Flying to Denver

I'm writing this on my eeePC in the Colorado Convention Center, in Denver on Tuesday afternoon. I don't know when I'll get access to a free WiFi hotspot to upload (as there isn't one in the CCC).

So I got up at 6am yesterday morning, not being able to sleep. Had breakfast and watched a programme I'd recorded on Sunday night. Left for Gatwick airport on the 8:32 train, arriving at 8:50. Started queuing at 9:00 and got luggage checked and all boarding cards by 9:30.

Security checking and x-ray was also quick and then I was waiting for the gate to board. The flight to Cleveland was "called" around 10:30 and started boarding by 11ish, We took off about half an hour late at 11:50. The flight was over 8 hours long and I managed to watch "Superhero Movie" via the on demand in-flight media system. Lunch was chicken, as usual when I get served a low salt option (before everyone else!) I also managed to finish one of the 2 books I took with me.

Cleveland is a small airport, which I recognised from an earlier visit, but I don't recall exactly which con I was traveling to. It was just after 9/11 and they hadn't quite got their security upgrades up and running and I nearly missed my connection. This time I had plenty of time before the Denver flight left. Met my first fans in the waiting area. 3 local Cleveland fans.

Arrived in Denver 7:15pm local time, 2:15am BST! Got through Customs, and baggage claim fairly quickly but decided I was too tired to navigate the vagaries of the local bus service and so took one of the hotel shuttles (an SUV direct to the Denver International Hostel).

Unfortunately I had a half hour wait before we had enough passengers to leave, (5 others made it to quota). It only took half an hour to drive to Denver, and I was checked in, paid $129:60 for ten nights, made my bed and crashed by 9:35pm twenty two and a half hours after I got up!

Flying to Denver

I'm writing this on my eeePC in the Colorado Convention Center, in Denver on Tuesday afternoon. I don't know when I'll get access to a free WiFi hotspot to upload (as there isn't one in the CCC).

So I got up at 6am yesterday morning, not being able to sleep. Had breakfast and watched a programme I'd recorded on Sunday night. Left for Gatwick airport on the 8:32 train, arriving at 8:50. Started queuing at 9:00 and got luggage checked and all boarding cards by 9:30.

Security checking and x-ray was also quick and then I was waiting for the gate to board. The flight to Cleveland was "called" around 10:30 and started boarding by 11ish, We took off about half an hour late at 11:50. The flight was over 8 hours long and I managed to watch "Superhero Movie" via the on demand in-flight media system. Lunch was chicken, as usual when I get served a low salt option (before everyone else!) I also managed to finish one of the 2 books I took with me.

Cleveland is a small airport, which I recognised from an earlier visit, but I don't recall exactly which con I was traveling to. It was just after 9/11 and they hadn't quite got their security upgrades up and running and I nearly missed my connection. This time I had plenty of time before the Denver flight left. Met my first fans in the waiting area. 3 local Cleveland fans.

Arrived in Denver 7:15pm local time, 2:15am BST! Got through Customs, and baggage claim fairly quickly but decided I was too tired to navigate the vagaries of the local bus service and so took one of the hotel shuttles (an SUV direct to the Denver International Hostel).

Unfortunately I had a half hour wait before we had enough passengers to leave, (5 others made it to quota). It only took half an hour to drive to Denver, and I was checked in, paid $129:60 for ten nights, made my bed and crashed by 9:35pm twenty two and a half hours after I got up!

First day in Denver

It was very warm during the night, with no air con and I didn't sleep particularly well, in my upper bunk bed! So I climbed out sorted my clothes, brushed my teeth and left by 8:00 then I spent over half an hour using my Palm outside to catch up on LJ!. The hostel has free wifi.

The Hostel is less than 15 minutes walk from the convention center, but first I decided to walk down the mostly pedestrianised 16th Street, which is a major shopping area. I was looking for somewhere to get breakfast, but I was also able to buy some postcards. I finally settled on the Corner Bakery Cafe with free WiFi so I was able to check email and eat spicy scrambled eggs with crispy bacon, toast and unlimited coffee. The bacon was a bit crispy even though I asked for it to be less well done! As I was leaving I discovered a table with multiple power sockets, so if I return I know where to sit so as not to run down my batteries.

I appear to be suffering from clutzitis as I managed to to trip over while on my walk, a good samaritan helped my up. No blood was spilt. Later at the CCC I managed to bang my left ring finger against the wall and it's still hurts over an hour later.

