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Oh, how I miss Pittsburgh.
a year ago
Dear fellow FA Artists, writers, photographers, Musicians, Crafters, Poets, Dreamers, fursuiters and other highly creative people.
"If you're going to a place called Pittsburgh,
shining city by the Allegheny fair...
If you travel to the town of Pittsburgh,
You're gonna see some won'drous people there."
(Apologies to Scott Mckenzie.)
I had "One last trip to Anthrocon" on my "Bucket List," mainly because I desired to experience the excitement and thrills I used to feel when I'd attend a large furcon, but Alas! As the Hindu believe, "The greatest cause of suffering is desire." It's been nearly Fifteen years since I've been to Anthrocon, and as I have watched and read from afar, I feel that things have changed so much, that I might not recognize the convention as it is, moreover for what it was. Not to say that the overall theme of the Con has changed, but it's more because my favorite places outside the convention center are gone, or have changed, and sadly, a lot of the friends and associates I used to enjoy seeing at the affair are indisposed or have passed on. Don't get me wrong though. I have quite a few "Facebook Frends" I know who will be going there, and I would certainly enjoy meeting them. I'll have to get my "Smartphone" seriously updated just so I could keep track of them all.
"All across the Nations, a new and strange Genration,
Uh-Huuuh? People in Cosplay...? Ah! People in Cosplay!
So many trinkets and treasures! Artworks far beyond measure,
People acting in fursuits... Some are rather quite Hirsute!"
True, there are other things on my list that are easier to achieve than attending the biggest "Furry" con in North America. Heck. I like to fantasize about strolling amongst the dealer's tables and imagine who's going to take the place of the "Old Guard" I once paled around with. Of course, most unsettling of all would be discovering who might take my place and develop my precise "Techno-art" style. No... I wouldn't go there to sell, but I would be happy to do conbook art and original sketches. I'd also like to meet with the few of my friends I know who would be there, because after all... This would be a fitting place to say my last "Good-Byes."
"So if you're going to Anthrocon in Pittsburgh,
Be sure to wear a fluffy tail and fuzzy ears...
And if you see my friends in Pittsburgh,
Think of your old foxy friend, still caught up in the gears."
Give my best to those who remember me there.
"Love and Peace."
"If you're going to a place called Pittsburgh,
shining city by the Allegheny fair...
If you travel to the town of Pittsburgh,
You're gonna see some won'drous people there."
(Apologies to Scott Mckenzie.)
I had "One last trip to Anthrocon" on my "Bucket List," mainly because I desired to experience the excitement and thrills I used to feel when I'd attend a large furcon, but Alas! As the Hindu believe, "The greatest cause of suffering is desire." It's been nearly Fifteen years since I've been to Anthrocon, and as I have watched and read from afar, I feel that things have changed so much, that I might not recognize the convention as it is, moreover for what it was. Not to say that the overall theme of the Con has changed, but it's more because my favorite places outside the convention center are gone, or have changed, and sadly, a lot of the friends and associates I used to enjoy seeing at the affair are indisposed or have passed on. Don't get me wrong though. I have quite a few "Facebook Frends" I know who will be going there, and I would certainly enjoy meeting them. I'll have to get my "Smartphone" seriously updated just so I could keep track of them all.
"All across the Nations, a new and strange Genration,
Uh-Huuuh? People in Cosplay...? Ah! People in Cosplay!
So many trinkets and treasures! Artworks far beyond measure,
People acting in fursuits... Some are rather quite Hirsute!"
True, there are other things on my list that are easier to achieve than attending the biggest "Furry" con in North America. Heck. I like to fantasize about strolling amongst the dealer's tables and imagine who's going to take the place of the "Old Guard" I once paled around with. Of course, most unsettling of all would be discovering who might take my place and develop my precise "Techno-art" style. No... I wouldn't go there to sell, but I would be happy to do conbook art and original sketches. I'd also like to meet with the few of my friends I know who would be there, because after all... This would be a fitting place to say my last "Good-Byes."
"So if you're going to Anthrocon in Pittsburgh,
Be sure to wear a fluffy tail and fuzzy ears...
