It’s officially two weeks away from Dragon Con
which starts Friday Sep. 1st and runs through Monday Sep. 4th (AKA Labor Day Weekend).
Two weeks from now I’ll be wandering around downtown Atlanta looking for a
place to put my awesome chair that Golden got me for Christmas/Birthday and
people watch that is in the shade or better yet downwind from a very powerful
air conditioner after watching the DragonCon parade lead Stan Lee, the 2017
Grand Marshall, through the hot and humid streets of well…downtown Atlanta.
Those of you not new to this Blog know of
Golden and I traveling to Atlanta for the last few years to people watch, cosplay, and see all the
pretty things and people that Dragon Con has to offer. Actually Dragon Con was the first thing featured after we started this blog so long ago. This is year 4 for us,
tho I honestly don’t remember when we were not going. Golden is better at
Cosplay than me, I like to blend into the wall and look at all the pretty. I
can’t imagine people wanting to take my picture and also the aforementioned
humid/hot weather makes a costume feel … well …… like a lot of freaking effort.
See we are never lucky enough to be in a host hotel, no matter how hard we try,
which means we either rely on Uber or the Dragon Con Shuttle buses and costumes
just aren’t practical. That’s not to say Golden hasn’t made a good show of it
over the years, but yeah I’ll just wear my jeans and nerdy shirts instead.
This year the forecast is showing 40% chance
of rain but here in the south that could mean that it’s raining at the front of
the hotel but not the back, or that it will not rain at all … really it’s a
guessing game so put your jacket in your backpack and be prepared for anything.
That’s the best advice I have for DragonCon. The first year we went, Golden had
a plan, and written out schedules of things to do and we quickly became
overwhelmed and did very little on the list. Do all the things, quickly changed
to … well we can do that next year I guess. If you come with a plan it will
quickly be destroyed, have a vague idea of what you’d like to do but remain flexible.
That’s the best way to enjoy the Con with minimal stress … well except for in the
tunnels between host hotels on a Saturday. On that day take extra anxiety meds and
be prepared to be claustrophic, but know it will only be temporary. That’s not
to say Panic Attacks aren’t a thing, and I’ve had more than my share at Dragon
Con but find a corner, find a chair, get some water, breathe it out and then …
get back out there. You only live once right?
So many fun things to do …. Just a few options
are listed below:
·
Dragon Con Blood Drive: I
encourage all my fellow Dragon Con members to give blood this year. I myself
won’t be giving after passing out last year and face planting on the sidewalk
(due in part to high blood pressure which hopefully is now in check after several doctor appointments and the insane heat that is Atlanta in late Aug/Sep) resulting in new glasses, a busted and bloody face, and a massive headache that
lasted for days. Golden has insisted that I not give this year, as has my boss,
the rest of our Con group, and well my family. I guess I’ll listen, but only
cause I know others will step up in my absence … right?! Please and thank you.
Give Blood… Save a life.
·
The
Dragon Con Parade is a MUST view .. it’s a great way to see all the pretty in
one place. It will take place Saturday Sep. 2nd and start rolling at
10am. So either be in place by then or just stay your respective hotel and
watch on TV (that’s what our lazy bones did last year – it wasn’t too bad). I
had to admit being out there with everyone watching it all walk by just gives
you a feeling of community like nothing else.
The parade begins at the intersection of Peachtree
Street and Linden Avenue, then heads south on Peachtree, east (left) on Andrew
Young International Boulevard and north (left) on Peachtree Center Avenue. It
will end on Peachtree Center Avenue between John Portman Boulevard and Baker
Street, in front of the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. Then everyone heads to
the food court, like for reals the food court becomes as crowded as the
crosswalk between hotels so be prepared to stand in line. There’s a lot of line
standing but it’s typically worth it.
·
Fan Tracks: Check
out the Dragon Con website for a list of fan tracks because they most definitely
leave no one out. There’s a track for everyone. The Britttrack is celebrating
20 years of fun which includes a ton of “British” themed panels (Dr. Who,
Sherlock, Harry Potter, music etc.,) each year we have attended the Yule Ball,
which is always a good time. The first year of DragonCon we stumbled upon a Dr.
Who panel discussion which was really interesting. Their schedule is
tentatively posted here, cause everything is subject to change even as you
start the last day of the Con. Another panel about cussing the British way is
happening this year. It always makes for a fun time.
