Part II Saturday at the Dragon…

Continuing with our coverage of DragonCon...here is part 2. Part 1, Terrible Travel and Tropical Storms, can be found here.

Now the purpose of this tale is not to expound on the horrors of travel or the terrible things that can happen to the unwary. For that, read the Canterbury tales. But there is one more terrible thing to mention. Breakfast at a hotel can be REALLY scary. There were more scrambled eggs in the trash can than all other forms combined on Saturday morning. The hotel denizens fled in terror- no surprise if that even included the cooks. We later learned of the bakery right across the street from the Hilton, 1 of the 3 hotels used for the convention, which had must better fare and reasonable prices…

The day really started with registration and the parade. It’s great to be the guest or in the company of one. What took us less than 10 minutes to do must have taken any regular folks attending the convention well over an hour (conservative guess) which included a wait in the outside line BEFORE wrapping around the interior of the basement of one of the hotels.

So it’s on to the parade, passing the line moat of bodies (preregistration is HIGHLY recommended-Hint-Hint!)

Not enough can be said about the parade, according to our traveling sources. Legions of Stormtroopers, Klingons on choppers, Belly dancers, Harry Potter galore, the Darth Cooper, and to top it all off, Kolchak the Night Stalker and a slew of others that we weren't sure of. It was fabulous. More fabulous than the Queer Eye Guys. Utterly fan-TABulous and something for the entire family.

However, at this point, the wandering duo began to wonder, “What, exactly, does Mickey Rooney, one of the many guests, have to do with Science Fiction and Fantasy?” Dear readers, please inform us.

Seeking a distraction, our intrepid duo disappeared down the block, escaping to the alternate chaos of the Georgia Aquarium...when in Atlanta…and all that jazz. This was entirely worthwhile, despite the high price of tickets, simply for the taunt factor for a certain woman’s sibling. Peals of joy! Whale sharks!!

(Side Note 1 to traveling companion: Running commentary from traveling companion about evil has already been heard from numerous other sources. Your additions are unnecessary--so hush!)

(Side Note 2 from traveling companion: Who could live in the US and not know Calvin and Hobbes?? It’s just…un-American...like NOT driving a Buick!)

After a few hours of acquatic delight, it’s back to the convention. Wandering for a while through the Dealer’s Room. Keep in mind, this is not to be confused with the Exhibit Hall, or the Exhibit Hall 2, or the Walk of Fame, or the Art Show. This is the Dealer’s Room, and a more wretched basement of scum and villainy will be hard to find. Well not quite that harsh, but seriously, some of it was insane so hold onto your money...

Rounding out the day was a visit to a panel to see Lilith Saintcrow and the Ghost Hunters, and a short story panel boasting one of our travelers who had many things to say about nicotine withdraw symptoms which added some humor to the discussion. All in all—a good panel. No ostriches were reported.

Dinner and back to the convention for the costumes to be seen which in itself is reason enough to usually attend DragonCon. Description cannot do justice to the good and bad of the costume mayhem at DragonCon. Although the majority of the costumes are fantastic—there are still some that…well never mind. Still there seemed to be a slight gap in the costume uniqueness and creativity this year as compared to the past—so noted by many past attendees. Yet the usual creative uses of caution and duct tape were present as always.

All in all, a pleasant day--evening comes quickly in Atlanta and the bell tolls midnight to two weary travellers who seek shelter from the night. So it’s back to the hotel and safe haven from the con-mania of the Dragon.

Next time: Odd dreams and well other things…

Part III, Sunday, will be done soon.