept bringing everything back to sexuality. It really made no sense. Just seems they were one of those people whose sexuality was their personality.

Somehow, the overflow room doesn’t have an HDMI cable for the TV. . . Had to get tech ops to bring us one. Stayed in that room for the panel about zoetropes. Now I want to make my own zoetropes! So I’ve added it to my projects list.

Dinner?

It was decided that we would try to eat at Trader Vic’s for dinner tonight. So after the final panel ended at 8, we stopped by the room really quick, then headed on to the restaurant after squeaking away from the great Sheraton speaker fire of 2019.

Once there, we put our name on the hour and a half long wait list and grabbed a drink. Nearly an hour later (and much haranguing of the host) we were seated. Of course my huge, late lunch of loaded Greek fries would have lasted me all night. So I went light with an appetizer and a side. Beyond expectations, the food came really quick and was quite tasty.

People Watching

Once dinner was complete we headed back to the room for a quick change (the director, not me). Then it was time to wander and people watch. We started out wandering around the hotels. Eventually we made our way into the MC Chris show. It was bad. His voice really doesn’t work very well at loud volumes. I was beginning to get a headache so I just had to leave.

After that we wandered some more and ended up in some Star Trek party/dance. It was pretty cool, the music was good. Stayed around for a while and watched people dance. They played a few LMFAO songs which got the crowd pumped. Once we wandered out of there, we checked out all the rest of the hotels to see what was going on. Ended up back in the room at an early 2am, but I was totally pooped.

Dragoncon Day 3 (Sunday)

Dealer’s Room

We started out right around 9a and got the track room open. Once we got them set it was time to try our hand at the dealer’s room. The line was like 6 blocks long, but luckily since we got there just as it opened we only waited about half an hour to get in.

We wandered three of the four floors, skipping the top one. I really wanted to buy so many things, but there’s no way I can get any of it home. And even if I could, I don’t have space right now. I miss extraneous stuff, as strange as that sounds. I was so happy to get a Borderlands 3 swag bag. Just had to let them take a quick video of me, which you can see below. . .

The End . . .?

The final panel of the day was free crafting. We basically dumped a bunch of supplies out and let people make whatever they wanted. Interestingly enough a few people opted to make dioramas! Some of them were really creative too.

After that we headed across the street to Crazy ATL for some food to go. Once that was in hand it was time to watch the masquerade on DCTV. This year’s masquerade wasn’t all that great compared to years past but was still good to watch.

Wandering

After that it was nearly midnight and time to wander. We caught the end of the Yule Ball. They mostly had good music, although I preferred what I heard of the party the night before. Once that party ended we headed to check out The Cruxshadows. Unfortunately we didn’t make it in time, so headed off to a room party.

As expected I knew no one there, so ducked out at my first opportunity. My knee was starting to kill me from all the walking and standing around so I made my way back to the room to turn in for an early night at around 3a.

Dragoncon Day 4 (Monday)

Finishing Work

Slept in a bit, got up around 10a. After the usual shower it was a stop by the hotel cafe for coffee and a spot of food. Once that was consumed we ran around dropping stuff off for the con like the track sign, charity bucket, and signs.

Entertainment

The only thing worthwhile for me on Mondays is the robot battles. As always, it was quite entertaining. Once it ended I visited the art show for the first time in years. Then went for another lap around the dealer’s room.

Here’s a couple photos from the art show:

Took a stop at the Hyatt for a snack to try their Galaxy Burger. My director and I split it. It was good, but it wasn’t all that special other than the look. Next up was the Marriott carpet cake. That stuff was delicious, although the carpet part was just a piece of hard fondant with the carpet design printed on it.

Then it was time to wait around for the dead dog. Luckily the wait wasn’t too bad. The hall was crowded with volunteers. Once people were allowed in we had no issues finding a table to sit. Each seat was setup with bags from the Borderlands booth. Each table was stacked with bits of things people could take. I grabbed a set of dice and a bag of pork rinds. Around the room were more tables with swag people could grab.

During the beginning of the dinner they had a live band playing. Although it was a bit loud they were really good. Played their own renditions of some popular songs. This year’s meal was the best yet. Some sort of beef roast with mashed potatoes and veggies. The cake for dessert (which I ate between my salad and main course) was delicious! I was not one of the lucky door prize winners. I rarely am. Toward the end of the dead dog they opened the “premium” swag table to everyone and I walked away with a flask. After that it was a trip to the hotel to grab my stuff and an Uber ride to my friend’s place.

Great Cosplay

Check out just a few great examples of the cosplay at the convention. There were so many amazing costumes, so here’s just a small selection. I may not quite know what they are, so feel free to correct me in the comments!