And if you see my friends in Pittsburgh,
Think of your old foxy friend, still caught up in the gears."
Give my best to those who remember me there.
"Love and Peace."
But I really didn't have a lot of fun there; just too many people and I was left alone most of the time and no one talked to me.
I did get to do one thing - filled out some kind of survey for some research people that were trying to psychologically connect the furry fandom with a bevvy of afflictions like autism, ADD and diabetes.
I gave them a piece of my mind afterwards.
-meet online friends in person
-admire the amazing fursuits
-buy stuff in the dealers room
-commission art
-go to sessions and panels on a variety of interesting topics
-and most of all, et cetera.
-Wander aimlessly around the hotel for 3 days
-Spend lots of money
-Eat bad food
-Don't sleep
-Get sick
-Drive 16 hours home
-Spend the next week recovering
-Spend the rest of your life hoping that the photos are never leaked
It's called a "con" for a reason.
2: I think the staff would get concenred about you wandering around the hotel aimlessly.They assign room snumbers and put them outside the room door.Most conventions of bigger size dont happen at the hotel any more though assuming you do mean that.
3: that one I`ll give you though "lots of money" is all relative. It can easily vary greatly how much you spend based on what you want to do.
4: now thats where I disagree.I have experienced a lot of great food when at conventions and have places I make it a priority to visit when/if I ever get back to that particular city.If youre going from cheapest greasy sppon to gresy spoon or bottom teir fast food place then of course finding great food is difficult
5:cons including anthrocon have started an educational mantra years ago 6-2-1 which is good advie. when attending a convention sleep 6 hours a day, eat 2 meals and shower once MINIMUM. I know when I was in my twenties I could easily cut that 6 hours down to 4. but now that I`m twice that age I really do need a minimum of 6 and preferibly 8 if I`m doing lots of walking .
6:get saick. now before the great plauge. I didnt get sick too often after conventions. I think if you eat right and get sleep and aviod the greatets of crowds your chances of being sick after a convention isnt too much higher then going to school or work on any given day.But some people get very close VERY VERY close to other attendees,and or dont eat a single vegtable or get much sleep over that time frame so you set yourself up illness that way.Since the covid times,I still wear masks when in large indoor groups and *knock on wood*still havent had it and have rarey had any illness since 2019.
7:again the return trip like the going there trip rarely is that long. I have driven like 16-18 hours to Dallas and Sanjose and Oklahoma and Denver before on road trips.best way to fix a long drive back from a con is to break it up into two days of driving and staying at a hotel the one night.driving out to a convention that long of a drive its easier I found to start the drive in the dark when youre the most awake and then hopefully get there by sunset to minimise driving tired in the dark.
8: recovering? no time for that I usually have at most a day or 2 before I head back to work.though with Anthrocon I have turned that trip into a combined visiting family/con trip.So I usually visit family from 3-7 days after.But that was a lot easier when my grandma was still around and I could stay there for free after the convention.
9: and thus the popularity of fursuit heads in the fandom! actually a lot of younger people these days want the photos to be around even if theyre naked .I suppose thats a generational thing but also depends how young and attractive you are too
2nd would be to meet up with friends that live far away if you have any.Its easier to do meeting people online now then in the past where maybe you found people through letter collums of comic books or zines etc.
3rd is dealers rooms! most conventions have an area people sell home made stuff or stuff that fit within a certain hobby and sometimes such things can be hard to find elsewhere.and before te internet days maybe impossible to find outside of luck or knowing someone who knew someone. I have always gone to conventions to meet artists and hopefully get a hand drawn sletch if they were offering them and I had the funds to do so.
different cons have different things to do from said dealers rooms to art shows of predrawn art to persue and possibly bid on, dances and music, comedy preformances,dramatic performances,puppet shows,and panels on many different subjects. theres also sometimes industry guests at the bigger conventions though it seems like anthrocon has backed away from honoring guests at their post pandemic conventions which is dissapointing.
I think you'd find cons to be very different. They're just sooooo huge now. Which is both great and also just... A change that makes it less 'what I'm into'.
I would love to see you make another visit. I remember hanging out with you at many a convention and I often wonder if you will ever come to AC again.