After breakfast I caught the free Mall bus to the closest intersection to the CCC (they travel up and down 16th Street) they are hybrids and go past every few minutes. Walked to the CCC and got the registration pack from pre-reg in hall D. For the last few hours I've been charging my Palm TX and eeePC, reading the program and checking off what I want to see (everything Lois is on natch) and cursing when there are conflicts! The last half hour or so I've been drafting my report to upload to LJ. I don't know if I'll be able to be as verbose over the next week or not, but it's a lot easier to do so using my eeePC then when I tried to do the same thing last year using my Palm TX. In the convention bag (brown paper from the Tattered Cover Book Store) apart from the normal Program book, badge, pocket program was a rather cool Fan Hydration Device, I just wish that I hadn't just bought a bottle of water to act in this role earlier in the morning!

Added later: I continued to read the two programme books until 3ish when i started to feel peckish. On the way out I spotted filkferengi and spouse so stopped to chat. With them was growlycub and after a while she and I went looking for food. Originally we wanted Chick-Fillet but the food court closed at 3:30pm (later found CF didn't open til 10:30!) So then we found a Taco Bell/ Pizza Express. She had mexican I had pizza, though they took so long to get my order it really wasn't fast food! When it arrived it was pretty good and the breadsticks very large.

We then emerged and took the free Mall bus to Union Station (end of the line) as the Tattered Cover Book Store was opposite, a nice olde fashioned building with a wide selection of books EXCEPT for the romances ones growlycub was looking for (I've got more romance novels on my shelves!) So another bus back again and walked to the CCC where we parted. I stayed in the CCC completing my reading of the program book until nearly eight when I decided to return to the hostel. On the way I had a meatball sub, visited Barnes and Nobel (a much wider romance selection) and tried to get money out of an ATM but failed. I intend to visit the bank in the morning. Anyway did a final LJ check and bed 9:15. The internal temperature was actually quite cool, and I nearly needed my sheet to cover me!

First day in Denver

It was very warm during the night, with no air con and I didn't sleep particularly well, in my upper bunk bed! So I climbed out sorted my clothes, brushed my teeth and left by 8:00 then I spent over half an hour using my Palm outside to catch up on LJ!. The hostel has free wifi.

The Hostel is less than 15 minutes walk from the convention center, but first I decided to walk down the mostly pedestrianised 16th Street, which is a major shopping area. I was looking for somewhere to get breakfast, but I was also able to buy some postcards. I finally settled on the Corner Bakery Cafe with free WiFi so I was able to check email and eat spicy scrambled eggs with crispy bacon, toast and unlimited coffee. The bacon was a bit crispy even though I asked for it to be less well done! As I was leaving I discovered a table with multiple power sockets, so if I return I know where to sit so as not to run down my batteries.

I appear to be suffering from clutzitis as I managed to to trip over while on my walk, a good samaritan helped my up. No blood was spilt. Later at the CCC I managed to bang my left ring finger against the wall and it's still hurts over an hour later.

After breakfast I caught the free Mall bus to the closest intersection to the CCC (they travel up and down 16th Street) they are hybrids and go past every few minutes. Walked to the CCC and got the registration pack from pre-reg in hall D. For the last few hours I've been charging my Palm TX and eeePC, reading the program and checking off what I want to see (everything Lois is on natch) and cursing when there are conflicts! The last half hour or so I've been drafting my report to upload to LJ. I don't know if I'll be able to be as verbose over the next week or not, but it's a lot easier to do so using my eeePC then when I tried to do the same thing last year using my Palm TX. In the convention bag (brown paper from the Tattered Cover Book Store) apart from the normal Program book, badge, pocket program was a rather cool Fan Hydration Device, I just wish that I hadn't just bought a bottle of water to act in this role earlier in the morning!

Added later: I continued to read the two programme books until 3ish when i started to feel peckish. On the way out I spotted filkferengi and spouse so stopped to chat. With them was growlycub and after a while she and I went looking for food. Originally we wanted Chick-Fillet but the food court closed at 3:30pm (later found CF didn't open til 10:30!) So then we found a Taco Bell/ Pizza Express. She had mexican I had pizza, though they took so long to get my order it really wasn't fast food! When it arrived it was pretty good and the breadsticks very large.

We then emerged and took the free Mall bus to Union Station (end of the line) as the Tattered Cover Book Store was opposite, a nice olde fashioned building with a wide selection of books EXCEPT for the romances ones growlycub was looking for (I've got more romance novels on my shelves!) So another bus back again and walked to the CCC where we parted. I stayed in the CCC completing my reading of the program book until nearly eight when I decided to return to the hostel. On the way I had a meatball sub, visited Barnes and Nobel (a much wider romance selection) and tried to get money out of an ATM but failed. I intend to visit the bank in the morning. Anyway did a final LJ check and bed 9:15. The internal temperature was actually quite cool, and I nearly needed my sheet to cover me!