·
The
Hall of Fame is a great place to people watch. It’s located in the Marriott hotel
in a bank of ballrooms and is the place for meet and greets (tho note that
often they will have you line up else where and then march through the con with
a guide to get your meet and greet on). That keeps the lines from blocking
walkways and makes for interesting conversation as you wait in line. Ask Golden
about the overzealous Pop Art guy we met while waiting to meet Felicia Day. The
end result was that I’m not allowed to talk to people anymore. Ha! The times
for the Hall of Fame are crazy weird …. And by that I mean the first year we
went to Dragon Con it always seemed to be closed. Typically it’s open from
about 10am – 5pm, sometimes later, sometimes earlier. It’s posted people look
it up it’s definitely a must walk through area. Plus air condition. I tell you
that air condition and chairs will become your new best friend at the Con.
Trust me on that. For the entire list of featured guest click here.
People that I’m interested in seeing this year include (in no real order) Melanie
Scrofano, Zachary Levi, Nathan Fillion, John Barrowman, Julie Benz, Jewel Staite, Matt Smith,
Frank Conniff, William Shatner, Bill Corbett, Alton Brown, Don
Rosa, Sean Gunn, Wallace Shawn, Tad Stones, John Cusack, Ming-Na Wen, Brett
Dalton, Nick Blood, Elizabeth Henstridge, Casper Van Dien. That’s just to name
a few and Dragon Con is still announcing guests. My favorite part of the walk
of fame is how artist, actors, actresses, writers, gamers, Puppetters just
hanging out and they are all in one room just being awesome!!! I really love
when voice actors are sitting there and bust into the characters on the poster
behind them and I’m instantly 9 years old again in front of my TV reliving my
childhood. It’s a fun feeling one I can’t wait to feel again. Also if any of the above have Social Media -- let's be real they all do -- follow them cause it's fun to see the Con through their eyes.
·
Good
Eats Panel - This year … for some reason … Alton Brown is coming, which is
totally cool and I’m thrilled about it but confused as well. I mean ok … he is
a culinary geek and so he’ll fit in, plus he used to (may still) live in
Atlanta so it makes sense but yeah weird too (which might be the very
definition of Dragon Con now that I think about it). He’s doing a Panel in the
Marriott Atrium Ballroom on Sunday at 4 (which means Golden and I might have to
split off as she heads to the Wynonna Earp panel also happening Sunday
afternoon). Alton is getting ready to do a Good Eats Reboot which makes this
culinary fan so excited. I do hope he gets “W” to join him but Itchy or Twitchy,
or his “neighbor chuck” would be fun too. Wonder what Elton is up too … and of
course his mom (ABs sister whose name escapes me at the moment .. MARSHA! … so many possibilities I just hope the more recent version of
Mr. Brown (Angry Alton from Cutthroat Kitchen) stays away tho BA might be fun.
·
The
Dragon Con Comics and Pop Art Alley is always fun and located near the Vendor
Hall. Among the Con goers there are artist of plenty that show up to display
their illustrations, sculptures, paintings and it’s fun to see these artist and
their points of view on the world around us. Look for it it’s worth the effort
to find.
·
If
all that were not enough there’s a freaking arcade guys ….. like old school
arcade games we all grew up with wishing we had one more quarter, as well as
board games and other gaming rooms to enjoy!!!!
I haven’t started packing yet, well mentally I’m
making the list of the things I’ll need, chargers for all the electronic
things, hotel reservation printouts, my Dragon Con post card, a jacket, a hat,
the lap top, headphones, MP3 player (for night time when I NEED sleep but can’t
shut off the Con goers in the hallways) bathroom stuff, geek t-shirts, my
Dragon Con post card, my camera, cards for the camera, flash drives, my dragon
con post card, power strips for the hotel, comfortable shoes, money, and of
course my Dragon Con post card, but haven't put a single thing in a bag yet. Seriously don’t forget the post card, I can’t
STRESS that enough.
I should start napping now to prepare
my body for the Con, tho every year long about Sunday the Dragon Con Coma hits
me and hits me hard, it never fails. I am ok with that as long as the Con Crud
stays well away from my crew this year, but it never does. Ha!
How about a Dragon Con roll call ... if you will be in Atlanta hit us up so if we should see you we can give you a high five. I might even let you borrow my chair ... insert your laugh here ... get your own chair!
Stay safe out there and let’s have fun and not add to the death toll tally that GDOT seems to think needs to be across the interstate - no that's not stressful at all GDOT ... really it's not ... totes is.
#SayWhatMG
